If you are in the promotional products business, you’re in the sales business. It doesn’t matter – operations, finance, or marketing – if you aren’t selling the actual merchandise, you’re selling someone on a better way to do things. Even if the title on your business card isn’t “sales something,” then you are still in the business of selling your influence.
The sales process, by its nature, is irritating enough. Even the best consultative salesperson still has to engage with someone to promote an action they might not have chosen to do on their own. To maximize efficiency for a supplier or distributor for example, even the right product for an end-user might need to be purchased more quickly, or in more quantity, than the client is perfectly comfortable with on his or her own.
In an industry driven significantly by competitive price, which is annoying in and of itself, there seems to be a lot of shouting going on. LOOK AT ME! I’M BETTER AND CHEAPER! Combine that with a high frequency of communication to pierce all the white noise and there you have itmaximum irritation. As a public service, I thought I would at least also sneak in a mention of the dreaded “all caps” issue here. If you are still using them, then you are SHOUTING that you are better and cheaper. Capital letters have been equivalent to shouting since at least 1984.
Even the National Weather Service has said “we’re not so 1984” anymore. The NWS, which began issuing warnings in the 1800s on equipment that had only capital letters, stopped YELLING last week, saying they will now use mixed-case letters for the first time. The only thing you should still see in all caps is “HOLY COW IT’S A TORNADO, TAKE COVER.” If the National Weather Service can stop yelling its message, then certainly you can too.
With Father’s Day just around the corner, Kirby Hasseman certainly has a lot to shout about. You may know Kirby as a fellow contributor to Identity Marketing, but like I find about a lot of folks in our industry, there is so much more. Kirby, the principal at Hasseman Marketing & Communications in Columbus, OH, has a new book out, “Fan of Happy: Life Lessons for My Daughters”. You may not know that Kirby has also written “Delivering Marketing Joy” (with intro by PPAI Prez Paul Bellantone), “Think Big Marketing,” and “Give Your Way To Success.” Being an author, entrepreneur, and Dad, keeps Hasseman plenty busy, but the book is still all about giving. From advice on affordable gifts (“hugs and smiles are free”), to thoughts on a digital legacy for today’s Millennials (“you can make yourself stand out, both good and bad, easier than ever before”), Fan of Happy is a quick and enjoyable read, and definitely one to share.
Even cooler than the book itself is that it was more than just a little Father’s Day gift for himself. “Once I started the process of getting my thoughts on paper for my girls, my goal was simple,” said Hasseman. “I wanted it done and out by the time my oldest graduates from high school. She walks across stage in about a week, so I barely made it!”
Promotional product is a very competitive industry, yet much of what Hasseman writes in Fan of Happy is about sharing. “We all have plenty of opportunity if we hustle and service our clients. In addition, when I share ideas, only a few people will actually do anything with it. There is such a separation in life between ideas and execution. Oh… and I think sharing ideas to make us all better is simply the right thing to do!”
Hasseman, in his role as CEO of Hasseman Marketing, also has some thoughts about product safety discussions with his larger clients, “honestly I try to drive the conversation. By bringing it up (especially with my larger clients), it shows that I am on top of issues facing their brand. This proactive approach makes me the expert (whether I am or not!).”
How about you, do you have some ideas you’d like to share with industry peers? We’d like to hear them – and you don’t even have to shout!
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for more than 35 years. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He recently retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. As a recovering end-user client, he can’t help but continue to consult Fortune 500 consumer brands on promo product safety when asked. You can also find him working as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Follow Jeff on Twitter, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.