I was planning to stay in the San Diego area for a while, so I knew I needed to meet people in the business community. My plan was simple; spend two hours at the networking event, hand out a minimum of twenty personal business cards, talk about my work experience when able, and then grab dinner. One of my side focuses at these events is to never, ever over stay my welcome.

                As the end of my two hours was quickly approaching, I saw these two women cracking jokes and clearly knowing how to have a good time. I moved to introduce myself and found out they were from this promo company in San Diego. They turn other companies’ promo items into clever marketing products that will help assign a branding advantage over their competitors; hence the company name: Clever Advantage. They had the coolest logo, using the same ‘V’ for both words. And, as it turns out, one of the two is from the Bay Area and the other one is from Montreal, which is rather close to where I grew up, so we had lots to talk and laugh about. They were certainly the highlight of my networking evening, and as my dad always told me, ‘always leave on a high note.’ So I did. I hit the street, heading off to dinner.

                Over the course of the next few weeks, maybe a month, we traded some work emails. It was evident their style of work was similar to my own – have fun and do a good job — it seemed like a good opportunity. I knew that my entrepreneurial marketing experience, although not as vast as theirs, was present, so I took a shot and bounced some ideas their way.

And now, suddenly, here I am offering ideas and creating promo products.

Well, I should wrap up here, so feel free to contact me with any stories like this or ideas for business because I never find myself too busy for any type of referral. bobby@cleverpromotionalproducts.com.  

Matt comes by about once a month. This time he came into “check” on the new mini fridge he sold us for the office. Whether he was checking the contents or the quality, I’m not quite sure. The fact remains he followed up, came in with a story and asked how he could help my business.

I am Matt’s advocate. He has slowly but surely wooed me with spectacular service, some ad specialties and a desire to help me succeed.  I am the Vice President of the Business Products Express fan club.  I use Matt’s promotional pen everyday. Almost everyone I work with can benefit from doing business with Matt, so whenever the opportunity presents itself, there I am with a link and an e-mail introduction.

At Clever Advantage we are really fortunate. 25% of our  new business comes from our client advocates. Just how do businesses and customers go from clients to advocates? I asked some of our and here’s what they said:

• Give Value First- In order to give value first you must listen to your clients needs. Your expertise is only as valuable as how you apply it. Ask questions and give considered opinions that will help your clients grow.
• Follow Up -Remember Matt and the fridge. We’re all busy but follow up in person if possible. If distance or time keep you from doing this follow up with a phone call. E-mail follow ups are impersonal and won’t have the same effect.
• Think of Your Clients First – In Business to Business marketing this is easy as pie. Whenever you make a buying decision use your clients. This seems like a no brainer. In order for it to become habit review your list of accounts weekly or at least bi-weekly so that they are top of mind when giving referral or when you have a specific need. I use our client www.thewhitepebble.comfor all of my baby shower gifts. They have a great eco responsible clothing line.  In Business to Consumer relationships have a contact management system where you can keep track of your best clients birthdays, children’s names and any other information you can garner. Send birthday cards and small gifts to commemorate special occasions.
• Build a Client Advocacy Program – Think of your clients like a lush garden. They are every companies most important asset, and need to be treated that way. Client Advocacy programs should range from 10% – 40% of your marketing budget.  The percentage will depend on what a qualified referral means to your business, and how many clients you have. In a new business spending over 15% on client advocacy will not leave enough room to bring in the new accounts you need to grow. In an established business the numbers will be higher. At Clever Advantage we’re here to help you develop, maintain and grow your client advocacy program. If you need some ideas or need to establish a budget give us a call! 866-698-SPIN or info@cleveradvantage.com

Oh! And If you use anything from a stapler and sticky notes to janitorial supplies call my buddy Matt Bartell 1-800-908-3334  www.bpexpress.com tell him Sam sent you!

Go out and make someone’s week special!

Used correctly promotional products have always been a green form of marketing. They are marketing messages targeted to a specific demographic, and they are useful for an extended period of time. I can’t really say the same thing for the flyers placed on my car or the menus for the Indian restaurant down the street that are shoved in my front door on a weekly basis (I hate curry, by the way).

Our industry has taken green to a whole new level in the past year. In 2005 it was difficult to find any truly earth friendly promtional products and the inventory availble was significantly more expensive. In 2007 there are eco responsible options in every industry catagory. Recycled Pens, Unbleached canvas totes, Biodegradable frisbees, recycled motherboard notebooks, organic apparel you name it.

Whenever there’s a trend there are imposters. Products touted as green that are really anything but. Enter Clever Advantage’s on staff Granola Girl. Granola Girl is armed with a degree in enviromental science from the prestigious Humboldt State University.  To my knowledge we are the only company in the industry to have a full time enviromental scientist on staff to ensure all the green products we sell are infact as eco-friendly as possible.  The coolest part about having Granola Girl on staff is she can tell us exactly how things are made, what thier carbon foot print is and the difference between biodegradable, corn resin, cornstarch and whatever nifty nano technolgy is on the horizon and what it means to you!

From time to time I’ll have Granola Girl do a post to share her eco-finds with you.  I’m going to find a picture of Granola Girl actually hugging a tree. I’m sure there’s one out there!

Now for some fun, high ROI Eco-Friendly Promotions we’ve put into play for some of our clients!

• Water Bottles- America’s landfills are piling up with everything from paint cans and matresses to the bottles of water we’re all addicted to buying.  Bottled water is becoming such a big problem that many cities are thinking of banning the sale of bottled water entirely. Solution: Sleek water bottles delivered to your customers with your logo encouraging them to fill up at home. The cost per impression in just one week of standard use is less than

Unfortunately,a sad fact of life for all of us is that we are not the most important people in our clients lives. Yup. They may love you and only do business with you and would never consider going any place else ever for the service you provide. You may be the bee’s knees, best in class, least expensive or best looking in your field, but the fact remains that at a Sunday Bar B Que most likely your name is not going to come up in conversation for a referral. So the question is…what can we all do to increase our referrals from our best clients? Here are a few ideas, try some out and let me know what you think!

• Tell Your Clients You Love Them- Really. Many times new businesses  tend to want to look bigger than they are. One of the silliest tactics for doing this is by not acknowledging your best customers.  Look your best clients in the eye, or send them a handwritten note that let’s them know how much you appreciate them choosing to spend their hard earned dollar with you. Give your clients a specific example of why thier account means so much to your success. You’ll make your client’s day, and you will help them to feel responsible for your success.
• Business Partners- We all have businesses that are complimentary to our business. One of our great clients owns an auto repair shop in IL. He doesn’t fix brakes, tires or transmissions. Tony “direct refers” to 3 shops in his area that specialize in the things he doesn’t and in turn they refer back to him. Direct referrals are a great source of generating leads in turn for your company. Don’t ask for discounts or referral fees. Your customers will come to you a  source for all things related to your field if you just place them in contact with the companies that can offer them the best service.
• Client Surveys-Ask your clients what you’re doing right and what you can improve on.  Don’t just ask…ACT. When a client gives you a suggestion on how you can improve thank them and impliment the suggestion. Follow up with a small gift right away, something fun and memorable that say’s something about your business. Once you’ve implimented the suggestion and give your client feedback and thank them.
• Customer Referral Programs- One of my favorite ways of promoting our business is through our client referral program. We used to do cash discouts for clients who referred us to their associates. Now we send out a logoed gift with a handwritten thank you note and a gift card. This year we chose green promotional products. The gift cards are numerically sequenced for our bookkeeping and made of the same material as a credit card. Giving the entire program a higher percieved value than offering discounts and rewards alone.
• Ask For Referrals-It’s easy to ask for referrals. Really. I can guarentee that you will generate more referrals you ever thought possible by saying this “(Name of Your Client) I really appreciate your account. My business is prodominetly referral based so I would appreciate you thinking of me when your friends have a need for (your service.) Rest assured they will receve the same level of care I provide for you and your (family/business). Simple. Try it out!

Do you have some fun, effective referral generating ideas to share? If I post your idea I’ll send you a gift!

Have a FANTASTIC week!