Sales and Marketing: Your Way Out of the Economic Crisis!

I am pleased to announce that all of our efforts over the last three months are ready for presentation. I have been working with the Wire-Net Organization to bring a new series to the manufacturers here in Northeast Ohio. Wire-Net's mission:

WIRE-Net strengthens manufacturing to create healthy communities and fuel economic growth. We provide expertise that is responsive to manufacturing related businesses and their employees. WIRE-Net connects leaders to each other and engages them in their communities.

Please see the details of this nee Sales & Marketing Series:

WIRE-Net is bringing together some of the area's leading experts in the field of sales and marketing to design and deliver a series of workshops geared especially for manufacturers. Our goal is to show you several different concepts and then assist you in applying them to your business to improve sales and profitability. We will help you strengthen relationships with current customers, approach prospective customers in your current market, and target new customers in new markets.

The series will cover six topics:

1. Laying the Foundation
2. Three Rules for Growing Your Business
3. Lead Generation
4. More Lead Generation
5. Electronic Marketing
6. Closing the Deal

Beginning in June we will cover one topic per month. We will hold the same workshop twice each month at different locations around the greater Cleveland area to give everyone an opportunity to acquire the easy-to-use, practical techniques. The first session will be held on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 7:30 to 9:30 AM in WIRE-Net's Classroom, 4855 W. 130th Street, Suite 1, Cleveland, OH 44135. The same topic will be presented again on Thursday, June 11, 2009 from 7:30 to 9:30 AM at Warwick Communications, Inc., 2806 Payne Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. The per-session cost for WIRE-Net members is $20 and $25 for non members. You can save 20% by signing up for the entire series!

For more information, contact Jacki Adams at 216.588.1440 ext. 114. Seating is limited, so register early by calling Anne Schaum at 216.588.1440 ext 101.

WIRE-Net is pleased to be working with Bruce Felber (Creative Director - Felber & Felber Marketing), Damian Petrini, Erica Root Cikanek, Chris Stadler, and Carol A. Staiger on this important venture.

You may also call me at 330-963-3664 for more information.

Bruce Felber

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks!

Play Ball this summer with a hot new promotional package. The Home Run Gift Box includes a promotional synthetic baseball, a 6" baseball bat pen and a baseball key chain with a box of Cracker Jacks and a bag of David sunflower seeds in a gift box. Your logo/message printed on baseball key chain, baseball bat pen and baseball.

Perfect for company outings, behind the fence parties and promotional direct mail with a sports theme. Special pricing starts under $20.00. For more sports or leisure related themes contact Bruce Felber at brucefelber@felberandfelber.com.

One Second and a Heart Attack

Ok the Cavs/Magic games are keeping my stress level up and my heart pumping. Is this good? Game one was tough as we shot ourselves in the foot too many times. Game two we adjusted much better and LeBron is the ultimate champion. Nice to see a game winning buzzer beater, but to win the series we need to play our second half with the same focus and energy as the first half. Don't get me wrong I am happy we won, but would like it to be a bit more comfortable. Yes we are now playing with the big boys and we have the stuff to do it right. Just like in marketing you need a game plan, talent and the ability to run the play and make the right adjustments.

What does this teach us? Well never underestimate the competition or the market place. Look ahead, but stay on course. Like the Cavs we all want the win, so teamwork is the key. Hard work and true messaging will prevail.

Bruce Felber

CLEAN SWEEPS ADD TO MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

The second sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the the playoffs elevate the marketing of two brands. It seems that the stage is being set for the ultimate match between the Cavs and the Lakers and the hype is helping push two brands. Nike and Gatorade are airing commercials pitting LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in head to head high spirited competition to bring brand awareness to their respective companies.

This is all in fun, but with very focused brand positioning and I for one love it. As a Cleveland fan in search for a champion this national attention is great. But remember that Cleveland is more than sports and has a rich manufacturing history with the hardest working people around. Support our local companies as we lift our spirits. Afterall it is "all for one and one for all" in these challenging times. Go Cavs, we are all behind you.

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY

Help the earth stay green with this very special earth-friendly promotional. Order before 4-24 and save an additional 10%.




Contact Bruce for more details.

Misspellings Should Never, Ever Happen

Misspellings in today's world is inexcusable. I cringe when I see it in an advertisement or in a newspaper article. Yes, sometimes things happen and you can't help it but really, with so many eyes on everything before its gets printed or produced, it should never happen.

So why this proofreading reminder? When I was watching ESPN yesterday, the story of the Nationals' new uniform caught my attention. Thanks to this blog post, we have a visual of how "Nationals" was misspelled in front of millions of viewers.

From approving the design to physically producing them to the players wearing the uniform... many should have caught the error. So how did this mistake get this far? I'm sure yesterday and today will be spent trying to figure out where the process of proofreading failed.

So what can you do to prevent mistakes like this? Proofread, give it to someone else, sleep on it, then proof again. The more eyes the better. Read copy backwards. Read copy out loud, including punctuation. Look things up if you don't know what something means. Call phone numbers in your ads to make sure you have the right one. Check zip codes. In our days of having everything at your fingertips, there is no excuse. Even text boxes in Mozilla Firefox has a spell check!

~ Michelle Hirsh, Felber & Felber Marketing

Can your brand survive a crisis with a million YouTube hits

Is your business able to respond to this level of scrutity? Years of positive brand building gone in seconds.

From the New York Times:

Video Prank At Domino’s Taints Brand

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/media/16dominos.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimes

April Showers Bring More Than Flowers

April showers will bring May flowers, but they also bring a fantastic promotional marketing opportunity.

The following are just a few items that will help you brand your products and services to your customers and keep your name around for many years. Reach your target audience with a very affordable promotion.

What else can you do this time of year? Consider umbrella’s with your logo. Your clients will appreciate the extra touch.

For more promotional ideas, click here: Promotional Products

And for wearing apparel click here: Promotional Apparel & Accessories