Question: I have sales of $1.2 million annually and am using QuickBooks Premier. I see that QuickBooks recommends its Enterprise software for companies with sales in excess of $1 million. Should I upgrade to Enterprise? Answer: Whether you should upgrade to Enterprise or not at this point will depend on your particular company needs. Enterprise…
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It’s hard to leave money lying on the table. I’ve heard a lot of people eager for the sale, drooling over the pennies that could easily be had. “Money is money,” they will opine and blame and shame you for not picking up the easy bucks. Here’s the problem with the easy bucks: They keep…
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If you’re like me, you concluded your relaxing Memorial Day weekend by watching the nail-biter seventh game in the NBA Western Conference Finals. While most people probably were focusing on Klay Thompson’s clutch three-pointers and Steven Adams’ scary mustache (no offense, big guy), I was zeroing in on the promotional T-shirts the fans were sporting in…
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“User experience” is a buzzword, and with buzzwords come overuse. Nevertheless, a great user experience is critical in today’s world, both offline and online. Disney has done user experience offline better than anyone well before anyone started paying attention. Apple brought forward the importance of user experience when it introduced the first iPhone. A great…
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In the promotional products industry, suppliers and distributors work hard to build relationships with one another—trusting that the other half of the relationship cares as much about the product and the end-user as they do. So how would you feel if you found out that supplier or distributor wouldn’t even buy its own product? Super confident, right? No, of course not…
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May 23 to 27 is Promotional Products Work! (PPW) week, an international grassroots event led by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Irving, Texas, and the promotional products industry to raise awareness about the benefits of promotional products among advertisers, marketers and media buyers. PPAI will join together with industry distributors, suppliers and stakeholders to…
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Question: Last year, I called QuickBooks to ask which program I should buy. They told me QuickBooks Online, and switched me from QuickBooks Premier to Online, but it doesn’t do what I need it to do. Can I convert back to QuickBooks Premier? Answer: Yes, but it’s not easy. Intuit sells QuickBooks Online as a…
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As we were preparing our Top Distributors issue, news broke of four major industry shakeups. In the span of two weeks, Ennis announced plans to sell off Alstyle Apparel to an undisclosed buyer (later revealed to be Gildan Activewear), Hanesbrands Inc. acquired Champion Europe and Pacific Brands Limited, Taylor Corp. bought Staples Print Solutions, and private equity…
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Where’s your focus? It seems like all the glamour and excitement in sales and marketing focuses on account acquisition. Everyone loves the “rainmaker,” the professional who reels in the big fish and new, headliner clients. We spend our time, our resources and our money on carefully crafted marketing plans. We think through objectives, strategies and…
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Trump! Clinton! Feel the Bern! Some can’t help but support their candidates both privately and publicly. Recently, Cheryl Rios, a marketing specialist, discovered the danger of talking politics online—she lost her largest clients. But, I’m not writing today to get you to stop talking politics. I want you to talk politics—even online—but directed toward your elected officials. Next…
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