Instead of a question today, I’m going to pass along a tip from a client. I’m always interested in new ideas to simplify the accounting, bookkeeping and order management systems for ad specialty distributors. And recently, my client, Bruce Cunningham of Great Ideas in Santa Fe, N.M., shared an idea that reduces paper usage and…
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With the final presidential debate between candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton taking place tonight, I started thinking about the most important aspect of the election: the promotional products. At least for me, I much prefer perusing political merchandise than listening to political propaganda. The best part about this election is that supporters have taken…
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Be bad at something, perhaps a few things. Consider being downright awful at one thing. Why be bad at something? Simply put: So you can be great at the things that matter. Consider Amazon. It isn’t great at “in-person” customer service, even though it is great at customer service. In fact, it offers some of the…
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In my last article, I discussed the No. 1 reason why most people in our industry aren’t rich. In that article, I stated that there is no good reason for people in our industry to make less than $500,000 per year income unless they choose not to. To some, that may sound like a lofty,…
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As I look at Center City Philadelphia from my office window, it is clear something big is happening: Cranes are at work, hoisting materials to new high-rise buildings. From high-value commercial properties, mixed-use developments and hospitals to multi-family housing and luxury condominiums, there is more building and revitalizing going on in this city than in…
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Question: What do you know about buying groups? Answer: There are variations of buying groups in our industry—from a couple of distributors banding together loosely to companies that offer other services and approaches. To answer this question fully, I went to Jamie Coggeshall, president of AIMastermind (AIM), a group that purely is a buying group.…
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Some day, I’m going to change! Many adults still are struggling to find out what they want to do. Oh, they’re busy. But mostly they react and react and react, and never really set their own directions. They expend a lot of energy trying to make a living and spend little time making a life.…
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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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We get very excited this time of year—fall is in the air, pumpkin-flavored treats are everywhere, and Pantone announces its color trend predictions for the next year. If you deal with promotional products, it’s important to always be in the know with trending colors. Last year, Pantone named pastel shades of pink and blue to the…
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