All of my colleagues are bugging me for a special mention in my blog. For some reason they have likened this page to some sort of pirate radio station that plays house and garage music whilst some seventeen year old muppet shouts out the names of his friends with his mouth so close to the microphone that you can actually hear what he had for breakfast. So for those people – “BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE MANIA MASSIVE – MEENA THE MUNCHKIN, BIG DAVY DAVE, LISA THE LUSH AND THE PINK PRINCESS SOPHIA G – WORD UP AND NUFF RESPECT!”
Can I get on with it now please? Thank you.
Let me ask you a question. How are you? OK, that wasn’t it, but I think it’s important that you’re relaxed when you read these. I’m trying to be your friend here but I’m starting to feel that we never seem to talk about you.
Right! Enough of that, now let me ask you the real question. Do you do ALL of the buying of promotional merchandise in your company? There’s really only a handful of people who can say yes to that. In fact, the bigger your company, the more people there that are likely to be purchasing materials. Do all of their decisions go through you? What’s more, do all of their decisions get shared with each other?
The answer is usually a resounding no, and these people are all missing a trick. It’s an obvious one and every time I share it with people they nod in understanding, but these same people are wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds every year.
“But this is a disaster!” I hear you cry – actually you probably cried something that sounded a little less like a bad actor in a 1950’s disaster movie, running away from a 400 foot dinosaur as it rampaged through the streets of New York. I imagine some of you will have used rude words too, but I can’t print those. But you’re right – it is a disaster and in this current economic climate (or Operation “Please Kill Me Now” as the Government have labelled it) – it’s just plain stupid as well.
Sharing your purchasing decisions throughout the entire organisation just makes good sense. Like the good little students that you all are, you need an example, so here we go:
Let’s say that John in Marketing is looking to order 5000 pens (yes, I said pens, we all know how I feel about pens but I have to use something here). Now, unbeknownst to him (unbeknownst? What is this – Shakespeare?) Jane over in Human Resources also wants 5000 pens for her department. On top of that, neither John nor Jane know that Kevin up in the Manchester office is also looking for 5000 pens. Now let’s be clear – it’s not like John and Jane don’t speak with each other, but when was the last time you stood around the coffee machine chatting about pens? Really? As recent as that? That’s quite sad. Perhaps you need to watch some telly or go out?.....but I digress.
So each of them gets a quote and places an order. Each pen at the 5000 rate costs them 25p. So the company has committed a total spend on these pens of £3,750. However, had they ordered all 15K in one go, the unit cost would have dropped to 20p, thus saving the firm £750. To make matters worse, the first that any of them is going to hear about it is when Valerie in Accounts (you know Valerie – red hair, likes dogs, one leg shorter than the other) challenges three separate departments on why they are wasting money.
Now I know what some of you are thinking – no, not that – the other thing – what if each department had wanted different artwork or a different coloured pen. It’s not a problem, which does still come as a surprise to many of our customers. We’re talking about buying in bulk here, and most suppliers will allow you to mix and match colours and artworks within one order, as long as the actual product does not change.
So how do we put this into action? It’s simple – get together a list of all of the people in your company who buy merchandise. Set them up as an email group and every time you’re going to ask for a quote, simply tell them all about it and ask if anyone else would like to jump in and increase your buying power.
We can manage those lists for you here if you’d like, but we would need to know that everyone on the list had given permission to share the information.
Now my little example here saved the company only £750. I can site real examples where clients have saved thousands. Why don’t we run a competition to see which one of you can save the most. The winner gets the recognition and appreciation of his employers, which is worth a lot more than the pen that I would send you as a prize.
Today’s blog was typed in front of a live studio audience.
Thursday 25 September 2008
Thursday 18 September 2008
I want something new and different......
I've just come back from a three day exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham. When I say "just", I do mean that I have literally just driven the 100 miles, ran into the office and started writing this blog to honour my committment to writing every Thursday. And so to my loyal readers - both of you - hello.
The title of this blog is something I have heard over and over again for the last three days. It's what everyone is looking for in their next promotional campaign. "Show me something new and different", they say, and my response is always the same. "Tell me what you call old and ordinary". Now this might seem like a smart arsed response (have you met me? they're all I ever use) but actually I am not trying to be controversial here. What you need to understand is that I see this stuff every day. To someone, a pen that dispenses Post It Notes might well be the most incredible thing they've seen. In which case, they really do need to get out more.
To cut a long story short (too late) please don't ask us for something new and different. We don't know you. We don't know what impresses you. We DO know that we can impress you, but shoving some new piece of kit under your nose and waiting for a reaction is not the way to do it. Of course you will get a reation if you shove anything under someone's nose - it's just not necessarily the best way to win a new client.
Then there's the second problem. Once you've asked for this new and interesting thing that can not only tell you the time in 30 countries, end global warming and still have time to nip down the road and pick you up a doner kebab at midnight - which you want pantone matched and delivered by next Wednesday. Oh no! What do you do then? You ask us for a catalogue - AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
How can you produce a catalogue of new and interesting things? Once everyone has got the same catalogue, nothing in there is either new or interesting. Do you see the irony here folks. DO YOU? REALLY?
A catalogue is a calling card. It's a way to let you know that we have a good range of merchandise in which you may well be interested. That's all it is. A good 60% of the items that we sell in any given year were not in the catalogue or on our website. Someone in our team had a good idea and then sourced the appropriate merchandise. We went for the WOW factor. It may not have been new and different for you, but it was new and different for them, and we only knew that because we had already taken the time to find out what they though was old and ordinary.
So the moral of the story? Asking for something different makes you just like everybody else.
A short blog this week because - and if you've ever worked at an exhibition you'll appreciate this - I am exhausted and I want to go home.
Have a good week in business and always remember............no sorry, I forgot.
The title of this blog is something I have heard over and over again for the last three days. It's what everyone is looking for in their next promotional campaign. "Show me something new and different", they say, and my response is always the same. "Tell me what you call old and ordinary". Now this might seem like a smart arsed response (have you met me? they're all I ever use) but actually I am not trying to be controversial here. What you need to understand is that I see this stuff every day. To someone, a pen that dispenses Post It Notes might well be the most incredible thing they've seen. In which case, they really do need to get out more.
To cut a long story short (too late) please don't ask us for something new and different. We don't know you. We don't know what impresses you. We DO know that we can impress you, but shoving some new piece of kit under your nose and waiting for a reaction is not the way to do it. Of course you will get a reation if you shove anything under someone's nose - it's just not necessarily the best way to win a new client.
Then there's the second problem. Once you've asked for this new and interesting thing that can not only tell you the time in 30 countries, end global warming and still have time to nip down the road and pick you up a doner kebab at midnight - which you want pantone matched and delivered by next Wednesday. Oh no! What do you do then? You ask us for a catalogue - AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
How can you produce a catalogue of new and interesting things? Once everyone has got the same catalogue, nothing in there is either new or interesting. Do you see the irony here folks. DO YOU? REALLY?
A catalogue is a calling card. It's a way to let you know that we have a good range of merchandise in which you may well be interested. That's all it is. A good 60% of the items that we sell in any given year were not in the catalogue or on our website. Someone in our team had a good idea and then sourced the appropriate merchandise. We went for the WOW factor. It may not have been new and different for you, but it was new and different for them, and we only knew that because we had already taken the time to find out what they though was old and ordinary.
So the moral of the story? Asking for something different makes you just like everybody else.
A short blog this week because - and if you've ever worked at an exhibition you'll appreciate this - I am exhausted and I want to go home.
Have a good week in business and always remember............no sorry, I forgot.
Thursday 11 September 2008
The Elevator Speech
A few months ago I was sat in a meeting here when we all tried to come up with an elevator speech. Now this is an American term and it's nothing to do with speeches to elevate you. No, it's much simpler than that.
The idea is this - you get onto an elevator (I want to say "lift", I really do, but then I have to rename the whole thing and that's a whole other kettle of fish. Incidentally, who prepares fish in a kettle? Exactly - it makes no sense at all.) and you find yourself face to face with the Chief Big Kahuna of the biggest potential client you can think of - it's Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Alan Sugar all roled into one - you may have your own icons, but those are some of mine.
Now, you've got the time it takes from the closing of the elevator doors to the time Mr Fatwallet gets to his floor to impress upon him what you do, why you're special and most importantly, why his company should be doing business with yours.
To make this challenge fair, we allocate thirty seconds for the whole thing - people like this tend to head for the top floor anyway. So do you have an elevator speech? Have you ever tried it on anyone and what was the result?
Reasonable questions I'm sure but actually, in the world of exhibitions, thirty seconds is a lifetime. How long do you think you have to make a good impression at a trade show? The answer is 8.3 seconds. It's the same amount of time for the female of the species to size up a potential mate. In 8.3 seconds the deal is either won or lost.
Now you can't deliver an 8 second pitch with .3 seconds for questions so how do you make that first impression? Simple - be different. Be bold but for heaven's sake, don't be tacky. There was a time when having a member of your staff standing at the front with a flashing yoyo was all the rage - but that time is over. Flashing yoyos are so last millennium. Same goes for bouncing balls and sunflowers that dance to music - been there, done that, picked up the complimentary T-shirt.
Not only are these ideas old and tired, what's worse is that they're not relevant. If your company is using a slogan about things "bouncing back" then OK, the ball makes sense. But if you're trying to become market leaders in the world of agricultural technology, what message does that ball send? I'll tell you - it says "we came to a trade show, we hope you'll come and talk to us and if we're really lucky, you'll remember us after you leave". WOW! Strong stuff indeed - remind me to pick up my complimentary frisbee on the way out - it'll look great on my Financial Director's wall!
Times are tight. We know that. So if you're going to spend less money then take the time to spend it wisely. You don't HAVE to give a gift at a trade show if all you're planning on doing is handing out 10p pencils to everyone who walks by. That's not marketing - it's charity, and you can do better than that.
So Mr Alan Branson-Gates has walked up to your stand and has seen some interesting product and has already been offered an intriguing gift. We're up to 8.2 seconds when he says "That's very kind thank you.....so what does your company do?" BINGO - get your sales cap on, throw your brain into 5th gear, rev the engine and LET'S ROCK!!!!!
You see? Targetted, relevant merchandise is what you need to be thinking about. You don't have time to be flipping through catalogues hoping to see something vaguely interesting and quite frankly, there really is no reason why you should.
Stop what you're doing, take a deep breath, grab yourself a coffee and let's start again. List these things:
1. What is the exhibition I am attending?
2. What is the theme of my stand?
3. If I had to sum up what makes me special in 8 seconds, what would I say?
4. Who is coming to this exhibition?
5. Who do I REALLY want to meet there?
If you were able to answer all of those in under a minute, the chances are that you rushed it. That's fine, we're all busy people but come on, you've spent some serious money on this stand haven't you? The space, the artwork, transportation, not to mention the time you and your team are going to have away from the office - it all adds up. You need to think about this, actually that's not quite right - WE need to think about this. What you need is a partner - someone to act as a sounding board for your answers to tell you if your message really works.
Well the good news is that you've got one. And the really good news is that he'll do it all for FREE! That's right - zilch, nada, diddley squat, zip. Is this person mental? I think we all know the answer to that one, but the truth is that he just flat out loves helping people come up with good ideas. OK, enough of referring to myself in the third person. I live for this stuff - for the chance to help you grab Alan Sugar by the throat as he walks past you and scream "Sugar - you're hired!"
So email me your lists, along with the date of the event in question, and we'll start hammering out a plan of action that will make you proud of your stand.
Next week, Merchandise Mania are exhibiting at the National Incentive Show at the NEC Birmingham. We're on stand E60 and our stand will have you talking to us for much more than a few seconds. There's a chance to win a digital photo frame, get a free marketing consultation and even get an autographed copy of this blog - please print it out and bring it with you, I'll bring the pens and who knows, maybe I'll even let you keep one.
The show is on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 5pm (4pm Thursday) and we look forward to seeing you there. Mention this blog and win a bonus prize.
The idea is this - you get onto an elevator (I want to say "lift", I really do, but then I have to rename the whole thing and that's a whole other kettle of fish. Incidentally, who prepares fish in a kettle? Exactly - it makes no sense at all.) and you find yourself face to face with the Chief Big Kahuna of the biggest potential client you can think of - it's Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Alan Sugar all roled into one - you may have your own icons, but those are some of mine.
Now, you've got the time it takes from the closing of the elevator doors to the time Mr Fatwallet gets to his floor to impress upon him what you do, why you're special and most importantly, why his company should be doing business with yours.
To make this challenge fair, we allocate thirty seconds for the whole thing - people like this tend to head for the top floor anyway. So do you have an elevator speech? Have you ever tried it on anyone and what was the result?
Reasonable questions I'm sure but actually, in the world of exhibitions, thirty seconds is a lifetime. How long do you think you have to make a good impression at a trade show? The answer is 8.3 seconds. It's the same amount of time for the female of the species to size up a potential mate. In 8.3 seconds the deal is either won or lost.
Now you can't deliver an 8 second pitch with .3 seconds for questions so how do you make that first impression? Simple - be different. Be bold but for heaven's sake, don't be tacky. There was a time when having a member of your staff standing at the front with a flashing yoyo was all the rage - but that time is over. Flashing yoyos are so last millennium. Same goes for bouncing balls and sunflowers that dance to music - been there, done that, picked up the complimentary T-shirt.
Not only are these ideas old and tired, what's worse is that they're not relevant. If your company is using a slogan about things "bouncing back" then OK, the ball makes sense. But if you're trying to become market leaders in the world of agricultural technology, what message does that ball send? I'll tell you - it says "we came to a trade show, we hope you'll come and talk to us and if we're really lucky, you'll remember us after you leave". WOW! Strong stuff indeed - remind me to pick up my complimentary frisbee on the way out - it'll look great on my Financial Director's wall!
Times are tight. We know that. So if you're going to spend less money then take the time to spend it wisely. You don't HAVE to give a gift at a trade show if all you're planning on doing is handing out 10p pencils to everyone who walks by. That's not marketing - it's charity, and you can do better than that.
So Mr Alan Branson-Gates has walked up to your stand and has seen some interesting product and has already been offered an intriguing gift. We're up to 8.2 seconds when he says "That's very kind thank you.....so what does your company do?" BINGO - get your sales cap on, throw your brain into 5th gear, rev the engine and LET'S ROCK!!!!!
You see? Targetted, relevant merchandise is what you need to be thinking about. You don't have time to be flipping through catalogues hoping to see something vaguely interesting and quite frankly, there really is no reason why you should.
Stop what you're doing, take a deep breath, grab yourself a coffee and let's start again. List these things:
1. What is the exhibition I am attending?
2. What is the theme of my stand?
3. If I had to sum up what makes me special in 8 seconds, what would I say?
4. Who is coming to this exhibition?
5. Who do I REALLY want to meet there?
If you were able to answer all of those in under a minute, the chances are that you rushed it. That's fine, we're all busy people but come on, you've spent some serious money on this stand haven't you? The space, the artwork, transportation, not to mention the time you and your team are going to have away from the office - it all adds up. You need to think about this, actually that's not quite right - WE need to think about this. What you need is a partner - someone to act as a sounding board for your answers to tell you if your message really works.
Well the good news is that you've got one. And the really good news is that he'll do it all for FREE! That's right - zilch, nada, diddley squat, zip. Is this person mental? I think we all know the answer to that one, but the truth is that he just flat out loves helping people come up with good ideas. OK, enough of referring to myself in the third person. I live for this stuff - for the chance to help you grab Alan Sugar by the throat as he walks past you and scream "Sugar - you're hired!"
So email me your lists, along with the date of the event in question, and we'll start hammering out a plan of action that will make you proud of your stand.
Next week, Merchandise Mania are exhibiting at the National Incentive Show at the NEC Birmingham. We're on stand E60 and our stand will have you talking to us for much more than a few seconds. There's a chance to win a digital photo frame, get a free marketing consultation and even get an autographed copy of this blog - please print it out and bring it with you, I'll bring the pens and who knows, maybe I'll even let you keep one.
The show is on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 5pm (4pm Thursday) and we look forward to seeing you there. Mention this blog and win a bonus prize.
Thursday 4 September 2008
It's September - Happy Easter 2009!!!
"Surely a mistake!" you cry, in which case, please keep your voice down - people around you are trying to work. Actually, a lot of people around you are secretly trying to get their hands on a cheap George Foreman grill on eBay, but that's a whole other story.
No, it's not a mistake, I and the rest of my team really would like to wish you all a Happy Easter. But what of Christmas, New Year, were we even so bold as to skip over the whole of Halloween???
The trouble in my line of work is that I have to think about Christmas in July, and what's more ironic is that I have to think about New Year in April. Allow me to explain (I really don't know why I needed to write that there, it's not like you're going to stop reading half way through a paragraph that makes no sense and go and do something else is it? Really? It is? Well, I'm sorry if your attention span isn't up the challenge - the coffee here is pretty strong if you wanted to swing by for a cup, but I digress....) a lot of people like to give out diaries as a New Year gift - they're a good idea and they make sense. But let's look at the operative word in that sentence:
A LOT of people like to give out diaries. Now our diary manufacturers are good, forward thinking people. They make up really good stock levels around February and they even offer discounts for people who order early. By April (you'll remember I mentioned April) those discounts have started to dry up and what's worse, the more desirable designs are also all sold off. Fast forward to September when the majority of people start to think about diaries and we're all facing higher prices, depleted stocks and lead times that will have you giving your diary to your customers on Christmas Eve.
Now did your competitor order their diaries back in April? Are they sitting on some great gifts, ready to send them out in October so that theirs is the first and therefore, only diary that their clients will want to use? And you wanted to wait.....
What amazes me is how many companies give out diaries year after year and yet always find themselves in the same boat. We gently persuade, we advise, hell we even scream at them to get their orders in and yet they wait patiently, blissfully aware that they are going to run into trouble and still smiling - it boggles the mind.
I spend a little time each day speaking with someone who needs a product yesterday. Express orders (or miracles as we like to call them) are all too common around here. But it's not what we signed up for. How creative can you expect your merchandise consultant to be when he's desperately trying to get 250 mugs into Poland by Friday? It's not like I'm pulling my hair out here.....pause for reaction.....but there are things that you can do to help both me and yourselves.
1. Let me have your promotional schedule. That's a look at all of the trade shows you're planning on exhibiting at and any special events or mailers for which you might need merchandise.
2. Tell me what you use your merchandise for. Are your sales people using them as gifts for potential customers and, if so, how quickly are they working their way through the stock?
3. Tell me what you did last year. If you did diaries, how well were they received? If it is more than 60% likely that you're going to want to do them again, let's just get the whole process started early and cross it off of both of our lists.
4. Pick up the phone. Not to call me, but for when I call you. I like to present new ideas to clients in a focussed way. If I see a product which made me think of you, I'm going to want to tell you all about it. Whether you're shopping or you're not, take the call or read the email - you might just be looking at your next and most successful campaign.
5. Tell your friends and colleagues. There are people working in your office right now (the bidding closed on the George Foreman Grill and Kevin in Accounts missed out by £1.50, so he's a little upset) who have been tasked with finding a gift and are about to start entering the words "Promotional Gifts" into Google. They have no idea of the monster they are about to unleash - save them - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!! See? Who needs that kind of panic? Exactly. Let me have their name and number and I'll give them a call.
An associate of mine loves to site a particular catchphrase - "Nobody plans to fail, they just fail to plan" and it's so true. A little bit of preparation now will pay huge dividends down the line, and time is something we should all invest in our futures.
We're exhibiting at the National Incentive Show on the 16th-18th September on stand E60, so please pay us a visit where you'll have the chance to win a digital photo frame and if you're really lucky, we'll let you eat some of our jelly beans, but come early, because those bad boys are MINE.
Have a good week in business and Happy New Year!
No, it's not a mistake, I and the rest of my team really would like to wish you all a Happy Easter. But what of Christmas, New Year, were we even so bold as to skip over the whole of Halloween???
The trouble in my line of work is that I have to think about Christmas in July, and what's more ironic is that I have to think about New Year in April. Allow me to explain (I really don't know why I needed to write that there, it's not like you're going to stop reading half way through a paragraph that makes no sense and go and do something else is it? Really? It is? Well, I'm sorry if your attention span isn't up the challenge - the coffee here is pretty strong if you wanted to swing by for a cup, but I digress....) a lot of people like to give out diaries as a New Year gift - they're a good idea and they make sense. But let's look at the operative word in that sentence:
A LOT of people like to give out diaries. Now our diary manufacturers are good, forward thinking people. They make up really good stock levels around February and they even offer discounts for people who order early. By April (you'll remember I mentioned April) those discounts have started to dry up and what's worse, the more desirable designs are also all sold off. Fast forward to September when the majority of people start to think about diaries and we're all facing higher prices, depleted stocks and lead times that will have you giving your diary to your customers on Christmas Eve.
Now did your competitor order their diaries back in April? Are they sitting on some great gifts, ready to send them out in October so that theirs is the first and therefore, only diary that their clients will want to use? And you wanted to wait.....
What amazes me is how many companies give out diaries year after year and yet always find themselves in the same boat. We gently persuade, we advise, hell we even scream at them to get their orders in and yet they wait patiently, blissfully aware that they are going to run into trouble and still smiling - it boggles the mind.
I spend a little time each day speaking with someone who needs a product yesterday. Express orders (or miracles as we like to call them) are all too common around here. But it's not what we signed up for. How creative can you expect your merchandise consultant to be when he's desperately trying to get 250 mugs into Poland by Friday? It's not like I'm pulling my hair out here.....pause for reaction.....but there are things that you can do to help both me and yourselves.
1. Let me have your promotional schedule. That's a look at all of the trade shows you're planning on exhibiting at and any special events or mailers for which you might need merchandise.
2. Tell me what you use your merchandise for. Are your sales people using them as gifts for potential customers and, if so, how quickly are they working their way through the stock?
3. Tell me what you did last year. If you did diaries, how well were they received? If it is more than 60% likely that you're going to want to do them again, let's just get the whole process started early and cross it off of both of our lists.
4. Pick up the phone. Not to call me, but for when I call you. I like to present new ideas to clients in a focussed way. If I see a product which made me think of you, I'm going to want to tell you all about it. Whether you're shopping or you're not, take the call or read the email - you might just be looking at your next and most successful campaign.
5. Tell your friends and colleagues. There are people working in your office right now (the bidding closed on the George Foreman Grill and Kevin in Accounts missed out by £1.50, so he's a little upset) who have been tasked with finding a gift and are about to start entering the words "Promotional Gifts" into Google. They have no idea of the monster they are about to unleash - save them - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!! See? Who needs that kind of panic? Exactly. Let me have their name and number and I'll give them a call.
An associate of mine loves to site a particular catchphrase - "Nobody plans to fail, they just fail to plan" and it's so true. A little bit of preparation now will pay huge dividends down the line, and time is something we should all invest in our futures.
We're exhibiting at the National Incentive Show on the 16th-18th September on stand E60, so please pay us a visit where you'll have the chance to win a digital photo frame and if you're really lucky, we'll let you eat some of our jelly beans, but come early, because those bad boys are MINE.
Have a good week in business and Happy New Year!
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