by Kirby Hasseman
I love what we do. Whether you call it Promo, SWAG, Premiums, Branded Merchandise, you name it.
We do marketing. We do fun.
And with each month, some of the best and the brightest minds are continually coming up with new and cooler products that all of us can put branded messages on. I just love it.
As I have said before (and I will say again) Promotional Products affect human behavior. If you want to drive people to a website, to work safer, to come to an event or to donate to a cause…the best organizations use Promo because it works. But what do I use on a regular basis? After all, I am in the industry! So what do I find myself using each week?
Though it changes, and I will update this list at some point…here are a few items I find myself using every week!
Clip It Vent Mount:You can find more details here.
12 oz Urban Peak 3 in 1 Insulator: this will be appreciated.
Stay Organized Journal: We did these as a team and I did not expect to like them as much as I do! It’s a great size and it has a great look. And let’s face it, no one ever throws away a journal. So as I use it each day to take notes (including ideas about this blog), I think this is a home run.
Twist Erase Mechanical Pencil: Check it out here.
Mission Pack Backpack: When it comes to backpacks, I know there are a lot of options. But this one just seems to suit me. I love the shape, color and functionality of this bag. I use it for my daily trip to and from the office. And I have even used it on longer, cross country trips as well. Oh…and have I mentioned you can do as few as one with your logo? Well…that’s pretty cool. Get more information here. So those are just 5 Promotional Products that I am using all the time.
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by Kirby Hasseman
Kindness is a super power.
Don’t get me wrong. I love all of the Super Hero movies. I love the idea that “someone” with infinite power can save me (and the rest of humanity) if things go terribly wrong. It’s fun. It’s entertaining. The problem with these movies is they help create the idea that we need someone else to be “the hero” of the story.
We don’t.
We have the ability to be a hero each day. We just have to choose to put on the cape. And here’s the thing. It’s not hard. Unlike in the movies, we don’t need to lift cars, dodge bullets, fly or bend the universe with our minds. Making a difference in your every day life is really easy. You just have to be intentional. Here are just a few simple ways to be a super hero.
Give Credit
People are doing interesting and important work every day…in every community. Make sure they get credit for the work. More importantly, give credit for the effort. It’s the effort (not always the results) that they can duplicate.
Give Compliments
Be on the lookout to give compliments. Do you like the color of their shirt? Tell them. Did they get a new hairstyle? Tell them it looks nice. Maybe you appreciate their sense of humor at the office. Don’t keep it a secret. One of my rules of life is, if I catch myself saying something nice about someone “behind their back,” I let them know.
Give Thanks
It’s simple. But it’s amazing how often it doesn’t happen. Make sure you give thanks to your customers. Make sure you appreciate your family and your team. Give thanks to the people that help make your life better…they might just continue it! 🙂
Smile
If you want people to think you are a nice person, smiling at them is the easiest way to make it happen. It costs nothing, but it makes everyone feel acknowledged and appreciated it. And the thing is, most people don’t take the time. So you stand out as well.
Remember: Everyone has the ability to be a Super Hero. You just have to be willing to put on the cape.
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by Kirby Hasseman
I was standing at the cooler trying to make a decision. There were lots of choices (as there always seems to be). How to decide?
So I asked the person behind the counter about one I was considering. “Do you know if this one is good?” She didn’t actually answer the question. Her answer? “I have not had it. But we sell a lot of it. It’s popular.”
And even though I know (in my brain) that “popular” is not the same as “good,” I bought it. It’s something to consider as we create sales and marketing material. Whether it’s true or not, we equate “popular” with “good.” It makes purchasing decisions easier for us. As much as we say we don’t want to follow the crowd, most people do. So when you are asked if your product or service is good, maybe you shouldn’t answer that question.
But I am not sure that will be popular.
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by Kirby Hasseman
We all have days when we wake up feeling stuck. I do too. I wake up lacking the motivation to do nearly anything, let alone the important work that is often taxing and hard. So what do I do when that happens? I spent 10 minutes talking about a few tactics on a recent DMJ Podcast here. But one of the tactics I use is to push “good into my brain” first thing in the morning. I have a few “go to” places that provide me inspiration…and help to remind me to get after it. Here are a few I use…feel free to steal them!
6 Places I Find Inspiration
Seth Godin’s Blog: I don’t view Seth’s blog as “motivational” exactly. But it is a blog that shows up (every single day) and makes me think. I love that. And in making me think, it inspires me to be better. His blog is here.
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Daily Vee: There is no way I watch every Daily Vee. Gary produces so much content, I don’t know how (if you are grinding too) you could consume it all. BUT, it seems like when I do, he says something that reminds me or inspires me. His Youtube channel is here.
Casey Neistat’s Vlog: I love Casey’s shooting and editing style in his videos. So while many of them are not “inspirational” by nature, they do show me what I want to create. And Casey has a personality that is fun and charming too! Here is one of his latest videos…fun.
Jeff Haden articles: Jeff is one of my favorite writers on the interwebs. Apparently I am not alone because he is one of the top read writers on Inc.com and Linkedin. He also recently wrote the book called Motivation Myth which I really enjoyed. As a matter of fact I featured it on a recent article and podcast about the books I recommend here.
Grant Cardone: Grant can be a little over the top for me. But when I need a boost or a kick in the pants, he can be rocket fuel. If you are aspirational in your goal setting, Cardone can help you think bigger. Here is his Youtube channel.
John Lee Dumas: I have talked about being unreasonable before (here)…and JLD was definitely that. John Lee Dumas created Entrepreneur On Fire and interviewed a different entrepreneur on a podcast EVERY day. It’s impressive and he created a ton of valuable content. His website is here.
Speaking of inspiration…I loved this graphic and it originally showed up here: https://ukessay.com/. Thanks so much!
So these are just a few of the voices I go to in order to get me going. There are countless others that include books, podcasts, blogs and more. What are your sources of inspiration? Let me know! Oh..and if this blog is providing you some inspiration and value, subscribe to our VIP newsletter here!
by Kirby Hasseman
I just recently finished the book Solve For Happy. It’s an “engineer’s take” on the subject of being happy…and I really found it fascinating.
The author, Mo Gawdat, is the Chief Business Officer at Google X and the book was thoughtful, emotional (Mo lost his son), long, spiritual and more. You can find the book here. I listened to the audiobook, and it was a longer one. Mo dives deeply into topics, so I found it worth the time. But for those who want a quick snapshot, here are a few takeaways I found from the book.
You Are Not Your Thoughts
I found this interesting because I have been talking and writing about this a lot. “We all have that voice” that prattles on in our head. It tells us we are not good enough. It yells about danger and how everything will not work out. It’s often mean and mostly negative. Mo tells us that this voice is not you…and how to take a step back and listen to it less…so you can be more happy. One of my favorite concepts in the book involves Mo talking to his brain, “No. That is not a good thought. Go and bring me a better thought.” Love that.
Negative Emotions Are Not in the Present
Gawdat spent a great deal of time outlining all kinds of emotions and how they can affect our happiness. Then he pointed out the negative emotions. What do they have in common? Nearly all of them are rooted in the future or the past! This was a bit of an “aha” for me. If you are angry about being passed over for a promotion, that is rooted in the past. Worried about an upcoming meeting? That’s in the future. And since the past is done, and the future is just our imagination, the things that are making us unhappy are just our own thoughts. Powerful.
Live in the Present
We need to get back to “living in the present.” That is when we are most happy, content and (dare I say) joyful. Mo says that when he finds himself getting swept away with negative emotions he does a simple exercise. He closes his eyes. Then he opens them and closes them again. Then he describes what is in front of him…in detail. It brings him back to the here and now. This was a detailed book and he covers a LOT more than this. But those are just a few concepts that jumped out to me.
He even talks about how to overcome our fear of death and gives his take on what comes “after.” As I said, it’s a lot…but I enjoyed it. You can find the book on Amazon here.
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by Kirby Hasseman
The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast is back! Our goal here is to attack 2018 with a vengeance! The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast will provide some inspiration, motivation and education to make it happen! Consider this your 10 minute “kick in the pants” to get your week started off right!
Today on the podcast we take a look at the recent Online 18 from Dale Denham. Dale recognizes his list of 18 Online Influencers (you can find the list here). This time on the Podcast I take a look at some lessons you can learn from the folks on this list…and how you can apply them.
Once again, special thanks to Dale Denham for putting together this list. It’s great for discussion…and pushes me to do more (and better) work. And congrats to my buddy Bill Petrie for being Numero Uno on the list this year! Awesome stuff. As always, make sure you never miss an update. We are posting new content every day. So sign up here for our VIP newsletter to make sure you get the best of the best!
