I, [YOUR NAME], Solemnly Sweat to Self Promote

You may not be instructing your children to "self promote" themselves whenever possible, yet you absolutely ought to be - whenever the opportunity presents itself - or rather, whenever you can create that opportunity for yourself. After all, isn't that what marketing is all about, and if you are not actively doing so, then who is?

Don't beat yourself up too much because more than likely you are already doing a decent job of self promoting yourself. Do you have a Facebook account? LinkedIn? Do you share your photos via Flickr, Snapfish or Kodak? There are countless ways to self promote (i.e. boast) about your family, career and extra-curricula activities.

Over the weekend while driving with my kids, I said to one of them: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones...boy did I feel old (and it had nothing to do with my impending 40th birthday)! Truth be told, I've been guilty of not self promoting my own company enough lately.

In August of 2011 our company was named to Inc. Magazine's Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. This was a huge accomplishment for us. If I am not mistaken, we were the only promotional products company in Massachusetts to receive this recognition - something I should be talking about more with our customers. We've worked extremely hard to grow our reputation, sales, and presence within the marketplace so why shouldn't we work just as hard to share our successes with friends, family and customers?

Proforma Printing & Promotion received more good news last week from the Boston Business Journal:

BBJ honors area's fastest-growing companies at Pacesetters event

Boston, MA ---- The Boston Business Journal recently released the 2012 Pacesetters — a list of the region's fastest-growing privately held companies, and will single out companies that have experienced strong growth despite the tough economy. To make the list, a company had to report annual revenue growth of at least 10 percent over a four-year period and have 2009 sales in excess of $750,000 to qualify. New for 2012 – the Top 5 fastest growing firms in two categories, as defined by 2011 revenue figures & percent of growth, will be named Elite Pacesetters

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When people ask us how we get new business, the answer is brief: referrals. What's our number one marketing tool? Self Promotion Giveaways: Proforma branded giveaways to clients and friends - highlighters, usb drives, pens, umbrellas, coffee travel mugs. We spend more on self promos than any other marketing line item and will continue to do so in 2012.

Self promos are a fantastic marketing strategy because they are affordable and effective. Who doesn't love getting free stuff? Just a few things to keep in mind:

Be creative with your giveaways. If you're giving away a highlighter (as we recently did), don't give them a traditional smudgy one with a boring shape - givng them something that stands out from the crowd and will be remembered (like your company)!

Avoid the "cheapest" item and instead give them quality items. You don't need to give them a $15 Camelbak bottle but don't give them the $.99 special you found online either. Cheap items sort of ruin the effect of promoting your company's strengths and capabilities.

One and done isn't a strategy (unless you are doing a trade show or annual event). Stay in front of your customers by giving them items throughout the year. Make it a quarterly program. The "seven touches" rule applies here and self promotion items count for great marketing touches.

I think you get the idea.

I'll be turning 40 tomorrow and to be honest, I am totally fine with it. As I told my wife the other night, my body turned 40 about 3 years ago so I shouldn't really notice much difference when the digits go from 39 to 40!

Mark

Do you believe in Miracles

Miracle Mondays...when Monday morning rolls around and I finally make it to my desk, I am usually pretty charged-up. I'm not saying I look forward to Mondays but will admit, a part of me is fired-up to begin my week.

Over the years I have tried many organization/planning binders, systems, and tools. Within the past year I went back to one of my favorite systems: pen-paper-three hole punch binder. I have a planning page for each day of the work week (a template I found online) and before leaving work each day, I fill in the next day's goals and agenda. What are the top five things I want and need to accomplish? Then below is a list of items carried over from the previous day and any new tasks that have been added during the day.

The binder is great by itself but even better with my new "one-touch" inbox filing system for email. I touch it once and file it to the appropriate folder, delete it, or act on it immediately. My inbox used to rule my unproductive day - but that is no longer the case - and it feels fantastic. Does it work? Only if you are steadfast in using the system and so far, it has been a "miracle" of sorts for my productivity and responsiveness.

On miracle monday, I also attempt to eliminate the top 2-3 items leftover from the previous week. What are the tasks that really slowed me down or frankly, should have been accomplished but were not - and for many reasons. Those painful tasks that now need to get done and can no longer be put off. If I can knock those off my list rather early in the day, it will be a good monday! If I have to put them off yet again, the chances of actually accomplishing those items are pretty slim.

In my world, this might translate into a potential missed opportunity, lost sale, or worse-case scenario, a lost client. No matter how I spin it internally, none of these outcomes is remotely positive and must be avoided at all cost. Every once in a while, a Miracle Monday task could result in a major coup for my business or me personally. You know, something that turns out to be much larger than anticipated, beyond anything I could have imagined, a WOW in every way possible...a "miracle" even!

I can tell you from looking over today's agenda that there is little hope for such a miracle today. What inspired me this morning, however, was a tweet from USA Hockey that I read (and re-tweeted) this morning: Today is the 32nd anniversary of the Miracle on Ice hockey game against the Soviets in 1980...the greatest single sports miracle in history.

Maybe it's time to start your own miracle monday routine...

Back to where I started

By far, the most influential leadership experience of my life ocurred at Fairfield University my junior year. Through the help of many close friends I was elected to serve as student body president. It was an extraordinary experience on so many levels and one that I think about often.

After graduating from Fairfield, it was an easy decision for me to begin my professional career at Fairfield Prep, the Jesuit high school located on the very same campus that was my home the previous four years. My title was Director of Alumni and Public Relations and encompassed nearly every aspect of Advancement (more commonly referred to as Development or Fundraising).

I spent nearly seven years in the Advancement world and enjoyed every minute of it. Advancement incorporates the best of sales, marketing and communication, yet the end result, the so called "bottom line" goes back into the organization and ultimately, benefits students. Students like me, who would otherwise not be able to afford private school tuitions - yet more importantly, students like me who experienced things they didn't even know were possible.

Although I didn't realize it at the time, it was also the perfect background for my current occupation - sales and marketing. If you're like me, you sometimes cringe at the sight or sound of "salesmen" - pushy people pushing products that very few of them believe in. Raising money for schools was anything but easy yet it was genuine; I not only believed in what I was "selling" but supported it personally and financially to the places I cared about (even though I was still paying off student loans and would be for over ten years).

My friends and customers know that I am not pushy, aggressive, tacky, or insincere. That's not how I am wired (thankfully). Had my Dad not invited me to start a business together I'd still be raising money for schools (and getting paid for it). Instead, I keep the drive alive by volunteering my time and resources as often and consistently as time allows.

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On Thursday, Proforma Printing and Promotion will be exhibiting at the Northeast CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) annual conference in Boston. Ah...back to where I started indeed! The reality is, since leaving advancement, almost 70% of my customers are private colleges, universities or private schools. We are very excited and proud of our Platinum Sponsorship and look forward to connecting with existing customers (friends) and many new CASE members as well.

There will be plenty of other marketing companies in attendance competing for time and attention of the nearly 700 attendees...yet I am not the slightest bit bothered by the "competition". Very few of my peers come from the Advancement world and while they have experience in servicing CASE members, most haven't lived and breathed it like I have.

It feels good to be back where I started...it feels even better to know that I can use my experiences to better serve them; to listen to their challenges, to ask the right questions, to present creative-efficient-and result-driven solutions...and not "sell" them anything I don't personally believe in.

I was president number 48 at Fairfield and tomorrow we'll be at Booth 49. I've attached a link about the CASE conference and a photo of our creative marketing collateral we'll be presenting at the conference.

Mark

The dragon inside each of us

I finally did it. The other day while in OfficeMax I noticed that the Dragon software was on sale for $29. For $29 I have nothing to lose if this speech recognition software does not do what I think it will do for me. If you happen to notice any typos or spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes please forgive me if I am trying to use this Dragon recognition software to write this blog.

I will admit it is strange to speak very slowly into articulate my words. Like most married men I tend to mumble my words whenever I am not a professional setting. So, I am staring at the computer screen waiting for the words to catch up to my voice. It's not necessarily slow it's just that I'm not really sure exactly what I want to write.

As a salesman, I do a lot of driving in the car, and DOS, I do a lot of thinking. I am not one of those individuals who likes to blast the music and just chill out. In fact, I enjoy the quiet time and often do some of my best thinking. Is it me, or do I really have all the answers when I am not behind my desk in my office? It's when I get back to the office and try to implement the many thoughts I had while driving, not a hit the roadblock.

You matter how well I prepare for my day, Frey or a tight thing my action steps, phone calls, and other tasks, I him immediately stumped after reading the first several e-mails in my inbox. And then I curse to myself. If only somebody else could read my e-mail and respond for me. For me, reading e-mail is the number one obstacle in accomplishing all of my tasks in a day. I am willing to bet that the same is true for most of you reading my blog.

What is the number one obstacle in your day? Is it reading e-mail? Is it spending time prospecting for new business? Perhaps it is the challenge of finding the right marketing or promotional item to help increase your sales, revenue, and profit? Whatever obstacles you face, you are not alone. There are very few shortcuts in life to deal with distraction and clutter and time management. I am very intrigued by this speech recognition software. Yet speaking from experience in writing this blog, I know that it is not technology that will help me overcome interruption and increase productivity.

No matter how many great thoughts I have in the car, it is up to me to execute or implement those ideas. There's definitely a dragon inside each one of us, ready and willing to conquer just about anything that gets in our way. E-mails, cold calling, writing reports, meeting after meeting after meeting. The good news, is that you don't need a dragon or a castle or a marketing army to successfully promote your brand, product, vision, or your company/organization. Your marketing obstacles are opportunities for others, so let us do the heavy lifting.

Thank you for putting up with my spelling mistakes and incorrect grammar, as I get more familiar with my new speech recognition software. I'm just hoping that none of my Fairfield professors come across this blog post!

Proforma launches Holiday Catalog on www.proforma.com/boston

Promotional Items. Creative Marketing Solutions.   Boston, MA

Some of our customers will be receiving holiday cards in the mail from us in the next two weeks. Already? While it is certainly too early for card giving, it is definitely not too early to order your custom or stock holiday cards. In fact, many companies have already ordered them. Some vendors offer "early discounts" if you place your card order by August 1.

Truth be told, many businesses and organizations don't pay enough attention to the overall quality and manner in which they send holiday cards. My children look forward to receiving them, not because they are interested in the sender, message or style of the car, but rather because they get to put them in our Christmas Card Mailbox - an antique mailbox that holds every card sent to the Resnick home.

Lydia Ramsey, a business etiquette expert and author of "Manners That Sell - Adding the Polish That Builds Profits" has some straightforward advice for business owners. Click on 8 Rules of Business Greeting Card Etiquette to read the article and I definitely recommend subscribing to her blog.

If you don't receive your card in the mail shortly, give me a call and I'll make sure you get one! This year's Holiday Gift Catalog has been added to to our website

As for Lydia Ramsey, check out her web site ...you'll thank me later!

Mark