Business 101 - many might end up in the garbage, but for the small cost, just a few bookings will pay How can you determine what the impact will be for those NEW jobs you might land with these mailings? These days, everything and anything helps.

Also from the Business 101 textbook, don't jump blindly into something unless you can be reasonably sure of a good ROI...(Return on investment)Do some research up front...



LOL, I'll take that as a sign you don't care show me what yours looks like or who makes it, I guess...

Ok...

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Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 08-21-2008).]

Let your talent be your calling card....
If you have it they will come

Gee, I wish I was as talented.

I'll mail you one when I get them in - how's that?

Just to put things in perspective, one new job at a NH will pay for 100 calanders. And, I recommend delivering the calanders in person. The trick is to do some homework before delivering them. Make a few phone calls, get the name of the AD, then just stop in unannounced and place it in his or her hand. If you wish you can add a CD in the envelope and tell them that you happened to be in the area and just wanted to introduce yourself. It's that easy.

This ain't rocket science. You can be the most talented SOB on the planet, but if the person doing the hiring never heard of you all that talent doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Sure, there's some word of mouth stuff that eventually gets around, but they're not going to bust their butt to find you in the phone book or searching the internet.

And, anyone that thinks that advertising does not work should think about this. There are 7 mountains in Colorado higher than Pikes Peak--Name one of them! When someone talks about downing a "Silver Bullet" everyone knows he or she is talking about a Coors Light (sp). The "King of Beers"--Budwiser. Hmmmm! Those phrases didn't just pop into your head--you remembered the advertisements.

Once you get your foot in the door, then the next step is up to you. You must be able to deliver the goods, keep everyone happy, and then, with luck, you'll pick up a few more jobs from non-targeted sources, but that takes time.

The other thing those calanders, pens and pocket planners do is keep your name in front of your current accounts. Kinda' like providing them with a gift that keeps on giving. Every time they look on the wall, there's that appointment calander you gave them with your name on the bottom in bold print. The same holds true for the pens and pocket planners. When they have special events, parties, etc.. that are not regularly scheduled, guess who's name is right in front of them. It sure keeps my phone ringing.

The calanders are usually available by mid August, which is a great time to begin setting up next year's performance schedule. Not only does this tell the person doing the hiring that you're well organized, but additionally, you'll get the jump on the competition if you're the first person to provide them with available dates for the upcoming year.

As I stated earlier, this isn't rocket science--it's Business 101.

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

[This message has been edited by travlin'easy (edited 08-21-2008).]

That's cool...

Unless you want to hand it to me over lunch?

(I'll buy!)



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Bill in Dayton

Good Gary - we're on the same page. A fool invests massive amounts on the unknown. We're talking PEANUTS here gang - there's really no risk and a tremendous upside on the ROI. I'm really surprised anyone would disagree (well, maybe not).

Calanders can be great. But if you send out 1 that costs a dollar or less you may be competing with all the other entertainers who had the same bright idea.

Consider sending one that costs in the neighborhood of $3-$5. Yours will be kept.

Nicer calander wins!

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God Bless,
Mikey

www.mikeymaestro.com
www.myspace.com/kidconcert
www.balloonanimal.com
www.1000colorcards.com

The Ad Specialties business is HUGE. ASI is the biggest Association. Many printers, stationery shops, etc. are ASI dealers.

As a corporate VP of Marketing and Advertising, I spent millions of dollars on pens, golf balls, flashlights, carrying bags...almost anything you can imagine. Naturally, I was interested in the biggest bang for the buck.

Just now, I tried to remember the last item I got from a vendor/supplier. I couldn't come up with one thing off the top of my head. Then, I opened my desk. I found 14 pens, 5 letter openers, two sets of nail clippers, a flashlight or two, several knives, a voltage tester and a lot more.

Then, I went in the back and found tape measures, magnets, coffee cups, stainless steel mugs, stacks of hats, a couple of watches, a stopwatch and of other items with logos.

There were calendars everywhere, but, before I looked, I couldn't tell you who sent even one of any of these items. Some are Cross pens, name golf ball packs, etc. The calendar in my office came from UPS, but I had to look for a logo to identify the source, and I look at it every day..

In a marketing class I taught and then again on a research project for a car parts manufacturer I was hired to do, I researched the "recall rate" on AD specialties. Research involved wiring people up to galvonic skin response machines (fancy lie detectors) and measuring eye dialation...both indicators of impact effectiveness.

The most effective thing we found was, believe it or not, note pads. People still use them, they're cheap and there is a logo or Id on each page of, say a 25 page pad. Plus, each person who gets a note sees the logo, and you always have a reason to deliver replacements. Biggest users of note pads are pharmaceutical reps. Most carry a box of pads and deliver them to every contact.

Sadly, once an ad specialty item is delivered, unless it's so unique that it would be noticed/admired on it's own merits, the recal rate is almost non-existant.

Ad specialties are only effective if they are a small part of an organized communications program...it's recall maintenance, not a major results generator.


Gary made a major point....follow-up/substance. A business driven by advertising, rather than product or service quality is on a slippery slope.

Calendars and the like are nice, but the recall rate two days after delivery, even when the item is used, is almost non-existant.

So, I'd get them, and distribute them as a SMALL integral part of your marketing effort, but not rely on them to generate lots of business attributed to ONLY them.

Remember, successful promotion is like peeing in a dark pair of pants. You don't see anything, you just get this nice warm feeling...


Russ "is the lecture over?" Lay


[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 08-22-2008).]