Bruce Fox Blog

Estimated Read Time: 7 Minutes

…we were a species of storytellers.

 Prior to the development of written language, telling stories was the only way to reflect and pass knowledge and history from generation to generation. Stories were used to explain events and natural occurrences like fire, storms, and thunder. They related myths, legends, and gods in a way that bound people to common beliefs and cultures. Stories, in essence, were much of what made us human.

 And until not so long ago, we were pretty good at telling stories. Bedtime stories, ghost stories, war stories, jokes—all served a purpose to share and connect with other human beings.

 Heck, an endless parade of theme songs from TV shows are introductory stories—The Jeffersons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Flintstones, Cheers, The Addams Family. In fact, think about the first lines in the lyrics for The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

“Here's a story, of a lovely lady…”

“Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed…”

“Now this is a story all about how…”

 Yep…stories—literally.  I’ll give you a minute to finish singing.

Estimated Read Time: 9 Minutes

The summer tends to be a “dry season” for many distributors. Between your staff’s vacations and your client’s, it feels like orders are stalled during this time.

Why does everyone want to take off right before the flurry of back to school season?

However, there are still a few things that you can do instead of gazing out the window dreaming of the lake or beach.

Estimated Read Time: 10 Minutes

There are so many stock options out there, you could easily get lost. The chucks of glass alone on SAGE or ESP could keep you busy for hours. Then if you are brave enough to venture out of the heaps of cheap stock options, it quickly turns into a lot of random products that semi-fall under the category of recognition mixed in with awards and other items.

With that being said, it’s good to have choices and options, especially when that fits your budget and other needs. Though, it’s better to have a partner supplier that you trust to be your go-to for awards rather than mindlessly scrolling through glass, acrylic, and etc. for hours.

However, what happens when your client asks for something unique that they’ve never seen before?

What happens when your client asks for something that fits them - their branding, their messaging, and their culture perfectly?

Estimated Read Time: 6 Minutes

For those who didn’t see our DYK DYR? blog, there is a stark difference between our custom line and our DYR line. Our custom work starts with a blank sheet of paper and a conversation, then we design and build the new idea from scratch, here’s a how-to blog explaining our process.

Our DYR line consists of stock pieces that you can customize a little to your needs.

Estimated Read Time: 22 Minutes

I mentioned in a recent blog that I worked at a digital marketing agency for years. It seems to have surprised some, but here I am. I made the jump from the innovative and cutting edge industry of digital agency life to the (and I hate saying it) lagging promo industry.

Ouch. I know.

Estimated Read Time: 7 Minutes

I’m on a few lists, groups, and industry exclusive chats where I see questions, answers, and comments about everything from, “Where can I find this pen?” to “What CRM program do you recommend?” Every single question is valid and I love scrolling through and helping where I can. The exchanging of information allows us to quickly fill our needs, grow, have helpful conversations, and gain further knowledge.

Despite the plethora of information, flyers of deals, and the occasional post about a podcast, I have seen little about growing a current client. It’s usually about the next prospect and going for bigger and better.

Yes, growing your pool of prospects and keeping that sales funnel full is essential. You will never hear me say that’s not important. In fact, I wrote some tips a while ago about selling to new prospects.

However, what I’m saying is that there are two pieces of sales that are often neglected. One is upselling, which I addressed in a previous blog.

The other is about growing and cultivating clients that you already have.

Estimated Read Time: 4.5 Minutes

I have tacos on the brain… thanks @JayBusselle and #promochat.

So, delicious tacos and Engraved Value Plaques – what on the world do those have in common? Certainly not the taste and ability to eat them - obviously.

Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

Awards tend to travel. Whether they’re going to a local place basically in your backyard, going to an exotic or central location to be presented, or the point of the trophy is to travel, even internationally. We’ve seen it all. We’ve made it all.

So, with our experience, here are a few tips we’ve put together to be aware of when traveling with awards.

Estimated Read Time: 8 Minutes

I’m getting married soon. The countdown clock is ticking and I try not to hyperventilate every time I think about it. It’s not that I don’t want to get married; it’s just that there is so much to do. Too many moving parts, you could say. 

But despite the insanity of planning a destination wedding, there has been my fiancé through it all. Always willing to pitch in, come up with ideas, and give me a much-needed reality check. It’s nice having a partner through it all, right?

Then, being the workaholic that I am, I realized something. Through all the wedding madness that has consumed my life, there is an analogy somewhere in here, likely in a semi-packed box next to the random changes to make everyone happy and the endless gifts and just “stuff.”

Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

How do you evaluate and target prospective clients? Do you choose willy-nilly or do you have key markets and audiences that you have researched, analyzed, and campaigned for?

Ok, so sometimes you stumble upon clients, but the majority of the time, you work for them, right?

That’s why it is good to be thankful when a prospect does fall in your lap, but it’s best to plan and have a strategy.

On the subject of strategy, one strategy that our 80 years of experience has found successful is niche marketing.