Newsletter Blogs

If You Aren't Reinventing the Future, the Future Will Reinvent You
March 31, 2016 at 6:11 pm

Where will you be when things settle down? A great number of marginal performers will be gone. Those who have not innovated will be gone. Those who have not created value for their clients will be gone. But a lot of us will be standing, and will be better, stronger and more equipped for success.…

Variations on a Classic: Baseball Shirts
March 30, 2016 at 4:51 pm

At a baseball game, I’m always wearing the team’s colors and logos. My go-to shirts are classic baseball ones: team name on the front, player’s last name and number on the back. And I don’t think I’m alone in this. But just because you go for the tried-and-true design doesn’t mean there’s a lack of variety and choices...

Check Out the Merch Table
March 29, 2016 at 5:32 pm

I listen to a lot of music, and I've been to more shows than I can count (many of which were in basements and certainly broke fire codes). Because of this, I have my fair share of concert and band tees. Recently, we reported a few stories about music merchandise—a new app lets music fans…

Rainmaker Sales
March 28, 2016 at 3:03 pm

So, you want to be a rainmaker? Doesn’t everyone in sales? While rainmakers make it look easy, it is not. Rainmakerdom does not come without laying solid groundwork and building trust and relationships. Sometimes this groundwork is many years in the making. Below are solid tips to consider in your hunt for the coveted title…

Creating Default Templates in QuickBooks
March 25, 2016 at 4:38 pm

Question: How do I make a particular template my default template in QuickBooks? Answer: QuickBooks does not let you specify a particular template as your default template for a specific form, such as an invoice or purchase order. After using that specific template for a number of times, it will start coming up. But it's…

Can I Eat That?
March 24, 2016 at 4:28 pm

We ask ourselves this question every day. For example: Oh look, someone brought in donuts! Can I eat that? Hmm, this has been in the fridge for three weeks. Can I eat that? Mmmmm this lip balm smells like pineapples. Can I eat that? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never gnawed on lip balm before, but…

Why Is Kanye West's Merchandise Making Millions?
March 23, 2016 at 3:30 pm

About a month ago, Kanye West hosted his Yeezy 3 fashion show and "The Life of Pablo" album listening party in Madison Square Garden. Tickets sold out in minutes, and those who were quick enough to snag tickets were able to purchase special-edition merchandise for…

17-second Sales Pitch at Expo East
March 22, 2016 at 5:31 pm

I joined thousands of suppliers and distributors last week at Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Expo East. This was my first chance to experience Expo East combined with the Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS). Quite a few Geiger colleagues, as well as a few other PPAI board members, joined me. I saw several vendors that I…

The Story of American Apparel
March 21, 2016 at 3:56 pm

American Apparel is arguably the most well-known promotional products company in the world. Strip away the stores, the ads, the headlines: At its core, it is a wholesaler that built its business manufacturing and selling T-shirts to decorators. That’s American Apparel. Of course, American Apparel also is an internationally known retail brand. It’s impossible to…

4 Strategies to Inspire Customer-driven Innovation
March 18, 2016 at 2:44 pm

In our ever-changing world, there is naturally a lot of talk about innovation and the need to innovate to stay relevant, or even to stay alive. There is less said about how to actually do it. Below are four proven and practical strategies (plus one hidden bonus strategy) to drive continuous innovation that you can…