There are a ton of Charity Golf Tournaments happening this year in your area. You will no doubt be approached to play in or donate to a number of these tournaments.  BUT…  If you are a business owner or in sales, here’s why YOU SHOULDN’T PLAY IN THEM!

You may be thinking “But I want to contribute to my community” or, “I want to play with my clients” or, “It’s a great way to meet new people and network”.  That may be true, but there is a better way for you to get involved, contribute directly to the tournament, and meet every single person that is playing. Oh yeah, you will also get recognition during the speeches.  And chances are, IT WON’T COST YOU A DIME.

Let me explain…

Most golf courses have a practice putting green.  Most tournaments use this putting green to have a Putting Game.  Most of them try to put this on themselves, find volunteers to run it and try to find a donated prize for the winner.  Here’s what you do…

Instead of playing in the tournament, you will offer to run the Putting Game from start to finish.  Supply the board (if you don’t have one, we may be able to lend you one – see bottom of the blog), supply the putters, the balls and a prize for the winner.  Why do this instead of playing?

HERE’S WHY……

1.  You will take tremendous pressure off one element of organizing a tournament.  If you’ve never helped organize a tournament, take my word for it… every little bit helps.

2.  Some tournaments don’t even have a putting game.  By offering to do so, you now become a much closer friend to the organization and probably a bit of a hero by offering something that may not otherwise have been available or even considered.  That hero cape is starting to look good on you, isn’t it? 3.  Some putting games are included in the registration, but some generate more funds for the charity:  A $10 donation gets them 3 balls to play the game. 4.  You can also offer to have (actually, you should have) an extra draw prize at the putting green.  Golfers will need to fill out a ballot with their name, phone and email address.  The draw will be held next week, and the winner will be announced on your website / Facebook page on a specific day.  Guess what? While they are filling out their ballot, you are casually asking what they do for a living, who looks after buying whatever it is you sell, and building your database at the same time.  Oh, and they will now be checking your website for the draw winner’s name and maybe “friending” you on Facebook and Twitter too.  It’s great to make new friends!

5.  Recognition. At the dinner ceremony, think how this will sound:  “We’d like to thank Bill (substitute your name here) for raising  $1000.00 with the Putting Game.  Bill works for / runs ABC Company.  Bill, will you please come up and announce the winner”.  While you’re up there, you may want to remind everyone to check your website for the winner of the draw.  If you planned ahead, you gave everyone who filled out a ballot a promotional item with your website on it (I shouldn’t have to tell you where you got those from, right?).  You will now announce the winner, present them with the prize, shake their hand, and receive thunderous applause.  Doesn’t it feel great to have everyone in the room applauding you?  Or at least applauding in your general direction?  Come on, how often does that happen?

5.  You will now be remembered by the organization that ran the tournament as a contributor, and not just someone who played in the tournament.  Chances are, most of the charity volunteers either run or work for other business.  You have now solidified your relationship with these people, and they will likely take time to see you next time you come knocking on their door.  Now you can say to the gatekeeper “I met Lisa when she played the Putting Game at the Crime Stoppers golf tournament” instead of  “I sell widgits… will Lisa see me?”

6.  This may be the best reason of all…  It feels good.  Yes, you are benefiting by the above strategies, but you are still helping a valuable cause.  People don’t forget that.

So now you may be a bit interested in doing this.  It’s not hard, I recommend at least two people run the Putting Game (for bathroom breaks especially).  Have the other person take a TON of photos or even videos.  These will also be posted on your website / Facebook pages.  Guess who will want to look at them… EVERYONE!!! Gosh, more people drawn to your website.  Imagine that.

What???  Don’t have a Putting Board?  That’s OK.

RPM Promotions has one we use, and would be willing to lend out if you’re interested and schedules do not conflict.  And maybe… just maybe, we may even be able to run the putting game for you!  Contact us to learn more.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS ABOUT GOLF TOURNAMENTS? PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!

With almost ¾ million promotional products to choose from, which one will work best for your business? Wouldn’t it be great if there was a single item we could recommend? Well, there’s not. But here are a few tips to help narrow down the choices.

1. Determine exactly who will be receiving the item, and why!
2. Where will the recipient be at the time they would be in most dire need of your products or services.
3. How can you keep your name in front of them at the time when they would be in most dire need of your products and services?

This is not as difficult as it sounds. Plus everyone’s answer will be different, but here’s a great scenario to help you.

Suppose we are an electrician, and we want people to think about us first when an electricians services are required.

First we need to determine who we are targeting. Obviously, people who are having electrical issues that need to be resolved. But we need to narrow that down a bit to know exactly who we want to be in front of. People whose power has gone out, or are renovating and need wiring done, or a breaker keeps popping, or other electrical issues that arise.

Second, where will the recipient most likely be when they realize their level of electrical expertise is minimal at best, and they need to have a professional? While we cannot say for sure, we can make some pretty accurate assumptions. Speaking from experience, when something electrical comes up, I head for the fuse / breaker box. After several minutes of trying to analyze the problem unsuccessfully, that is the most likely time to think “we need an electrician”. Wouldn’t it be nice if our company name, logo and emergency phone number was staring right back at them?

Third – That being said, how do we do that? What could we provide to our amateur electricians that would display our logo and contact information at the time when they would most desperately need us, and save them from flipping through a directory and calling a competitor?

Usually when the power goes out, it’s dark. Even in the daytime, the fuse box is in a dark area of the house. How about a glow in the dark sticker or magnet on the fuse box that says “In the dark? Call Ed the Electrician”. Or perhaps one of those rechargeable lights that are plugged into an outlet, and turn on automatically when there’s a power outage?

.
You get the idea. Ask yourself these questions as it relates to your business. It will help narrow down effective, targeted, and useful promotional ideas that will make you memorable!

We would be happy to spark some ideas for your business. Call or e-mail us today!

I believe Jeffrey Gitomer says “If you can make ‘em laugh, you can make ‘em buy”.  If so, this guy will have a stellar career in sales, or comedy!

Note that his humor is mostly geared towards himself, and not towards his prospects.  Not only is he funny, he interacts with his prospects, engages them, and confirms his message using closing questions during his presentation, all without coming across as pushy.

I think his most effective technique here is that he sold himself and not just the product.  He’s a very smooth fast talker and could probably sell an ice cube to an Eskimo in a matter of minutes.  But judging by his presentation, it does appear he is selling a good product.

Here’s something to consider… is your sales presentation good enough to be viewed on YouTube?

Rewarding.  Practical.  Memorable…

RPM Promotions introduces a heavy-duty, one piece stainless steel grilling utensil with bottle opener, laser-cut to with your logo. Hard maple handles, brass rivets, and optional word text, websites or other logos may be branded onto the front and back of each wooden handle.

Practical, one of a kind gift idea proven to be the talk of any grill, any place.

Who doesn’t have a BBQ?  Great for:

Retail Gift with Purchase

Employee Recognition

Golf or Charity Prizes

Schools, Colleges, University events

Wedding Gifts

and more!

For more details and pricing information, please e-mail or call us right now!

(877) 606-6004

New year.  New targets.  New goals.

Here are just a few ways to cost effectively stay in front of your top prospects and clients all year that will help you achieve your targets and goals.  When your customers are in need of your products or services, you will be right in front of them at the time when they need you the most!  These ideas are also great to keep an important safety message or reminder in front of them as well!

.

. Calendars – even with today’s electronic age, wall and desk calendars are one of the most popular, cost effective and highly impacted and have a guaranteed shelf life of one year!  Chances are you’ve got a promotional calendar in view of you right now.  If not, email me and I’ll send you one of mine (WSL).

. . Sticky Notes – or, more commonly known as “Post It®” notes.  Inexpensive, a rainbow of colours, easy to distribute, everyone uses them, and they stick around for a very long time!

. . Note Cubes – the big brother of sticky notes, these cubes are great for full colour graphics.  Full size cubes have about 700 sheets.  Most full size cubes will last one to two years on someone’s desk!!!

Mugs – not a new idea, but still one of the most popular!  According to a promotional study, a mug sitting on a recipients desk will be looked at about 5 to 10 times a day.  If someone’s going to be looking at their mug anyway, why not have your company name and logo on it?  5 times a day X 5 days a week X 50 work weeks = at least 1250 that person will see your name.  There are a few tricks to choosing the right mug  – contact us to find out how to choose the right one for you!

. Magnets – fridge or otherwise, magnets will literally last for years promoting your company or message.  Most people will not throw out a magnet, since it is a useful item.  Most are on the refrigerator holding up a shopping list, homework, photos etc.  But how can you stand out from all the other magnets on the fridge?  We would be happy to share some ideas on how you can this effectively.

.

There are obviously more ideas, and we would like to know what has worked well for you!  Feel free to add your ideas to the mix.

Questions?  Email – ronp@rpmpromo.ca

The problem, and how you can fix it.

Most marketing and advertising campaigns focus on generating new business or attracting new customers. Unfortunately, some of these campaigns actually have a negative impact on their existing customers.

A personal example: My local Financial Establishment has a promotion for signing up with their credit card. It’s something to the effect of “you can win an exotic trip” by applying. Who wouldn’t want a chance at that? So me, being an existing card holder with this particular establishment, asked the teller if I am automatically entered since I’m a current member. Her answer: “it’s for new customers only”.

“But, I want a chance to win the trip. I’ve been a card holder for quite a while with you. Are existing card holders not eligible for the draw?”, I asked.

“Sorry, it’s only for new customers that sign up for (this particular credit card)”.

My first instinct was to say: “That’s bullsh*t!”. I didn’t, though, but that was my initial reaction.

In her defense, these rules were implemented by the Credit Card Company and not by them, which I found out by asking a few more questions. But most people probably wouldn’t have probed that far. They probably would have a similar initial reaction to mine above, and left with a feeling of being taken for granted. In my opinion, this generates one of three possible responses from your existing customers.

1. “Oh well, I guess that’s the way it is.” – many will either forget about it completely, or they will accept it but with a feeling of resentment for being overlooked as a loyal customer.

2. “I’m cancelling my service with you, and then re-applying so I can be eligible for the offer.” – Yes, this actually happens. This is counter-productive and wastes your customers time, and your company’s time.

3. “I’m cancelling my service with you, and signing up with your competition.” – While I have not researched any specific statistics, common sense suggests this probably happens more than many will admit or worse, even realize. Chances are you or someone you know has done this.

So, what can you do to avoid this from happening to your business? Send out a little blurb to your clients such as:

Bill – You’ll likely see “Promotion X” being advertised soon in order to generate new customers. While that is its main purpose, I certainly wouldn’t want to fail to reward you, one of our most valued customers. So, if you’d like to take advantage of it too, you can do so anytime before the deadline date. Ask I ask is that you give me two referrals I can send some information to and use your name with.”

Wow. Not only have you solidified your relationship with your existing customers by including them in upcoming promotions that specifically attract new business, you’ve also created a way to ensure your prospect list grows by two referrals should your existing customers want to be included in the promotion. Win for your existing customer – Win for you.

Thieves have long distance readers waiting to steal sensitive data from your credit card for fraudulent transactions.  Check out this news video below.

SOLUTION – Manufactured from a NEW patent-pending multi-ply RFID blocking high strength laminate to block the transmission of high frequency radio waves (13.56 MHz or UHF 860-960 MHz) used by smart contactless credit cards, debit cards, licenses etc… The new IDENTITY THEFT GUARD sleeves completely block the unauthorized retrieval of confidential information embedded within these “smart” card.

This provides excellent protection in public places, such as airports, malls or even just walking down the street.  Less than $1.00 will help protect from unauthorized access to all your credit card information.

Provide these to your customers and your logo will be with them where ever they use their credit card.  When other people ask them what it is and where they got it, guess who gets talked about?

For more information, please contact us!

Introducing Pop Up Cards!

Invitations…  Special announcements…  Product launches…  These will create instant impact with your message, get shown to a ton of people, and generate interest in your promotion!

E-mail us for more information!

Check out these two short video presentations!

Prices start at $0.85 each.

Delivery ranges from 2 -4 weeks for orders less than 5,000 units, to 8 – 10 weeks for higher quantities.

- Fully customizable pop up box (4 colour process In and Out)

- Fully customizable inner info card

- Option to replace info card with STORE gift card. Fits perfectly!! – Some gift cards will increase the weight, thus increase the cost with Canada Post!   Please note!

- Customizable envelope.  Colour of choice.  Extra cost will apply.

- Self adhesive envelope.  We can deliver sealed or open.  Please specify!!

- Stamping, labeling, and mailing services are available.  Extra cost will apply.

- Weight is 28 grams.  Perfect for Canada Post or US postal service.

Still have questions?  Ready to order?

Contact us now!  We are happy to help you.

Here’s a great behind the scenes look at what goes on when you order something with your logo!

Not only made from stone, but made in CANADA too, eh!

No trees, no water, or bleach are used in its production.  Rock Paper Notepads can be marked with a variety of metal objects such as paper clips, keys, pop tabs, as well as your everyday pen or pencil.

This tough paper works in extreme conditions, is water resistant, tear resistant, grease proof, and anti-bacterial!

These are perfect for the Health Care industry, Educational sector, Automotive industry, Marine sector or anyone working outdoors in poor weather conditions such as construction workers, police, fire department, city workers etc.

Plus, we have fully custom BAGS MADE FROM STONES as well!

Check out all the styles and pricing information here, and an overview in the video below…

To learn more or request samples, please contact us.

Contact us if you have any questions, or to place an order right now!