Purpose
Should you subscribe to this blog?
One of my goals on this blog is to not waste your time so I’ll tell you the primary goal of this blog up front. This will help you quickly determine whether to spend more time here.
The goal of this blog is to help print distributors become a valuable resource to their clients and therefore improve their sales and profits. There are several ways this will be accomplished:
- Provide resources that you can use to improve the sales process.
- Provide information that you can share with your clients that will benefit them.
- Provide educational resources that will help you sell specific products
- Develop new products that you can take to your clients.
If this information will be of value to you, then join me. John Wesley, who was the founder of the United Methodist Church said “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” As independent small business owners and employees, we have an opportunity to improve the lives of people around us. Let’s not waste it.
Quote from Seth Godin: “I have no intention of apologizing for believing in people, for insisting that we all use this moment and these assets to create some art and improve the world around us”.
A New Christmas Tradition
Christmas 2011 – Birth of a New Tradition!
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of 
cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor.
This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands.
Yes there is! It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber? Gym membership? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.
Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.
Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.
There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn’t the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint.
Remember, folks this isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.
How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?
Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day. My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.
OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.
Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.
You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams.
When we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.
This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn’t that what Christmas is about?
Love what you do? Advice from the mob
Seth Godin sent this to me. It is by Derek Sivers, president of CD Baby. He has a new book out called Anything You Want. I’ve been reading the book from Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness and he says the same thing. In case you don’t know who Tony is, he the CEO of Zappos. They took the company from zero to one billion dollars in less than 10 years. Hope you enjoy this video.
I miss the mob from Derek Sivers on Vimeo.
Changing the way you think – Seth Godin road trip
This post has nothing to do with printing, but a lot to do with your business, and the future of your business. If you have read any of my posts, this is the most important one to date. If you own a business you need to watch this video series.
Seth Godin is one of my favorite business thinkers. His thoughts and insights will challenge you to think about new ways to run your business. Last year he wrote a book called Linchpins, which became a best seller. If you have not purchased it, do it today. It is available on Amazon: http://amzn.com/1591844096. He took a road trip to talk about this book and posted the videos. It is my opinion that they are the most powerful videos for helping you look at where your business is and what direction you should be taking it.
Find someplace where you won’t be disturbed. The password is “iboughtthebook”. Here is the link to the first video: http://www.vimeo.com/21193422
Let me know what you think.
P.S. Chet Holmes is also one of my favorite mentors. Right now he is battling with leukemia. If you are a praying person he would appreciate the prayers. Here is a link to his Caring Bridge site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chetholmes
Update on interactive educational cards
In case you are reading this for the first time, I’ve been talking about a new possible product line using the interactive cards. It will be a series of coloring cards designed to help children live healthier lives. It will be marketed to hospitals, organizations that deal with children’s health, insurance agencies, doctors and dentists. They will be available in packs of 100 and if your customer orders at least 500 or 1,000 (we have not decided yet), they can have them imprinted with the name of their organization.
I believe this card will allow you to develop new clients at margins much better than traditional print. I think it will be two weeks before I see a finished product and another week before I get it in your hands. The copy is pretty much done and I’ve included it below. I’d appreciate any feedback or comments you have.
Coloring Cards/ Healthy Eating
4/11/11
Panel #1:
Visual: A little boy and girl sit down to eat lunch (either on playground or in the school lunch room). Maybe one has a brown bag lunch and the other has a lunch box or lunch tray. Bobby’s lunch is loaded with fattening foods. Betty’s lunch represents healthy foods.
Header : It’s Lunchtime with Betty and Bobby!
Bobby Dialogue: “Yum! I’m starving! Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, soda pop and chocolate cake!”
Betty Dialogue: “That’s not a very healthy lunch. I’ll share my turkey sandwich, carrot sticks, apple juice and fruit slices with you.”
Inside Panel#2
Visual: Betty stands at the foot of the Food Pyramid with a pointer.
Header: Betty tells Bobby about the food pyramid for healthy eating.
Betty Dialogue: “There are 5 major food groups and the pyramid tells you how many helpings of each you should have every day.”
Bobby Dialogue: “What about candies and sweets?”
Betty Dialogue: “Don’t worry. You can still have sweets once in awhile. Look, I’ll show you!”
Tier 1 Visual: Oils, fats, butter, sweets
Copy: Eat only 1 serving per day.
Tier 2 (Left ½ ) Vis: Milk, yogurt and cheese
Copy: You should have 3 or 4 servings from this group everyday so you’ll have strong teeth and bones.
Tier 2 (Right ½) Vis: Meat, chicken, turkey, fish, pork, beans, nut.
Copy: Always have 2 or 3 servings from this group every day for protein and iron so you’ll have strong muscles.
Tier 3 Visual: Fresh fruit, dried fruit, canned fruits
Copy: Remember to eat 2-4 servings of fruit each day. It’s good for your skin and your belly!
Tier 4 Visual: Vegetables, carrots, broccoli
Copy: Make sure you eat your veggies. You need 3-5 helpings a day.
Tier 5 Visual: Breads, cereals, rice and pasta
Copy: Grains are full of good energy. Make sure you eat 6 to 11 servings daily.
Panel #3
Visual: Shows kids actively playing
Header: Make Play Time Smart Time
Copy: After school Bobby wants to play video games, but Betty knows kids needs 1 hour of activity every day.
So get out there and run. Play ball. Skip rope. Ride your bike. Have fun the smart way!
Betty Dialogue: “Wee! This is fun!”
Panel #4 John-Marc. Only 4 panels. If room let’s put the dos and don’ts on the bottom of the last panel.
Visual: Maybe do a split screen with examples of the dos and don’ts.
Header: Dos & Don’ts For A Healthy Body.
Copy: Don’t be a breakfast skipper.
Do eat a good breakfast. It feeds your brain and your tummy!
Don’t be a couch potato.
Do exercise every day to keep strong, fit and healthy.
Don’t be a junk food snacker.
Do snack on tasty fruits and veggies and other healthy choices.
Panel #4
Visual: Betty and Bobby are having lunch again and we see that Bobby has now made smarter choices. Example: A salad, with yogurt, and apple and bottled water.
Copy: Eat 3 healthy meals a day and make smart snack choices. You’ll have a fit, healthy body, an alert mind and tons of energy for school and play! Tell your friends!
Bobby Dialogue: “Look at my nutritious lunch! Thanks for telling me all about the food the pyramid!”
Betty Dialogue: “It’s not always easy to eat right, but your body and brain will thank you for it.”
How much can you spend to get a new client?
Are you looking to develop new clients? How much money do you spend to develop those clients?
Jay Abraham (http://abraham.com/) is one of my favorite business development people and he talks extensively about understanding the lifetime value of developing a new client. If you know the average lifetime value of a new client, you can determine how much money you have to spend developing new clients.
Recently I came across a formula that Harvard Business School Publishing had put together to help you figure out the lifetime value of each new client that I wanted to share with you. The formula is located here: http://hbsp.harvard.edu/multimedia/flashtools/cltv/index.html.
So why is this important to know? If you had a customer who came to you for some business cards. A $50 value at best, but in the conversation you find out that he controls the business cards for 20,000 people in his company would that influence how you approach this one order? If you answered no, please go visit Jay’s site or watch the video below.
In the same way if you know the lifetime value of a client, it helps you develop a strategy that will help you get more clients. I’ll be posting a few examples of successful client development strategies in the next few weeks.
Jamie Heywood’s big idea
Sometimes through pain and hard times comes great ideas. Actually I think it is probably more than sometimes. Pain causes us to look outside ourselves, to reach out, experiment, try something different, all of which can provide a breakthrough solution that you would never have been able to find without going through that experience.
This is exactly what happened with Jamie Heywood. His brother was diagnosed with Leukemia and through that experience he created a user group where people can record and share their medical results. I decided to post this because it’s an inspiring example of what can be accomplished if we reach outside of ourselves and because I’ve had occasion to share this talk several times and wanted a place where I could quickly find it. So why not my blog? If you have a friend or family member who is going through an illness, share this site with the. The more people who know about it the better it will become.
Do Less
I’ve been thinking about the correlation between the amount of work I do and the amount of money I make and I’ve come to this conclusion: There is not one.
I think this is because I spend to much time on stuff that does not really matter. I have good intentions. I plan out my day but to many times the unimportant urgent takes over. Here is my new plan: If it does not help me do a better job serving clients, eliminate it. If it does, spend more time on it. Time management books are great. They can help you become more organized but if you are cramming more useless stuff into your day, you are missing the point.
I’ve found a new website that has helped me focus on my priorities. I hope you will take a moment and check it out.
Inc 5,000 fastest growing companies
What would your business look like if you picked up one of the fastest growing companies in the United States as a customer?
If it would help your business then why not go after them? Inc. magazine publishes a list every year of the fastest growing companies and it is searchable by state, industry, revenue and number of employees. Click on the advanced search to see all the options.
It won’t be any harder to pick up one of the fastest growing companies so why not pursue one that can have a bigger impact on your business?
Here is the link: http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2010/index.html. Have fun!
New Product Update
I received enough emails and comments on the blog to feel like we should move forward. If you are reading this for the first time, the idea came from Rahcel Neufeld with Proforma several weeks ago. She called with an idea of develop a series of interactive cards to teach children how to live healthy lives. It would be an exclusive product sold only through our distributor network and utilize the unique design of the interactive card. Potential clients include: hospitals, pediatricians, insurance companies, dentists and nonprofits. The cards would be private branded with your clients info.
My artist, John-Marc has actually already done a coloring book along the same lines that he is making available. I’ve contacted the writer who worked with John-Marc about creating the copy and I expect to have some mock ups in the next 30 days.
Initial subjects will include: eating healthy, exercise, dental hygiene and any other topics that we feel will help children.
About this Blog
This blog is about sharing ideas that will help
people who buy and sell print, increase their business. Time is our most
valuable resource and I promise not to waste it –
MikeSubscribe
