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About Dale

Dale Limes, MAS, is Senior Vice President of Sales for HALO Branded Solutions. He is an industry veteran of 27 years, a frequent trainer at industry events, and consults with distributors at every level to help increase sales and efficiency. Dale and HALO are committed to helping industry salespeople by openly sharing top producer sales secrets for professional betterment of our industry.
 

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...



Promotional Fashionista

Colleen McKenna
How to Celebrate National Bike Month
May 15, 2013

May is National Bike Month. Here are five bike-friendly products and apparel to purvey for the next two weeks....



Be Dazzled

Elise Hacking Carr
The Amazing Fashion: 3 Gatsby-inspired Looks
May 14, 2013

The Great Gatsby finally opened over the weekend. Does the unbridled glamour of 1920s-inspired fashion translate to the promotional products...



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...



Mike's Blog

Michael Cornnell
Entertainment Meets Marketing: Amazing Gatsby, Pop Art and Rock Music Promos
May 13, 2013

Entertainment and promotional marketing: A pairing that normally reminds us of being forced to eat Hulk-colored Taco Bell at gunpoint...



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....



Kiwi's Coaching Corner

Paul  Kiewiet
Think Like Your Client
May 9, 2013

Getting out of the commodity game requires hard work, thoughtful work and requires learning new skills and work habits. You...



Be Bold, Be Different, Be Memorable

Rick Greene, MAS
The Fearsome Green Profit Margin
May 7, 2013

Or "Detective Fiction, Sales and the Art of Listening."...



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...



Big Picture Promo

Matt Kaspari, CAS
The Shift to Empowerment Marketing
Apr 25, 2013

Empowering is the act of giving away your power to those around you so you can elevate the group as...



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....



How To Build Your Natural Creativity

 

Have you ever used creativity in a benefit statement or explained to your clients that you can provide creative solutions for their business problems?

But you were not sure if you could pull it off after you made that statement?

We all like to hear stories about clever ideas from creative people with a vivid imagination and how they were able to put together the perfect promotion.

But do you sometimes wonder how you could ever do something that great?

Well... you are not alone. Most people think they are not very creative but actually they are; they just don't know it.

Did you know that we all possess about the same amount of creativity? It's true, and studies have proven it.

The difference is that some people never learn how to tap into or utilize their inherent creativity. Creative thinking is a skill that needs to be practiced, and polished on a continual basis or it will be kept bottled up never to be used to the full potential. How is this done?

First, you have to think about your business in a proactive manner... not reactively. Proactive thoughts and actions are creative while reactive thoughts are more task-oriented.

Second, you must schedule creative think time. Yes, you need to schedule undisturbed time in your office where your only thoughts are centered around business-building concepts, and money-making ideas. One way to do this is to have a key web site where you can view creativity that will get the juices flowing.

The good news is that the creative spirit can grow in those who have not adapted yet by training yourself to think outside of the box.

Those who schedule think time, and become good at this exercise are known as the "deep thinkers" and "situation analysts."

Here is a simple test you can take to evaluate your current level of creativity:

  1. Do your customers call you for ideas instead of products?
  2. Do you think about your client's marketing campaign and artwork first, and items to present last?
  3. Do you regularly send wildly creative spec samples to your clients?
  4. Do your clients view you as a source for products, or a valuable extension of their own marketing team?
  5. Would your clients recommend you to a friend who is opening a new business and looking for marketing ideas to help them get started?

If you answered yes to these five questions, you are already a deep-thinking, creative consultant. Everyone has creative talents; the most successful learn how to use them!

Best of Success!

Dale Limes, MAS, is Senior Vice President of Sales for HALO Branded Solutions. He is an industry veteran of 27 years, a frequent trainer at industry events, and consults with distributors at every level to help increase sales and efficiency.

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