What's in a Name?...Brand Identity

Tradeshow Success!

A winning effort begins with preparation -Joe Gibbs

 Planning Another Trade Show This Year? STOP!! Don't Waste Your Money Unless You Have a Well Thought Out Plan.

*** 98 percent of exhibitors collect sales leads at trade shows, but less than 70 percent have any formalized plan or process in place for how those leads are followed up after the show.

Trade Show Success: Not just another pretty booth!

Can you believe it?..... It's SPRING!! The flowers are blooming, the weather is warmer ( actually it's already quite hot here in Texas) and everything seems bright and new.

Trade Show season is also here and to ensure that you have a successful experience and positive ROI, there must be proper planning, organization and execution. Planning what you will do before, during and after the trade show can make your tradeshow efforts a huge success...and the reverse is also true!

Before the Show

 Here are a few tips to help make your trade show exhibit and experience a true success!

1-Pre-show Mailings and Press Releases:

Make sure to have a a copy of the attendee list or last year’s list and send pre-show mailers and press releases about your new products/services. Don’t forget to mention the show, date, place, booth number and include pictures of your products and your logo. Make your focus to build brand recognition of your company logo memorable and to stay on your prospects mind.

2- Trade Show Apparel:

Whether you are the owner or an employee you are the company brand when you are at the show. Wearing the company logo and colors gives a professional look and makes you recognizable. Attendees are more likely to remember your company when you wear the appropriate apparel.

A Knowledgeable Staff is Extremely Important to the Success of a Trade Show!

3-Train Your Staff:

This is probably the single most important task and probably the least done. Don't let your leads slip away! Engaging tradeshow attendees takes more effort than an average sales call. You have to engage an attendee very quickly and in a way that compels them into conversation.

1. Your staff should not be huddled in the corner of the booth chatting as your prospects walk by.

2. Stand outside the booth looking to answer questions and READ the ID tags!

3. Have someone in the booth that can talk intelligently about your product and that can answer questions and listen.

During the Tradeshow

 4-Attract the Crowd:

You don't have to do a song and dance, but you do need to give the attendees a reason to walk over to your booth by having a prominent physical structure and an engaging host.

5-Engage the Crowd:

Providing a learning experience at the show, such as a quick seminar in the booth or a demo of a new product, will make a greater impact on your trade show booth visitors. This can make you more memorable and thus, more likely to close a deal later on.

 So Now That They Are in Front of Your Booth, How Do You Keep Them There?

 6-Capture Leads:

Don't be just another booth--create excitement by having giveaways or create a fun game that allows you to collect business cards. Games can also draw further interest from passersby. The first step in increasing trade show sales productivity is to establish a disciplined lead qualification process. The most effective process starts with capturing information about each potential prospect at the show, then building upon that customer knowledge in the initial contact. The punch line is simple – if you don’t waste time on unqualified prospects, you can focus more time on your best prospects.

After the Show

7-Yes! Follow up:

Engaging attendees in a quick and productive conversation can be more effective then delivering a pitch. Listening and gathering details about their needs can help sales reps reconnect with prospects on a follow-up call. According to the 2010 Sales Lead Survey conducted by Exhibitor Media Group:

• The study found that only 47% of companies track leads generated at trade shows and events throughout the sales cycle, and only 28% percent measure and report the number of leads that ultimately convert to sales as part of their exhibit program's ROI.

We ALL Know Timing Is Everything in Life!

 

8-Make the Best Use of It!

It's important to make sure that all lead follow-up occurs in a timely manner. If you identify a hot prospect at the show, make sure to ask when you should call them and set-up opportunities to contact them right after the show in a way that will set up the sale.

For other leads, make sure that you contact them while the excitement of the show is still fresh in their minds. For most businesses, 2 to 4 business days after the show arrange to have follow-up material delivered to their office. Within 5 to 7 days follow-up with a phone call.

9-Measure your Results:

Keeping all those leads organized after the show will really pay off when you are doing the follow up. Know who your A leads are and which sales rep were assigned to them. Ask your reps to give a 1, 3, or 6 month follow up report so you know where they are at in the sales cycle. At that point, you can begin to examine your ROI and the effectiveness of your sales and marketing plan.

For more information:

Give us a call 214-520-8577 or email info@donnaco.com and let us know how we can help you with all your trade show needs.

iPhone Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks For Your iPhone/iPad That Your Mother Never Told You!

I KNOW, I KNOW... not everyone has one. Not everyone likes them,  and I surely don’t want to insult any Android and Blackberry users. Read on for some interesting stats.

Never Say Never!

Reuters reported that they polled buyers during the first 72 hours after the iPhone 4S went on sale and found that 22% of them were converting from other platforms, especially BlackBerry and Nokia, but also Android.

Let’s face it, iPhones and iPads are here to stay!

In Apple’s press release from July, 2011, Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 third quarter  that ended June 25, 2011. The Company sold 20.34 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 142 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 9.25 million iPads during the quarter, a 183 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter.  So we get the picture! 

I know this ezine will never be circulated to the millions of iPad and iPhone users out there, but I thought if I could pass on some helpful tips to all of you, (through the power of numbers) we can hopefully come close to that goal.   ;)

Here are some useful tips, (though not in any particular order of importance), to help make typing easier on your iPhone and your iPad. ( if you already know some of these, pass it on. Remember: “It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

1.  Avoid draining your battery-Double click the home button to display all your open applications. Tap and hold you finger on an app and they start to wiggle and jiggle. You can then click X to delete them.   Swipe to the left and you can control your iTunes as well as lock the rotation.

2. Typing a url in Safari-Hold down the .com key and you will also be able to select whether the address is a .net, .org, .us, or .edu.

3. Typing in your mail program-Hold down the period key and you will be able to select whether the address is a .com, .net, .org, .us, or .edu.

Does This Sound Foreign?

 4. Type in a foreign language-Tap and hold a key on a vowel, and you'll get additional options for that letter. (a e i o u and "sometimes y" ) . Quite helpful if you want to type in a foreign language or insert a word that has diacritic mark.  It's called an \"acute accent\": é  This works for symbols too.

5. Using Tap and Slide-In order to avoid extra steps while you are on your letter keyboard and want to insert only ONE  number, tap the number keyboard and without lifting your finger slide it to the number you want. When you release your finger you will be back on the letter keyboard automatically. It's still 2 taps but easier than 3. (don’t let anyone call you lazy, it’s an effective use of time management !)

Have Any Questions?

6. Question marks and exclamation points-use a similar slide action. To avoid toggling from the letter keyboard to the numbers keyboard and then tap back again, tap the number key and just slide your finger to the ? and release.  You are back again to your letter keyboard.

7. Tap and Hold Existing Text-To edit an existing word, tap and hold inside the word you want and you'll get a magnifying glass to move the cursor around.

8. Tap and Hold to Copy-Whether a link, a photo or a phone number. Tap and hold on things to get a chance to copy it to the clipboard.

9. Deleting Apps- It’s the same technique you use to avoid draining your battery: tap and hold an app so that they start to wiggle and jiggle. You can then click X to delete them.

10. Activate Siri
And for those of you who ran out to buy the iPhone 4s, but cannot figure out how to activate your virtual wife, press and hold your home button to activate Siri. Enter your description.

For more information:

Give us a call 214-520-8577 or email info@donnaco.com and let us know how we can help!

Generation C

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.  John F Kennedy

Meet Your Future Client- Generation C

 I recently returned from two Industry Trade shows, (and it's only the beginning of February), and I was amazed at how much emphasis was given to new technology products:  Headphones, speakers, ear buds, power packs, hand held projectors, styli, the thinnest business card size USB drives, iPad cases, cell phone holders... ANYTHING that had to do with a cellphone/smart phone, iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc was the "IT" item.   And here is why...

Just when you thought you understood the whole generational thing in the workplace…here come the new kids on the block...

WELCOME GENERATION C

Generation C- connected, communicating, content-centric, computerized, community-oriented, always clicking!

Generation C are "digital natives,” born after 1990 and just beginning to enter the workforce, (at least hopefully as I am a parent of a 21 year old) and they will transform the world as we know it. Their interests will help drive massive change in how people around the world socialize, work, and live their passions—and in the information and communication technologies they use to do so.  According to Booze and Company, here are some characteristics of a typical Gen C:

They have owned digital devices all their lives; they are intimately familiar with them and use them as much as six hours a day. They all have mobile phones and constantly send text messages. More than 95 percent of them have computers, and more than half use instant messaging to communicate, have Facebook pages, and watch videos on YouTube.

Generation C is a member of a New Generation that will be coming into its own over the next decade. Its members are typically realists and materialists. They are culturally liberal, though not necessarily politically progressive. They are upwardly mobile, yet they live with their parents longer than earlier generations ever did. Many of their social interactions take place on the Internet, where they feel free to express their opinions and attitudes. They’ve grown up under the influence of Harry Potter, Barack Obama, and iEverything — iPods, iTunes, iPhones. Technology is so intimately woven into their lives that the baby boom–era concept of “early adopters” is essentially meaningless.

According to a the Youth Strategy Company, DDB in Sydney, there is a definite need for companies to understand and engage Generation C, a group which they believe to be the most highly influential in the world due to their need to share their lives via social media platforms.

They Are Used to Being Connected 24/7

•This is the first generation that has never known any reality other than that defined and enabled by the Internet, mobile devices and social networking
• They're used to being connected 24/7... as long as connected doesn't mean schlepping a laptop. By 2020 there will be 6 billion mobile phone users and most of them will have Internet connection that way.
• Their concerns about privacy and sharing information are very different from ours. One trend that will have long-reaching impact on IT security and corporate transparency is the fact that this generation doesn't seem to have a problem sharing personal information with the world.

By 2014, 50% of the world's workforce will be "flexible". Booz calls them "Working Nomads", but it means they'll be part-time, contractors, remote workers or some combination of all of the above. Their relationship to their employers will be very different than ours was when we came out of college.

For those of us who are parents of digitally connected, computerized and “clicking” children born after 1990 (and who are fortunate enough to actually have jobs in the work force),  as our new clients and customers…. think about this…. Will you be judged in the office  as well as someone who is just not technologically savvy enough? Will you now be forced to keep up with all the technology that is changing around you? or will you say, “nah…. let’s hire a Gen C to take care of all that!”   One thing for sure...  we will ALL definitely need more Patience…it is a Virtue you know!

For more information:

Give us a call 214-520-8577 or email info@donnaco.com and let us know how we can help!

Standing out from the Competition

One of the things I like best about my career is the outstanding people I meet, many of whom hold C-level positions in their companies. When they are directing me to the right person in their company, I'm often asked: "What sets you apart from all other other promotional products people we've already met?"

There are a great many people in the D/FW metroplex who sell promotional products. Likewise, there are 30,000 real estate agents, hundreds of mortgage companies and an array of other industries in which competition is intense. I often hear the complaint that promotional products sales people do little more than drop off catalogs and expect their clients to select something they'd like to buy.

What a perfect opportunity for me to differentiate myself by saying: I don’t build my business by selling promotional products. I’m a Media and Marketing Strategist, and I use promotional products as the instrument to deliver the advertising message that will help my clients generate more business or accomplish a specific objective. I strive to deliver a focused and well-planned advertising message that is targeted to my client’s specific needs.

For me, the promotional product is chosen as the last step in a process that begins with the creation of the marketing message or advertising campaign.

When it’s done right, a marketing campaign that uses promotional products to deliver a theme or message to a target audience can be the most cost-effective way to create brand recognition, stimulate sales, recognize employees, reward performance, promote goodwill and achieve dozens of other important goals for your business or organization.

Of course, people are always intrigued with novelties and cleverly designed new products. Sometimes it’s hard to resist temptation and become distracted by an attractive promotional product that’s unique, handy, or just “cool” … especially when it’s decorated with their logo or special artwork. Moreover, with nearly a million items to choose from, it can be a real challenge to select the best item to complement a particular budget, theme, need, and target audience.

My specialty is my focus on a marketing strategy for YOU, and that’s what distinguishes me from everyone else. My goal-orientation and creativity are directed toward the results you expect to achieve. Even when I carefully choose a promotional product, package it and distribute it as part of a planned campaign … my clients are not buying a shipment of “stuff” with their logo on it. Instead, they are investing in a creative campaign and my recommended use of promotional products to deliver those results.

Parlay Creativity into Building Your Business.

We are into the second full week of 2007 and most of us have recuperated from all of our holiday parties and vacations. Now we are ready to make some changes, concentrate our efforts for Q1 and "parlay" our energies into ways in which we can grow our business.

Par•lay
•1. to use one's money, talent, creativity or other assests to achieve a desired objective, as spectacular wealth or success.
Cre•a•tiv•i•ty
•1. the state or quality of being creative
•2. the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.,originality, progressiveness, or imagination
•3. the process by which one utilizes creative ability

You may wonder," how does all of this apply to me and my business?" Many people are successful parlaying their money and talent but feel they need to be more creative. I think most people are creative, they just may not know how to use it or apply it to grow their business.

Here are some successful tips I like to use to help people connect with their creativity.

• Find your passion
• Share with enthusiasm
• Dare to be different
• Go the extra mile....can mean a fortune in follow-up
• Ask probing questions and listen to the answers
• If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, can you walk away and be satisfied? (This is particularly important for increasing time-management skills).

My passion is to parlay my creativity into helping people make positive changes in order to grow their business. I enjoy creating ways in which people can stand out from their competition, ways in which they gain the respect and business from old and new clients, ways they can show their appreciation and value, and ways they can further develop a great referral base.

After all.....change can make change happen!

Being GREEN and Making a Difference

I am searching for a way to express my enthusiasm and excitement after returning from my business trip last week, where I attended our Industry’s largest trade show for Specialty Advertising, Promotional Products and Corporate Gifts. I feel energized after walking the two enormous show floors visiting nearly 2000 booths filled with new ideas and products for 2007. I feel a surge of creativity flowing, new ideas keep racing through my mind as I am developing different ways in which I can help my clients bring more value to their business relationships.

One major focus at the show was global initiatives ..... being socially responsible, environmentally friendly.... and saving our natural resources. There are companies using natural fibers and recycled fibers in fashionable apparel-- and some of the other items include paper used for stationery, bookmarks, business cards and bags that have seeds implanted in the paper..... so that they can be germinated and grown outside; and then there's the “Magic” bean plants (in branded planters) that had inspirational messages and wishes laser engraved on them so as the planted beans sprout, people can see their wishes growing.

In a world that is constantly changing we have to continue to learn, challenge ourselves, change and grow. I keep a wonderful saying on my desk, "We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust our sails". So as many of you who have clients who might be starting on new paths and new journeys.... such as buying their first home, to clients who are looking into ways in which they can see their investments grow.... to baby boomers who are starting on a new life journey, there are many wonderful ways you can show them your appreciation.....and give back to the environment at the same time.

It's in the Numbers!!

I repeatedly find the reaction from clients, new prospects and other business partners quite fascinating when I share with them successful case studies and statistics behind this $18 Billion Dollar industry known as The Promotional Products Industry*

All I can say is.........They must be doing something right!!!!

What are Promotional Products?

Promotional Products are items used to promote a product, service or company program, including advertising specialties, premiums, incentives, business gifts, awards, prizes, commemoratives and other imprinted or decorated items. Promotional Products are used to Brand YOU and YOUR COMPANY.

Here's just a few Industry Statistics.

Did you know that Promotional Products have a measured impact on a brand or company image ?

• A 2005 experimental study conducted by Georgia Southern University shows that recipients of promotional products have a significantly more positive image of a company than those who do not receive promotional products.
•For the study, the researchers selected as the test company a restaurant located in a college town a few miles from a university campus.
•The group receiving the promotional product was significantly more likely to recommend the business to others than the group that received nothing.
•The group receiving the promotional product had a more positive image as evidenced in their comments about the company than the non-recipient control group.

Effectiveness of Promotional Products at Trade Shows

•71.6% of attendees who received a promotional product remembered the name of the company that gave them the product
•76.3% of attendees had a favorable attitude toward the company that gave them the product.

Promotional Products have greater impact, exposure and influence than other media:

•71% of business travelers randomly surveyed at DFW Airport reported receiving a promotional product in the last 12 months
•33.7% of this group had the item on their person - a coveted location for advertising

Impression of the Advertiser

•52% of participants in the study did business with the advertiser after receiving the promotional product.
•Of those who had not done business with the advertiser that gave them the product, almost half stated that they were more likely to do business with the company that gave them the item
•52.1% of participants reported having a more favorable impression of the advertiser since receiving the item.

Frequency of Exposure / Lower Cost-Per-Impression

•73% of those who used the promotional product that they had received stated that they used it at least once a week
•45.2% used it at least once a day

The greater the frequency of exposure, the lower the cost per Impression
Repeated Exposure

•55% of participants generally kept their promotional products for more than a year.
•22% of participants kept the promotional product that they had received for at least six months.

Why People Keep Promotional Products

•75.4% of those who received a promotional product stated that they thought the item was useful
•20.2% kept the promotional product because they thought it was attractive

The value of Promotional Products is in their ability to carry a message to a well-defined audience. Because the products are useful to and appreciated by the recipients, they are retained and used, repeating the imprinted message many times without added cost to the advertiser.

*( Specialty Advertising, Corportate Gifts, Incentive and Recognition Awards are also included here).

We Reap What We Sow

I had the good fortune to work for a very successful businessman, designer and entrepreneur, Calvin Klein. I was meeting with him one day to discuss one of the new collections and he asked me what my plans were for my future. He then decided to share with me his own thoughts and feelings. "My belief has always been that I could be successful at whatever I decided to do, if I put my mind to it." And boy, was he right!!!!! That seed....that belief was planted in my head and I believe it has always been behind my drive. I truely do believe that ----

And as the years have passed, I came to the realization that I can add to and increase my heart and mind's desire.... that is why Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem on Success, has always touched me deeply and is another important seed in my garden of life-

Success
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.....

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What seeds have been planted for you?

Bringing Value to Your Relationships

With the end of the year approaching I always find it a good time to reflect on the current year. Did I follow through on…… my goals, did I adhere to my values, was I kind, was I patient, did I have a sense of humor, was I able to help other people…….

This has been a truly exciting year for me—I have met some great people and have developed wonderful relationships both personally and professionally. I feel blessed because after living and working in New York City for 28 years, my family and I moved to Dallas--- not knowing anyone—It was a bold move but I was extremely ready--- Change can be debilitating at times if you are not ready for it, so without any expectations, life in Dallas has been wonderfully rewarding. When you can have a 16 year old whose heals were “buried 10 feet” in the ground tell you that she wished she had lived here her whole life---it’s a great confirmation that you did the right thing—

I am truly fortunate that I love my work and I am extremely passionate about it. I enjoy spending time meeting with people and learning about their business and helping them find creative ways to show their clients the value they bring to their relationships. This “pay it forward approach” will develop long-lasting relationships that will ultimately build and increase everyone’s business.
I come from the belief that you receive when you give---When I meet someone for the first time, I immediately delve into my mind’s rolodex thinking of who I can recommend to this individual--- Someone in a synergy group, someone who may need their service, someone they should just meet because they would be a great contact, a great referral--- I have a motto to never leave a meeting without giving qualified names and phone numbers. It brings me great satisfaction to know I may have made a great connection for someone. It truly is rewarding and to me that is one of the most important core values to relationship building.

So as you contemplate this past year and make your plans for 2007, believe in the value you can bring to someone else just by giving without any attachment or expectation—It’s a remarkable feeling your won’t ever forget.

The Art of Corprate Gift Giving

Remember that hysterical “Re-gifting” episode of Seinfeld? We’ve all been down that road before … How many times have we been a “victim” of a thoughtless gift? In the professional arena, the importance of choosing the right gift could mean the difference between increasing your business and losing a valuable account.

How do you determine the right gift for each of your clients?

Here are some of my TopTips to master the art of successful corporate gift-giving.

1- Know your client. Is he/she a dare-devil, a perfectionist, an eccentric, a techno-junkie who would adore a USB flash drive or perhaps a connoisseur who would appreciate a beautiful wine opener.
2- Everyone has different tastes. Choose something that your client would like to receive, without letting your personal preferences distract you. However you should take pride in whatever gift you select.
3- Give something that conveys the spirit of your company and reflects upon your image … remember, the gift communicates your name and your brand.
4- Don’t overlook the importance of the presentation. Beautiful wrapping, a ribbon with a corporate logo, a handwritten note … these all add value to the gift.
Regardless of the price, the presentation conveys the message that you care as much about the small details as the bigger picture.
5- Functional items make good choices, especially if the gift is one that someone wouldn’t necessarily buy for him/herself. Example: desk accessories, such as a deluxe leather mouse-pad with matching coasters.
6- Be the “first on the block” - When your gift is lost among many others in the plethora of holiday gifts you lose the opportunity to stand above the crowd. Get a jump-start! Think about Thanksgiving as a perfect holiday to show your appreciation and gratitude.
7- All work and no play ……is no fun! A gift that can be used on the weekends or evenings, such as a BBQ set, golf humidor, MP3 player, or beautiful set of glasses, offers year-round utility.
8- Promote integrity, collaboration, imagination by decorating a picture frame or desk accessory with an inspirational message.

Remember that choosing the right gift is the best occasion to show your gratitude, spread holiday cheer and business goodwill. It should also be a time when your recipient is delighted, with the feeling of a reward or appreciation for the year’s efforts and business relationship.