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Tips and Tricks of the Trade

Monday, July 25, 2011

Deals, Deals, Deals! But is everyone a winner?

Inquiring minds want to know.  Wow, I dated myself just a bit there!  By now I'm sure many of you are subscribers or at least have heard of group buying sites such as Groupon, Living Social and Play Hawaii.  Basically, these are sites that utilize social media in order to help you advertise and gain new customers to your business, at a cost of course.  Most of the deals offered are 50% off and as a business, you  only see about half of that.  There's no shortage of sites offering deals including national companies Groupon, Living Social and Tippr.  Then there are local sites such as Play Hawaii and Vote on Deals.com.  Even traditional advertising players in TV, radio and print are adding "deals" as an advertising option.  KHON has Daily Deals,  Hawaii News Now has Akamai Buys and The Star-Advertiser has Hot Deals.  Yelp has even joined the fray and allows businesses to post Yelp Deals.

As a consumer, I'm registered with at least 10 of these sites and absolutely love it.  It's a great way to try that restaurant that I've always wanted to try or do that activity that is on my bucket list.  It's also awesome to get a deal at a place that I usually frequent anyway.

As a small business owner though, I am not sure that it is a rewarding alternative for advertising.  I'm always open to different forms of advertising as I truly believe that it's a necessary part of doing business, however; unlike spa services or restaurants which have larger profit margins, we can't afford to offer our services at heavily discounted rates in hopes that we'll retain loyal customers going forward.  I'm not saying that I don't think it's not a viable option for all businesses just not for ours.  I'm interested in hearing if you've used group buying sites either as a consumer or business owner and how it has or has not benefited you.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

July's Promotional Product of the Month: Method Zippered Padfolio

Give your sales force a professional and consistent look with these sleek Method Zippered Portfolios.  Your team will have everything it needs to keep critical information and close the deals all in one place!








Method Zippered Padfolio 15057 

Method Zippered Padfolio's turned edges add to the contemporary look of the curved corners and padded cover. Larger pocket holds loose notes; smaller pocket holds cards or a calculator. Your writing instrument is held in a loop in the spine.
  • Multiple interior pockets for storage of cards and small business accessories
  • Clear I.D. pocket, pen loops and zip closure
  • Includes 8-1/2”w x 11”h writing pad
Materials: Poly-twill with imitation leather trim
Product Size: 10"w x 13-1/2"h x 3/4"d
Product Colors: Black
Price Includes: 1-color imprint, 1 location
Standard Imprint Method(s):
  • Screen Print: Front, 5"w x 8"h, 2 color(s) max.
  • Setup Fee: $50.00 
  • Production Time: 5 Business Days
  • Min. order 25 pieces
    $17.17 each 

    *shipping cost not included