Be Yourself...No One Else is Qualified.

God Bless America!

2009-07-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

JULY 1, 2009 - Live from the Mecklenburg County Courthouse - JURY DUTY! A great way to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July. As "Truman" (the fellow in charge of the jury room) gave us an orientation at 8:30 a.m., I was reminded of our system - though not perfect - that allows a person accused of a crime to be judged by a jury of twelve. I would certainly prefer that (especially knowing that I would be innocent!) to having one man-an Ayatollah, perhaps-determine my fate. How about you?

Marketing thoughts-The hits keep coming from David Meerman Scott and Web Ink Now...check out the Marketing of the Grateful Dead. Scott shares his thoughts on the Dead's "counter-culture marketing" that begs the question, "How are we marketing our business...Are we doing it pretty much the same way our competitors are?"

Game Plan for Life-The Super Bowl and NASCAR champion Coach Joe Gibbs is releasing a book this month billed as "Your Personal Playbook for Success." Joe commissioned a research firm to ask the man on the street what "success" meant. From the results, Coach Gibbs recruited 11 experts to each write a chapter on subjects including Finances, Health, Relationships, God, Purpose. Check out the website for more of the scoop on this project. And putting his money where his mouth is, Coach is buying breakfast for 1000 men at the Westin in Charlotte on July 31 to talk about the book while sharing his heart and spiritual journey.

"When you are through learning...."

2009-01-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

"....you are through." So said John Wooden, perhaps the most respected coach in the history of intercollegiate athletics.

There's no excuse for not learning when folks like David Meerman Scott, author of a book we featured in our early blogging days - The New Rules of PR & Marketing, continues to put out great stuff....for FREE! Check out his excellent site and download some of his latest content including Lose Control of Your Marketing and The New Rules of Viral Marketing.

Portions of Scott's latest e-book appear in his soon-to-be released World Wide Rave. What is THAT? Glad you asked. According to the author, "A World Wide Rave is when people around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products-whether you're located in San Francisco, Dubai, or Reykjavik. It's when global communities eagerly link to your stuff on the Web. It's when online buzz drives buyers to your virtual doorstep. And it's when tons of fans visit your Web site and your blog because they genuinely want to be there."

Scott gives you the RULES of creating a World Wide Rave...FREE...look 'em up on his site.

Speaking of RAVES.....our Neat Stuff Production crew is jazzed about our latest HIT video featuring the highlights of the 2009 Orlando ASI Promo Show - Episode One. We feature a handful of the COOLEST new promotional products with - hold your breath - more to come in later Episodes. Check it out and help us start the World Wide Rave.

Sunshine in '09!

2009-01-05T05:49:00.001-08:00

It's the first Monday morning in January and the Neat Stuff/Western team is wrapping up a great four days at the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) Show in Orlando. It goes without saying that the multitudes (that's you) are anxiously awaiting the Neat Stuff Production videos featuring all the latest and greatest from the show. As always, our focus in not on "stuff" but on helping you get results. We're planning on a great year in 2009 and our primary objective is to assist our clients in having a great year as well.

Stay tuned.

Just Passin' Through?

2008-12-28T10:32:00.000-08:00

Dave Hancock-a great one in the Promotional Product business and, more importantly, a great friend to many-on December 8th finished his race on this earth. Dave started his promotional career in the late 80's with Applegate/Potter in Charlotte and later joined the local firm Fletcher Barhnardt & White-one of the nation's largest promotional agencies at the time. Dave spearheaded the FBW fulfilment division which launched programs in the 90's for the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and numerous corporate clients. Dave is survived by his mother, Katy, and his daughters Laura, Liz and a grandson, Carter.

Big Show, Big Success!

2008-10-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Once again, hundreds of Neat Stuff fans attended the annual Christmas in October (click here to see life-changing video) event held at the Ballantyne Resort on Wednesday, October 15th. Entertaining the crowd was motivational speaker and magician, Chris Hannibal. Hannibal (available for YOUR employee or marketing event) dazzled the crowd with numerous feats of intrigue and MAGIC! Dianne "Sweetie" Maxwell did her annual Vanna White imitation at the Spinning Wheel while giving away Parker Pens, Free Golf at Ballantyne Resort, our annual Limited Edition Inspirational Tee Shirts, the 08-09 Neat Stuff U. Motivational Calendar, Cutter & Buck/Clique/New Wave golf shirts and apparel, flash drives from Leeds, Maui Jim sunglasses.....and much more!

Special thanks to our exhibitors representing Fabriko, Cutter & Buck, Gemline, Maui Jim, Panache Publishers, Imagemark, Integrity Media, The Murphy Group, Greg Norman, Le Blue Private Label Water, Parker/Papermate, Plybon Company, Journal Books, WA Recognition, Ash City, Eagle Dry Goods, Shedrain, Starline, HIT Promotions, Kanata Blanket, Toppers and Next Promotions.

Neat Stuff Show this week!

2008-10-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 15th is the time and the Ballantyne Resort is the place where suppliers from around the country will share the latest in promotional products, employee incentives and direct marketing. "This year we are putting an extra emphasis on helping our clients get results," said Neat Stuff U. Chancellor Haines Maxwell. "While this always drives us, we have brought in a number of exhibitors to help us focus in this area." Among first-time participants in the show dubbed "Christmas in October" are Imagemark-a firm that specializes in variable data printing, direct mail, PURLs (personalized URLs) and on-demand printing; Integrity Media-experts in using video for web and email applications;WA Rewards-our in-house employee recognition division; The Murphy Group - specialists in unique, custom import programs.

It's still not too late to sign up. Register today and plan to drop in this Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Back to School - Great Events!

2008-08-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

One of my friends checked out our blog the other day and said, "Dude! You haven't posted anything since June!" Guilty. The Chancellor has been on the road this summer to Folly Beach, Blowing Rock, Wichita and the Rocky Mountains! All business, of course.

Time to get back in the groove. Let's start with Great Events:

1-First Fridays. Friends, clients, countrymen - have been joining us on the First Friday of each month for fellowship, burgers, brats, beverage, prizes, chipping golf balls...all at the Neat Stuff U. Student Union patio. Next blast noon-ish on September 5th. Join us THIS FRIDAY if the hurricane doesn't get us.

2-Art/Music show. If you're not hip enough to go up to NoDa (or if you haven't even heard of it...derived from "NOrth DAvidson"...north of downtown). All kind of Neat Stuff going on this coming Friday evening, September 5th...art, music, food.

3-Projecting Hope Film Festival. FREE inspirational films at the Ayrsley theaters (485 and South Tryon) all weekend long.....October 3rd-5th. Amazing Grace, Bella, Facing the Giants, Veggie Tales, Expelled by Ben Stein, and more! Info at http://www.projectinghope08.blogspot.com/

4-Christmas in October. The big NEAT STUFF Show will be held once again at the Ballantyne Resort on Wednesday, October 15th. Suppliers from around the country will be showing there Neat Stuff from 10 a.m. til 3 p.m. On-line registration will be available sooooon.

...and a BUSINESS thought.....according to the experts, what are the most effective days and times to send emails? And the answer is.... (click right here!)

Raving Fans!

2008-06-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

What is a raving fan? As Ken Blanchard wrote in his best-selling book Raving Fans, "if you really want to 'own' the customer, if you want a booming business, you have to go beyond satisfied customers and create raving fans."

How loyal are your clients? Are they telling others great things about you? Are they blogging about YOU? (Just thought I'd throw that in since I'm a veteran blogger of 6 months).

Local Story #1 ~ With a customer event a few days away, I stopped by the Matthews Beantown Tave rn location and approached my new friend, Beantown owner Donnie Gaskin, about my purchasing a handful of ten dollar gift certificates and "borrowing" a pot of his AWESOME clam chowder so we could give out free tastes at our client cookout. Good for us, good for Beantown, right? Whoa, check out what happens next. Donnie said, "I'll be back in a minute" and left my sweetie, Dianne and me eating chowder at our table. Moments after Big Papi (Red Sox player David Ortiz, for you non-baseball fans) hit a homerun into the right field bullpen on one of Beantowns's flat-panel screens, Donnie returned with a STACK of FIFTY and ONE HUNDRED dollar gift certificates....for me....no charge. I was speechless. Donnie said, "I'm a marketing guy. If just one or two of those folks come to Beantown and become regular customers it's a great deal for me!" Wow....over the top! Little did Donnie know that he would ALSO become FAMOUS by appearing on the Neat Stuff U. blog! FYI: We smuggled the SECRET Neat Stuff-Cam into the pre-opening party of Donnie's NEW Beantown Tavern location by the Western Associates/Neat Stuff office at the Fountains. See the results.

Local Story #2 ~ "I go the extra mile to help you achieve your goals," says the website of local realtor, Ann Cabaniss, http://www.workwithwhoworks.com/. When her firm-Carolinas Realty and Investing Group-helped our own David Murray purchase a home recently, she put her money where her mouth was. Not only did she pay for an upgrade on David's home warranty but when she heard David mention his desire to get someone to pressure wash part of his new home, Ann made the arrangements...and paid the bill. If that doesn't define "going the extra mile" then Ann's recent delivery of a watermelon for David from her family farm in Pageland should do it.

Back to Ken Blanchard and Raving Fans....are people talking about your business, my business? Are they loyal? Are they raving? Are they spreading the news? Have we given them a reason to?

Water, Water Everywhere!

2008-05-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

My Sweetie and I started drinking Le Bleu bottled water a couple of years ago. The taste of this water (distilled and filtered in the Carolinas!) is so pure that we won't drink anything else. Several weeks ago we were approached by Le Bleu to distribute their water through a private label program (THEIR water with YOUR name on it). We were delighted! The BEST water with a SUPER BONUS...since Le Bleu is covering most of the Carolinas with their 5-gallon service trucks they can deliver water for our clients (in most counties) FREE of CHARGE! Check out the our short VIDEO clip featuring our highly paid professionals.

Le Bleu was recently voted the "BEST Non-Alcoholic Beverage in the Western Hemisphere" at the International Food and Beverage Trade Show in Miami and better than that....if you have connections in high places (that would be your friends at Neat Stuff U.), you can try Le Bleu's 5-gallon service in your home or business for a month.....FREE!

Tech - knowledge - E?

2008-05-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

.....trying to do a little word play on "technology"....not sure it will have the impact I'm looking for...but it does take me to a question: What technology are you currently employing that is making you more effective, more efficient? What new technology do you want to put in place in 2008?

Here are a few things we're learning from and trying to utilize at Neat Stuff U.

1-Video. A friend of mine recently told me that a picture is worth a 1000 words and a video is worth a 1000 pictures. At an industry show in January, a colleague introduced me to his FLIP Camera by Pure Digital. (This was right after a stirring Bobby Lehew seminar, by the way). In the last 60 days, I've "made movies" of a regional industry trade show, several new product lines, an interview with our Cutter & Buck rep on the new 2008 line, a men's retreat in the mountains of Virginia, and a trip to UNCW to see my sweet daughter, Anna! Pretty simple...software is built into the unit and it connects directly to your computer without any cables! Using Windows Movie Maker (on most new computers), you can add Titles, Credits, music, and witty comments scrolling across the screen!

How can you use video? Something to think about. Video clients that you go to see. Clients that come to see you. Send a video follow-up to your meeting. Send a copy to folks who missed the meeting. Show a new product. Video industry trade show. Video your support staff that your clients chat with but never see. Roll play presentations. Tips from top performers to send to the rest of the sales gang. Add video to your website - experts tell us that the Search Engines love video! I just did a Google Search on some industry key words and found our company in the TOP TEN from a video we put on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. Check out this 60-second promo we produced in our Men's Restroom! It's scary but clean.

2-Paying Verizon or AT&T for 411 info? Stop that. Program "800-GOOG-411" into your speed dial and use it, for FREE-thanks to Google- for your phone number searches. After they give you the number, you can say "text" for a text message of the number or "map" for, you guessed it, a map of the location....sent right to your cell phone. Cool. Save those quarters. They turn into dollars. (My dad just told me his cell service charges a BUCK for each directory info inquiry!)

3-Google 2. Have you explored Google? Seems like they come up with new stuff everyday. My brother Scott Maxwell, the custom home builder extraordinaire, mentioned to me over lunch last Sunday that he uses iGoogle (I'd never heard of it) as his home page. You design it to include all kind of useful info, news updates, RSS feeds...it's up to you. Scott also uses the FREE google calendars for a variety of functions including setting up a separate calendar for each job that allows his clients to track the progress on their new home construction.

4-Do you use Microsoft Outlook for your e-mail? Do you get a b-zillion e-mails? These babies will clog your computer if you don't DELETE them. When you DELETE your emails they simply shift to the DELETE FOLDER where you have to ...DELETE them again...unless you know the DSS (Double Secret Shortcut). Identify your e-mail-to-be-deleted, Hit SHIFT while clicking the "X" button, and WHAMMO, the e-mail will be PERMANENTLY deleted. A Microsoft instructor gave us several pages of great tips like this in a Word Document. Email the Chancellor for your FREE copy haines@neatstuffu.com

Charlotte's Best Kept Secrets?

2008-04-02T02:52:00.000-07:00

To our multitude of national and international readers (Mom, Aunt Helen...you out there?), forgive me as we share a few of our local Best Kept Secrets!

First Fridays - Yes, we had to start with our own BKS. Chef Boy-AR-Neatstuff is grilling out on the back patio of NSU the first Friday of each month during the lunch hour. Join in for free food, fellowship, and possibly some brainstorming of all things promotional...and during certain times of the year, Tarheel basketball. Jump in this Friday, April 5th, if you're able! (You might just receive a very cool NEAT USEFUL THING if you join us). May 2nd is around the corner.

Tosco Music Parties - Live entertainment OR sitting on the sofa watching the boob tube...your choice. Several times a year the Tosco gang hosts an incredible evening of live music....our favorite is the annual BEATLES TRIBUTE. Twenty-plus DIFFERENT acts (solo artists, duets, rock bands, choirs....you never know) each do ONE Beatles song over the course of several hours...it's incredible...especially for around TEN BUCKS...next Beatles night is May 17. Several times a year, the Tosco Music Party (next one is Saturday, April 12) is the non-Beatles version of the same event. Individuals and Bands from around the country show up to give you their best shot. Creative Loafing described the TMPs as , "Think of it as the musical equivalent of walking into Ben & Jerry's and saying: "I'd like a spoonful of everything, please." http://www.toscomusicparty.com/ Special events at places like Spirit Square...nightly live music year-round up at NoDa section in the Evening Muse.

The Flying Biscuit - couldn't leave out the food. Located off of 485 and Rea Road ~ to the left of the Chik-Fil-A at Stonecrest. This cute little place features a varied menu including incredible all-day breakfast food ( a lot of organic stuff!) from 7 a.m. til 9 p.m. weekdays and til 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays. The Oatmeal pancakes with fresh peaches are the Chancellor's favorite. Don't skip the Creamy Dreamy Grits...even the Yankees like 'em. http://www.flyingbiscuit.com/

Fighting the Good Fight

2008-03-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

I was in Cary, NC visiting our friends and clients at the V Foundation last week and Joyce Aschenbrenner, one of the ladies that tries to keep Nick Valvano in line, told me, "Anyone can be affected by cancer...and everyone can help." I was blown away to hear about the new Show Your Spirit campaign ~ a company, school or organization of ANY size can pitch in with each person participating contributing only FIVE bucks! It all adds up.

Check out http://www.jimmyv.org/showspirit/ for the scoop and get signed up today. Employees pitch in five dollars and can wear garb from their favorite school on a designated day. Most groups are doing March 20/21-the first two days of the NCAA first round games but you can push it back a week or so if you need to. Congrats to the Winthrop Eagles, by the way, for jumping into the Big Dance again!

Just to get you in the mood, our staff selected - at random - the photo (upper right) from a recent college hoops game...oh, look, it's UNC's Danny Green dunking on ("posterizing" is the official term, I believe) Duke's Greg Paulus. Oh well, it was all in fun, I'm sure. Go ahead and CLICK HERE if you feel like you need to see a video version to really get in the Spirit.

News Flash: Men and Women are Different.

2008-02-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

Are men and women different? If so, are there different ways to market to women? Before we answer the last question, let's see if we believe the first one to be true. Some recent data from our Neat Stuff University Gender Laboratory:

Several days before the Super Bowl, a friend of my wife stopped by the house to chat (truth be told, Mother "A" wanted to have her teenage son meet teenage daughter of Mother "B"). As the "chatting" wrapped up, we were invited to their Super Sunday party. Our friend (Mother "B") mentioned on the way out the door that she wasn't too excited about the game but she always enjoys watching Brett Favre.

Well, I was silent for a moment and after taking a calm, deep cleansing breath, I shared with the ladies, "This conversation reminds me that men and women are different." The women gave me a quizzical look. I continued, "A woman cheers for Brett Favre because of his rugged, handsome looks. A man, on the other hand, considers the fact that the Packers were beaten by the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game two weeks ago and thus Green Bay and Mr. Favre will not be participating in the Super Bowl....nonetheless, we will still make plans to watch the game."

Back to MARKETING TO WOMEN...INC.com offers their thoughts in The Six Costliest Mistakes in Marketing to Women.
1. Mistake: Thinking that women are a "niche."
Reality: Women are the primary consumers in the United States. (Ties in nicely with Chancellor Maxwell's Wise Saying #5 - "Women Rule the World")
2. Mistake: Thinking that the female consumer marketing opportunity requires less funding. (Females require less funding? Is it just me or don't most men over the age of 16 have a clue on this already...HM). Reality: Women are no "specialty" market, so reaching them should be a budget priority.

Some stats from Mistake #5...Seventy-eight percent of women in the US use the Internet for product information before making a purchase and 33% research products and services on-line before buying offline.

Curious minds can check out additional thoughts and some interesting research in Mistakes 3-6. Go Packers.

Kootie Prevention and Kissing Wax

2008-01-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

My first Quickie Post! (officially defined as "typing with one hand while doing another task with the other"). I'm packing my bags for three days/two nights in Old Towne Wichita for the Western Associates national sales meeting! (My wife hates me because I can pack in 3 minutes...unless I'm going to be gone for more than a week...then it takes 4 minutes).

We've just discovered a new dual-purpose promotional product and wanted to bring it to the world without delay. It's the item you've been waiting for....Kootie Prevention (spray hand sanitizer) on one end and Kissing Wax (avoid the heartbreak of CHAPPED lips) on the other. SUPER ITEM FOR TRADE SHOWS! Special Note: This device has only been found useful by individuals who engage in shaking hands and/or kissing. This product has NOT been tested on animals.

Click here to get more product info! Back to packing. Westward HO!

New Rules of Marketing & PR?

2008-01-23T03:14:00.000-08:00

"Think about it," says David Meerman Scott, "You're watching your favorite TV show, so the advertiser's job is to craft a commercial to get you to pay attention, when you'd really rather be doing something else, like quickly grabbing some ice cream before the show resumes."

Thanks to the recommendation of industry colleague Bobby Lehew, Scott's book -The New Rules of Marketing & PR - is getting us to pay attention with simple and profound observations. "The web is different. Instead of one-way interruption, Web marketing is about delivering useful content at just the precise moment that a buyer needs it." Scott gives great insight into how you can benefit from strategically utilizing web content, blogging, on-line news releases, video, podcasts....good grief, most of these concepts didn't exist ten years ago!

A taste of the work can be found by checking out David's pdf The New Rules of PR - How to create a press release strategy for reaching buyers directly."

A final thought from Scott: "Reporters and editors use the Web to seek out interesting stories, people, and companies. Will they find you?"

A final thought from us: "Go get this book."

Dress for Success?

2008-01-11T02:28:00.000-08:00

Fifteen years ago, we had regular requests for fifteen to twenty dollar embroidered golf shirts that our clients used for trade show uniforms, golf tournament prizes, customer gifts. One day, we asked a buyer, "Why not get a few less shirts, spend the same total amount of money, and get a really nice shirt that folks will ACTUALLY WEAR after the event is over?" We all scratched our heads for a moment and...Shazaaaaam! A new vision was born in the name of quality! We began showing higher-end apparel...even when we were given a specific, lower budget figure per shirt. The next thing you know our clients were getting great results using Cutter & Buck, Nike, Ping, Greg Norman, Ashworth, Bobby Jones. Of course, there is a place for an inexpensive shirt (Haines Maxwell, Sr., the custom home builder, taught me as a wee lad that "cheap" was no longer in the vocabulary and could be nicely replaced by "inexpensive"....we have provided tens of thousands of "inexpensive shirts" over the years to our favorite fast-service restaurant...and everyone seems to be quite happy).

Important observation: Notice how happy the couple on the bike seem to be wearing their high-quality Cutter & Buck shirts! Not sure how long the Ms. will enjoy riding on the back fender but I guarantee you she loves the shirt.

Today, our Charlotte sales team is meeting at 11 a.m. to share ideas from the promotional product show in Orlando and I'm going to do a survey of the most popular brands and get some feedback from our experts regarding the "what" and "why" of the world's finest apparel. The boss is even going all out and springing for PIZZA for the gang.

The results of this meeting will be delivered to YOU......free of charge...via BLOGGING and the World Wide Web....I love this country!

Inspired in Orlando

2008-01-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in the Orlando airport enjoying the compassion-filled announcement over the loud speaker that our flight back home to Charlotte has just been delayed...again. Having just attended 2.5 days worth of promotional product poop (I'm using "poop" as a good word here) at the annual Advertising Specialty Institute product show, I'm still stirred over the seminar I attended Thursday morning (it's Saturday afternoon as I type) on "Web 2.0 and Blogging." I had never read a BLOGuntil this past April (in fact, I just found out two days ago that it's short for "WEBLOG"). After checking out one of the country's fastest growing churches (Charlotte's rockin' Elevation Church-ear plugs available at the door...really... http://www.elevationchurch.org/) with a couple of my kids, I checked out their pastor's BLOG to get a better feel for what they were up to.

So...the next thing I know, I 'm writing my own blog. Actually, I'll be teaming up with our crew from Western Associates, Home of Neat Stuff University (http://www.neatstuffu.com/ will give you the scoop on what THAT'S about) to offer thoughts on marketing, branding, incentives, corporate fulfillment programs, why Cutter & Buck is the Charlotte office's favorite apparel line, employee recognition, and random things in the world that make us go "wow!" and sometimes "huh?". Speaking of "huh?"...what do you think about the campaign that Cingular Wireless ran a while back...the billboards declared that among major wireless carriers, Cingular had "Fewest Dropped Calls!" It's interesting to me that the best thing they could think to say about themselves could be summarized as "We suck LESS than anyone else!" That message dazzled me almost as much as the label I saw years ago on a nutritious beverage that bragged (?) "Contains 2% REAL fruit juice."

Well friends, we're off and blogging. The BSL (Blog Seminar Leader - I like to name things) told us the key to having a blog that folks other than your mom will read is HELPFUL CONTENT...we will make this our noble goal. (By the way, our newly formed BRT - Blog Research Team - has determined that it is a SCIENTIFIC fact that before BLOGGING, folks had more time to build model airplanes....note picture of Uncle Ed in upper right hand corner).

The folks from AirTran are calling...time to board the rocket to Charlotte.