Posted by: brandextenders | November 21, 2012

What’s Your Joy?

(This is a blog I originally wrote six years ago and re-publish each holiday season. It seems a good time of year to look for the joy in our lives and find ways to show it to others on a daily basis. Sadly, our friend’s mom who was the inspiration for this article passed away three years ago, but her passion and memory lives on in my mind.)

We sat in the dining room of a friend’s home, having just finished a delicious and filling Thanksgiving meal. My wife Stasia, our two sons and I had taken a road trip to Florida to visit friends with children the same age as ours, albeit girls. Our friend’s mom, Elaine Feder,  a former dance instructor and now in her late 70s, sat across from me and it was she that asked the question, “What’s your joy?” One by one, we went around the table as she queried each of us, looking for an answer that came from our hearts.

Elaine Feder’s Smile

For one of us, it was traveling and being able to help others go to the places she had been. Another told us reading was his passion—and taking naps (one with which I could strong identify!). Yet another loved woodworking and spending time in his shop creating things others would use and enjoy.

When she got to me, I answered, “My joy is my family and the time we spend together as I realize how, before we know it, our children will be grown and gone.” She responded that family should be a joy, but she probed deeper, wanting to know what lit my fire and what was it inside of me that sparked passion? I told her I loved to write and touch people’s hearts with the words I strung together to form the articles, stories and plays I create. I told her I also loved to teach about our industry and help others understand what a diverse and creative medium it is.

What this wise woman was hoping to do was to get me—and all of us around the table—thinking about what brought joy to our lives and how we could tap into it more often.

The sad part is that to survive in the work-a-day world, the majority of us have suppressed those things that make us passionate. Many have so repressed the things that bring them joy they can’t even tell you what really gets them fired up. In each of us though, no matter how deeply we’ve buried it, there is a passion that if brought to light and developed can not only make us happier as individuals but also bring joy to others as well.

Your work may be your passion, but chances are it is not. You may love to paint pictures, play an instrument, work in your garden or cook—and odds are you do this outside of your job. But why does this have to be?

I have a friend who is very good at sketching and has turned this love into a career by drawing people’s homes in pen and ink. She then sells these pictures to homeowners to frame for their walls and for putting on note cards, holiday cards and other things with the house prominently displayed. She loves what she does and is able to touch people’s hearts with the artistic gifts she’s been given.

So how do you go about finding your joy, your passion? Here are a few steps that may help:

  • During some quiet time in your life, ask yourself what you consider fun? What do you get a kick out of doing? Richard Nelson Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute?, says, “Imagine you’re at a party and you overhear someone talking about a subject that fascinates you, one that makes you want to join in the conversation. Ask yourself, what would that subject be?” Also, think back to your childhood and try to remember what you enjoyed doing back then. Chances are if you were passionate about something as a child, it’s probably something you can be passionate about as an adult as well.
  • Determine your talents. Take a sheet of paper and brainstorm those things you enjoy doing and at which you’re good. We all have things we do that we enjoy and at which are skilled, but if you have trouble listing your gifts, ask those you trust what they think your best skills are. These might include sports, artistic endeavors, working with your hands or being mechanical.
  • Find the significance in your current work.Stephen Covey, author of the bestseller The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People, suggests asking yourself three questions:

1. Do I like what I’m doing?

2. Am I good at it?

3. Does the world need it?

If you’re passionate about something, but the world doesn’t need it, chances are you’ll eventually get frustrated. But if you’re really good at something, enjoy doing it and it’s something the world needs, what a chance to make a difference and earn a living at the same time. I truly believe we choose our career paths intuitively. If you can come to understand why you’re on the path you are, you’ll become empowered to make future choices to do the most good for yourself and the world around you.

Let’s face it, you’re going to spend tens of thousands of hours working during the course of your life, so why not spend that time doing something that will leave a positive imprint on those people and things you touch?

One of my passions is continuing education, and I agree with Oprah Winfrey who said, “Education is freedom.” As a result, I not only take classes on a regular basis to advance myself, but I also volunteer with Junior Achievement to teach business skills to 7th and 8th graders. These kids learn about science, math and social studies through a core curriculum, but business skills are something they may not learn until college, if then. I realize these kids won’t take what I teach them and become the next Bill Gates, Ted Turner or Fred Smith (founder of FedEx); but I pray I can reach just one in each class and touch something inside that one to help make a positive difference for the future. The key is I don’t know which of the kids I’ll reach, so I treat them all as though they are the one—and who knows, maybe one day I will reach them all!

Finding your joy and a way to share it with others, as your life’s work or a hobby, is an adventure that can bring bountiful rewards. To me, it’s what life is all about, the reason I’m here and why I wake up each day excited about the opportunities I’ll encounter. That’s not to say it’s always an easy adventure, but what in life that’s worthwhile is easy? Katherine Graham, owner and former publisher of the Washington Post, sums it up for me, “To love what you do and feel that it matters, how could anything be more fun?”

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Posted by: brandextenders | November 16, 2012

Who Would You Choose to Have Dinner With?

The idea of being able to sit down with a few historical figures for a dinner chat has always fascinated me. Being a history buff, there are so many fascinating people I can think of that it would be hard to choose just a handful to dine with and learn from. Below is a short list of those who I’d like to meet and not in any specific order.

  1. George Washington: While it took many brilliant men and women with the necessary courage to break away from England, I believe without Washington the war would have floundered and been lost. He was the right man at the right time and he managed to hold a rag-tag army together despite political infighting and a lack of supplies that would have pushed a normal man to give up. I’d like to know what drove him to lead our newfound country to freedom despite all the obstacles in his path.
  2. Earl Nightingale: Other than James Earl Jones I’ve never heard someone with such a low and melodious voice. Nightingale was born in 1921, joined the Marines at 17 and was one of 12 surviving Marines onboard the USS Arizona when it was sunk in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He went on to become one of the most famous motivational speakers and writers of his time. The wealth of knowledge and wisdom he imparts is amazing and I would relish his insight on the world today and what success looks like in the 21st century.
  3. Leonardo da Vinci: Talk about a genius being born in the wrong time…or perhaps it was just the right time to help

    daVinci drawing of an airplane

    humanity move from the dark ages into the Renaissance. Painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, inventor, engineer, mathematician and more, daVinci was a man of unquenchable curiosity and his inventions, drawings, paintings and writings were so far ahead of his time as to be considered crazed by some. I would love to have him look at the modern world, full of many of his inventions and see where he thought we are headed. He is arguably the smartest man to have ever lived and there is much knowledge to be gleaned from his genius.

  4. Amelia Earhart: I have my private pilot’s license and Amelia has always fascinated me with her courage and tenacity. She pursued an avocation that at the time was strictly a man’s world and sought to break aviation records that few would attempt. Her last feat was to fly around the world, a trip from which she would never return. I’d like to listen as she talked about her fascination with airplanes and understand why she felt compelled to live on the edge and tackle seemingly impossible goals.
  5. Thomas Edison: Born before the Civil war in 1847, Edison was the fourth most prolific inventor in history holding 1,093 patents. Among other things he invented were the electric light bulb reportedly saying after each failure that he was that much closer to getting it right. The phonograph, the motion picture camera, the carbon microphone that made telephones indispensable, the alkaline storage battery and a co-inventor of the typewriter were among his more noted inventions. Given the world today, what would Edison see in our future? What new inventions could he provide that would change the world as radically as did his light bulb? What would he have done differently given the objectivity of time?

There is a new smartphone on the market now where all you have to do is gently bump your phone with someone else’s to transfer data, which is a pretty cool invention in itself. What would the world be like if all we had to do was gently bump heads with someone else with whom we wanted to share knowledge? Would it make the world a better place or not?

Comment below on who you’d like to have dinner with, living or passed on, and why?

“While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.”~Leonardo Da Vinci

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Posted by: brandextenders | October 16, 2012

It’s the Little Things that Count

It was a busy morning and I was buried in emails when the phone rang. The caller ID showed it was a customer I’m working with on a large calendar project so I answered, “Good Morning Jim.” There was a brief moment of silence and he said, “Wow, you knew it was me.” We discussed the magic of caller ID and how I put my customer’s contact information into Outlook so it’s always there when I need it. One of the benefits is when they call, their name shows up on the display.

To me putting my customer’s info into my list of contacts is a no-brainer so I don’t

Add your customers into your list of contacts

have to spend time looking for it when needed. Apparently though it’s either not very common for salespeople to add customers to their contacts list or when the customer’s name shows up on their phone, they ignore it. It’s such a simple thing to do and I can’t tell you the number of times people have been incredulous as well as flattered that I would know their name.

Sometimes it is the little things that count and you never know which of the little things you do to differentiate yourself it will be. This customer told me several times how impressed he was I knew it was him calling and that he was going to start doing the same thing with his customers. It’s nice to get feedback when something goes right as it helps expand that little spot in my mind that thinks, if this works well what else can I do that could also have a positive impact in my business?

Have you done something positive recently that has made an impression on your customers? We’d love for you to share your experience in the comments section below.

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Posted by: brandextenders | September 25, 2012

Business Clichés are a Dime a Dozen

I was recently re-reading “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, the computer science professor who was diagnosed with cancer and was allowed to give one last lecture on life as he saw it. One topic mentioned was business clichés and how despite their seeming overuse, they are so often right on the money.

The dictionary defines a cliché as a trite or overused expression or idea and yet these word-gems last because they resonate with a kernel of truth. On the Andy Griffith Show, Barney Fife used to say you have to nip it in the bud meaning to stop something before it gets out of hand. A deer in headlights refers to someone who is stunned or dazed momentarily while a leopard doesn’t change his spots notes how people can’t really change who they are. All of those clichés ring true on many levels thus their repeated use in conversations.

Business clichés can at times be annoying, especially when someone uses the same ones over and over again. Is the glass half empty or half full? If you build a better mousetrap will they really come? Do you want to touch base, drill down, think outside the box or pick the low hanging fruit? Some are seemingly contradictory like these three: money is the root of all evil, money makes the world go round and money doesn’t grow on trees. Well, which is it?

There are some clichés though related to business I do like and that get the point across in a succinct manner.

  • Putting lipstick on a pig:Swine have long been a source of clichés (pig
    business cliches

    Pigs are still pigs, even with lipstick

    headed and pig out among others) and I love the visual this term brings to mind. The meaning being you can’t change something from ugly to pretty or from useless to useful. Often used when referring to poor sales numbers or work projects that are doomed to failure.

  • Unless you’re the lead dog, the view never changes: Billionaire Ted Turner used this cliché a lot in regards to business decisions. Think of a team of huskies pulling a sled and the view that all, but the lead dog has and you’ll understand the meaning. Leaders lead and followers follow and those in front can set the direction for the rest of the pack to follow.
  • Paradigm shift: This is defined as a radical change in our underlying beliefs, a metamorphosis, and a transformation in the way we look at things. Paradigm shifts usually happen as a result of new information and can be an instrument of change. People like Copernicus, Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs all changed the world radically with their paradigm shifts.
  • Blue ocean strategies: A book by this name was released n 2005 and tackled the challenges companies face in head-to-head competition creating “bloody, red oceans.”  Blue ocean strategies, or BOS, guides companies to find uncontested market space where the competition is irrelevant. Often these “value innovations” involve paradigm shifts that help companies differentiate themselves within their chosen space.
  • One man’s treasure is another person’s trash: In the world of promotional products, and many other industries, this idiom is so true. Despite whether you like or dislike something, your customer might see it in a completely different light. There have been many times I’ve shown something to a customer and they hate it, but another customer buys 1,000 of them. Lesson learned: sell the customer what they like, not what I like.

There may be many business clichés you know that are appropriate to your business and I’d suggest you not be afraid to use them. I’ve realized young people may not know many of the overused phrases I do and find them useful in remembering certain concepts.

While you may be the chief cook and bottle washer and see the glass as half full, don’t shoot yourself in the foot or bang your head against a brick wall. The last thing you want is for someone to think you’re a few fries short of a happy meal, not the sharpest blade in the bunch or the brightest bulb in the pack. Clichés can be fun, just don’t overuse them or they might become your Achilles heel.

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Posted by: brandextenders | September 12, 2012

Do You Have What it Takes to be a Good Mentor?

Janelle and the grandkids she adored

A dear friend passed away recently who also happened to be an icon in the promotional products world. Her name was Janelle Nevins and I don’t believe she ever met someone in this industry she wasn’t willing to help if needed, be they competitor or friend, women or man. I consider Janelle the ultimate mentor and after her inspiring memorial service I started thinking what that really means and what it takes to be a good mentor?

According to the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD), 75% percent of executives point to mentoring as playing a key role in their careers; and 44% of CEO’s list mentoring programs as one of the three most effective strategies to enhance women’s advancement into senior management.

Our oldest son is studying criminal justice in college and also joined the Army Reserve a little over a year ago. He found a mentor within our town’s police department who also served in the military and has been able to guide and mentor our son in areas my wife and I have no expertise. Zach’s on a path to join the police department when he graduates and it most likely wouldn’t have happen without his mentor and now friend.

So what does it take to be a good mentor? Is it as simple as giving someone on-the-job training and then leaving them to sink or swim? I came up with a few traits I believe help make a good mentor and I know there are many others you can think of:

  1. The Heart of a Teacher: Even though you may never have had the desire to stand up in front of a group of students you may still have the heart of a teacher. If you enjoy sharing your expertise and knowledge with others and are truly interested in seeing others grow and succeed then you could be a good mentor.
  2. Is a Good Listener: Mentors need to listen more than they talk (good point for all of us) and not be judgmental. Ask to-the-point questions then be quiet and listen. Take notes if you need to, but take it all in before offering advice. Listening is probably the most important trait of a good mentor and if it’s all about you, you, you, then being a mentor is probably not a good fit.
  3. Is Honest: Mentees are usually young and they need honest feedback if they are to learn and grow. Good mentors don’t sugarcoat the truth so they don’t hurt their protégés feelings. Constructive feedback, both positive and negative, is what mentees need in a supportive and professional environment.
  4. Acts as a Role Model: Actions still speak louder than words and mentors need to be role models in their work place and in their life in general. This doesn’t mean you’re perfect, it simply means you work in an ethical way, treat others with respect and lead by example.
  5. Offers Encouragement: Fear and doubt are common for those just starting their careers and one of the mentor’s jobs is to always offer words of encouragement. This encouragement can come in the form of asking pointed questions, pushing to your mentee to take risks and being there when they fail or fall which is inevitable.

Forward thinking companies need to always be training their next generation of leaders, many of which may come from within. Either a formal or informal mentoring program is essential to training these future leaders to understand the organization and how things work within. The best mentors are well-connected in their industry and willing to introduce their mentee to their network and will never feel threatened as their protégés develop and become more experienced and skilled.

You don’t have to have a special degree or training to be a mentor, but you must have a desire to share your knowledge and skills with others. You also must be willing to devote the time it takes to build a trusting and personal relationship with those you mentor and, just like children, understand that one day they will move on to fill the roles you have trained them for.

Janelle’s example of mentoring and teaching will continue as those she mentored will do the same with others getting started in the business world. She set the bar very high and single-handedly raised the level of professionalism and creativity in our industry and for that we are all very grateful. Thank you Janelle and I suspect you’re up in heaven continuing to share your wisdom with others.

We’d love your thoughts on what it takes to be a good mentor and whether you were mentored early in your career.

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Posted by: brandextenders | August 27, 2012

Are Suppliers from Mars and Distributors from Venus?

Author and relationship counselor John Gray wrote a best-selling book about the problems men and women encounter in relationships. The premise is that it’s almost like men and women are from different planets with different customs because of the fundamental differences between them. I see the same concept play out every day in the dynamic supplier-distributor relationships that are the foundation of our industry. Without suppliers, what would distributors sell to their customers and without distributors, suppliers would have no avenue to distribute the products they develop and manufacture. And yet, there are challenges.

I’ve been on the distributor side of this business for 25 years and have seen the gamut of suppliers ranging from amazing to work with to my not understanding how they stay in business and the same holds true for distributors. While the supplier-distributor business model has changed over the last few decades due to the Internet and easy access to foreign manufacturing, it’s still the way most companies do business within our industry.

So what does it take to build a good relationship between these two groups of businesses? Can Venus and Mars come together in a business relationship that is mutually beneficial? Here are five things I believe need to happen for that bond to occur:

  1. Partnership: These days when someone says they want to “partner” what they often mean is they want all of the benefits without giving up anything. Distributors have come to think of EQP (end-quantity-pricing) as a Constitutional guarantee rather than something you earn. I want a supplier partner that is willing to give me deals, payment terms, possibly EQP, but in return I promise to consolidate sales to them for their range of products. If I ask for something from a supplier partner, I expect to give something up in return.Being a partner is a two-way street and if it’s not, then it’s not a partnership at all.
  2. Trust: Both sides in a partnership must trust the other to do the right thing, to be ethical and honest in all their dealings. If a company you are working with says they will do something or handle something, you must trust they will follow through and keep their word. A partnership is collaboration and trust ensures that collaboration will endure and be mutually beneficial. Trust can’t be taken for granted and must be nurtured. Trust may very well be the most important aspect of any partnership because without it, there is no foundation to build upon.
  3. Communicate: There is a time for emails and a time to talk things out and good partners know the right time for each. Too many times people hide behind emails when picking up the phone can solve a problem or ease concerns much quicker. When you have an issue or a question, pick up the phone and work it out or, if possible, meet face-to-face and then send a follow-up email with the details of your meeting. A lack of communication can lead to assumptions that harm the relationship when in fact those assumptions could be totally wrong. Knowing where you stand and sharing feedback regularly is a key to strong, long-term relationships.
  4. Deliver on Time/Pay on Time: Developing and keeping business relationships depends on both parties holding up their end of the bargain. Suppliers need to deliver their goods and services on time and distributors need to pay the invoices on time. Discuss production times ahead of the need as well as payment terms. Goodwill and trust are essential to long-term business relationships and if there are extenuating circumstances, then communicate with each other ahead of time so there are no surprises (see #3).
  5. Look to the Future: Our world changes fast and while a supplier or distributor might be a good fit for each other today, tomorrow could be a different story. Ask about the future plans of your partner; are they developing new products, sourcing new factories that could reduce costs or production time, growing their business organically or through acquisition. Always be open to new opportunities, but remember the grass is always greener on the other side, at least in theory. Relationships must change and morph over time to stay vibrant, to stay competitive and make financial sense to all partners.

Our supplier-distributor business model is similar to many other industries however it is very unique in one way. Before the advent of the Internet, the unwritten rule was suppliers in our industry only sold through approved distributors and distributors only bought from approved suppliers. More and more though, suppliers are setting up discrete and sometimes not-so-discrete business units that sell directly to end-users and distributors are importing directly from manufacturers outside our industry. Does this portend the end of a once vaunted business model that many now think seems quaint?

An article here on the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association website discusses where the relationship between suppliers and distributors will be in five years. The word value is used throughout the article to describe the vested interest both parties have in the mutual success of the other. Is it still possible for Venus and Mars to align and create a true partnership where business strategy, values, long-term goals and vision are the same? I believe it is however it takes more work than it used to and it takes a commitment from both companies to trust, to communicate and to be willing to change as needed to keep the partnership strong.

Tell us what you think. Can Venus and Mars align or is a collision inevitable that will forever change this business model and our industry as well?

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Posted by: brandextenders | July 9, 2012

Confessions of a Pinterest Virgin

I can’t believe I haven’t done it yet. You know what I’m talking about; it! If you know me, you know I am all over using social media to build a personal brand so it’s odd I have never even looked at Pinterest. Honestly, I think I’ve been scared-to-death to introduce yet another time-sucker into my life, worried I’ll immediately see its value and the need to engage. However I decided it was time to finally take a peek and share my first impressions with you.

While this newest of social media sensations has 12 million users, that still leaves about 301 million citizens of America that don’t yet use the site so I’m in good company. I have to admit; my first look left me unimpressed. While the pins on the landing page change regularly, there’s not a lot here. But what shocked me the most was the fact I can’t just join, I have to be invited.

I dutifully filled out the information needed to be invited and hit send, not sure if I’d get an invite or when it might arrive. While I pondered whether they would perform a background check before inviting me, I started clicking on some of the postings to see what it was all about.

As the third most popular social media site, some of the stats I found about Pinterest are truly amazing:

  • Only Youtube beats Pinterest in average time spent on the site and not by much. The average time spent on Youtube is 16.4 minutes while on Pinterest it’s 15.8 minutes.
  • 50% of Pinterest users have kids.
  • Just over 68% of the users on Pinterest are women and that stat alone should give you hints as to how to build your brand here.
  • 27% of the users are between the ages of 25 – 34 and 22% are in the 35-44 demographic.
  • The number of daily Pinterest users has increased 145% since January of this year.

Scrapbooking memories has become popular with women over the last decade and Pinterest is basically a place to scrapbook online memories; to capture a moment in time and share it with your friends and followers. It’s almost a voyeuristic place to peek into other’s lives, to see what they like, to share their dreams and even something as simple as seeing the recipe they are using for dinner tonight.

I received my invitation (whew, cleared that roadblock) and have posted my first pin and while I could get lost in following other’s pins, I realize this is quickly becoming a huge boon for businesses. Shopify, an e-commerce service, reports Pinterest members spend an average of $80 each time they make an online purchase as a result of Pinterest, double the amount Facebook members spend on an Internet buy. And soon Pinterest will be extending its reach even farther with foreign language versions and also just landed a $100 million investment from a Japanese e-commerce company.

My fear of finding the value in this relatively new social media site has come to fruition and now I must act. I understand just enough to be dangerous and must first map out a plan for creating interest with the items I pin. Postings must earn the trust of those who choose to follow and give them value so they’ll take the time to interact. I’m reading all I can on how others are using this unique social venue to refine my strategy and make an impact within my audience.

If a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, the founders of Pinterest are hoping they can transfer those pictures into thousands of dollars each. I’m no longer a Pinterest virgin and can never go back nor do I want to. I’m taking my time learning to navigate this unique experience and hope I can avoid the siren song to look at just one more pin. Just one more.

I work with my customers to evaluate their promotional marketing needs and develop creative and measurable solutions based on those needs. I build long-term relationships to become a trusted advisor m clients turn to for their brand extension, promotional product, incentive and other branding needs. Contact me at stephen.woodburn@staplespromoproducts.com  

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Posted by: brandextenders | June 23, 2012

The Season I Hate to Love

Are you the ant or the grasshopper?

Remember Aesop’s fable of the ant and the grasshopper? The ant worked diligently getting ready for winter while the grasshopper played golf, drank too much and all the other things grasshoppers do when they’re not, hopping.

I’ve been in sales a long time and have realized I hate to love summer. My customers tend to take it easy, go on vacation and spend time with their families rather than ordering promotional products for upcoming events. Which means I have to work harder to keep my pipeline full and plant the seeds of opportunity I can harvest this fall and winter.

This year though I’m working hard to not work so hard and spend more time enjoying this season with family and friends. I still want to keep things moving forward though and here are a few ways I plan to accomplish that:

• Planting seeds: This can happen in many ways including calls to those who have ordered in the past to reconnect and see what future needs they might have. Create special offers with calls to action, seek referrals from current customers and friends and scour local business journals and publications to look for opportunities such as companies moving into the area or expanding their business.

• Organize: While my office tends to be fairly orderly, it can always be better. I’ll go through files to see what I might be able to discard and do the same with files on my computer. In the past when I’ve done this I’ve also found leads I’d forgotten about or ideas that can help me create communications to customers.

• Send Thank You notes: It may sound silly, but people rarely get handwritten thank you notes these days. Take time to thank your customers for their past business and know this simple act will not only put a smile on their face, but may remind them they need your services soon. Handwritten thank you notes are worth their weight in gold.

• Stay Optimistic: Remember things slow down every summer and normally pick back up come fall. Use this time wisely and you may find all of a sudden you’re busy due to the pro-active approach you’ve been taking.

• Have fun: Arrange your schedule so you can take an afternoon off to play golf, go to the lake or just lie around and watch TV or read. A relaxed brain is a more creative brain and you never know when that million dollar idea may find its way to the top of your conscious mind as you watch reruns of “The Twilight Zone.”

With luck, this summer I’ll be able to work on the first three each day with a liberal sprinkling of the last two thrown in for good measure. After all these years of dreading the summer months, for professional reasons, I look forward to a season I can learn to love.

What about you? Does your summer portend more work than play? How do you manage to keep a balance between work and your family time? It’s never easy, but all work and no play makes for dull people as the saying goes. Being an ant is not bad nor is being a grasshopper, at least some of the time.

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Posted by: brandextenders | May 29, 2012

But Wait, There’s More…

Long before the Internet and television, there was P.T. Barnum, arguably the greatest pitchman of all time who famously said, “I don’t care what you say about me, just spell my name right.”

In the 1950’s along came Ron Popiel of Ronco fame who brought us Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Smokeless Ashtray along with the saying, “But wait, there’s more.” He honed his pitch technique at county fairs and in front of his hometown Woolworth’s selling products he found while giving a kickback to the store. So ubiquitous were his products that Dan Akroyd did a parody of his advertising style in the famous “Bass-O-Matic” bits on Saturday Night Live.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/19046/saturday-night-live-bassomatic

In more recent times the late Billy Mays, Vince “Schlomi” Offer (Sham Wow) and Anthony Sullivan (“Sticky Buddy”) have all made a tidy income pitching products they didn’t invent, but which have become fixtures of the late night television landscape.

So what makes a good pitchman or pitchwomen? Is this something you major in at college or are these people born salespeople? Here’s my take on what makes these people so good at what they do and why you can be as well.

  1. Believe in what you are selling: If you don’t like or use the products you’re selling, why do you think anyone else would buy them. Billy Mays saw thousands of products, but only pitched those he believed in and was confident people would be pleased with.
  2. Sell the benefits first and the features second: Which of these phrases gets you more interested? These knives are made of the finest steel forged in the hills of Pittsburgh (feature) or These knives never need sharpening (benefit)? The best pitchers innately sell the benefits of their products first with the features supporting the benefit.
  3. Everyone loves a deal. Deals don’t have to be smarmy and outrageous, but need to bring added value to the buyer. Buy this, get something extra for the same price. Do this today and you’ll get this added bonus.
  4. Limited time offer: It’s easy to procrastinate which is why the best pitchmen give a reason to buy now. This price expires in 24 hours, get double the quantity if you order now and free freight today only are all calls to action, a reason to buy now. Limited time offers work and give people a reason not to procrastinate.
  5. Be Real: Ed McMahon, Ron Popeil, Suzanne Summers, Susan Luchi and many others have all sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products over the years and why is that? Because we believe what they have to say. No matter what you’re selling if you aren’t real, people won’t buy.

    Sham Wow Magic

Use these guidelines to help as you make your pitches to clients, employees, co-workers or even your children and friends. We’re all pitchmen and women on a regular basis, but chances are we don’t wear that goofy microphone like Vince Offer does as he pitches Sham Wow. Good thing too!

I work with customers to evaluate their promotional marketing needs and develop creative and measurable solutions to address those needs. I build long-term relationships to become a trusted advisor my clients turn to for their brand extension, promotional product, incentive and other branding needs. Contact me at stephen.woodburn@staplespromoproducts.com  

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Posted by: brandextenders | May 17, 2012

I See Dead People and They’re Making a lot of Money

Remember the movie “The Sixth Sense” where Haley Joel Osment communicated with spirits that didn’t know they were dead? I too see people, usually on TV, that I know are dead and yet they’re making far more money dead than I am alive. What’s up with that? Take Michael Jackson whose estate just signed a deal with Pepsi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s “Bad” album by using his silhouette on 1 billion soda cans to be sold worldwide. While the financial details weren’t disclosed you can assume this will add millions to the pop-star estate’s coffers.

Being dead can be profitable, at least for the estates of expired celebrities, as the annual Forbes list of Top-Earning dead celebrities’ shows. Combined, the top 15 people on the list brought in $366 million last year. Songwriters who own their work led the list because their body (no pun intended!) of work tends to throw off royalties long after the dearly departed have left the building.

The virtual world has increased the opportunities for estates to create new revenue streams with social media, video games and eBooks. Meanwhile legal recognition of the deceased’s publicity rights is an evolving concept. U.S. copyright laws have always protected intellectual property for 70 years after death, but New York State passed legislation declaring a celebrity’s right to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property ends with their death. Britain and other parts of Europe have similar laws while California passed legislation giving celebrities the right to bequeath publicity rights to their heirs.

So why do brands chose the dead over the living to pitch their products and services? Two major reasons; the first being it usually costs a lot less to use the likeness and image of dead stars than those still kicking. Secondly, it’s hard to get involved in a scandal after you’re dead unlike Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps who lost a variety of sponsors when they did some really dumb things publicly. Brands don’t like scandals because while it may not be fair, when a celebrity self-destructs he or she can take a brand with them simply through guilt-by-association. Dead celebrities can certainly bring cache’ to a brand however the match must make sense otherwise the message can get lost in the fame.

So without further adieu, here are the top 10 dead celebrities based on earnings between October 2010 and September 2011:

  1. Michael Jackson – $170 million and bound to increase with the new Pepsi deal.
  2. Elvis Presley – $55 million and dead for 35 years this August. Not bad.
  3. Marilyn Monroe – $27 million. The rights to her estate were sold last December for an undisclosed amount, but you can bet it was an eight digit figure
  4. Charles Schultz – $25 million. Look for more Peanuts characters to appear in the digital space in coming years.
  5. John Lennon – $12 million. The Beatles are finally on iTunes and sold 1.6 million albums in 2010, more than any act dead or alive.
  6. Elizabeth Taylor – $12 million. Already pitching White Diamonds perfume, look for her name to be associated with other high-end products.
  7. Albert Einstein – $10 million. Not bad for a science geek that changed the world with his theories on relativity.
  8. Theodor Geisel – $9 million. Dr. Seuss’s amazing body of work will continue to bring joy along with financial rewards for generations to come.
  9. Jimi Hendrix – $7 million. Foxy Lady and other songs released through his estate bring in a respectable amount in royalties each year.
  10. Stieg Larsson – $7 million. More than 40 million copies of his trilogy starting with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” sold after his death. Bummer for him!

While the old Mafia saying, “Dead men (and women) tell no tales” may be true, certainly many leave behind a legacy that can be a source of revenue for their heirs and others. And if you should happen to see dead people on TV it’s not a reflection on you, but a good agent who convinced the brand that this really is a good idea.

I work with my customers to evaluate their promotional marketing needs and develop creative and measurable solutions based on those needs. I build long-term relationships to become a trusted advisor m clients turn to for their brand extension, promotional product, incentive and other branding needs. Contact me at stephen.woodburn@staplespromoproducts.com  

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