Attract Attention with Activity

I was visiting the art walk yesterday along the beautiful Santa Barbara coast and couldn’t help but notice the relatively fast pace the crowd was moving past all this magnificent art when all of a sudden we came to a halt, like being in bumper to bumper traffic on the 101 highway.
It always intrigues me how traffic comes to a halt on the freeway and then when you get to the part where it opens up again there is nothing there that would explain the slow down.

But when I got to the place that was causing the art walk slowdown, the “problem” was obvious. One highly intelligent, gifted, marketing genius, artist! This guy either loved what he did so much he couldn’t stop doing it or he understood that activity is the key to attention getting. Basically he was painting an ocean view and the crowds couldn’t move past his 10 by 10 without stopping to watch him work. Although he was quite chatty and willing to engage anyone who wanted a conversation, he did have a companion available to talk and display which I interpreted was his way of insuring none of the viewers would feel intrusive.

If you’re trying to get attention at a trade show or a business exhibit or even your retail location, activity is going to work for you. Walk down the hall of a mall and all you see store after store is window dressings an SALE signs. You’ll stop in front of the store that has activity in the window or someone in the doorway doing something interesting like sending a flying disc out into the hallway that bumps you in the head.

Or, have you ever walked down the aisle of a exhibit hall and noticed someone trying to get your attention by asking, “hi, are you looking for something special today?” What if he pointed a laser pointer at your partner or the person walking ahead of you while looking you dead in the eye with a challenge that made you want to know more about what he does? Don’t you think that would be attracting?

I know some bimbo that knows nothing about the product or services you represent standing half naked in your exhibit space is going to get attention, but is that how you want to be remembered?

Try learning (or relearning) one or two Yo-Yo tricks and then have a couple hundred available to hand out with your name on them to prospects willing to come in and try to turn a trick or two (pun intended). This will give you a break while they create the activity that gets your exhibit all the attention! Let us help you with the next idea to bring some activity to your sales and marketing endeavors. Check our website at www.InnMkting.com or give us a call. We’re here most business days from 9 to 5 @ 805-485-2865.

Part 2 - Life's Lemon ...ERRORs

2. The Errors

As a promotional products distributor and a creator of marketing collateral, our company Innovative Marketing, is basically involved in printing which means there are a hundred zillion ways things can go wrong. We’re very fortunate that the number of errors we actually encounter is very, very small (knock on wood!).

I’ll bet the dozen or so errors we’ve encountered in the 30 + years we’ve been in business can be attributed about 90% to faulty proofreading (usually the clients!).

However, we would rather have our client’s complaint to overcome then to have them go away angry and never know why we lost the account. When someone tells you about a mistake you've made, it means they value your business relationship and you better care enough to do something about it.

Recently we had an expedited order to a local university. On time delivery for a special event was the most important factor. While complaining about the poor quality of the imprint, the client said they could overlook it because we delivered on time. They reluctantly used the product because it was better to have it to give out at the event, then nothing.

This account is too important and prestigious to leave hanging like that so I let my supplier know of the displeasure and he suggested a win-win idea that was going to relieve my anxiety, get him off the hook and really make my client shine. It ended up costing me a few dollars because the supplier greatly reduced his production and material charges and I was able to do a very neat imprinted first aid kit which was unexpected and very well received.
The Lesson: This gave me a great opportunity to put another idea in front of my client that they are enjoying and will probably order again for themselves. Plus I gained additional client loyalty and a new sense of respect from them to allow me to make suggestions rather than just be an order taker. Furthermore, the relationship between my supplier and I has been enhanced. What could have been the “last order syndrome” (THE LEMON) turned out to be a closer relationship with more mutual respect between the three of us (THE LEMONADE).

Life's Lemons are for Lemonade

Business sucks. The recession is killing me and as hard as I wish, I'm coming up with negative after negative and then when something does start to look like it is going to be better, pow, a misstep or the shortfalls and a blown opportunity.

So how do I go about turning those lemons into lemonade?

In the last 30 to 40 days, I've experienced a number of deal killing situations and thought that revealing them here and going over how I overcame them might be helpful to followers of this blog.

1. The Delay Game - I might hate this more than anything else. One of my biggest clients (and absolutely the easiest to deal with) does an annual award banquet where the top 100 employees from its 8,000 nationwide staff are given gifts and awards. Guess who the go to promotional/incentive awards distributor is that they use year after year to provide these gifts and awards. Did you guess Innovative Marketing?

Usually the event is held in January to thank the staff for the great past year. Well 2008 wasn't all that great so the event was cancelled. Then it was rescheduled for March and then cancelled again. April was looking promising so it was tentatively rescheduled for May and finally held in July!

Besides staying in touch month after month, I tried to be creative in a way that would allow the client to keep the event while reducing costs for them without affecting my margins. It took a lot of shopping and cajoling with suppliers to get them to go along with me to make this a win-win for everyone. It worked out. Factories received orders for about 15 pre cent less dollars than expected, the client got to have its award event with great cost savings and highly valued gifts and awards and I saved lost revenue from the first quarter and am booking it into the third quarter.

All through this delay, I kept dropping new ideas for awards and gifts that would achieve the "pat-on-the-back" the company dearly wanted to give its staff. I realized the expense might be one of the obstacles that was getting in the way so I continued sending ideas over that were sometimes clever but it turned out unacceptable. I tried sending new catalogues and samples not knowing if the event was going to be held ever again, but believing it would eventually - probably in a future year.

The Lessons for me was the delay became:
a) Relationship building never ends, no matter what comes you have to keep building and earning that relationship.
b) A Learning experience is always right around the corner. I learned about newer technology ideas that I found useful for other clients and upgraded my knowledge about useful ideas.
c) Service is King and saving clients money is important.

Also, while I was waiting for this delay to end, I earned word of mouth referrals from this client and others who starting talking about the creative and "great stuff," I was producing.

Tomorrow I'm going to write about the second Lemon I recently turned into Lemonade - "The Errors."

Slowing Down? Then Let's get going again!

In case you haven't noticed, the level of solicitations is increasing.

Door to door, telephone and of course those email blasts. Do you know the main reason? Business is slow and people have little or nothing to work on and smart entrepreneurs are turning everybody on staff into sales executives or laying them off.

If you're reading this blog, you too are probably trying to find a new, innovative idea to make the difficult task of soliciting more pleasing. Not only to the solicited, but mainly to the solicitor.

How much more interesting is that person knocking on the door or telephone caller when they have something to give you beyond that product or service they need to sell?

Just yesterday, a perky, medical looking professional (wearing a white smock) came bouncing into my office with the "just happened to be in the neighborhood" line. Extending a gift bag my way, she offered an "opportunity" to visit her new bosses dental office for a free exam and very low cost cleaning.

I've been going to the same dentist for more than 30 years and the effort he goes to keeping out of pain has earned my loyalty (never mind the free toothbrush, floss and chocolates I get on the way out). So, when I told my visitor this she nodded her agreement and left me a folder with all the information about the new dentist including some referral cards, a toothbrush, floss and a toothpaste sample. "What, no chocolate?" I thought to myself. She's not going to get my business!"

But seriously, I would bet you any amount of money that out of 25 people Miss Perky visited, she found someone that is going to have a need for a neighborhood dentist. She will successfully begin developing some new clientele that will begin raising that practice out of this slow down.

Whether there is a budget for it or not, you're going to have to be the one to take the incentive to getting your clients back to calling on you again.

This week I had a terrible experience. I found out a client of mine was releasing a whole new branding campaign and me -- the promotional marketing guru of Ventura County, California -- was out of sight and out of mind when they sat down to plan the campaign with the new logo.

I guarantee that won't happen again. And to insure my existing client base knows I'm around to help them out of this slow down, here is my check list of things I'm doing on a monthly basis.

#1. I'm going to email my client base and let them know this blog is available for their consumption.

#2. I'm going to make more sampling available to them at NO COST. Try it you might like it. I'll be showing promotional ideas and let them know a free sample is on the way if requested.

#3. I'm going to have a contest. Tell me the best promotional product you've seen in the last six months and the winner gets a brand new Fossil Watch. There will be two winners -- one for the guys and one for the gals.

#4. I'm going to invite them to pass the word to their friends about the contest and let them compete for the watches.

The Lesson for my screw up is to take away something that will insure I'm being better at servicing my client base even when we're not in the sales cycle. For me, and should be for you, it's about staying in the loop even when you're not in the sales cycle. If you've got great ideas and great stuff, showing and telling can as much fun as selling.

These four proactive marketing steps will gain me a number of new ideas and new clients while I’m able to provide additional services and make myself more available. It might not result in any immediate sales; but at least I won’t be out of sight and out of mind when the buying need starts again.

Call me at 805-485-2865 so we can plan a campaign for you or visit our website www.InnMkting.com to search through our idea base.

Avoid this Marketing Ploy

While I’m more interested in blogging about innovative marketing ideas that help you promote your message and products and services, I thought this would be a good time to site an example of what not to do because it is a great way to piss off your client base.

The other day I received a letter (direct mail piece) from one of my credit card companies (unfortunately I have several) with one of the “teasers” on the outside of the envelope reading “IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING CHANGES TO YOUR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT.”

Typically, I trash this kind of mail because I get so much mail I just don’t have time to read credit card offers especially because I already owe them so much money and don’t want to know about another great deal that is going to be so attractive I end up further into debt.
But this one, I decided to open.

Surprisingly, it was not a bunch of legal mumble jumble. It was clearly written and I understood right out the gate that they were INCREASING my APR about five (5) per cent! Furthermore, if I missed a payment after the new increase went into effect (about two months from now), my rate would go to 29.99%!!

The back-panel went into detail about my options which pretty much included LOVE IT or LEAVE IT. I was even given an automated 800 number to call whereby I could automatically cancel and close my account.

While my business, Innovative Marketing, is involved in a number of public relations and advertising enterprises, our mainstay is selling promotional marketing products. We’re pretty small operators when compared to some of the big players, but we still run about $30,000 worth of charges monthly through a number of different bank credit lines and credit cards. Over the years, the suppliers in our industry have gotten more and more strapped for cash so have begun to require either a credit card or check upfront before processing our orders. The biggest in the industry, Norwood, just filed for bankruptcy.

Although most of my cards get paid to zero each month, that credit is very important to the smooth operation of our business. When I have a client having difficulty paying me right away, then often we have to let some of the balance linger a month or two getting even with the card company when our account evens up with us. Again, our numbers are small, but it would not be unusual for us to have $5,000 or $6,000 to push off to the next month.

Somehow I’ve justified that the “REWARDS” we get from using these cards pays for the finance charges which we encounter about three or four months out of the year. However, take a look at the differences in monthly finance charges with these examples:

$6,000 @ 12% APR = $60 per month (which is what we were averaging).

$6,000 @ 17.99% APR = $90 per month (which is what the INCREASE was doing).

$6,000 @ 29.99% APR = $150 per month (I’m borrowing from someone else to pay that off).

Needless to say, I was pissed and began calling the automated number to shut down my account when the cool head of my beloved prevailed telling me “don’t cut your nose to spite your face (idiot)!” She went on, “you rarely have a balance on that account and you need the credit so either make sure you never have a balance or call them and find out if there is something else that can be done.”

Unfortunately, I know me and for one reason or another, one day, a balance would show up and I would be blowing my blood pressure over not paying that bill in full. And I hate to talk to the credit card “customer service” people because…well you know why and I don’t have to explain.

But guess what. I did call and got to talk to someone who understood exactly what I was jabbering about and before I could finish my complaint, he said, “Mr. Berger, sir, we send that pamphlet to everyone; but the increase is for everyone else and does not affect your account which reflects the lower, priority rate for our better, more preferred customers.”

Of course, I was ready for battle so began arguing that what he just said is not what the pamphlet reads and my voice started rising. “I know Mr. Berger, sir,” he calmly cut me off. “But I’m telling you, sir, your rate stays the same and I’m even putting a note here in your account file about this discussion so if you have any problem in the future you can refer to these notes.”

OK, so I let him win that argument.

While I’m feeling very special about my “preferred” status, I’m blogging this so everyone will know that a protesting telephone call does make a difference. Had I done nothing, I’m confident the rate would have gone up the extra five percent. If I cancelled my account, I guessing I would have received a mailer in a few months offering me some sort of introductory rate to get a card and other free services (I may still go for that option when my cash flows better toward the year end.)
Make the call. It will save you some significant money over the long haul and even more importantly, it will let the biggies know we’re not going to let them get away with taking advantage of us. Now I’m wondering, out of the millions and millions of credit card customers who receive these pamphlets, how many actually just go along and end up sending the extra $300 or $400 in finance charges every year?

Your Next "Good" Idea May Mean Your Job!

In this challenging economic environment, as a creative marketing executive, you will need to understand where to focus your efforts. It’s challenging for a couple of reasons – things are getting better right now and you don’t know how long the upturn will last or how up it will be.

You can't focus entirely on cutting costs. Cutting costs is definitely important but you have to be bold now and begin recommending careful, aggressive campaigns that can seize the opportunities that may have a smaller window then any of us would prefer. Remember you're investing your time everyday so to be able to document a winning approach during the right time could pay off for you long term.

Tax refunds are starting to arrive, middle class earners are beginning to see larger take home checks, the news with rescues on the high seas is positive and as consumers continue to verify the bargains available are real, the economy -- as predicted by the experts within the Obama administration -- will start to marginally grow.

Our current economic situation is not discouraging; but it is challenging. Students of some of the best marketing practices during the last recession can help you in the planning and recommendation process. The choice between pumping up your marketing investment and cutting spending until the market stabilizes is really no choice at all. Those who hold back will watch others take larger shares of the available purchases. All purchases are in competition now. It’s not just about market share.

While the last “official” recession was nearly 20 years ago, experience proves that marketing departments succeeded when convincing the occupants of the executive suites to promote, advertise and continue brand building. They increased their own market share, outlasted their market competition and found themselves in a better position for growth when the economy flourished during the Clinton years.

I’m not suggesting to throw your money and ideas away on blasting ads every chance you get. There are a ton of wasteful spending "ideas" on television, the internet and direct mail. Using promotional products available through websites like ours at www.InnMkting.com is a start but more important indulge the expertise of promotional marketing consultants who can give you statistical information on which products work in what environment and help with ideas and best uses of these products.

Sometimes you may not like what you will hear form that professional. But if all he/she wants to do is take your order then you may as well do the shopping on the internet. Look for a promotional marketing expert who has kept up with industry trends and is not afraid to lose an order by telling you when your boss' idea is less effective. Look for the consultant that will be in a postion to make recommendations based on how you plan to use the idea and the medium you are considering.

Obama’s Gift: Almost Perfect for the Queen

What a great problem to have. I’m going to visit the Queen of England and what do I give her for a gift. I laughed out loud when I read the editorial in the Los Angeles Times. “What do you get the Queen? Here’s a woman who has everything and even carries a purse to meetings in her own home.”

An IPOD? I don’t think so. Maybe a nice gift for one of her grandchildren. As a matter of fact, it turns out that one of them gave her one a couple years ago. By the way, that’s the perfect clue for gift giving. Give people the things they give. Subconsciously they are giving the things they really want for themselves.

So if President Obama followed that rule of thumb. He would have given her a nicely framed picture. Then the problem comes up. Do I give her a picture of her with George Bush when he was receiving that glare from her for joking that she was old enough to be around since the revolutionary war?

Actually the IPOD did include some pictures of her and Prince Phillip while they were visiting the United States on a recent trip. So that was close but I like my idea better. This frame is a digital frame and you can put hundreds of photos on it and let it run so you have an ongoing slide show. I have one in the family room and we turn it on whenever visitors come by. Amazing thing about it is they always notice their photo among the hundreds that are “sliding!”

Or if you wanted to get the idea across what a budget minded President you are — in the midst of this global recession — how about a credit card size Hand Sanitizer? After all, think about all the germs a Queen can pick up shaking all those hands day after day. Here’s an idea that cost less the two bucks. As a matter of fact he could have given her a gross of sanitizers with the USA imprinted on one side and the Royal Coat of Arms on the other. She could have handed them out to others who have the ongoing chore of greeting and hand shaking. What an idea. We can help stop the spread of influenza as we continue working for world peace.

If you are looking for interesting ways to get your organization talked about – in a good way – try working with a promotional marketing specialist like Innovative Marketing. It is the type of communications that gets multiple exposures for low rates and long life. Whether it be gifts for a Queen, a thank you to a co-worker for a job well done or a way to show client’s your appreciation, we have appropriate ideas.
We’re available by email just write to Info@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.Com today. Please leave your phone number and other contact information so we can plan a way to connect with you.

Direct Mail Ads Need Better Payoff

Here is a simple way to make sure your direct mail gets attention. We can even provide you with statistical results showing your use of this one simple idea, your mail will get noticed, even read and the response rate will increase GREATLY.

Bulk it up!

And that does NOT mean use that old fashion “bulk rate” that the post office has eliminated to make junk mail more attractive.

What it DOES mean is put something bulky into your mail that makes the recipient wonder “what’s in here.” That curiosity gets them to open it and find out why you sent it. Furthermore, if the bulky idea you include in your mail is properly picked, it will have staying power which means the recipient might start carrying it around with him which gives your message or sales pitch a longer period to sink in and get you added results.

While the per piece cost of this bulky direct mail campaign is going to cost more, I can get you academic proof that the return will be well worth the added expense. What I’m trying to explain here is that sales results will exponentially increase with the inclusion of a simple bulky idea like an inexpensive calendar card. For every hundred dollars previously spent that may have generated a couple hundred in sales during a fixed measured period can be replaced by a thousand dollar response over a longer measured period with the addition of a bulky idea.

The bigger the bulk (which also may be more expensive) academic studies show the bigger the responses. In one study an inexpensive pen packed with a pad of adhesive notes drew a 13 per cent response rate! Previously unheard of in direct mail that is thrilled with a two per cent response and really only expects something above one per cent.

American companies are sharply reducing their spending on direct-mail marketing. From our marketing perspective, this is a huge mistake. Believing these bad economic times require marketing increases means we need new innovative ways to do it that get better results.
Another idea that fit into the bulky mail envelope idea could be a credit card size anti bacterial hand sanitizer. Imagine the recipient carrying around this idea and every time he pulls it out of his pocket to sanitize his hands someone says, “Wow, where did you get that?”

The ideas we can assist you with including in your next direct mail campaign are endless. If you are looking for interesting ways to get your company talked about – in a good way – try working with a promotional marketing specialist like Innovative Marketing. It is the type of advertising that gets multiple exposures for low rates and long life.

We’re available by email just write to Info@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.Com today. Please leave your phone number and other contact information so we can plan a way to connect with you.

Banks Come and Go; But Taglines Live On

Today I was driving past my local Washington Mutual branch (affectionately know as WAMU) and noticed the temporary CHASE signs are covering anything that used to refer to the old names.WAMU is national; but if you live out west – especially in California like I do, then you may remember WAMU took over Great Western Savings and Loan Association – which was the bank that had the confidence inspiring tag line “We’ll always be there…”I would like to take credit for creating that tagline. It is so ironic that not only is Great Western long gone; so is the conglomerate that took them over. “So what good is a tagline?” you may ask.I raised my kids in Chatsworth, California which was the corporate headquarters for Great Western. Even today, the campus housing much of WAMU’s computer systems and loan processing offices is (as of now) located in what used to be that corporate plaza. Of course with the main WAMU being in Washington state and apparently some major subsidiary in Texas, the campus has dwindled down to about half of what it used to be but still takes up a square mile or two.In the Great Western Days when John Wayne and later Dennis Weaver were the company spokesmen, it was a huge client of mine. They bought T-shirts to hand out for community events they sponsored. Polo shirts were distributed to all the employees for wearing on casual Fridays. Decals for car windows and teller stations were regularly ordered and reorder. Pens and notepads by the truckload. Gifts'>http://www.innmkting.com/item_information.cfm?strip=0&ClearListOrder=true&CatalogGUID=18F2680E%2D6D0F%2D4D9F%2DBE23%2DA5777CD3112D&SupplierItemGUID=B7DB72EC-CD9B-4BAA-A30D-8894A90BEB1E&SuplItemNo=1200&SuplDisplayNo=Magellan&clear=1&AcctGUID=AB5AD5D4-D21B-4170-A1F2-67F558FC6655&ProdNo=1&ProdName=1&Description=1">Gifts to give customers to open new accounts were always fun to brainstorm about trying to come up with something new and clever – not just another toaster.The Snuggie, which has caught on recently because it’s comforting in these trying times, wasn’t quite available in those days. But we did do blankets and fleece and picnic "baskets" and thermos'>http://www.innmkting.com/item_information.cfm?strip=0&ClearListOrder=true&CatalogGUID=18F2680E%2D6D0F%2D4D9F%2DBE23%2DA5777CD3112D&SupplierItemGUID=FF004BB4-992D-48D4-910A-A20A23F5AFA8&SuplItemNo=SM%2D6710&SuplDisplayNo=&clear=1&AcctGUID=A0FB3837-C7AE-11D3-896A-00105A7027AA&ProdNo=1&ProdName=1&Description=1">thermos bottles and all the things that would encourage customers and employees to save energy, help reduce costs and work as a team for better results.You can imagine how much I miss Great Western. Up until today when I saw that Chase sign go up I was in denial about them being gone. It’s been nearly a decade since WAMU took the action to kill that tag line; but somehow I always believed it was coming back and I was going to regain all that business. Guess that is what is meant about being positive or optimistic! At any rate, working with marketing people and developing taglines and the products to promote the future of a business is what my work has been about. I love that brainstorming session. Stupid questions get asked and answered and exciting innovative ideas result.While it would be nice to work with another Great Western, the fact is most companies just don’t get that big. It is the smaller organizations that really need to develop their promotional marketing programs with much more rigid budgets. That makes our work even more challenging and rewarding.If you are looking for interesting ways to get your company talked about – in a good way – try working with a promotional marketing specialist like Innovative Marketing. It is the type of advertising that gets multiple exposures for low rates and long life. Like a calendar – for as little as a dollar, your tagline and/or ad message can be seen several times a day for 365 days a year. That’s a lot of exposure for a small price.We’re available by email just write to Info@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.Com today. Please leave your phone number and other contact information so we can plan a way to connect with you.

AIG - Need An Incentive? Call Me

Wow, am I glad I’m not one of those AIG bonus babies. Can you imagine what it must be like for them? They are more hated now then Congress! If you have been following my blog, you know I love it when I can say “told you so.”A few weeks ago I wrote about employee incentives and I was pretty clear – even had it in the title – cash is not where it’s at.So it got me thinking. What if Ed Libby, CEO of AIG called and said “Jay, I need something worth a million dollars and I have 73 employees to show my gratitude to, got an INNOVATIVE MARKETING IDEA?”Now I have the advantage of hind sight here; but I think I would have orchestrated an event in front of the Capitol steps and had each bonus baby hand truck in large bags of money as a payback on the debt. You would have to have players from both sides of the aisle in attendance just to make sure you’re getting the message across that we’re all in this together. I would have charged about $5,000 to set that up plus the expenses to get the money bagged and trucked in and of course the hand truck rental fee. Can you get the mental picture of the positive public relations reaction? How many millions of dollars would it cost AIG to get that kind of recognition?But now I have to deal with getting back to Ed and coming up with a way to provide an incentive to those 73.First, a lapel pin made of gold (plating) and jewels so outrageously beautiful and gleaming that everyone who sees it would wonder (and maybe ask) what is that and what did you do to get it?” Think about the lifetime of recognition those 73 would have every time they told the story about bringing the money to Washington.But I wouldn’t stop there; we’ve spent less the twenty bucks so far. Do you think they would appreciate a little incentive travel program? I could put you on to a two week trip that would fly these folks first class to London where they would spend the “funnest” weekend of their lives. Probably could even arrange a private concert with U2, if they were in town. From there, we’re moving – still first class – to Turkey for a five day glamorous land cruise through the ancient and arguably first cultures of western civilization. We still have six days to go and the point is that for less then $15,000 I’ve produced something these folks will always have in their memory.For the trip home, I would probably throw in a Snuggie — you know, the blanket with sleeves. This one would have AIG embroidered subtly over an American Flag to remind them about the gallant gesture.I heard that 11 of the 73 have already left AIG so possibly they are out of work. The $60 million Snuggie sales for 2008 will reassure them another good idea can do it all for them once again (and this time without breaking the bank and sending the whole world into financial chaos).

Coupons With A "Catch" Are Harmful

My wife is not much of a coupon clipper. As a matter of fact the only coupon she uses is the one dropped on my desk about once a month trying to convince me it’s time to get my car washed! She has a guy that comes to her office weekly, so her car is always clean. But my car is filled with samples and golf accessories meaning it only gets cleaned up and reorganized prior to a car wash. Since I quit eating in the car between sales calls, the food droppings and crumbs have been minimized which makes me overlook the car washes until she drops that coupon.But the other day I saw a coupon she clipped from our local paper offering $10 on a purchase of $50 at grocery store she frequents in between trips to Trader Joe’s. I believe one of the reasons she avoids coupons -- and I totally agree -- is because there is always some restriction or gimmick that makes the coupon worthless. I can’t tell you how many restaurants we’ve gone to over the years where we plopped our two for one on the server to find out the small print says it is either expired or not good for the things we ordered or just not valid on the day we’re dining.So over the years, we’ve become hardened and ignore these offers rationalizing that they are all pretty much bait and switch. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw this coupon on the counter. At first I ignored it. Then I noticed it was staying on the counter – two days, three days, four days. I remember thinking if it was authentic, it was going to expire so maybe I better take a look at it.I read and reread all the fine print. Except for legitimate exclusions like alcohol and tobacco and could not be used in conjunction with other promotional offers, it seemed okay. And it did have an expiration date but even that was more then a couple weeks away. “So what’s the catch,” I found myself saying aloud as my wife was walking up from behind. “Yes,” she agreed, “it seems like a good deal and I need some stuff there so I’m going to try and see if it works.”So you’re wondering to yourself, “What was the catch?”You may consider this the catch; but I found it to be best INNOVATIVE MARKETING IDEA of the day! She ended up spending nearly $300 and saved ten bucks!It was a very authentic and legitimate offer. It gave her exactly what it said it would give and it made the exchange simple. It got her into the store. From there she shopped and saw a number of things she needed but was putting off. She noticed additional discounted pricing for things she needed. Although her normal shopping visit would be around a hundred dollars she felt good enough about that savings, she went on to get things that were priced better. She showed me how much she “saved” because the register receipt broke out the shelf price from the discounted price itemizing the amount “saved.”The point here is that coupons work. But the offer has to be legit. Business offering coupons to grab attention and then end up charging the client more in the end get no respect, are considered insulting to the consumer’s intelligence and make things bad for businesses making good offers and giving real value to earn a customer’s visit. I was reading that Procter Gamble – a huge believer in coupons -- is planning to raise $1 million dollars through coupon redemption for charity. For every coupon redeemed the company makes a donation toward GIVE Health, a campaign under the company's Live, Learn and Thrive corporate cause. This is obviously a nice way to be a good corporate citizen. It also gives a discount to folks who use or want to try your products. Another INNOVATIVE MARKETING IDEA introducing new consumers to build future sales and profits. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to determine the best coupon offer. Nobody wants to give away the store just to get someone in it. I’m of the belief that a gift or premium of some sort is a better incentive to get attention for your coupon then the dollars off offer. Many ideas are less than a buck to get that attention, some are more exotic and but can be useful too.Personal is always best. So let me help you decide the most appropriate way for you to reward your prospects and customers. Contact me at Jay@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.com. The website is a search heaven. If you type in an idea or budget in the search section you will see an idea or two that will be useful for your next promotion or marketing campaign.

Reward the Good; but No Money PLEASE

I remember when I was working on a dock of a trucking company, during my college days, and the Terminal Manager (TM) called me in to tell me the union steward wanted him to get rid of me because I was making the full time guys look bad and causing uproar in the ranks.

I was unaware of the uproar for a couple reasons. One, I was a temp working off the others schedule. My assignment was to set up the distribution runs for the next day anticipating where the deliveries were going based on what I knew from what was coming in. It wasn’t all that complicated because even before the freight was picked up we already had the information of what was going to whom and my job had to do with scheduling the unload and reload it based on pre arranged delivery routes. I worked from 1 to 5 and the guys I was allegedly pissing off -- who had to do the heavy lifting -- were on the 4 to 12 shift.

Rather then get rid of me the TM starting asking me questions related to the detail of the scheduling. How much of what I was doing was still left to redo the next day? Why was the leftover, leftover? Was the information I was working from accurate or not? What assumptions were I making that was unrealistic?

What he discovered was that 20 per cent of his 4 to 12 shift was doing 80 per cent of the work. Surprised? Then, I was; but now (it’s been more then 20 years since I worked on that dock) I’ve learned the 20-80 rule pretty much fits for everything related to success and high achievement.

Instead of firing me or reacting to the union steward, the TM set up an incentive program to reward the 20 percent. He had to be careful so the union couldn’t complain about unequal treatment. But he managed a program that delivered extra rewards

Results? You bet. Not only were the 20 per cent shown appreciation and welcomed the extra gratitude, the production increased even more among that group and many of the 80 per cent soon joined in to get some of the rewards that were available.

Management courses will tell you that rewarding better workers develops a competitive advantage and encourages others to achieve more. Now there are all kinds of scientific ways to get this done and I’m sure someone on your human resources staff can give you the details. My goal here is to give you the idea of what those rewards should be and let me stress ANYTING BUT MONEY is workable. Money is not the reward to use. It gets taxed so people begin resenting the thousand dollars you give them because it ends up being $700. It gets spent, so as soon as it’s gone it’s forgotten. And no matter how much you give, it is never enough!

Think about rewards and incentives like these three ideas:

· Watches
· Clocks
· Cameras
· Electronic “Toys” like scanners, GPS, Golf viewers, MP3, IPODs
· Kits – like first aid or auto repair or bike repair (promote some healthy living!)
· Sports Equipment
· Tool sets

Details of some of these ideas can be found by clicking here .

Personal is always best. So let me help you decide the most appropriate way for you to reward your prospects, clients and fellow workers during these budget cutting times. Contact me at Jay@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.com and type in some “rewards” or “incentives” in the search section and see how inexpensive it can be to tell that 20 per cent how important they are to you especially in these tough times.

Is it New or Old Age?

Is New Age making its reappearance? Maybe we should call it “Renewed Age.”
But perhaps it’s just me. I went to a seminar over the weekend which was put on by an almost baby boomer old friend and his wife. They live in a newly established retreat center not far from Zion National Park in Utah. She, who admitted to being a hippy “back in the day,” was inspiriting and gave all those in attendance a wonderful message of what good we can begin expecting from the future.
It’s no accident that we are here and that you’re reading this blog. She convinced me that we are living in a very special time. She called it “a time when we are entering the doorway to the Age of Aquarius.” I believe her. I am seeing more and more things going on around me that are making sense and giving me hope.
Especially in business. The other day I received an email from a business coach that read like he just left the graces of his guru. Here is a little of what he wrote:
“I realize as a subject, achievement of goals through a conscious effort to raise your awareness, strengthen your willpower, and if you subscribe to it, call on universal principles to help you, is very compelling. Who wouldn't want to know how to change aspects of their life for the better? Creating positive change and discovering the nature of the universe are two subjects I've studied for most of my adult life. Often during times of crisis or great challenge is when I call on this interest the most, because it can be a very grounding force if you are willing to take on the ideas.”
This was from a guy who is always all biz and is usually trying to sell some new book or tape.
In my own industry – promotional marketing products – I receive lots and lots of emails from hundreds of factories wanting me to take an interest in their products and use them in an upcoming campaign for a client. That’s fine and for the most part I appreciate being on their lists. But lately I’m noticing this New Agedness rhetoric inching in to the copy. Here is one more example:
“Knowledge is based on moral and intellectual virtues. It can be defined today as an abstract, intangible combination of emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and the ability to recognize in others how their unique set of experiences and responses contribute to the good of all.
This abstract skill is essential to both learning how differences benefit the team and achieving cultural synergy. The acquisition of this abstract skill begins with a heightened knowledge of oneself. Only through self-awareness can we hope to more fully understand others in the quest to expand our global comfort zone.
Know yourself”
Frankly, I’m pleased by this “Renewed Age.” But I’m wondering am I just noticing it because of my weekend experience? Has this been going on all this time without my being aware of it? Let me know. Are you seeing more and more lately and am I just finally getting it? I would really like to hear form you.

Stop the Bleeding and Start the First Aid

I’ve blogged here about cutting back on marketing and sales in the middle of bad times but no one is listening it seems. A prominent professional association of national advertisers is reporting a devastating statistic.
More than 90 per cent of the major companies polled are looking to cut advertising and marketing expenses (investments, I would say!). Even worse, the budgets are going to be reduced for next year from a quarter to a third. Are we going to be saying good-bye to the newspaper industry? I pray not.
The part that makes no sense to me is plans to eliminate new projects. Seems to me, the Obama way is, if the old ideas weren’t working, let’s try something new. New projects mean new ideas and those are the things that can get things going again. But that “newness” is being cutout. Isn’t that the way we always did it in the past? Would somebody please listen to me?
One other genius in the marketing industry was quoted as saying, “In the current economic environment, there’s a need to acknowledge consumers’ financial circumstances, and offers them products, services and solutions that meet their needs.” Sounds like something I said – at least I said that to my wife. “For some marketers, that will mean skewing their media mix towards promotional spending and direct marketing.
I’m beginning to think that people in the advertising business are noticing the promotional product you get the prospective customer to carry in his pocket or wear on his hat may get a lot more bang for the buck then the ad costing millions and missed by millions more.
Those of you having cut ad budgets and are still responsible to bring in existing and new business would do well to visit my site at www.InnMkting.com We offer a total resource of ideas that will help you achieve that goal – lower spending and more impressions. If you don’t feel comfortable surfing a site, email me Jay@InnMkting.com and I will be happy to start sharing some ideas with you AT NO COST.

When Time Shows it, You Know it's Big

When I first got into the promotional products industry (it was then known as the “premium” or “chackie” industry, the big guys used to tell us that you would know you arrived when you saw one of your projects on the pages of one of the factory catalogues. I remember how excited I was when it happened to me. Even now, maybe even especially now — since catalogues are going by the way of newspapers — with the availability of those interesting ideas showing up on the internet, if I find one of my projects in a catalogue it feels like I really am one of the elite.But check this out. That picture to the left was copied from Time Magazine and it was used in a recent story about Stem Cell Research. That refrigerator in the picture has a magnet on the top right of the door and it was sold to my pharmacy company client to communicate a very important message about refrigeration and drug interaction.My client, who asked me not to identify them for this blog because of the controversy now going on in the pharmaceutical industry, used that magnet to promote a safety message.The controversy that is now part of the drug industry is that promotional products and marketing tactics can no longer be used to entertain or sell healthcare professionals – only to educate. Someone thought that doctors were prescribing medications based on the goodies the industry reps were leaving behind to remind them about the new and improved meds. Can you imagine some doc prescribing something for you because of a pen or desk accessory or magnet he was given? If you can, you better change which professionals you trust to care for you. The drug companies can still give away things that are 100% educational and have no personal value to the recipient other than information.Even though that magnet you see on the refrigerator was purely educational, my client was concerned someone may misinterpret its intent and then he would have a bunch of time wasted explaining what it says and how it was used.You have to admit for less then 50 cents that is a pretty solid marketing idea that goes along way to putting the message one wants communicated out there. The purpose of telling you this story and showing off my marketing idea that made it all the way to Time Magazine is to have you see what can happen to a really good successful marketing idea.If you type “magnet” in the search box of my web site www.InnMkting.com you will see a wide array of magnets and labels in every size and shape. If you email me Jay@InnMkting.com I will be happy to assist with the copy and graphics we can use to make that magnet look professional and get your message out there.

Your Marketing Dollars Are Worth More Now

I just love it when marketing managers I sell to try to compare themselves to the Coca Cola and McDonalds of the advertising world. My clients typically have thousands of dollars in advertising/marketing budgets. Most of them spend it like it is their own money and I try to be respectful of how many hits we have to get in order to make their dollar stretch.
Convincing them that now is the time to spend rather then hold back is tough, but maybe you can send your accounting department a copy of this blog and see if this helps.
The hardest thing I have to explain is the big guys like Apple, IBM, Microsoft and the other Fortune companies have MILLIONS (still not with a “B”). This means they can make a lot of mistakes and still get seen. Also, when you spend MILLIONS, you get to show your stuff over and over and over because that is a lot of money even to NBC and CBS.
Marketing managers know the first thing that usually gets cut is your budget. It makes no sense. Business starts to get bad and the first thing the number crunchers do is cut back on the one thing that helps business get better sooner!
Look at the Apple Computer example.Skip to next paragraph Business is bad everywhere but Apple is increasing its advertising expenditure and taking on its competition. Apple reports that it has increased marketing and advertising during 4Q, 2008. Apple is showing it knows when to take advantage and it is continuing to bring new customers into its stores. Sales increases are following while everyone else in technology is crying and cutting out thousands of jobs (and I don’t mean Steve).

Here are the things you should start thinking about spending money on during these down times. These are the ideas that keep your company in the upper most minds of your existing and potential clients so when the purse strings to loosen up, guess who they will call first. You.

●Personalized gifts that say “thank you.” Something simple like an elegant pen with the recipient’s name engraved.
●A simple coaster or a mug that will be useful on your client’s desktop and boldly announce your availability to be of service when things settle.
●Calendars – yes, I know everyone has a computer and a cell phone with the date in it; but look around you. Every office has a calendar either sitting on a desk or hanging on the wall. For a dollar or two, you can purchase these with beautiful theme photography and get your name and tagline seen every single workday of the year!
●Magnifiers – these are more and more useful especially as our population of workers gets older and their eye sight gets weaker. Just think how appreciative your client will be every time he/she uses this gift.
Personal is always best. So let me help you decide the most appropriate way for you to stay in front of your prospects and clients during these budget cutting times. Contact me at Jay@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.com and type in some ideas in the search section and see how inexpensive it can be to promote your business in these tough times.

Let's Get Healthcare Fixed and Look Good Too

I know it is easy to be critical when I'm not in the hot seat having to come up with solutions but I was very disappointed when I learned Senator Tom Dashel pulled out of the nomination process because of his tax problems. It's not that I'm a Dashel fan; but it is very distressing to find out that people in those high places are so blatant and think somehow they can get away with things just for saying "I'm sorry." So do you think the driver he was given -- who probably was paid more than $60,000 per year -- paid his taxes on time?Actually I liked Dashel. But I never thought he was a good example about how someone in his position should dress. That may sound trite but the fact is I was raised on a business book called "Dress for Success." I know things have radically changed in the world of business attire. Things like "business casual" and "Friday fun day" have somehow let the air out of the "professional" sail in today’s office environment. So I came across a great bargain and an idea to dress up your office. This10-dollar-embroideredshirt -- with your company name and logo prominently embroidered over the left chest will not only promote pride and fellowship in the office, it will make your crew feel more professional and work smarter. The best part is you won't have to look at those disgusting faded black t-shirts with screened horror movie characters anymore. Trust me on this. If you look good, you work better. You know I’m right.If you need more information about other apparel ideas and using them to create incentives in the workplace or as promotional marketing products for your clients, Email me at Jay@InnMkting.com or visit our website www.InnMkting.com and type in "shirts" if you want to see more styles and colors. By the way, they are available in men and ladies styles.

Every Job is Easier If You Have the Right Tool

I did. My brother and I decided to include that inscription because my dad would always say it. Especially if he was banging in a nail with a big rock or filing down a screwdriver to fit into the end of a screw. My dad was kind of cheap. (My mom used to say he was so tight he squeaked when he walked!) So he would never, I mean never, stop in the middle of a DIY project to go and buy a new tool. He was very resourceful and very handy. He could fix anything. Often, it didn’t look so great; but it would always work.So I’m telling you all this because it occurred to me that if you really care about your clients and want them to remember you and/or your product, then you should think about putting a tool in their hand like idea#4Imagine how many good thoughts the recipient of this tool will have of you each time they reach for it to find something lost under the car seat or tighten that screw on the back of the computer printer, etc.This particular pocket tool has a number of features like a light, a level, and several screw bits and if desperate you can even use it to pound in a small nail! It is very inexpensive. However there are a host of others with more features or less features. These tools are available as a one pocket screwdriver that has a pen like clip on up to a $50 leather cased multi tool. Something for every client or employee. Tools will be long appreciated and remembered. Take a look at www.InnMkting.com and type in “pocket tools” if you want to see the wide array of ideas like this suggestion.Tools rule. My dad would have been proud of me if he knew I was able to figure out a way to provide the right tool for the next job and help people promote their business at the same time. Let me know what you think of this idea or email me at Jay@InnMkting.com if you have another idea you need some details about.

I hate to be the guy to say "I told you so," but I did and I thought I would be thrilled to find out that even General Electric is hearing me, but I'm not.
The reason I'm not thrilled is because they think they thought of it themselves and won't give me an ounce of credit for getting the idea from me, but they did.
I've tried marketing products to GE, but never could get passed the nice lady who answers the phone. Actually that is not quite all true. I did get a very cordial letter from the marketing manager telling me thanks but no thanks. Maybe that was when they got the idea.
Regardless, I'm going to start right here and let the whole internet world know that it was my idea and I'm taking credit for it. I do have to admit the GE money spenders figured out a way to spend a lot more then I was proposing and maybe that was the reason I didn’t get in the front door.
Two years ago I was promoting an energy awareness consumer event called “DoubleEEXpo.” Naturally GE was one of our biggest prospects. For less then $20,000 I offered them the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of educating consumers who specify products to contractors. They spend a lot of money training and getting contractors to sell consumers but not much the other way. "Everything is a consumer product," I argued unpersuasively. However, now, General Electric intends to make a SUPERBOWL commercial (costing $100,000 PER SECOND!) the start of a full blown television, print and internet campaign outlining "innovative ideas" (sounds like my BLOG!) to help with energy conservation and environmental protection.
The short side of this story is if you want the next $3 million 30 second idea, send me an email or respond to this blog and I'll be happy to work with you. It's nice to know my ideas are better late then never.

I spent last week at the annual Promotional Products show of creative marketing ideas and was happy to see so many ways my industry could present our new president's image and words. There were key chains, mugs, paper weights, desk accessories, picture frames, rulers, book marks, etc., etc., etc.Even a lifesize standing cardboard Barack Obama so we could stand in line and have our picture taken with him. I didn't get to do that because it was one place the line was actually too long.Everything else about the show and Vegas was quiet. Very toned down. The economy has spilled onto everything except the minimums at the gambling tables.However I did see two really unique ideas for promoting an upcoming golf tournament or event where you want to attract golfers. One is CLUB WASHER that hangs off a golf bag and the other is a UNIQUE golf cap that has elastic pulleys on either side to hold your sunglasses!The CLUB WASHER was very cool. It holds about 6 oz of water and has a very stiff brush in the lid that seals in the water. The golfer takes his club head and when forced into and out of the lid, the groves are cleaned. At the end of the round,the water is discarded and the lid is inverted to dry out and get ready for the next golf outing.The cap is available in a number of colors, styles and even as a visor. The sunglasses are held very snugly so one doesn't have to worry about them falling off whether they are put on top of the hat or over they eyes when swinging. Some golfers don't wear their sunglasses because they fear vision impairment when trying to line up a swing. Others wear them for protection from the sun but are constantly taking them off on on during the game and never remember where they last left them. This unique idea in a cap or visor solves those issues.Both of these makketing ideas are so new I can't even find a picture online yet so if you have some interest, email me Jay@InnMkting.com and I'll send over the details.

Marketing Technology is EVERYWHERE

Have you heard that President-Elect Barack Obama is appointing the first ever Chief Technology Czar? Of course this is a way to finally bring the government up to snuff. What a job! The way things change so fast. How could anyone keep up and how in the world are you suppose to keep a whole country updated.Consider the latest "Revolution" in the use for Brand Promotion. This idea#2 has got it down to a T. If you are a golfer, you'll appreciate these Golf Tees. It is being regarded as "revolutionary" because of the low-ground, resistance-free features. Specifically engineered as a uni-body single component offering the high performance for golfers and lots of chatter and exposure for advertisers.The bottom portion offers an area as big as 5/8" diameter. And the deeper stem allows imprinting as tall as 3/16". See picture here idea#2The "point" of the tee is a quarter-round tapered knife-edge to cut into the turf. Don't carry these on airplanes! But think about this clever idea if you want lots of bang for your promotional marketing budget.

More Marketing Bang for Less Dollars

We may as well get right to it. Among other things, this blog is going to concentrate on ideas to get marketing going quickly and effeciently. Join me in refusing to participate in the recession!
I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who works for a county agency in California. You can imagine of anyone strapped with the responsibility of getting the word out about their agency and worrying about money, it has to be her.
So here is the simple solution I gave her. Let’s do a bag! Everybody uses bags. People will love you for recycling the bag. And the best part is you get to have others passing around your prMomotional marketing message for you because the bag shows up everywhere they go like to Trader Joe’s, Ralph’s, the Edward’s Cinema, etc.
And bags are GREEN. If you would like to see a really nice promotional bag that will get lots of views, be useful to recycle at the store and is very, very cost effective take a look at our recycle bags idea#1 which is good for mother earth, available in all kinds of sizes and gives you More Marketing Bang for Less Dollars.