marketing
JUNE 2011
T
oday
Are You Really Fair
and Unbiased?
Recipe for a
Happy Business
Buying Signals
GERALD PRINTING n you r mark eting partner
CPrint® is a registered trademark
of Crouser & Associates, Inc.
■ Did You Know?
■ Strictly Bness
■ A “twillionaire” is a Twitter user
with a million or more followers.
Business Quotes
“The only way of finding the limits
of the possible is by going beyond
them into the impossible.”
—Arthur C. Clarke
■ Only about 20% of the videos on
YouTube are music related.
■ Jean Genevieve Garnerin was the
first female parachutist. She jumped
from a hot-air balloon in 1799.
“Work spares us from three evils:
boredom, vice, and need.”
—Voltaire
■ The high-jump method of
jumping headfirst and landing on
the back is called the Fosbury Flop.
Get Over Over-Sharing
■ A soccer ball is made up of 32
leather panels, held together by
642 stitches.
Do people leave when you enter a room? Do conversations
■ The system of democracy was
introduced 2,500 years ago in
Athens, Greece.
cease? Do coworkers suddenly need to make important calls
when you stop by their office?
It’s possible your conversational habits are undermining your
■ Sound travels through water
three times faster than through air.
reputation at work. Here’s a gentle reminder of some taboo
■ The word “biology” was coined
in 1805 by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.
office topics.
• Health: While it’s perfectly acceptable to tell your coworkers
■ Water expands by about 9% as
it freezes.
you were out with the flu, don’t elaborate. Unless someone is
■ A million dollars’ worth of $100
bills weighs only 22 pounds.
the details.
your mother or your doctor, they simply don’t need to know
• Shirking: Don’t make coworkers cover for you, whether
■ The first credit card was issued
by American Express in 1951.
you’re screening calls or sneaking out early. It makes you look
irresponsible, even if you have a good reason for doing it.
■ The average age of Forbes’s 400
wealthiest individuals is over 60.
• Smack-Talking: Never gossip about coworkers. You never
know who’s listening, and you will get a reputation as someone
■ Tap dancing has its origins in
Irish clog dancing.
who can’t be trusted.
“Never take the advice of someone
who has not had your kind of
trouble.”
—Sidney J. Harris
“Managers must have the discipline
not to keep pulling up the flowers to
see if the roots are healthy.”
—Robert Townsend
“Slumps are like a soft bed. They’re
easy to get into and hard to get out
of.”
—Johnny Bench
“The first purpose of a brochure is
to tell our side what we are doing.”
—David Kritzer
“Competition brings out the best in
products and the worst in people.”
—David Sarnoff
HOST YOUR NEXT EVENT
AT BOWLING GREEN BALLPARK!
Meetings, employee outings, customer events, and more.
Endless options
to fit every need.
Price points for
every budget.
FOR TICKETS & INFO:
2 ■ marketing Today
BALLPARK PICNICS
LUXURY SUITES
BALLPARK PARTIES
■ The Business List
Are You Really Fair
and Unbiased?
Everyone likes to think they’re fair.
The truth is that most people are simply
unaware of their biases. This is fine if
you’re choosing a place to eat or a movie
to see, but what if you’re in charge of your
Destination
company’s performance reviews?
Watch for these common biases to help
monitor yourself, so you can feel more
The Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah
Located in the heart of Salt Lake City’s downtown, the Grand America
has much to offer the traveling businessperson in both business
amenities and relaxation.
confident you’re assessing employees fairly:
• Recency Bias: This bias occurs when an
employee’s performance is judged based
primarily on a recent event. For example, an
employee forgetting to make an important
bank deposit can overshadow an otherwise
long history of reliability.
Salt Lake City is bordered by the Great
Salt Lake to the west and the Wastach
Mountains to the east. Right in the heart
experts, and chefs can fine-tune all the
• Halo Effect: This bias surfaces when a
details to help ensure a successful time. manager judges an employee high or low in
During downtime between meetings,
all areas of job performance simply because
of downtown lies the Grand America
guests can relax and enjoy the hotel’s
they perform particularly high or low in one
Hotel. The Grand America is Salt Lake
other comforts, including indoor and
or two key areas.
City’s only five-diamond-rated hotel, and
outdoor pools, courtyards, and a spa.
• False Attribution: This is a tricky one.
it has a lot to offer its guests. VIP Amenities, such as fine chocolates,
We have a tendency to believe a person’s
cheeses, romantic accents, wines, and a
success or failure happens as a direct result
America provides easy access to a
formal tea arrangement, are available to
of how hard they try. The reality is more
number of business essentials. Its
the hotel’s special guests. For the art and
complex. If a project fails, was it the result
Business Services Center includes semi-
antique lover, the hotel is host to many
of people not trying hard enough, or were
private cubicles, a fax service, courier
priceless pieces. Private tours of the
there other, extenuating factors?
services, full copying services, and
collection are easily arranged. • Gender and Political Bias: Obviously,
For business travelers, the Grand
package handling/receiving services.
Outside the Grand America, one can
these are a big no-no, but if you find
find all the beauty and entertainment
yourself unable to separate an employee
company events and retreats. The Grand
the unique city of Salt Lake has to offer.
from their political opinions, consider
Ballroom and 20 state-of-the-art meeting
From the nearby natural wonders, to
enlisting another, more neutral party’s help
rooms provide more than 75,000 square
shopping, dining, and the booming city
in forming your judgments.
feet of space, with the flexibility needed
nightlife, there is something in Salt Lake
to accommodate meetings of any size.
City to entertain any visitor.
The hotel is equally suited for hosting
If you start with a well-planned, multilevel system of employee assessment that is
For more information about the hotel
standardized throughout your organization,
quick access to everything they might
or to make reservations, please visit the
it is easier to look at the overall quality of a
need to create a memorable meeting.
Grand America’s website at http://
person’s performance without getting lost in
And on-site event coordinators, technical
www.grandamerica.com/.
the natural biases we all share.
Planner “tool kits” allow organizers
June 2011 ■ 3
■ In That Year
■ Web Savvy
1971
■ The landmark television sitcom
All in the Family, starring Carroll
O’Connor as Archie Bunker,
debuts on CBS.
■ Evel Knievel sets a world
record by jumping 19 cars.
www.hubblesite.org
Explore 20 years of discovery compiled in thousands
and thousands of images taken by the Hubble Space
Telescope. This stunningly beautiful site allows you to
explore the universe with a few clicks of your mouse.
Real Magic
■ Amtrak begins intercity rail
passenger service in the U.S.
Consultants will often tell you theirs is the best and
■ Jim Morrison, lead singer of
most effective management strategy. But while many
the Doors, is found dead in his
consultants truly are experts in their industry and can
bathtub in Paris.
offer great wisdom in certain areas, sometimes the best
■ A new stock-market index
thing for a manager to do is step back and take a look at
called the NASDAQ debuts.
their company with their own eyes first.
■ Inmates at Attica Prison in
Best-selling business writer Geoffrey James has
New York riot and take hostages.
five simple strategies that help foster a healthy and
When the dust settles, 10 hostages
www.quora.com/about
profitable corporate environment.
Quora is an online Q&A community based on
content created and compiled by its members. The
site houses a vast database of knowledge created by
people documenting the world around them.
and 29 inmates are dead.
• Treat business as a series of relationships.
■ Texas Instruments releases the
• Envision the corporation as a community.
first pocket calculator.
• Redefine management as a service position.
■ The first soft contact lens
• Treat employees as adults.
becomes available in the U.S.
• Use technology to create flexibility.
■ Intel releases the world’s first
Before trying a (possibly expensive) outside-
www.archive.org/web/web.php
The Internet Archive - Wayback Machine allows you
to search for and review archived versions of a variety
of Web pages. The site acts as a sort of library for
researchers, historians, and scholars.
■ The world population reaches
fashioned common sense first?
3.783 billion.
Value Should Always Be Greater than Cost!
Meetings are a part of any business, and
everyone has wondered whether certain
meetings are really worth the time and
Business Wire publishes news from companies
around the globe. In addition to its vast newsrelease archive, the site also includes information
about trade shows and events.
4 ■ marketing Today
such as travel, materials, refreshments, room
rental, and the like.
Using this formula, you can establish
effort. Here is a way you can make sure your
the cost of the meeting and then weigh
meetings are economical and fruitful.
it against your goal for the meeting.
Author and IAF-certified facilitator Dr.
www.businesswire.com
microprocessor, the 4004.
consultant strategy, why not use some good, old-
All meetings should have some overall
Steve Kaye offers a formula to help calculate
goal, such as teaching a new concept or
a meeting’s expense. His formula is this: N
technology, sharing news about important
x R x t + E = Cost. Multiply the number of
company changes, or problem solving and
participants (N) by their labor rate (R) and
brainstorming. This formula will help you
the length of the meeting (t). Next, add all
ensure the proposed meeting is worth the time
expenses (E) associated with the meeting,
and effort for both you and your participants.
The Power of Presentation Folders
Whether you’re selling a product or creating
tone for what’s inside. Paper selection is vital,
an annual report for your shareholders, a well-
too. You want potential customers to feel the
designed presentation folder is a powerful tool.
texture and weight of the paper as they pick
But with so many options and so many parts,
up the folder. Consider embossed lettering
how do you choose what to include? Like a
for added effect. Inside, provide a treasure
business card, a presentation folder is a visual
trove of information: brightly colored data
representation of your company. Here are
sheets, CDs, marketing materials, contracts,
some tips to get you started.
spec sheets. All of these elements, working
Begin with the cover. Use powerful visual
together, will create a great impression.
cues—color, design, and images—to set the
As you plan your presentation folder,
clarify its purpose. For marketing, think
colors, texture, spec sheets, and the product
or service information a prospect will need.
For a shareholders’ meeting, you might
choose something more subdued or opt to
use the company’s corporate colors. If you’re
including multiple reports, add tabs to make
the various documents easier to find. Include
pockets for CDs, notebooks, or business cards.
The possibilities are endless.
If you need more ideas for your presentation
folder, give us a call, or feel free to come
and talk in person with one of our printing
professionals. We have a lot of samples and
even more great ideas to share that will make
planning your presentation folders a snap!
■ Guess Who I Am
This man was born October
11, 1844, to German-American
parents, Heinrich and Anna. One
of eight children, he grew up in
Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania.
At age six, he began helping
his mother tend the backyard
vegetable garden. At eight, he
was selling produce door-to-door.
At 17, he was earning $2,400 per
year: a staggering accomplishment
for any young man in 1861.
After graduating high school, he
attended business college before
going to work at his father’s brickmanufacturing business.
Eight years later, he went back
to his roots—to vegetables—and
founded his first company. The
company, which sold horseradish,
was not successful, but he was
not deterred. Several years later,
he put his energies into starting a
new company. This company had
a much broader product base, and
within a few years he was able to
buy out his partners.
He was known as an honest, fair
employer and a staunch supporter
I Picked Bob over You. Again.
of safe and sanitary food practices.
When he died in 1919 at the age
of 74, his company had more than
around your office. Are there things that
20 food-processing plants, among
company ladder so quickly, while others—
are slipping through the cracks? Are there
other ventures.
including some with talent and dedication (like
inefficiencies or missed opportunities?
you)—get overlooked?
• Soul-Searching: Take a look at yourself. What
products (far more than the “57
qualities do you have that will help address
varieties” he made famous) are
thin air. There is no HR fairy floating around
these office issues? What skill sets do you bring
still in use today in homes and
the office, choosing only those who are
to the table? What kind of responsibilities have
businesses around the globe.With a
worthy to take on more responsibility and the
you successfully taken on in the past?
last name that is synonymous with
corresponding pay raise. Getting a promotion
• Self-Promotion: Take your newfound
ketchup, he is, of course, Henry
requires a little research, a little soul-searching,
knowledge and insight, and put them together
John Heinz, founder of the H. J.
and a little self-promotion.
in a presentation. Set up a meeting with your
Heinz Company.
• Research: Take an inventory of the work
manager or HR person, and sell yourself!
Why do some people seem to move up the
The reality is, promotions don’t drop out of
This American businessman’s
June 2011 ■ 5
I Love My Job
I love my job. From start to finish. From
that initial meeting with the client, through
the give-and-take of the stages of design—
everything. I love the smell of the ink and
toner, the texture of the paper, and the
satisfaction I feel when the final product
comes off the machines.
Did you know the art of printing can be
traced back thousands of years? But while
the tools and methods have changed
dramatically, I make a certain connection
to those ancient traditions every day. It’s
a kinship that spans the generations of
printers who have come before and those
yet to come. It’s a shared process, a delight
in the materials, and a sense of pride when
it comes out just right.
I love my job because it combines
tradition with cutting-edge technology. It
is built upon the eternal need for reliable,
consistent, effective communication, yet it
is also endlessly surprising, with the fresh
challenges each new project brings.
My job is my passion. Come in and let me
put that passion to work for you. You’ll love
the results as much as I do.
Bowling Green
270.781.4770
105 Hunter Court
Bowling Green, KY 42103
6 ■ marketing Today
Russellville
270.725.4300
311 Hopkinsville Road
Russellville, KY 42276
 Recipe
Joe Davis
[email protected]
for a Happy Business
Part 2 of a 2 Part Series (See the May issue at geraldprinting.com)
Is your business a happy place? Here’s my list of simple “daily” things you can do — as an Owner/Manager — to make your business a happy place to work.
5. Don’t let others steal your joy - You’ll always have the ungrateful
customers, equipment breakdowns and slow payers. And then, of
course, every business seems to have one irreplaceable coworker
who always seems to see the negative side of things or has to make
a point to tell you all the reasons why your new sales and marketing
plan won’t work. Your life is probably so fast-paced that it seems
to be swirling around you at times. In the midst of your hectic
schedule, there are plenty of opportunities to lose your joy. But you
don’t have to let it happen; being joyful is a choice. It’s your choice,
not the person’s who wants to steal your joy. You don’t have to let
other people or circumstances steal your joy. Joy provides physical,
psychological, and spiritual rewards both in the life of the one who
is joyful and in the lives of those who are working around a joyful
person. Joy tends to be contagious. Are you spreading joy around
your business? Great leaders spread joy. They conquer obstacles,
solve difficult problems, and achieve impossible goals with joy in
their work. Joy is the one component that when added to the trial,
provides the strength to endure it.
6. How marketing makes employees
happy - Okay, you knew I had
to include something about
marketing, didn’t you? Why not?
Marketing not only inspires your
coworkers… it also helps you grow
sales. Include something in your
marketing plan that involves your
team – a regular direct mail piece or
a newsletter like Marketing Today!
Having a monthly (or quarterly)
direct mail marketing program
at your business is very good for
employee morale. As an Owner/
Manager you are demonstrating a
commitment to the future success of your business
by giving it “top of the mind” awareness status with your customers
and prospects. It will show your employees that you’re concerned
about the future of your business and provide a sense of job security
for them. Everyone will feel like they’re part of a winning team when
your mailings result in more phone calls, opportunities to bid, and
new customers. Direct mail marketing can be very good for team
morale. The happiness and satisfaction that occurs when you see a
steady stream of new customer activity at your business is well worth
the effort. Direct mail marketing is very good for team enthusiasm,
and enthusiasm is a force multiplier.
7. Forget yesterday’s problems - Do you ever find yourself in an
argument and don’t think of “what you should have said” until about
two hours later, when nobody’s there to listen? When things go
wrong, many of us have a tendency to keep replaying and reliving
the things that went wrong over and over in our minds. Do you ever
do this at work? We want to be right, so we ask ourselves, “What
could I have done differently?” Or we’ll think, “What they did
wasn’t right. It’s not fair.” Or we might ask, “How could they do
that to me after all I’ve done for them?” The truth is, allowing these
kinds of thoughts to enter your mind is meaningless because it’s too
late — the event or action has already happened! Sometimes, it’s
not easy to move on, but it’s almost always the smartest thing to do.
Why should you let yesterday’s problems suck the energy out of you
today? When leaders lose their energy,
they soon lose their passion. When you
own a business, you have to have a lot of
passion to do what you’re doing. If you
didn’t, any rationally thinking person
would quit and give up. Owning a
business is really hard. You should make
choices that will allow you to conserve
your energy and sustain passion. When
you allow yesterday’s problems to keep hanging around, you are
putting your business at risk. Forgetting yesterday’s problems is
smart financially… and one of the best ways to be happy and enjoy
your work today.
8. Be a generous leader - Generosity is an important quality of
leadership. I believe that generosity is a very underrated character
trait. The greatest leaders give with no expectation of return. When
most of us think of generosity, we usually think about gifts of
money. In the context of leadership, there are many gifts that have no
monetary value, but whose value is priceless. These include:
•
•
•
Giving a new employee a chance that they maybe didn’t deserve
•
Noticing when a coworker does something right, and expressing
appreciation
Giving an existing employee a second chance
Giving someone the benefit of the doubt before leaping to a
conclusion or making a judgment
Printing is a “busy” industry and I am sure your business is also. As
leaders, we often get so focused on hitting the next deadline, and making
the customer happy, that — in the process — we neglect to provide
generous support for our coworkers. Most employees are seeking real
meaning in their work. They want to feel like they are part of something
bigger and better. A generous leader gives his coworkers a sense of
importance and value. Sometimes, even a small action on the part of a
leader can build self-esteem and provide encouragement for a coworker. A
good leader strives to develop a generous spirit.
Gifts of time and money are also important. When was the last time
you gave someone a $20 bill for hitting an “impossible deadline” or a
Starbucks gift card for doing a good job for one of your big customers?
When have you bought dinner or given a day off with pay for a longtime
employee and their spouse? We can easily neglect to share the fruits of
our labor in our daily interactions. We have a tendency to become too
self-absorbed. We can get so focused on all the work we’re doing, without
intending it, that we exclude others. Self absorption prevents generosity.
Once in awhile, every leader needs to ask themselves: Am I giving enough
to the people around me NOW?
Your continued generosity will benefit your coworkers today, but it will
benefit you tomorrow. Be a generous leader. I hope you can relate to how
these 8 tips can result in a Happy Business!
Your Marketing Partner,
June 2011 ■ 7
Bowling Green
Russellville
marketing Today
Published by Gerald Printing
How to reach us:
Mailing
PO Box 51907
Bowling Green, KY 42102
Shipping - Bowling Green
105 Hunter Court
Bowling Green, KY 42103
Shipping - Russellville
311 Hopkinsville Road
Russellville, KY 42276
Pitch Your Products with Table Tents. Summertime, and
the marketing’s easy .... Why not present your products using a
beautiful, full-color table tent? Just bring us your ideas, and we’ll
do the rest. Design, print, and fold—we can do it all for you.
Phone
270.781.4770 Bowling Green
270.725.4300 Russellville
e-mail
Letters to the editor and
removal from mailing list
[email protected]
Web
geraldprinting.com
Sales
Buying Signals
Here’s a question for you: Is selling an art,
a science, or a skill? Any salesperson worth
their salt knows that the answer is all three.
Perhaps that’s why so many people find it
such a challenging and rewarding career.
8 ■ marketing Today
One of the toughest parts of selling is
closing—recognizing that magic moment
when the customer suddenly is ready, even
eager, to buy. Unfortunately, that moment
can be hard to see, even for the most
seasoned salesperson. Here are some things
to look and listen for when interacting with
customers to help you nail the sale.
• Visualizing and Ownership Language:
Listen to how the customer describes the
product. Are they speaking about it as if they
already own it? For example, they might
say, “I wonder if this display will fit into
our space. It seems a little bigger than our
current model.”
• Follow-up, Repetition, and Extras: Is the
customer asking for more details about
something you’ve already discussed or
clarifying a point that was made (e.g., “Now,
what did you say the service plan covers?”)?
Or are they asking about upgrades or an
extension of certain services? These are
positive signs.
• Asking Permission: If you are face-to-face
with a customer, is he or she darting glances
to a higher-up, as if gauging their reaction?
Or if you’re on the telephone, do they say
they have to run the numbers by their boss?
The customer might even seek permission
from you by asking questions about other
customers’ experiences, like how many
have chosen one product over another and
why.
• Questions about Money and Fees:
Sometimes when a customer muses out
loud, it really means they’re nearly ready to
buy. They just want some reassurance they
are making a wise choice. For example,
they might say something like: “It seems
like a great deal, but it’s just so much
money.” Remind them of the product’s
value—how it will save their company
time, money, stress—whatever it is that’s
your best selling point. What you’re doing
is easing their mind that they won’t have
any reason to regret their purchase.