Mayonaise and coffee...yummy!

This was sent to me the other day. I thought it's message was very special, so I wanted to share it with you....



WHEN IS THE JAR FULL?
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – your faith, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions –and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.
The sand is everything else – the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

A worthwhile charity

As you may know, sports has been an integral part of my childhood, adult and professional life. I’d like to introduce you to a local charitable organization that I’ve recently been made aware of through a contact at Temple University. The organization is called Access Sports. They’re based in Philadelphia, in the Manayunk area.

In a nutshell, Access Sports is trying to provide access to a variety of sporting events in the Delaware Valley to at-risk children and youth groups, individuals with special needs and the economically disadvantaged. Basically, they are trying to introduce the excitement and enjoyment of sports to kids who may not get a chance to see a game or event on their own.

So how can you (and I) help them? This is what they are looking for. I lifted this from their website (www.access-sports.org):
Tickets to Sports Events
Marketing/Public Relations Services
A Digital Camera
Baseball Caps with Access Sports logo
Office Supplies
Disposable Cameras
Signed Sports Memorabilia
Your Help!
Your financial donations are greatly appreciated!

If your company has tickets to a game (Phillies, Riversharks, Temple football) that you know are going to go unused, please think about calling me or Access Sports to donate them (and get a tax break). Additionally, as you can see above, all kinds of office supplies are needed. Lastly, if you want to split the costs of getting any logo’ed items made up for them with your logo on it as well, I’ll do the job at cost.

Please take a few minutes to look over their website, and consider helping them out.

What's new?

"Hey Rich, what do you have that's new? I want something that's really hot; that's really gonna make my customers take notice."

It seems like everyone wants what's new, hot and different for their next promotion. But in reality, what's new usually isn't what's best for the customer. It's amazing that after a customer (or potential customer) asks a question like that, they usually end up buying one of three items -- clothing, pens or magnets. Why? Because what's new, hot and different didn't (or wouldn't) work for them. And in the world of printing and ad specialties, what you really want is something that will deliver your message in a low-cost, high-impact fashion.

As promotional products distributors, we receive literally hundreds of e-mails a week from companies showing off something new. There are shows (there are three in the Delaware Valley in September alone!) where manufacturers show off their latest and greatest. And there are always the new catalogs ("Over 500 new items this year!") to show off all kinds of interesting stuff.

So what are some of the cool, fun things available? How about a watch with a built-in flash drive? Or sunglasses with and MP3 player built in. Admittedly, both are very cool in a James Bond/Mission Impossible-type of way. But will they work for an insurance company, used car dealership or dental office? Probably not.

I received a sample of a bendable pen the other day. Kinda goofy, but it's easy to imagine the possibilities for any number of occupations -- chiropractor, accountant, physical therapist, anyone who works with children, etc. But just as important -- actually probably even important -- is the message that the pen conveys. A bendable pen that says "Jones Chiropractic" and a phone number isn't good. One that says "Jones Chiropractic -- we'll straighten you out" delivers a good message in a memorable fashion -- and isn't that what any business wants?

So the next time you're thinking about a promotional product, don't just ask what's new -- think about what works best for you.

Great quote

I saw this great quote in a chat room the other day. It'a wonderful thing for all people involved in sales to keep in mind.

“There is hardly anything in the world that some man can’t make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey.”
– John Ruskin, art and architecture critic

Have a great Friday!

What's that raised type called

One of the first questions a customer must make when getting business cards printed is whether they would like them printed with "flat" or raised ink. And usually they respond with a question of their own -- "what's the difference?"

In reality and price, there's usually no difference. One is not "better" than the other, nor is one "more professional" than the other. And it's pretty much split 50-50 between business that have raised print (or "thermography") or flat cards. So how do you choose?

If you have pictures, or lots of colors, or very small print on your cards then you almost have to go with regular printing. If you have just a few colors on your card, or maybe just a logo and some type, thermography may be a viable option for you.

So what exactly, is thermography? Thermography is the process of spreading thermal powders on wet ink and heating it in order to melt the powder into a single solid mass ,which is raised above the printed surface.

If you need more information, or if your boss might drop a pop quiz on you, I'd recommend checking out this site:

http://glossary.ippaper.com/default.asp?req=knowledge/article/154

In addition to business cards, thermography is also used on letterhead, envelopes and business cards. If you'd like to see samples of thermography, feel free to drop me an e-mail at: Rich.Bradley@proforma.com

That's it for now!

Freebie Fridays!

We're in the process of negotiating with some of our preferred vendors to get some free stuff to give away every Friday.

We haven't decided if it'll be done through a trivia contest or picking e-mails at random, or whatever. Details, details, details...

Stay tuned!

Welcome to our blog!

To help us stay better connected to you -- our friends, clients, customers and potential customers -- we've joined the World of Blogging. We intend to use this blog to pass along information about what we're doing, current promotions from suppliers, interesting news in the world of marketing, design and/or printing, as well as anything else that we think you may find interesting. We help to give you a reason to come back and visit us often, whether it's to find out what other companies may be doing, our take on the world of news, sports or movies, or to give you some "food for thought." All of this, with very few mentions of Paris Hilton!

If you have a suggestion for a topic you'd like to see addressed, please feel free to pass it along.