Every business has metrics, but too many use vanity metrics that make them feel good about what is being done rather than providing insights to be better. For example, we’ve all suffered from the call center that is so focused on wrapping up the call rather than resolving the problem. Why? Because the more calls,…
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There’s one reason why most people in our industry aren’t rich. At the end of the day, the business we are really in is the “know, like and trust” business. That’s right. Our real job as industry professionals is to get people to know us, like us and trust us. It’s true if we are…
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I was in San Francisco Aug. 14 (attending PPAI North American Leadership Conference) and watched as nearly everyone seemed to be playing “Pokemon Go.” I was in San Francisco this weekend and other than a few young boys, I saw hardly anyone playing “Pokemon Go”. This isn’t because I wasn’t paying attention. In fact, it…
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Research has shown that the right promotional products can elevate your prospective customers’ opinions of your products. However, selecting the right gift isn’t always easy. Balancing desired outcomes, messaging, branding and costs can be a nightmare. Successful promotional products are not only relevant to your brands, but also to your customers. Your ultimate goal is…
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And just like that, many of my current team members and I have been together here at Print+Promo and Promo Marketing for more than a decade. We have grown up together in a sense, celebrating some of life’s major milestones. There have been marriages, babies and other “life stuff”—the good and the bad. I honestly…
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Question: I have a vendor who has become a customer. QuickBooks will not let me use the same name. What do I do? Answer: You can use a variation of the name, such as “ABC Company” for the customer and “ABC Company Inc.” for the vendor. Alternatively, you can do something as simple as adding…
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Everyone from my friends to my parents binge-watched Netflix’s hit show “Stranger Things.” In fact, I had to put my hands over my ears anytime I entered the break room because my co-workers kept revealing spoilers. And, like everyone else, I felt a huge void in my life the moment I finished the last episode. Not…
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This is what you clients want. This is what your staff wants. This is what your colleagues want. This is what baby boomers want. This is what millennials want. This is what my kids want. This is what my wife wants. This is a nearly universal truth. People want to be heard. Listen. Listening is…
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In my last article, I wrote about the first type of business plan, which is really having no plan at all. The sad fact is that more than 90 percent of business owners and sales representatives have no real plan for their businesses or their lives. The second of the three types of plans is…
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Do you know what success looks like for you? I’m amazed by the number of people who are dissatisfied with their current situations but cannot describe what their personal happiness would look like. In “Alice in Wonderland,” the Cheshire Cat tells Alice that if you don’t know where you want to go, then “it really…
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