Nailed It!

Holidays are Here, Let’s Get Festive!

Recently our customers have found our posters, many oversized, effective. Announcing sales, specials or promoting your products or services with a Holiday flair can be fun and productive at a great cost with quick turnaround. With our digital graphic capability let your imagination run wild! Check out our special for this month: Posters, 15% discount!

Customer Communication and Service

Ever had an existing good customer walk in your store or check out your website and say, “I didn’t know you offered those!” Shocking, right? Drives me nuts – good customers, happy with service, product, etc and they don’t know one of your major product lines. There are many ways to remind our customers of our widgets and services: web site updates, announcements, direct mail, and of course in store posters, banners, counter mats, signs and decals to do the silent selling and gentle reminders.

Inspiration for any time of year

Follow up to our blog “Inspiration” on Dawes Eddy who at 66 climbed Mount Everest last spring and who for several days was the oldest American male to do so. At a recent presentation of his feat, he reminded us that if nothing else, keep your “choices” of activities open by taking care of yourself, young or older. He said there are three things most of which we control, that can improve our quality of life:

Good genes – okay, not much we can do about that
Good diet
Regular exercise

No surprises but obviously helped Dawes accomplish his dream, quite a testimony for those wanting to keep “choices” plentiful.

Good Selling!

Good News! It’s a miracle! Got up this morning, looked into the mirror and realized most of us are still alive, though slightly bruised from fighting our way though most of the winter months. It’s like working out and using those muscles or marketing and operation tools we haven’t used in a long time – in some cases years. Sore yes, but after reading about how terrible it is from every form of media, you might think it was a foregone conclusion that our businesses were in the grave.

Spring is in sight. Days are longer, people are starting to go outdoors, and the phones are actually starting to ring a few times – certainly more than a few weeks ago. Can’t wait for the government or TARP to jumpstart our businesses or sales – of course we all know that, but had to be said.

Time to wick some of that Spring activity into February. We need to remind our current and prospective customers that it’s a good time to buy for future needs. Most manufacturers have capacity to fill before the spring activity starts to trickle in which means deals! Continue Reading »

A Historic Time.

History is in the wind – the inauguration, no matter what your political compass and the economy. Many of us will remember this moment in time for the uncertainty in the market, reduced sales activity, hard choices in our own businesses in the midst of industry icons falling by the wayside.

The good news for smaller businesses is that decisions can be made today that can positively affect sales activities tomorrow or this week. Make your list and prioritize with the top choice having the most immediate impact on increasing revenues. There is business activity out there and you need to secure your share, even at the expense of competition.

• Stay visible – network, email, direct mail, special offerings, whatever you can fit into your budget. Banners espousing sales, new inventories, limited offerings or decals on invoices and statements reinforcing your marketing campaign have high impact for few dollars. The subliminal impressions that you create keeps you in front of your customers. The benefits range from them actually responding to your offering to keeping you close at hand when they have a need for your widget. Vehicle graphics and lettering – your company logo or graphics or magnetic signs on your company rigs running around town or just parked in front of your business are like a moving billboard. Don’t forget your office window or door graphics and lettering – this is who you are and what you do, is it communicating properly?
• Keep an eye on your expenses – check your backlog plus projected sales vs your projected expenses. See if you need to adjust your operating costs until activity improves – profit might even be in the results and should be an objective, not just survival!
• Persevere – your company and employees are worth it, the alternatives aren’t plentiful these days.

Every day you make an effort that benefits your company you are one day closer to not only surviving but becoming more efficient and profitable. You’ve made it through November, December and almost January. Spring is just around the corner ushering in brighter days and improved business activity.

Good Selling!