I guess this post could be seen as an extension of the last one. In the most recent post I touched on idea of searching for new and different ways to look at your business. There are many ways to run your company and to chose to market your product, so it’s worth at least looking into these alternatives. Being able to be critical of your company and business practices is a key factor in running a progressive business. Simply put… question everything you do as a business! This doesn’t mean you have to immediately change the way to you do things, but if you don’t question why you do things or the way you run your business, there will be no progression.

It seems like common sense, but there are too many companies that seem to run through the motions. There have been businesses that have been running for many, many years, not growing, not declining, just staying status quo. For some people this is fine, but to be in business that long and not ever look into how you could be doing things different, seems completely irrational. These changes and ideas can be gained through:

• Talking to your employees; they are the one doing their job, see what you can do to help them out, make their job easier, more efficient, and more productive
• Research your industry; find out what your competitors are doing, see if they’re doing things differently than you and finding success
• Talk to your customers; truly listen to their feedback, they’re the ones you need to impress, find out what you can do better to serve their needs
• Know your business and why you do things the way you do; have a method to your madness

These are a few quick steps that you can take as a business owner marketer, CEO that can make all the difference for your business. Be eager to learn, be eager to impress, and never be satisfied with status quo!

Every once in a while as a business it’s worth while to consider ideas that may go against the norm. For example, many people would agree that PR, Public Relations, is an important part of maintaining a company’s image. In the time of crisis or when you need to save your image from bad publicity, a good PR person or firm can seem invaluable. But like many things in business, this isn’t exactly a black and white issue. There are those who believe that the costs of hiring a large PR firm acts more like a burn than a band-aid.

Check out this article for a further look: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/05/the_top_ten_rea.html

I only bring this up as more an example of business practice, than a discussion of PR. The point is that business isn’t black and white. If you believe something should be done a certain way, doesn’t make it the best way you could be doing something. It’s always important as a business to look over the fence sometimes and see what’s on the other side. It’s important to explore different ideas and beliefs because how knows…maybe you’ll come upon something great.

A business that is humble enough and eager enough to continue to learn, will continue to grow profit and as a company.

Each company has different marketing strategies and ideas. Some concepts can be really product specific to what you sell and what you’re trying to promote, but there always seems to be some underlying ideas that are critical to a great marketing. The people over at Marketing for Success at: http://www.marketingforsuccess.com/marketing-ideas/buildtrust-marketing.html

have put together a nice little list of marketing guidelines that cover all aspects of a good business plan.

It’s interesting to see how many categories promotional products can cover in these guidelines. They stressed the importance of giving something away to build trust and good will, this is obviously something a promotional item would be perfect for. In these guidelines they also stress the importance of providing examples. In some cases, a well timed and cleverly created promo product can be the perfect example of the quality and creativity your product will have. Or….in some cases, they can serve as a model of the actual product. Lastly, this article stresses the importance of staying in touch. Again, a well crafted logo item, business gift, or promo product will continue to draw attention to your company and make staying in touch all the easier.

Promotional merchandise is very versatile. It can cover many aspects of a great marketing plan. Including these items in your promotional scheme can be essential to successful business.

For those of use who have spend a considerable amount of time at Trade Shows either as a guest or presenter know that usually hey are crammed events with a sea of booths. So what can be done to stand out from the crowd?

I have put together a short list of suggestions that have proven to work well for me. Weather you’re new to the Trade Shows bandwagon or a veteran, we could all use a little grease on the wheels.

•  Be a Trade Show Exhibitor, NOT an Attendee.
• Create a relevant atmosphere around your booth, using displays that depict what you do and expresses the benefits to the patrons of the event.
• Be exciting! Plan out some interaction ideas with your visitors. The more they become involved in your booth, the more likely they are to remember you. You have less than 30 seconds to catch the attention of your visitor. How are you going to do it?
• Have a prize Fish Bowl. This is a great way collect leads. Make sure you follow up on your leads promptly and professionally
• Have some gifts or promotional giveaways to draw from the bowl and award a new winner each hour as incentive for prospects to share their business card. 

Believe it or not… the point of a Trade Show is to catch the attention of a prospect and get to know them. This is how your sale is made. So don’t be afraid to chat it up with people and make a scene.

Nobody, and I do mean nobody, likes to catch a cold or the flu. But like it or not, these maladies are contagious and can often be caught by associating with others. While a cold or the flu are some of the “not so good” things that we can catch from people around us, there are some really good things that we can catch — or give to others as well.

For example, attitudes are contagious. In fact, they can be highly contagious. Regardless of whether your attitude is good or bad, happy or sad or somewhere in between, others can catch your attitude.

Think about it for a moment. When you are feeling down and out, can your negative attitude drag those around you down as well? Of course it can. And can others catch your lazy, halfhearted approach to a task around you as well? You bet.

On the other hand, when you are feeling positive and upbeat, can your self-assured attitude make others around you feel better too? Absolutely!

A negative attitude or sour disposition turns people off, while a positive attitude and optimistic outlook turns people on. People absolutely love to associate with positively charged individuals who possess a great attitude day in and day out. Conversely, nobody likes being around anyone who regularly exhibits a sour, negative, down in the dump attitude daily. NOBODY!

What kinds of attitude do you consistently put on display? More importantly, is your attitude worth catching? If your attitude doesn’t lift you and those around you to a higher altitude, maybe an attitude adjustment is in order. You will discover that the moment you trade in your lousy attitude for a positive “I can do it” approach to life, some amazing changes are in store for you – and those around you as well.

You can get the ball rolling by energetically infusing some good old-fashioned enthusiasm into your life. You’ll find that getting excited and forcefully pumping some fire back into your daily activities is just what the doctor ordered.

There is very little that you are incapable of achieving with enthusiasm on your side and yet there is very little you can achieve without it. The moment you unleash your contagious enthusiasm and infectious good humor on those around you, it will immediately spread to others like an uncontrollable wild fire.

People love being around others who are super charged and super fired up. They find a winner’s positive attitude and upbeat personality simply irresistible.

There’s no doubt about it, an irrepressible will to win and courageous “can do” spirit can excite and ignite those around you. Once you have experienced the energy, excitement and enthusiasm that come with possessing a positively charged attitude, you will never want to waste another moment of your life being negative or pessimistic.

Where your attitude is concerned, you had better make absolutely certain that you have something worth catching – and keeping. You need to grab a super positive attitude every day and then spread it around so that others can catch it as well.

There is always a lot of talk about separating your business with your competitors, differentiation, finding a way to stick out of the crowd. This is way we’re cluttered as a buying community with wacky TV commercials that seem to have very little to do with the actual product. I mean, what do cavemen have to do with the insurance company GEICO? Nothing, but I remember them as most people do. All companies really need to find they’re creative bone if they’re going to be able to stand out. Attracting buyers and clients with clever, unique, and personable ads will always help your bottom-line.

Nancy Sagar writes a great post about adding your creativity to your marketing structure, check it out here:

http://www.marketingmo.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=191

Promotional products, logo merchandise, etc. are all ways to share your company’s creativity potential with consumers. These items are a great platform to demonstrate the things your company is capable of and the greatness you offer. Get unique with your product, marketing, and promotion. To get the most out of your product and bottom-line you need show your clients and the buying public the creative potential of your company and your willingness to look to the future with innovation and vision. Create solid sales potential with creative marketing.

It’s always important for a company to look outside the ideas and strategies of their own business and see what other company’s are doing to be successful in their respective industries. Reading blogs, articles, any information on business success stories could have a quality impact on your own company. This particular idea will be the focus of many future posts.

In this case, check out this article written about trade show tips by Jennifer Lueck.  I found that some of the things said over there made a whole lot of sense over here.

In this article she mentions sales tools and literature to provide customers. It seems evident that promotional products can be very relevant to trade shows…they can be a hand-out, an attraction, a gift to those who attend that remind people of your brand/company. Providing potential customers with something to associate with your business can be very valuable to your bottom-line. I know that if I looked at logo key chain everyday I got in my car I’d think about that business a lot more, wouldn’t you?

The title of this post sounds simply…and it is, but almost too simply. Companies often carry assumptions about their customers and the interests of their buyers. Assuming that they understand the needs of their consumers, businesses often forget to ask the important questions of their clients to really understand their needs at that moment. Asking these questions not only gives your company a clear idea of your customer’s needs, but also shows them that you are concerned, proactive, and invested in their interests. There are also times where a company will be so concerned with their product and efficiency of their business, that they forgot who their interest should truly be invested in….their customer. All of this sounds so logical and simple, but is often lost in the day to day of the business world.

Taking the time to ask the important questions of your clients keeps your business on track with your consumer’s needs. It also shows a vested interest in their changing buying interests and well-being. A healthy reminder of this care and concern can also be delivered through a clever promotional product. Along with great questions, promo products remind your client/consumers where your interest as a business truly lies.

Trends are a big part of business. If a company can accurately identify a current or future trend of their market, they can be strides ahead of their competition in terms of marketing and sales. This is something recent blogs have touched on. One trend that is often over-looked it the trend of youth. It may seem a little outrageous or too far into the future, but when you think about it, the future of business lies in the minds of those who are up and coming….the youth. The future decision-makers, marketers, buyers, etc. are all up and coming business people.

This a trend that inevitable, it’s not commonly thought of, but it makes sense. That’s why it’s important to begin the pick the brains of this market. Discovering their interests, ambitions, goals, ideas, etc. could be a great investment for the future. It’s not to say that you need to reconfigure your business plan based on this research, but it’s certainly worthy of interest.  The future of your company lays in the hands of your younger employees, just as the future of your buyers and competitors lay in the hands of youth.  If you can get a head start with this trend, begin to formulate ideas for the future, then your bottom-line will be secure for years to come.

In the last post, I stressed the importance of being savvy to changing trends in your market. Being ahead of the curve means having a bigger bottom-line. Something that can also impact a bottom-line is community awareness. In some cases this can apply more to small/moderate sized business, but I think it’s importance is not limited to these kinds of businesses. Being aware of your community can mean a few things:

• Knowing their needs and buying interests
• Being aware of community events
• Understanding sponsorship or charitable opportunities

It obvious to know why it’s important to know your community’s buying interests, because they could be potential customers. Being aware of community events, however, is such an obvious advantage. As a company, if you aware of community events and send representatives to attend, this can be a perfect way to get your company image out to a large group of people. Participating in a positive community event can bolster a company’s image immensely. The same goes for charitable or popular events that you could sponsor or officially associate your business with. This can be timely advertising and have a powerful effect on your community and buying public.

In the future, know your community and being able to participate in positive events can be a great way to bolster your image. Now if you showed up with some great promotional merchandise, your image and community support will never be better…and the same goes for your bottom-line.