by Kirby Hasseman
I was being a jerk, but I didn’t mean too. It happened this past weekend at my house. My wife had planned a neighborhood party and we had a driveway full of friends from the street. We had grills lined up on the street for people to cook their own meat. Our garage was full of tables filled with all kinds of covered dishes and the front yard had games for the kids. People were smiling, eating, drinking and having a great time. All of the ages of the neighborhood were represented…young and old. It was great. And the guests were all were complimenting the event and giving me credit. However, since my wife did all the work on the party (I mean it…literally everything…I did nothing), I did not want to take credit for her work. I talk about my concern about that here. Here’s the problem. Sometimes we need to just say “thank you” and accept the compliment. When you don’t, you take away the good feeling the person praises you intends. Jeff Haden talks about that here. You see, when you give someone a compliment, you don’t only make the other person feel good. You make yourself feel good too. You feel good about giving someone else praise. You feel good…by making someone else feel good. When we don’t accept compliments gracefully, we make the other person feel bad. And that’s exactly what I was doing when I was deferring credit at the neighborhood party. The guests were graciously letting me know that they were enjoying themselves and they appreciated the effort. I just needed to accept it. So the next time you get a compliment, accept it. You don’t need to justify. You don’t need to qualify. And remember it’s not for you…it’s for them. It’s simple. When you receive praise, just follow these simple steps. 1. Look the person in the eye.2. Smile.3. Say “thank you.” Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here. Oh…and if you want to say thank you to your customers or team, shop online here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Every year for over 10 years, Hasseman Marketing has created an “End User” show and have invited our customers. It’s evolved and grown over the years and we are quite proud of it. It started as a “Customer Appreciation Show” and it still has those elements. But we have expanded it and now call it our annual Trade Show (you can register here). This year the theme is “The Great Outdoors.” Why? Because it’s a Trade Show build for our customers and prospects. But why should you come? We want this event to be fun AND add a ton of value. Here are a few reasons why we think you should attend. 1. Great Product Access: We invite some of our top (and favorite) supplier reps to showcase their lines at the show. I like to say “There is no way I could fit all of this in my trunk.” You get to see and touch and feel the product and see what it’s really like. We all know that many products look the same online or in a catalog. But when you get them up close you can really see a difference. This is the perfect place to make sure your brand materials are on point. 2. Idea Generation: As you walk around and see the latest and greatest in Promo, you will come up with some great ideas for upcoming projects. The reality is, the show is at a great time of year for year end gifts for your team or customers. But some of our best customers come every year and start to plan their marketing for the next year and beyond. 3. Great SWAG: Nobody leaves empty handed! We put on a fun event where (with the help of our suppliers) we invest in putting some really cool SWAG in your hands. In addition, we build the event around a theme so you can see how we use a bunch of different items around a theme! 4. Tasty Food: You have to eat right? We have food and drinks as well. Each year we get compliments about the tasty treats and we know this year will be no different. The event this year is on Thursday October 11 from Noon to 5pm at the Lake Park Pavilion (in Coshocton). Our goal is to create an event that provides value and fun…and you never want to miss. So if you want to join us (and you do), please feel free to to RSVP here.
Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP newsletter here. And if you want to get started on shopping for your next promotion,you can click here to start shopping now.
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! In today’s podcast we talk about bridging the Appreciation Gap. Sound familiar? It should. We discussed it in this blog post recently. But on the podcast today, we try to dig a bit deeper and discuss how you can fix this problem in your organization today.So those are my tips. But what do you suggest? Do you have other “go to” moves to show appreciation for your clients, prospects and team members? Let me know!
And keep coming back to the Hasseman Marketing blog each day. We are working to post a brand new piece of content every day. Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP newsletter here. We do a weekly update with content and specials!
by Kirby Hasseman
I get way too much credit. Really. For nearly everything. This is not a statement of modesty. It’s just a fact. But I have only come to realize it recently. What brought this to my attention was a project that my wife and I have recently tackled. It’s a property on Main Street in Coshocton that we purchased at the end of last year. Since then, work has been being done to improve the property and (we hope) the downtown as well. But here’s the thing…I haven’t been doing any of it. My wife has. She (with the help of my daughters) has been tearing up carpet, taking out cabinets, cleaning, painting, working with contractors and more. They have been working their tails off and making great progress…and I am very proud of them. So it always catches me off guard when someone comes up to Amy and I and asks ME about the project. “How is that coming?” Or “Really appreciate you taking that project on.” That’s great…and I appreciate the sentiment. But I am not doing it. I am just getting the credit for it. Is it because I am the guy?Is it because I am the mouthpiece?Is it because I am the constant, narcissistic self-promoter? Wait. That last one hurt. Amy deserves all of the credit for the project. She is doing a great job. And it made me think of the other things in my life where I get all of the credit…unfairly. Do you enjoy videos we do like Delivering Marketing Joy? If so, Dustin Haywood deserves credit. He is our video guru and makes me look good. Do you like the graphics and look of our marketing? Then you need to give Josh Williams a pat on the back. That’s all him. Happy about the fact that we pay the bills and invoices get moving in a timely fashion? Libbie Granger-Prince handles all of that. And if you have ever had me actually make it to an appointment, or an order made it through the process, then Emily Bradford deserves credit for that. Oh…and one more…if you like the beer at Hasseman Brewing, Robbie Kehl does the work behind the scenes there. It’s humbling to have such a great team of people making me look better than I deserve. So thanks to them…and to our awesome sales team too. That’s where the credit is due. Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here for all of the content!
by Kirby Hasseman
This past week, I was recognized in a couple of different posts for online activity and influence. It was beyond humbling. The first was Dale Denham’s Online 18. Each year Dale puts together a list of the people he deems as the most influential online in the Promotional Products industry. He has his own criteria, which outlines at the top of the list, and he spends a lot of time putting it together. Other than me, it’s a veritable Who’s Who of online and content in the industry. Check it out here. Oh…and here is the podcast about this I did yesterday. The second post came from Commonsku. Commonsku is a service provider in the Promo World and created this list of their favorite Podcasts. It includes some newer podcasts and some old favorites…and we made that list too. That post can be found here. So why am I bringing this up (other than a blatant Humble Brag)? I mention this because it’s amazing how much recognition matters…to everyone. The Hasseman Marketing team and I create content on an every day basis. Our goal is to provide value. Our hope is that someone gets something out of each piece of content that either educates or inspires. And for the most part, it happens quietly. But when something like this happens, it’s hard not to take pride. It makes you want to puff up your chest. It is great to know that what you do matters…to someone. The lesson, I think goes back to this blog post about Fixing the Appreciation Gap. Recognition matters to everyone. Many of us would like to think we are above it. We “do the work” regardless of what anyone thinks. And maybe we do. But when we get called out for our good work…we take pride. Guess what? So do your employees. So do your customers. Make sure you are taking the time to “make a list” of the people doing great work in your life and your organization. Give them a chance to “puff up their chest.” And if you want to make sure you never miss any of this “recognized” content, feel free to sign up for our VIP newsletter. You can do that here! Or if you want to head to our site and shop for cool Promotional items to recognize your team, you can do that here.
