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The Power of Recall

August 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Imagine this happening to you………..

  • I was up late the night before, one of my children is sick
  • At best I got 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep
  • I wake up 3 minutes before the alarm
  • I look in on my sick child
  • Morning routine is nearly normal
  • The puppy that was cute at Christmas isn’t so anymore
  • The kitchen faucet leaks and I  must shut off the water supply
  • Traffic is unusually heavy due to accident on shoulder
  • Must get new wiper blades and get oil changed
  • Arrive at work just after my boss enters the building

9:15 AM  My  morning goes poorly. I have a 2:30 PM appointment with a sales rep that I wish I hadn’t made because of the unforeseen stuff going on. I wonder how my child is. Did I shut the water off on the faucet? What’s my water bill going to be? When is that project deadline? Is it lunch yet?

11 AM Project meeting to discuss milestones just before lunch, when’s the deadline? Meeting over early go to lunch. Call home and check on kid. Feeling better thanks for the call, should have asked about faucet.

11:45  AM  Lunch off the truck, no time to go out, order from the grill. Is it legal to call this edible?

12:15  PM  Return to office.  I hate deadlines, they do not amuse me. Stomach a bit upset maybe I should have played it safe with a salad.  Answer emails. Answer phones.  Write proposals. Discuss new project with office staff.

2:20 PM  My 2:30 appointment shows up early.  I need to clear my mind for this person. Clear desk, check!  Notepad, check!  Pen, check!

2:30 PM  Put smile on face and extend hand in friendship……………………..

3:15 PM That was a great meeting probably the best part of my day considering……Think I’ll call home and check on the kid. Phone rings, there’s an emergency that needs my  attention………………

5:30 PM  Emergency resolved. Time to go home.

  • Traffic unusually heavy
  • Wish I had those new wiper blades, this light rain is annoying
  • Am I the only one on the road that really knows how to drive?

Arrive home.

 

 

If you’ve never had a day like this then you’re about to.  We all have days like this from time to time. We all have circumstances and it’s our attitude that determines how well we survive those days. The next day could be the best day you’ve ever had, ever.

Let’s take a look at that next day. You’re in your office and you jot a note down on an adhesive notepad that your 2:30 PM appointment from the day before left behind. You recall that time that the sales rep came in. You remember how good that meeting was. You remember how they complimented you on your recent accomplishments. Without a conscious thought about the notepad itself you were momentarily transported back to that afternoon meeting.

In all likelihood every time you jot down a note on that 25-sheet pad your mind will take you back to that time and person. That’s the power of promotional products.

Now let’s put the shoe on the other foot. You’re the sales rep going into the meeting.  Remember that the person you’re going in to see might be having a bad day and it’s your job to drop some sunshine into their life.  Smile be friendly and professional, polite and courteous.

Before you leave make sure you leave a promotional item or two. When you walk out of that office the person you just saw is going to return to the problems they were solving before you walked in the door. You’ll be out of their mind until they see that item you left behind.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Advertising Specialties, Attitude, Featured Articles, Promotional Products

Got Pens??

August 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When I can find the time I love going to Grand Openings and Ribbon Cuttings with my local chamber of commerce. I especially like restaurants but not for the reason you might think as I don’t eat the food they serve most of the times.

I like restaurants because I’m appreciated by the wait staff.  I make it a point to talk to as many waiters and waitresses as possible.  I give them something they all need and appreciate,  a couple of ball point pens.

In the trunk of my car is a stash of my promotional ball point pens. I’ve got red and white ones for Prusa Marketing.com and Surf City Santa.com and I’ve also got the green grass and sunshine yellow ones for Prusa Marketing.

I’ve been telling my customers for years that if you’ve got pens as a promotional item you need to give them out at your favorite restaurant as they will find their way home to future customers.  Anywhere a pen is used is a good place to give a pen. I know the checkers at my local Ralphs store love getting pens from me.

On a recent Friday night I attended just such an event at a new hamburger joint.  Can a place be called a hamburger joint when they serve $10 burgers? Whatever happened to the $6 burger? When I was a kid McDonald’s sold burgers for 15 cents, but that’s ancient history.

The following Sunday I got an unsolicited email from a friend that read:

 I just used your pen to sign my bill at Slater’s 50/50. You’re on the ball!

Have a great day!
Cynthia Varnell

Cynthia also attached a pic of the pen she used.

The really interesting part of this story is that while at the grand opening I was talking to a Promote U reader and sharing with her the idea of giving out the pens to the wait staff.  After I got Cynthia’s email I forwarded it to the reader who replied that she needed a pen for her HR business.

Just yesterday I was in line at a small Arabic market (great coffee). The checker needed a pen for a credit card transaction.  After he began to sweat and frantically look for one, I gave him the one in my pocket and a smile came to his face and he said, “Thank you.”

When he started to check my items I asked him his name. He replied “Nassar” and we shook hands, I made a friend.  Leaving the store I put my bag in the trunk and grabbed a handful of green and yellow pens.  Went back in and gave my new friend some pens, they were warmly accepted.

Filed Under: Building Blocks, Education, Featured Articles, Networking, Promotional Products

How small is your world, Cleveland?

July 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

During the 90’s in my aviation career I traveled the world. After a few 8, 10 and 14 hour flights you begin to realize how small your backyard is.

I enjoy meeting new people and making friends, worldwide.  After a brief conversation I usually discover common ground and thus a “connection” is made.   The more connections you make away from your backyard the smaller the world becomes.

Enter the Internet. Now my travels are limited and mostly within the county I live in. Once a year I do go to Las Vegas for my annual trade show and congregate with 15,000 peers (the world comes to me).

Social Networking

I enter the Facebook site on average twice a day, LinkedIn twice a day and email many times a day.  I’ve made a Facebook friend of a guy in Wyoming I’ve never met; he’s 26-years old. We have an instant connection even though we never met and there’s so many years difference in our ages.

Google Alerts

I’ve got Google Alerts set to email me when the name John Prusa hits the Internet. I got an email this morning.

On Wednesday, June 29th 2011, John Prusa was honored by his local chamber of commerce as the 2011 Volunteer of the Year. John was not present to receive the award; my guess is he was busy volunteering somewhere.

Will the real John Prusa please stand up?

  • John Prusa of Evanston, Wyoming is a Facebook friend. How many Facebook friends do you have with your name?

 

  • I also have Johny Prusa from the Prague, Czech Republic friended on facebook.

 

  • The 2011 Volunteer of the Year is John Prusa, owner of Highpoint Lawn Service in Stow, Ohio (34 miles south of Cleveland)  and one of the founders of BEST (Benefiting Everyone with Stadium Turf) for Stow.

In addition to owning a successful business in Ohio and New York for almost 20 years, Prusa is a member of the high school booster club, Rotary Club, was a former president of the Ballet Theatre of Ohio and has always enjoyed coaching softball.

Calling a tractor a second home, [Prusa] has selflessly helped transform the football practice fields and soccer fields at the Stow Munroe Falls high school complex from fields of dusty brown to shimmering green. This entrepreneur has contributed time, talent, and treasure to the construction of the bathroom, concession and storage building located by the high school softball fields.

The people you meet and the company you keep.

I sure wish I knew these guys personally. I’ll bet we’d have a great time together and find much in common besides our names.

I’ll bet if I walked the streets of Stow, Ohio or talked to the football coach at the high school they’d all not believe who I am.  But once they heard the story I’d make a connection and a new friend. What do you think?

You can send a note of congratulations to John Prusa @ Highpoint Lawn Service, 1337 Commerce Drive # 4, Stow, OH 44224-1758.  You know my policy of using blue ink in correspondence so use it. I’ll be sending a copy of this article along with my promotional items of pens, lanyards and notepads.

 

 

Filed Under: Building Blocks, Facebook, Featured Articles, Networking, Promotional Products, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , ,

Recognizing A Customer “Wow” Specialist

February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Long after people forget what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel. Michael Port

Last week I stated that customer service people of American business are unsung heroes, they don’t get enough recognition for what they do.  I deal with customer service people over the phone throughout my day and often I am amazed at their:

  • Friendliness
  • Sense of humor
  • Professionalism
  • Willingness to help (go the extra mile)
  • Understanding
  • Compassion
  • Ability to make me feel special

These people seem to posses a 6th sense of knowing what I need to get an order through and delivered to my customer. When all these things come together I feel “Wowed” by them and I let them know by faxing them a Customer “Wow” Specialist award. What is this?

Believe me the recipient knows this cost me nothing out of my pocket and they gained from it in no monetary way.  So how did they feel about my act?  Well I thought it best to let them tell you themselves.

When I received my Customer ”WOW” Specialist title I was very excited and appreciative and feel that what I did made a difference with someone and their business.

Bobbie Santos
Press A Print
Customer Service

877-777-9769 EXT. 183

……………………………………………………………………………………….

It’s not very often that people take time out of their busy day to send a Thank You note.

It definitely gives you a boost of self confidence and pride.  It makes you enjoy a little bit more what you do every day for a living.  I received the “WOW” Award on January 12, 2010 and it is still hanging up in my cubicle.

Thank you John!

Valerie Olander
Customer Service
TradeNet Publishing

…………………………………………………………………………………

I would have to say, seeing that award come over on our fax was pretty great and definitely made my day!  It made me smile to see such a great representation of your personality!  It’s nice to see that you appreciate our promotions and it’s not often that we get a thank you back!

Thanks,

Megan Ludlow | SnugZ USA | Marketing Manager

888.447.6840 tel  |  888.467.6840 fax  | www.snugzusa.com

“Retail is for suckers.” Cosmo Kramer

………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Customer WOW Specialist award brightened up, not just my day, but everyday that I look up and see it. I have hung it up at my desk for ALL to see. I received praise from my co-workers and my supervisor. It is a fantastic reminder to me, especially on those tougher days, just how important Customer Service really is. If you get off the phone, or leave a meeting with me feeling unsatisfied, or unhappy in any way, I have not done my job. I laugh and smile a lot and have found that it often brightens the mood of those I speak with. Our Vice President, Missy Kilpatrick once told me to always smile while on the phone, no matter what my mood. She said a smile can be seen and felt, even through the phone.

Rachel M. Dodd
Castelli North America
Customer Service Representative
rdodd@castellinorthamerica.com
2080 Brierley Way Suite 102
Sparks, NV 89434
PH-(888)645-2628 FAX-(888)443-6433
ASI# 44305 PPAI# 155460

Visit our NEW website www.castellinorthamerica.com

by John Prusa

Filed Under: Featured Articles, Promotional Products Tagged With: ,

2011 Marks 30th Anniversary of Iconic BIC Round Stic Pen

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Starting in 2011, Clearwater, Florida-based BIC Graphic North America will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the BIC Round Stic with a year-long calendar of promotions and events surrounding the iconic pen.

The BIC Round Stic was introduced by BIC Graphic in 1981 and continues to be one of the most recognized writing instruments in the promotional products industry today. The two-piece, round-barrel pen was specifically designed to accommodate imprinting and initially was offered with a one-color imprint, a white barrel and a choice of four cap colors.

In 2009 alone, more than 100 million units were sold in the U.S. To put this into perspective, if placed end-to-end, the number of pens sold would travel from New York to Los Angeles three times over. In 2011, BIC Graphic will offer the Round Stic with 22 different barrel and trim color options which can be mixed and matched to create more than 400 color combinations.

The Round Stic is always in style, and always in stock. Since this classic pen is assembled in the U.S. with USA-made components, inventory is always available. The January trade shows will serve as the kick-off to this year-long anniversary party. Distributors are invited to visit the newly redesigned BIC Graphic exhibit to see a special Round Stic display and take their picture with the BIC Boy.

In celebration of the 30th Anniversary, BIC Graphic is introducing special edition Round Stic colors– clear sparkle and black sparkle. In addition, all Round Stic products will be on promotion throughout 2011.

Filed Under: Advertising Specialties, Featured Articles, Promotional Products Tagged With: , ,

Stuff With My Name On It?

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Can you imagine your name on stuff? But why would you do that? Because it’s proven to be the best form of advertising known to man. What kind of stuff, you ask? Well back in 1945 the invention of the ballpoint pen helped to skyrocket the industry known today as advertising specialties or promotional products.

Filed Under: Advertising Specialties, Education, Featured Articles, Promotional Products Tagged With: , ,