It’s not the product itself that provides value, but it is how the recipient uses and perceives it that influences branding and promotional efforts. You can assume that swag is a cheap and expendable marketing tactic, or you can leverage every impression possible and evoke valuable emotions in your customers and clientele by choosing the right…
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A frequently asked question that I get at speaking engagements is, “What is your elevator speech?” Or, I’m asked to help someone craft an elevator speech. Here’s what I don’t like about elevator speeches: They’re canned. They are a one-size-fits-all recitation that’s not going to win anyone any business. It’s not that I’m down on being…
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This weekend marked the start of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. I watched a variety of events and, like the rest of the country, I was in awe of the many young athletes competing their hearts out. The positive energy and sheer desire to win was evident in every competitor—as was the heartbreaking…
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Well, folks, August is here. For many of us, that’s last call on summer. Students are going back to school, the sun is out a for a slightly shorter amount of time than it was in July and, before we know it, we’ll be wearing jackets to walk to work once again. But, all is…
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This article is the last in a three-part series about using visualization to achieve your goals. Last time, I mentioned that, during our waking hours, we deal with approximately 8 million bits of information. Our brains filter out the information they’re not aware we need. When we practice visualization by vividly picturing our goals, we…
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Question: I am new to the business. Do you have any advice as to how to price items? Answer: Pricing is complex. On one hand, you want to maximize sales, but if you price items too low, you might end up doing lots of work and making very little profit. Also, if you are known…
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Quit being afraid of the future. That’s where all the good stuff lies. The road to failure is littered by organizations that feared and tried to hold back the future. Just look at Lotus 1-2-3, which owned the database and software business powering PCs in the days before Windows. Or look at Kodak, the company…
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A/B testing is one of the most underutilized opportunities by promotional firms today. It’s also something you need to know about to help your clients succeed online. Fortunately, understanding A/B testing is not that complicated. Implementing it is easy, too. Consider this example: What subject line generates more clicks to your website? “20 percent off…
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The Rising Trend in Personal Care Good marketing, and the products or services being promoted, seek to identify and fill a void within the consumer’s present life. For millions of individuals, that void often centers around wellness and personal care. An overlooked yet deadly serious element of daily life, self-care is an activity or habit…
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Brands that are trying to be something they are not should be worried. A new generation of consumers and B2B buyers who really care about the purpose of the companies they buy from and work for, combined with a landscape in which brands increasingly are exposed by the people who work for them, are putting pressure…
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