Yes, that's right, it's THAT time of year again. The time of year when spouses seemingly vanish, televisions run full time on weekends, and couches get used more than ever. Man caves spring to life and team flags fly proudly on porches across the country.

Football season is upon us, and all across the country fans are chomping at the bit to get a piece of the action. High school football started a few weeks back, college football kicked off last night and the NFL starts next weekend.

Fear not non football fans, for with the temporary loss of loved ones comes opportunity. What that opportunity translates to are a lot of selling opportunities. High school fund raisers, sponsorship programs, student groups, Booster programs and Greek organizations will offer opportunities abound  during the next three to four months.

If you missed the preseason rush of programs and projects requiring promotional items such as schedules, koozies, seat cushions, stadium cups, apparel, magnets and many other items, fear not as basketball season is just around the corner.

Now all that is left is to go sell something.

"Many years ago, management guru Peter Drucker observed that "the purpose of a business is to create a customer." Notice he didn't say the purpose is to make a sale, or close the deal, he said "create a customer."

The implication is that a sale is a one time thing, but a customer (or better yet client) is someone who has the capacity to buy from us again and again. When we focus our attention on creating clients, rather than just making sales, our entire approach changes. The things we say are geared toward building ongoing value. Customer satisfaction and service after the sale become paramount, and the entire experience becomes much better for the clients we're creating.

How much time do you currently invest in creating clients? If you're like most business people, the honest answer is likely, "not enough." And yet, isn't the creation of clients the life blood of any business?

What Type of Clients Do You Create?

Another important consideration is the type of client you are creating. Are you creating big money, high margin clients who understand the value you provide? Or are you creating last-minute, cheap-quality, rush-job clients who nickel and dime you on every order? Think carefully! The answer to these questions will determine your quality of life!

Creating clients is not just about bringing new people through the door, it's also about determining, "Is this the type of client that will allow me to build a successful business?"

Very often, we fail to realize that the things we say and the way we position ourselves determine exactly the type of clients we will be creating."

This article was copied from one of the industry's best sales and training guru's, David Blaise. David offers a multitute of training materials to all levels of expertese. His contact info is below.

David Blaise
Top Secrets of Promotional Products Sales
Blaise Drake & Company, Inc.
845 N Park Rd Ste 303
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania 19610
United States
(610) 685-9700

Hot off of the presses from ASI's Counselor PromoGram:

"Nearly three years after Congress passed the original Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), President Obama has signed a separate bill modifying the controversial legislation. The amendments to the law, recently passed almost unanimously by the U.S. House and Senate, expand the discretion of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), allowing regulators greater flexibility in directing third-party testing standards.

The amendments specifically address several enforcement questions that have lingered since 2008, clarifying product exemptions and the responsibilities of manufacturers. In effect, the new law narrows the CPSIA’s lead-testing requirements to products manufactured since the date of enactment, creates certain exceptions for small-batch manufacturers (annual revenues under $1 million) and removes lead limits for used children’s products. As part of the changes to the CPSIA, the CPSC must also seek public comment on ways to reduce the burden and cost of third-party testing.

On the topic of tracking labels, the CPSC now has authority to exclude specific products from previous mandates. If the commission determines that placing a tracking label on an item is not practical, a manufacturer will earn an exemption. The legislation also seeks to ease some manufacturers’ concerns about the CPSIA database, which allows virtually anyone to post complaints about a product. The CPSC is now required to stay publication for five extra days when it receives notice of materially inaccurate information. The CPSC must also attempt to get a serial number or a photo of an item from the consumer questioning the safety of a product. 

The amendments, while providing more authority to the CPSC in determining testing requirements, have not changed the action schedule regarding lead limits. The amount of lead allowable in children's products dropped from 300 parts per million (ppm) to 100 ppm on August 14, but only products that are manufactured after this date will have to adhere to the stricter limits. The mandate applies to all manufacturers, importers, retailers and distributors of children's products."

Here are excerpts from great article from Tina Berris Filipski and PPAI's Promotional Consultant:

" AS A SALESPERSON  IN TODAY'S WORLD,  chances are good that you are working harder to generate the same (or fewer!) dollars than a couple of years ago.

“Every day every self-respecting salesperson is in the trenches, fighting for market share and trying to keep his existing client base,” says Eric Taylor, co-author along with David Riklan of “Mastering the World of Selling: The Ultimate Training Resource from the Biggest Names in Sales”. “Often, all it takes is one good idea to give you a competitive advantage and repay your investment many times over.”

Their book presents hundreds of great ideas from the best people and organizations in the sales business—including Afire Gitomer, Dale Carnegie Training and Zig Ziglar among others. “PC” picked out a few of our favorites.

The Master: Jeffrey Gitomer

Master Of Selling Tip No. 2:   Know what it means to be a sales rock star. When you hear bosses talk about their best salespeople, they often refer to them as “rock stars.” It’s the highest praise a boss can give. Every salesperson aspires to be referred to in this manner, but very few make the grade. If you’re a rock star, it means (among other things):

• You have superior talent—you can play and sing.
• Your fans don’t just like you—they love you!
• You are respected by your peers.
• You have proven yourself over time with consistent quality.
• You know the business of rock and roll.

Most salespeople would like to think of themselves as sales rock stars, but they don’t display the talent to match the definition. Think about the best rock stars: Elvis, The Beatles, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen. These people (and lots more like them) achieved their status by putting in years of hard work. All of them love what they do. They wouldn’t trade their positions or situations for anything in the world. They rose from humble beginnings to stardom by taking advantage of their talent.

Remember, the love of what you do, combined with your belief in what you do, will not determine your success. It will determine how hard you will work and how dedicated you will be to achieve it. Success just shows up from there. If you want to become a sales rock star, that’s great. If you want others to refer to you as a rock star, that’s greater.

The Masters: Zig Ziglar And Tom Ziglar

Master Of Selling Tip No. 3:   Sell with integrity. The No. 1 tool in your sales arsenal is integrity. Belief in your products or services is essential but not enough unless you build this belief on the foundation of integrity. No matter how much a prospect believes that you believe in your product, he or she will not do business with you if he or she does not trust you, and trust begins with integrity.

It works like this: Values determine behavior. Behavior determines reputation. Reputation determines advantages. In today’s sales world, you need every advantage you can get. Long-term sales success is absolutely dependent on your integrity. With integrity you do the right thing. Since you do the right thing, there is no guilt involved. With integrity you have nothing to fear because you have nothing to hide. You can talk to customers whom you sold to yesterday—you can talk to them tomorrow, next week, next year—because you know in your heart that they made the best deal, and that’s where the integrity comes in.

The Masters: Sharon Drew Morgen

Master Of Selling Tip No. 4:   Become a decision facilitator. Often we’re stuck with the perfect solution, waiting for a buying decision that has nothing to do with us. Indeed, the time it takes buyers to come up with their own answers is the length of the sales cycle. We must add another skill set and outcome to our jobs: By becoming decision facilitators, we can use our knowledge of our fields to be virtual GPS systems for the decision makers, guiding them along without bias to their ultimate destination. Will we end up placing a solution? That depends on how well the buyer’s system can manage change. But we will:

•  Know on the first call if it’s a viable prospect.
•  Shorten the sales cycle dramatically.
•  Save the buyer’s time and our time.
•  Greatly enhance the number of buyers who can buy.

Is it sales? No. But since buyers must do this anyway and we sit and wait for them to do it, we might as well add a decision facilitation skill set. We will then be true servant leaders, true trusted advisors and relationship managers, guiding them through their systemic, offline buying decision issues.

The Masters: Eric Taylor And David Riklan

Master Of Selling Tip No. 5:   Evaluate how you communicate. Unless you’re a hermit, living in a cave or under a rock, you’re communicating virtually every waking hour of every day. In sales, or in any activity, the level of your communication will often equate to the level of your success. It’s critical to assess the clarity, likeability and effectiveness of your messages.

Consider all of the mediums to which your communication is now exposed. You are speaking to prospects, clients, service providers, internal customers, tech support and administrative assistants all day, every day. You are communicating face-to-face, over the phone, by e-mail, text messaging and fax. Hopefully, you are using social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. And remember, it’s not just words. A look or a gesture communicates volumes.

It’s endless. And your ability to communicate effectively, with confidence, cuts both ways. The great challenge, and the tremendous opportunity, is that you express your personal brand to others 24/7/365. So how successfully do you communicate throughout every day? To help you evaluate, ask the people who are closest to you to appraise the effectiveness of your communication. Accept the feedback and evaluate what you are willing to change without compromising your self-beliefs. PC

* Tina Berres Filipski  is editor of “PC”.

You asked for it, and we've dug it up. In a survey from ASI's Counselor Magazine we've pulled the top 100 promotional products / ad specialty markets.

If your city is listed (or close to one of these cities), you don't have any excuses...

1. Bridgeport-Stamford, CT
2. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
3. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL
4. Jacksonville, FL
5. Nashville, TN
6. Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX
7. Boston, MA
8. Little Rock, AR
9. Madison, WI
10. Baltimore, MD
11. Des Moines, IA
12. Kansas City, MO
13. Portland, OR
14. Boise, ID
15. Denver, CO
16. Omaha, NE
17. New York City, NY
18. Charlotte, NC
19. Columbia, SC
20. Orlando, FL
21. Oklahoma City, OK
22. Tulsa, OK
23. Raleigh, NC
24. Charleston, SC
25. Baton Rouge, LA
26. Salt Lake City, UT
27. Richmond, VA
28. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks, CA
29. Austin, TX
30. Seattle, WA
31. Greenville, SC
32. Knoxville, TN
33. Houston, TX
34. Washington, D.C.
35. Portland, ME
36. San Antonio, TX
37. Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA
38. Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
39. Poughkeepsie, NY
40. McAllen-Edinburg, TX
41. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI MSA
42. Jackson, MS MSA
43. Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA MSA
44. Indianapolis-Carmel, IN MSA
45. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI MSA
46. Greensboro-High Point, NC MSA
47. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN MSA
48. Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, FL MSA
49. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA
50. St. Louis, MO-IL MSA
51. Akron, OH MSA
52. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA
53. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MSA
54. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA
55. Birmingham-Hoover, AL MSA
56. New Haven-Milford, CT MSA
57. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL MSA
58. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI MSA
59. Lakeland, FL MSA
60. Columbus, OH MSA
61. Cincinnati-Middletown, OH-KY-IN MSA
62. Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH MSA
63. Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA
64. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
65. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA MSA
66. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA
67. Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA MSA
68. Rochester, NY MSA
69. Pittsburgh, PA MSA
70. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ MSA
71. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY MSA
72. Wichita, KS MSA
73. Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI MSA
74. Memphis, TN-AR-MS MSA
75. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA MSA
76. Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, RI-MA MSA
77. New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA MSA
78. Ogden-Clearfield, UT MSA
79. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA
80. Dayton, OH MSA
81. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA
82. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ MSA
83. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, CA MSA
84. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL MSA
85. Albuquerque, NM MSA
86. Toledo, OH MSA
87. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA
88. Colorado Springs, CO MSA
89. Syracuse, NY MSA
90. Tucson, AZ MSA
91. Worcester, MA MSA
92. Honolulu, HI MSA
93. Fresno, CA MSA
94. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT MSA
95. Bakersfield, CA MSA
96. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA MSA
97. Springfield, MA MSA
98. Modesto, CA MSA
99. El Paso, TX MSA
100. Stockton, CA MSA

Thanks to ASI and the Counselor Magazine for this great information.

PER PPAI:

"About 315,000 electroluminescent nightlights manufactured by supplier Molenaar, LLC (UPIC: MILINE) and sold to distributors were voluntarily recalled in the U.S. today. In August, 11,650 of the products were voluntarily recalled in Canada.

These nightlights could contain faulty materials that can become hot to the touch and melt, resulting in risk of possible shock or fire. Molenaar is aware of four incidents of the nightlights melting resulting in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

“This is a voluntary recall that we’re performing with approval of CPSC,” says Steven Meyer, MAS, Molenaar’s vice president of sales.

The recalled nightlights were distributed between October 2001 and November 2009 through approximately 150 distributors. The nightlights glow green when plugged in. The two models, #2017 and #2019, are a square shape with a rounded top and a house respectively. Both models can be identified by the text "71980 U.S.A." molded into the back panel just above the brass outlet prongs. The product was removed from the Molenaar line last November.

 

The recall runs for 90 days from today according to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) terms.

 

Molenaar is in the process of contacting the distributors involved by letter and sending them a copy of the CPSC notice that can be shared with customers. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled nightlights and throw them away.

 

“Our goal is to recall all the nightlights as quickly and efficiently as possible,” says Meyer. “The CPSC’s concern is public safety and that’s ours as well.”

Distributors needing more information may contact 877-719-4442 or go to www.miline.com later today to see a copy of the CPSC notice."

As Halloween approaches and all of the little ones start thinking about who or what they want to be this year, we all tend to start thinking about their safety. Schools, city organizations, and local clubs do too.

Here are few ideas to get you started...



            
 

Reflective 11" x 15" Die Cut Bags      Reflective 11" x 18" Coupon Bag               Reflective Zipper Pull



         

            Reflective Slap Bands                                       6" Glow Sticks 

 

Here's a great article from Pamela Webb of Promotional Consultant Today:

    
"What is selling? In simplest terms, selling is the process of helping a person conclude that your product or service is of greater value to him or her than the price you are asking for it. Our market society is based on the principles of freedom and mutual benefit.
 

In a free market, the customer always has three options with  any purchase decision.  First, the customer can buy your product or service. Second, the customer can buy the product or service from someone else. Third, the customer can decide to buy nothing at all. For the customer to buy your particular product or service, he must be convinced that it is not only the best choice available but he must also be persuaded that there is no better way for him to spend the equivalent amount of money. Your job as a salesperson is to convince the customer that all these conditions exist and then to elicit a commitment from him to take action on your offer. The field of professional selling has changed dramatically since through the years. In a way, selling methodologies are merely responses to customer requirements.

At one time, customers were relatively unsophisticated and poorly informed about their choices. Salespeople catered to this customer with carefully planned and memorized sales presentations, loads of enthusiasm and a bag full of techniques designed to crush resistance and get the order at virtually any cost. Today, customers are now more knowledgeable than ever before. They are experienced buyers and they have interacted with hundreds of salespeople. They are extremely sophisticated and aware of the incredible variety of products and services available to them, as well as the relative strengths and weaknesses of those products. Many customers are smarter and better educated than some salespeople and they are far more careful about making a buying decision of any kind. In addition, they are overwhelmed with work and under-supplied with time. Because of the rapidly increasing pace of change, down-sizing, restructuring and the competitive pressures surrounding them, customers today are harried and hassled. They are swamped with responsibilities, impatient, suspicious, critical, demanding and spoiled. To sell to today's customer requires a higher caliber of sales professional than has ever before been required. It is only going to become tougher and more complicated in the years ahead.

Following are a few ideas that you can immediately put into action to assist you in selling to today's customer. 

• Think continually about how you can convince your customer that your product or service is the very best available.
• Learn why he buys, or refuses to buy and develop strategies to turn non-buyers into buyers. 
• Upgrade your knowledge and skills every day so you can sell more effectively. You always want to know more about your product or service than your customer.

Source: Brian Tracy is a leading authority on personal effectiveness, management, leadership and sales. His clients include the executives and staff of IBM, Deloitte Touche, McDonnell Douglas and The Million Dollar Round Table. He has produced more than 300 audio/video programs and has written 28 books, including Getting Rich Your Own Way and TurboStrategy! "

According the Counselor PromoGram:

"Molenaar Issues Voluntary Product Recall
Supplier Molenaar LLC (asi/71980), also known as M-I Line, has issued a voluntary recall of about 11,650 electroluminescent night lights.

The night lights glow green when plugged into an electrical outlet. The two models - #2017 and #2019 - are in the shapes of a rectangle and house respectively. Both models can be identified by the text "71980 U.S.A." molded into the back panel just above the brass outlet prongs. These night lights were sold between September 2005 and September 2009, and Molenaar says that no models were manufactured or sold after November 2009.

The recall was issued because the night lights could contain faulty materials that can become hot to the touch and melt, resulting in risk of possible shock or fire. The Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario (ESA) and Molenaar LLC have had four reports of night lights melting over the last four years, resulting in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported."