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Showing posts from March, 2020

Why Custom Notepads are a Perfect Promotional Tool

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Want to give your business a gift that keeps giving? You can do this by giving gifts to other people. According to the ACI 2019 Impressions study , promotional products bring some of the highest rates of return on advertising, trumping all other forms of media. Consumers surveyed said they were nearly 2.5 times more likely to have a favorable opinion of promotional products compared to online advertising, and consumers under 55 preferred a promotional product message over EVERY other advertising medium (including print, online, or traditional mass media). Data shows the average household in the U.S. owns 30 promotional items, which means if there are 120 million households in America, over three billion company logos are floating around at any moment! Looking for a fun but practical promo gift for your clients and prospects? Custom printed notepads are a great, economical option. Notepads are designed for utility and flexibility, meaning people can take them anywhere and will cer

How to Shift from Reactive to Proactive Customer Care

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Everyone makes mistakes, but no one likes admitting them. If we’re honest, business professionals hate owning up to mistakes because of pride, embarrassment, or fear that customers will leave. But denying weaknesses only magnifies awkward situations and hurts your company’s reputation. Dealing proactively with problems will strengthen credibility and spark improvements that benefit your brand. When Micheal Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey founded Barefoot Cellars, they started in a laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse. Knowing next to nothing, they made many mistakes. In one instance, they discovered a barcode error that led a shipment to ring up for less than it should, which lost the distributor money. When he caught the mistake, Houlihan showed up personally at the store’s corporate office with a check for the loss, including an added bonus for the distributor’s time and expense. Houlihan described to the manager how Barefoot Cellars was shifting internal processes to ma

How to Build Trust and Unity Through a Strong Company Culture

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When it comes to company culture, Zoom is off the charts. Zoom is a California communications company that provides remote conferencing services for online video meetings, chat, and mobile collaboration. Zoom’s mission is to develop a people-centric cloud service that unifies meeting experiences while improving the quality of communications forever. Zoom is passionate about connecting not only customers but employees. The company sports its own “happiness crew,” a team committed to maintaining company values through wacky celebrations, community involvement, and volunteering. Happiness crews coordinate team serving opportunities like Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and more, allowing employees to give back, to enjoy co-workers from other teams, and to make a difference for causes they care about. Whether it’s arranging a “Bring Your Parent to Work Day” or decorating desks with rubber ducks, this passionate team culture has helped Zoom to grow and thrive. Company Cult

Spark Creative Solutions with Four Ideation Strategies

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Creativity. It’s something we long to unleash. Some seem to do this effortlessly, with work that carries a distinct, resounding voice. Others labor tirelessly and produce merely a weak echo. Where some of us once flourished, now we flounder. The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way. What does it take to beat back the ordinary and to release fresh, gripping, or exciting ideas continually? 4 Ideation Strategies to Spark Creativity When you want to break out of creative ruts, ideation strategies offer a useful tool for challenging your habitual (a.k.a. BORING) ways of thinking. Want to give it a try? Here are four exercises to enhance imagination for yourself or your team. 1. Green Lighting Green lighting (or free-flow brainstorming) is often used in creative strategy sessions because the lack of censorship allows participants to generate a high quantity of ideas in a short, synergized session. During a green light session, any wild or wacky ideas are welcome to b

Gain Momentum with a Strong Visual Identity

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When Ruben Dario Villa started his car air freshener company,  Fúchila Fresheners , he had a clear idea of who he was and how he wanted to communicate. As a Mexican American, Villa wanted his Chicano heritage to be instantly recognizable to people from his community: “Fúchila in Spanish is slang for when something smells bad,” Villa said. “So calling [our brand] Fúchila Fresheners is ironic, and people thought it was funny.” Fúchila’s products aren’t your typical tree-shaped fresheners. Instead, they include pop-art images of the late singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez and renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The fresheners use simple, punchy colors that reflect Chicano heritage, and it works. While Villa started Fúchila from the trunk of his car, now the fresheners are carried in over 100 stores from coast to coast.  “The [visual] identity has been crucial to Fúchila’s growth,” said Villa. “It has a graphical element. It’s been attractive to people; I use very bright colors. It r

Embrace Originality with 4 Unique Marketing Options

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Want to sculpt an eye-catching identity and bring your print projects to life? You dream it; we’ll print it! With today’s technology, you can print concepts as varied as your ideas and as rich as your imagination. Ready to toss the template and try something a little different? Here are a few ideas to push the boundaries in your next design. Foil Postcards Time to rise and sparkle! Raised gold or silver foil will take any printing to the next level. With a tactile, metallic shine, foil postcards bring a “wow” factor that can’t be matched. Foil can be added to logos, lettering, die-cut shapes, outlines, borders, and more. You can foil on one of both sides of your postcard, or combine your foil with velvety coated paper to make your product shine. Whether you want eye-grabbing handouts or incredible invitations, foil postcards are guaranteed to make a stunning impression. Pearlescent Flyers Looking for a quality that suits your style? Add an extravagant touch with metalli

Reduce Financial Risk by Conducting a Stress Test for Your Small Business

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How will the economy affect your business this year? Economic conditions impact all businesses, but small businesses often feel the effect of changes sooner. Upswings in the economy mean more disposable income, which can provide a rush of new or expanded business opportunities for your firm. But dips in the economy may make it harder for you to break even, to cover payroll, or to qualify for loans that will increase your growth opportunities. While you can’t control the economy, you can take steps to ready your small business for unexpected changes. One simple tool to consider is a stress test. Ways to Stress Test Your Business A stress test is a simulation to gauge your financial risk under different economic scenarios. The results can aid your financial planning and let you know where your business is at the greatest risk in the event of economic hard times. Here are three ways to stress-test your business to stabilize it during unwanted slowdowns. 1. Solicit advice from

Find More Enjoyment in Life Through Strategic Energy Management

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Steve Wanner is a highly respected 37-year-old partner at Ernst & Young, married with four young children. When Wanner started working with “ The Energy Project ,” a consulting company focused on sustainable performance, he was working 12- to 14-hour days. Wanner was overweight, perpetually exhausted, and felt guilty about his family life. He was distracted, slept poorly, and made no time to exercise. Like many professionals, daily demands were pushing him to the limit. Time is a limited resource, and often people recognize that better time management could make a huge difference. Many leaders think they can excel by working harder or being more organized, but simply working harder almost always leads to anxiety and a difficulty disconnecting at night. A Better Way Proponents of energy management say there is a better way. Energy management is a science and an art. Most people understand the science: if you exercise, eat, and sleep well, you’re likely to create more energ