You would think the relationship between Politics and Promotional Products would be amazing. Whenever I think of the quintessential politician, it’s hard to get past them shaking hands and kissing babies without thinking of them handing out buttons to wear, notepads to write on or pens to write with! It feels like Politics and Promo are the perfect pair. But alas, that is not always the case.
The hypocrisy is always strange to me.
Usually it happens after an election cycle…or at the beginning of a budget cycle. A politician, looking for a “quick fix” to a budget challenge tries to find a place where they make a “big cut.” This is when the Politician turns on Promo. They make a declaration that their government will no longer spend money on non-essential items like Promotional Products.
This is just ONE example: Iowa Senator proposes cut on State Promo Spending. The promotional products were not “non-essential” when they were seeking to be elected, of course. At that point they were valuable election material! And that’s the thing. They ARE valuable campaign material. One of the things we know about (well done) Promotional Products is that they affect human behavior. If you want people to work safer, Promo can help. Do you want people to go to your website? Great news, an amazing Promo item will remind them. If you want them to vote for you, it works as well. (And if you want a legendary Beatle to jump up and down in excitement, a cheap t-shirt will work).
As a side note, as you live through an election cycle, most other forms of media make you frustrated with the process. TV ads, radio spots and Newspaper campaigns spread vitriol and hate. A well-done Promo campaign can help you celebrate your candidate…and keep you engaged in the process. But I digress.
The fact is, Politicians (and other leaders) should work to use the Promo that got them elected, to try and affect human behavior now that they are in office. Let’s face it. Some cool SWAG that brings your constituents some joy make us trust you more…not less.
Just about every good mother and father teach their children two phrases just as soon as they can talk. Say them with me… “Please and thank you.”
Awesome. That means this blog is read by wonderful parents (or soon to be parents). But here’s the thing. As nearly any parent will tell you, we get tired of hearing “please.” “Please can I go to friend’s house?” “Can I stay up later, please?” “Please can I have just one more?” On the other hand, we never get tired of hearing “thank you.” That simple sign of appreciation is much more rare. And even if it’s not, it’s never annoying.
We appreciate the appreciation.
Our clients and prospects and employees feel the same way. As business owners, sales people, and leaders, we spend a lot of time asking people for something. We ask employees for their effort. We ask customers for their money. We ask both of them for their time. We ask…a lot. But how often do you really spend time saying “thank you?” Not just the basic “hey thanks” you say in passing or the automatic email that says “thanks for your purchase.” Those are fine…I guess. But they don’t take effort and are not really sincere.
How often do you stop by a customer’s office just to thank them for their business? How often do you pick up the phone to do the same? How often do you schedule a meeting with a person in your organization just to take the time to applaud their efforts? If you are like most of us (me included), the answer is probably “not enough.” So here are 3 ways to fix the “appreciation gap” in your business.
Just “Thanks:”
Go to your clients or your employees with a simple “thanks meeting.” If it’s a client, let them know you are only there to say “thank you for their business.” If it’s an employee schedule a quick meeting. Both will probably give you quizzical looks because they are not used to this sort of meeting. But both will appreciate it.
Send a Card
Yes…we are going old school. Take the time and send out a simple greeting card showing your appreciation. The fact is, most of the mail we get these days is a bill. This will stand out!
Appreciation Program
This is for your best clients. Most businesses have a rule that 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of the clients. This is for that 20%. Create a quarterly program where you get a simple gift for your best clients…just to say “thanks.” It’s simple and it’s easy.
We have all been there. You have an event or promotion coming up, and someone in your organization runs up to you frantically and says “We need something to hand out!”
It’s the last minute! So you scramble to find the number of people that are going to attend (hopefully) and a budget and find things that fit in that box. You get “something” that fills the need, but frankly, does not delight. As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that workin for ya?”
So how do you create a Promotional campaign that makes a real impact? How do you create the campaign that has your customers talking and keeps them coming back for more? The answer is “better questions.” When you are starting your discussions, you need to think deeper. Of course you want to know the budget. Yes you need to understand that number of prospects and customers you want to reach. And yes it would be super helpful to know the logo, the number of colors, and the messaging. These are all good…but they are basic.
Here are 5 questions to consider if you want to take your Promo to Pro Level.
How do you want your customers/prospects to feel?
I absolutely love this question. It really makes you consider the impact you are trying to make. Do you want customers to feel appreciated? Do you want them to be shocked? Do you want them to laugh? By getting introspective on this question you have a real opportunity to consider what premium will be the perfect item to get inside that emotion.
What action do you want your customers to take?
Studies will tell you that adding Promotional Premiums to a campaign increases the chances that a prospect or customer will take action. So what do you want them to do? Does this item or items increase the chance (in your mind) that it will happen?
What is the overall theme of the event?
This can be basic, but I am amazed at how many people ignore the theme of an event. It can give you a place to jump off from when it comes to creative. Or you can create a theme of your own! What do you want customers to remember?
Who EXACTLY are you trying to reach?
Dig in here and be specific. Maybe you don’t want to reach everyone at the event. If not, maybe you should create a VIP gift that you only give to legitimate prospects. Either way, do it on purpose.
Where do you envision your customers using the item?
I find this is a great way to narrow down what is a perfect item. If you want to reach an audience that sits at a desk all day, then picture what they see all day. What would make their life easier or more fulfilled. Do that. These are just a few important questions that you need to ask yourself before creating a campaign or purchasing any item. They don’t take long to consider and they will make a huge difference in your next event!
Happy Thanksgiving! The holidays are officially upon us. And as the Black Friday Sales start (on Thursday, no less) it is extremely easy to get sucked into the stress of the holiday season. We can get too focused on the gifts and less on the meaning. We get focused on the tasks on the to-do list and less on the point of the exercise. I know I am guilty of it. So on this day of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take just a moment to outline a few of the things I am thankful for here at Hasseman Marketing.
The Team
I really am excited and thankful for the team I get to work with every day. From different backgrounds and different parts of the country, the inside employees and the outside sales team are what make us go. They are who “Deliver Marketing Joy.” Thanks to the Hasseman Marketing Team!
Our Customers
Nothing happens until there is a sale. That is true of any business, and certainly ours. We so appreciate the faith and trust our customers place in us every day. Thanks to each and every one of you!
Our Communities
Our Corporate headquarters is in Coshocton, Ohio and we love that area. We #ChooseCoshocton. We are proud of it. We want to have an impact. But with the nature of our business, we have team members in other communities too. Yes, we have people in Ohio. But we also represent communities in Virginia, North Carolina, and California as well. We are thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in each.
Our Suppliers and Partners
As with most any business, we are not in it alone. We have a host of fantastic suppliers and partners that help us do what we do. These suppliers are manufacturers, printers, designers and software developers…and more. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with each. So thank you! If you are reading this, you are likely in one of these camps.
All of us at Hasseman Marketing would like to take this chance to give Thanksgiving…for you!
In nearly every sales force you have three kinds of team members. You have your Rock Stars, the average performers, and the Laggers. And your success as a business is dependent upon working with (or not working with) the right groups with the right amount of time to grow your sales.
1. Rock Stars: These are the folks that are self-starters. They are driven. This group takes very little of your time to motivate and (most of the time) they are actually pretty low maintenance. There is not a need or want of any hand-holding (for the most part) because they don’t have time for that. They are working to get the next sale.
Sometimes they are so easy to deal with you might ignore them. Don’t.
2. Laggers: As one sales manager once told me, “You can’t push a rope.” Many organizations make the mistake of spending a lot of time with the Laggers. They are often very nice guys and gals (that’s why they were hired). And the tendency is, we think that if we “coach them up” they can turn into Rock Stars. Most of the time, this is fantasy. Raise your hand if this has happened to you…everyone!
3. Average Performers: The fact is, most of your sales team falls into this category. These are good sales members that have moments of “rock star status.” They just don’t perform at this level consistently. They very well could be “rock stars” but they are not…yet. One of the jobs of an entrepreneur, sales manager, or sales guru, is to raise the level of these team members.
But how do you thank and appreciate the Rock Stars and incentivize the rest? That is, literally, the million-dollar question. Let’s take a look at a few options…
1. Status Award: When it comes to affecting sales members’ behavior, a great option is to create Status awards they “wear.” This allows them to be reminded of their accomplishment nearly every day. It also shows the Average Performers who to model their behavior after. When thinking of a status award, think of the Green Jacket that is given to the winner of the Masters. What are some other ideas for status awards? Think of doing a cool custom watch. The average person looks at their watch more than 10 times a day. Make it a fashion statement and you have something they are proud to wear. Not a fan of a watch? No problem. What about a custom ring or a special shirt. You get the idea.
Make it cool and it will get the attention you desire.
2. Fun Award: Sometimes you can really have fun with the celebration! If you create a contest or incentive around lifestyle and the fun that success can bring, you might create awards that celebrate that. What do I mean, think about toting around a very nice Coleman cooler to every event this summer with an award message. What a great way to remind your team of their success (and get people to ask about it!).
3. Public Awards: Another way to make sure your sales team knows how they are doing is to create an award program that is a very public display of accomplishment. Read more on how to really do this right here. But when you create a public display, you can really give your sales team a way to showcase their own accomplishments to everyone that walks in their office! The other cool effect of these awards is that it tells all future customers that they are dealing with a Rock Star…and we all want that. If you want to dig deeper on learning how to create a program to help grow sales, just contact us here and we will reach out to you. In addition, you can shop online for other ideas here.
When it comes to any promotional premium, there are several factors that will make your promotion a sure-fire hit.
First, the very best promotional products are functional. The best products are the ones that hold the advertising message and are used again and again. Exposure right?
Another factor we like to talk about at Hasseman Marketing is a high “perceived value.” You would love for your clients or your customers to think you are giving them something of value, maybe even something they think you spent more on it than you did!
Finally, if you can add a sprinkle of “wow” to the customers, you know you really have something! If you can create something “remarkable” you know you have a hit. We have always said that umbrellas make for great Promotional Premiums because of two of these factors. They are very functional and they have a high perceived value. The fact is, everyone needs an umbrella, but no one wants to buy one. But now we can add the “wow” on the umbrella as well!
When the customer gets an umbrella, they get a hang tag telling them to download a free app. When they do this, they will get an alert when there is a 60% chance of rain, telling them to remember to take their “XYZ Brand Umbrella.” This is a really cool combination of the Promotional Premium with Technology! But are the umbrellas any good? They are. Here are just a few of the umbrellas that come with the Rain Alertz app (for no extra charge).
The Challenger II: This 62″ umbrella has the strongest patented frame in the world. Tested in a wind tunnel at Texas A & M (really), this umbrella outlasted the competition. This umbrella will last and last. Check out the details here.
BT46 Inverted: This style of inverted umbrella is taking the umbrella industry by storm (get it?). The Phonebrella is powered with Bluetooth technology and contains a speaker and microphone in the handle connected to your phone. How cool is that? You can answer calls, play music and provide directions without getting your phone wet. Learn more about this cool umbrella here.
Promo2: And of course sometimes you just need to hit a budget point. This 44″ auto-open umbrella is perfect for this occasion. But don’t worry, this is still a nice quality piece. You can learn more here!
