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Associate Editor

Mike's Blog

By Michael Cornnell

About Michael

Michael Cornnell is Associate Editor for Promo Marketing Magazine.

 

Kiwi's Coaching Corner

Paul  Kiewiet
10 Things You Need to Know To Become a Promotional Professional
May 23, 2013

Ten tips for becoming a pro in the promotional products industry....



Big Picture Promo

Matt Kaspari, CAS
The Empowerment Marketing Conversation
May 23, 2013

Having a meaningful rather than demeaning conversation with your customers is the key to a successful brand, product or campaign....



Promotional Fashionista

Colleen McKenna
3 Summer Accessories from Expo East
May 22, 2013

The beach tote, sunglasses and nail polish fit for warm weather promotions.
...



Be Bold, Be Different, Be Memorable

Rick Greene, MAS
Listening 101
May 22, 2013

A good listener is a valuable friend, and a valuable friend is a trusted business partner....



Be Dazzled

Elise Hacking Carr
The Baby Boom: 3 Must-have Maternity Pieces
May 21, 2013

The rumors about Beyoncé’s second pregnancy may be false, but that shouldn’t stop you from outfitting other moms-to-be in promotional...



Not So Technically Speaking

Dale Denham
The High Cost of a Low Training Budget
May 16, 2013

If you train your staff, there's a risk they'll leave; if you don't, there's a risk they'll stay.
...



Jeff's Rant

Jeff Solomon, MAS
Why...?
May 16, 2013

Why... be connected? I've often talked about my love of trade shows and the value of business relationships, which are...



Selling Smarter

Rosalie Marcus
Help! My Customers Know the Codes
May 14, 2013

A promotional products distributor recently wrote me and asked how to handle clients that have figured out the industry's pricing...



Beyond Words

Rebecca Kollmann, MAS+
A Blog of a Different Color
May 13, 2013

When we communicate with others—through a presentation, through graphics or through text in an article—the use of color can truly...



Embellished

Kyle Richardson
Call For Sources: Michigan Suppliers and Distributors
May 10, 2013

Do you work in Michigan, or do you sell into the restaurant industry? I want to hear from you....



The Hot Button

Mary Ellen Nichols, MAS
Have You Cleaned Out Your Teenager's Gym Bag Lately?
May 1, 2013

Performance clothing has changed over the past 10 years: silkier, stretchier, more mesh, even less stinky in some cases. So...



Friday Sales-thought of the Week!

Dale Limes, MAS
Reverse Engineer Your Sales Success
Mar 18, 2013

Steven Covey reminds us that when setting goals ... "Start with the end in mind." That is to visualize the...



Editor's Notes

Nichole Stella
The Perfect Match
Mar 5, 2013

The Super Bowl has also become the Ad Bowl, where brands duke it out to see who has the funniest,...



Compliance Chat

D E Fenton
When a Picture Says a Thousand Words: Bangladesh
Nov 30, 2012

It takes a single negative image to undo even the most successful campaigns in the eyes of your customers—and many...



My Two Cents

Rick Brenner
CPSC General Counsel Clarifies Distributor Responsibilities for Children's Apparel
Oct 8, 2012

There aren't many distributors who would describe themselves as manufacturers. But under CPSIA, the majority of promotional products distributors—at least...



The Sales Challenge

Bill Farquharson
Think and Succeed
May 29, 2012

What would happen if you woke up in the morning and your first thought was, "I am never going to...



Creating More Purposeful Sales Conversations

Lisa Leitch, CSP, MAS
Under 100 Days to Achieve 2011 Goals
Oct 20, 2011

It's hard to believe, but there are fewer than 100 days left to achieve 2011 goals! Are you on track...



Industry Voices

Guest Contributor
In a Recession, Dress Up To Cheer Up
Jan 20, 2010

A few weeks ago, I had dinner with Executive Apparel's president and its director of product development in Orlando, Florida....



3 Things I Learned In Vegas

 
Another year and another PPAI Expo conquered. Miss out on the show? Here are a couple things I learned from this year's exhibitions:

1. Color is going to be big for 2013
I talked to a bunch of exhibiting suppliers, both at Vegas and Orlando, and I was surprised how many were focused on promoting new colors. Not sure I can figure out why this is a big trend besides the obvious "more colors equals more sales," but it's definitely a trend. Small companies, average companies, huge companies-just a ton of suppliers are focusing on offering more colors, mostly in brights but also a lot of neat stuff like crisp semi-pastels.

2. More stuff is made in the USA than I realized
For the last couple years, PPAI has done a "made in the USA" section in its new product pavilion in Vegas. Browsing through it this year, I was surprised to see a lot of items I didn't realize could be purchased from American manufacturers. There were some quirkier items like nail polish, but also some standard stuff like apparel basics and uniforms from suppliers I had no idea manufactured stateside. Definitely interesting if USA-manufacturing is something you're into.

3. Don't eat salmon in Las Vegas
Two out of my last three trips to Vegas, I've gotten food poisoning from eating salmon. The first time was from a salmon steak from a "Chili's Too" in the airport, so granted I probably deserved that one, but the second was from Burger Bar. Burger Bar! A place where people actually eat out of choice rather than sad, waiting-for-plane desperation. So, I vow next year I'm going full veggie in Vegas, and by "full veggie," I mean "massive bags of candy and ice-cream where the closest thing to a nutrient is chocolate sauce."

That's it for this week guys! Thanks for reading, and see you all next week!

Like my blog? Why not follow PM on Twitter or Facebook (or just me on RSS or LinkedIn) so you never miss a post? Thanks!

MONDAY MIKE FACT: A cutting epiphany I had this weekend was realizing I suck at picking playoff football winners. Not only was I tremendously wrong at every bracket level, I never in 1,000 lifetimes would have picked the Ravens to go to the Super Bowl. I guess a lot of people are in the "crap pick" boat after this weekend, but still, the Ravens? Even after they won and made it in, it still seems like it's impossible and we're actually living in a shared dreamworld where a reasonably crap team is able to make the Super Bowl purely by throwing long bombs/having a defense whose solution to everything is "headbutt it till it dies."

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