What happens when you build trust? Sales happen!

What happens when you build trust?  Sales happen!

Extend your brand at every opportunity to build credibility and trust.

How does extending your brand build trust?

1. It creates visibility.  With visibility comes trust. The first time a potential client sees your brand should not be the first time you walk in the door.  They should have already seen your brand someplace, somehow, someway and should already have a sense of who you are and what kind of company you represent.  Meaningful conversation can begin quickly.  Wow, talk about power! 

2. It creates buzz.  Extend your brand into the marketplace with quality, useful and creative logo’d gear, by associating with dynamic reputable organizations, and by participating in high visibility events.   They’ll be talking about you!

3. It creates familiarity.  Through your blog, a tweet, or through other social media.  By using logo’d products – YOUR logo’d products -- they appreciate and love.

4. It creates comfort.  We all need to be comfortable with whom we do business.  No comfort level, no trust.  The more your customers see your brand, the easier it is for them to see your brand as a trusted leader in your industry.

Are you extending your brand and building trust by staying in front of your customers?

How to make a tradeshow profitable - we have a plan!

1.  Prepare months in advance.   Develop a written action plan and timeline with specific tasks to be completed and assign names of individuals responsible for accomplishing each.   Details matter!   Think about and commit to the look of your tradeshow booth, plan how you will communicate before, during and after the show, determine who’s going and what apparel each person will wear that will reflect a cohesive look and professional image, make travel arrangements, and select a memorable and effective giveaway item.

2. Pick the right tradeshow.   You know where your customers are.  Participate in that tradeshow and make an impact.

3. Market yourself before the show.   Don’t go to any tradeshow with the idea that you are going to walk away with orders without some advance marketing.  Tell all likely attendees to the tradeshow that you are going and tell them multiple times.  Traditional mail, email, tweet, company facebook page, blog, on hold message, account managers, customer service managers, and any other way you typically communicate with clients and potential clients.  Tell them WHY they should come see you – Do you have a new or upgraded product or service offering? Are you offering a special discount?  Is this an opportunity to finally meet face to face?

4. Stand out in the crowd.   Set yourself apart from other participants with a unique look that showcases your brand, peaks interest, and drives attendees to your booth.    Give 2 levels of promotional items -- one that you can give away to the “collectors” and one that you give away to clients and true prospects.   Branded items should be targeted to your customer base.  Whether your tradeshow audience is stay at home moms, plant managers, C level executives, or someone in between, know your audience and choose your giveaway item wisely.

5. Collect information about competition and clients.   Most tradeshows today allow for electronic collection of attendees information that is supplied to each show vendor.  Make sure you not only receive the list, but use it effectively to reach out to potential clients and existing customers.

6. Follow up with clients and prospects.  And not just once!  Track your sales from contacts at the show.  Commit to a goal of at least 3-5 times the cost of the show in sales over the next 12 months.  Never go to a show with the idea that we just want to “get our name out there.”  Spend your money on other marketing initiatives for this.  Tradeshows are intended to acquire new clients and expand relationships with current clients.

Client Appreciation Marketing

Be unique, thank your clients.

1. Say “Thank You”, at every opportunity.   How many of us write up the order, turn it in and go to the next prospect or task at hand?  I mean, we’re doing our clients a favor, aren’t we?  Our product and service is better than the competition.  We delivered it on time, without hassle, under budget and we threw in some added value to the whole order on the back end. They should be thanking me, right?  Think again. 

If you don’t go out of your way every time you come in contact with a client or prospect to thank them for their time, the order, the opportunity to be in the running, the coffee while you are in their waiting room, etc. etc., then you are missing an opportunity to remind them that you are there to serve and become an integral part of their team as a vendor or as a partner.

2. Say “Thank You”, at every contact with a useful gift.  Pen, ruler, travel mug, paper cube, calendar or any one of thousands of other branded items.  It doesn’t have to be expensive but it does need to be something of value for that particular industry or person.  Make sure YOUR company brand stays in front of the customer and your prospects!

3. Say “Thank You”, after the sale.  This is the most under utilized common courtesy in American business.  In other countries it’s done on every sale by giving a gift back to the customer as a thank you for their business.  Not in America.  Even if it’s just a thank you card, do it!  But if you want to really make an impact, send them something that will cause them to reflect on you and how great it was to do business with your company.

4. Say “Thank You”, at the end of the year or during the holidays.  Your top clients need to be remembered at the end of every year.  Take this opportunity to set yourself apart by sending a branded gift that tastes great or a logo’d gift that will be used time and time again throughout the coming year.  Don’t miss this opportunity to be unique and be remembered.

5. Say “Thank You”, with random acts of appreciation.  Random gifts that show appreciation are always good!  They are remembered and appreciated even more --unexpected random gifts are great way to show your customers that they are thought of and valued, not just during the normal gift-giving time of year.  Standing out and being remembered is what it’s all about.

Rule of 27

You only truly see one out of three ads put in front of you. And you only take action after seeing a brand marketed to you one out of nine times. So, it takes something like 27 hits from a brand for a prospect to even respond. Think about that for a second. Are your customers and prospects getting all 27 hits with their prospects?

In EVERY economy, including this one, some companies kick the ass of their competitors. If you want to be the one kicking it, start pushing 27 hits with your clients and prospects. Teach clients and prospects how to use the Rule of 27 with branded apparel and promotional products to grow their business and improve their marketing. By: Cameron Herold

Happy Holidays from Logo'd Gear!

Happy holidays everyone! We hope you enjoyed our December series on branding. We look forward to working with you next year and providing you with quality service for your promotional needs! Logo’d Gear thanks you for your business and we look forward with you toward a prosperous 2011!

Business Branding: Saying it With Gratitude

Say Thank You.

It seems rather obvious, doesn’t it? Yet, how many times have you been sincerely and memorably thanked for your business? I bet you still remember the personal note, the perfectly timed gift, the letter of appreciation sent to your manager for your efforts. Personal message of thanks stand out. Impersonal holiday cards get thrown out January 1st. Promotional items with a personal touch get kept – and used throughout the year. Sincerely showing your thanks is memorable.

Take the time now to associate gratitude with your brand. Thank your customers and potential customers for the time they’ve spent with you. Consider sending a promotional item that will express your values – perhaps it’s an eco-friendly item or maybe it’s a portable USB drive. Maybe this year it’s just a hand-written note of thanks. Whatever you choose, you are building your brand. Make it a good one!

Located in Charlotte, NC, Logo’d Gear is the region’s premier provider of promotional products, branded apparel, tradeshow items, business gifts, and other related products. In addition to complete embroidery and screen printing capabilities, Logo’d Gear also offers online company stores and fulfillment services. Visit our website now at http://www.logodgear.com to see our extensive online catalog or call (704) 334-9333 to immediately speak with one of our branding specialists!

Practical steps to Branding Your Company

So far we’ve talked a lot about the emotional impact of branding. What practical steps can you take to identify your brand with your company?

This is where building a visual image of your brand comes in. No doubt you already have a logo. Although one of the most important items for your business, you will need more than just a logo to build your visual image.

• Do you have a tag line? Is it short and clever enough to be memorable? Logo’d Gear uses Stay in Front of Your Customers! It’s succinct and describes what we believe, what we do, and what we help you to do.

• Choose specific colors. FedEx is one of my favorite examples of this. The FedEx logo is the same on every product they sell, but Federal Express has chosen specific colors to represent specific products. For example, FedEx ground is green. FedEx critical is blue (code blue, anyone?). Once you choose a color scheme, keep it consistent. Use it in everything you do.

• Make it easy to recognize your company and your brand. Use your company name and tagline on everything you do, from emails to letterhead. Make sure your web site, social media tags and phone number are on everything that goes out.

• Order promotional products that promote your brand. Order logo’d bulk items like ink pens, post-it notes, notepads, coffee mugs, water bottles, or apparel and use them. Make sure these promotional items have your logo and tagline and are in the specific colors you’ve chosen. Give them away freely to your employees and potential clients.

Located in Charlotte, NC, Logo’d Gear is the region’s premier provider of promotional products, branded apparel, tradeshow items, business gifts, and other related products. In addition to complete embroidery and screen printing capabilities, Logo’d Gear also offers online company stores and fulfillment services. Visit our website now at http://www.logodgear.com to see our extensive online catalog or call (704) 334-9333 to immediately speak with one of our branding specialists!