Trophy Awards

Logos Etch Free

Tom — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:04:00 GMT

I like to analyze TV commercials. Sort of weird I guess…but there are some companies that generally have eye-catching and entertaining commercials along with a noteworthy message. Some commercials catch your eye, but I don’t really notice the message or company name. Other companies have a strong message, but it is a boring presentation.

I like the new Bud Light commercials with the paintball battle…too light…to heavy. I enjoy paintball and could have used the fighter jet support more than once.

I also like the commercials for Southwest Airlines. The new commercial has the tough looking crew looking sad as they wave goodbye to the bags. Or, they make the jingle with the phrase “bags fly free” repeating over and over. I like the message and I find it entertaining. They are believable commercials too…the actors really look like folks I see moving bags on and off the jets.

The parallel message of the commercial struck me just the other day. I mean, basically they are reminding folks that when you buy airline tickets you need to look at the whole price…not just the advertised price. They say it in a pleasant and entertaining way, but the message is, “Hey y’all, don’t be fooled by our competitors’ low advertising pricing because they don’t include baggage fees.” The folks at Southwest feel that it is necessary to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to tell us this. They must be losing customers to their competition.

It reminds me of the pricing complexities here at Trophy Awards. From time to time we shop the competition to check-out their pricing. There are some competitors who advertise lower pricing on similar items. How can this be? Well, as I read further or type-in hypothetical text, I see the pricing start to shoot-up. Yesterday, I noticed a company where 40 characters are included in the price of an acrylic award. Oh, and if you want your logo etched on the acrylic award, there is an additional charge for that too.

When you look at the details, the Trophy Awards value far exceeds our competition. You see, our acrylic awards include a standard amount of wording. We don’t have a formulaic count, but it is safe to say that our acrylic includes 40-words not 40-letters of text. We also don’t charge logo fees.

I wish I had Southwest’s marketing budget so I could run some eye-catching, and entertaining commercials with a strong message. We could make up a song that says, “logos etch free” or “wording is free”. I don’t want to lose customers to our competitors who simply advertise a really low price knowing the final product will cost a bundle more.

My message today is fundamentally the same as Southwest’s…”please shop carefully, and don’t be misled by deceptive pricing tricks.”

Success Despite the Economy

Tom — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:47:00 GMT

Many people have asked me how the economy is affecting our business. I am glad to answer that Trophy Awards is still healthy and growing despite the ominous warnings from the Evening News. The next question they usually ask is, "why"? What makes Trophy Awards successful? The most blunt answer is, "I'm not exactly sure." I imagine our success and continued growth is a combination of many factors, but below are a few that I think are most significant.

Good employees are a key to success...they are practically priceless. Good business leaders understand the importance of having motivated staff members who feel they are an important part of their company or organization. The problem is that money is tight right now as there is a greater focus on being lean and efficient. Let's face it: not many employers can afford to give their employees week long vacations to Hawaii. But, they can present them with awards that communicate appreciation and value. We are recognition specialists and have many awards and gifts that will encourage and inspire your recipients. This shift has enabled us to continue our sales growth and success. Perhaps now is a better time than ever to extend your gratitude to your staff members with an affordable yet enduring award.

More than any other time I can remember in business, consumers are looking for value. Against the warning of the wise, some look at "price alone", but most buyers focus on value. We think that value is the sum of 3 major components: quality, price, and service. Taking any one of these components out of the equation greatly affects the results. We work extremely hard to make sure we offer exceptional value. We run an efficient operation and have great prices without skimping on product quality and customer service. If you read our testimonial page, you will see many comments which reinforce our success in providing an outstanding value. Our focus on value helps to drive our growth.
http://www.trophyawards.com/testimonials/testimonials.html

Our new product lines have also helped us continue our growth. A couple years ago, we developed some new products...many of which are unique to our industry and most are sold below market value. We have new lines of acrylic, crystal, nametags, and trophies. This move has enabled our customers to buy unique items at a great price. Feel free to click on some of the below links.
http://www.trophyawards.com/acrylic/acrylic.htm
http://www.trophyawards.com/crystal/crystal.htm
http://www.trophyawards.com/nametags/nametags.html
http://www.trophyawards.com/specialty/3eagle.html

I certainly don't know what the future holds, and I hope the economy make a quick rebound. Regardless, Trophy Awards will continue to carry a wide product line, offer an exceptional value, and emphasize the importance of staff members who understand and feel appreciated. With these keys in place, along with hard work and prayer, we look forward to a prosperous 2009 with continued sales growth. We hope you share in a great 2009.

Thomas Arthur Busch
President

Soccer Trophies in Your Future?

Tom — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:49:00 GMT

Will you need any soccer trophies in the near future?

It has been months since the last time I’ve posted anything to my blog or sent out a newsletter. I hope to do this on a more consistent basis in the future. Life has been busy. After the Christmas season, we have to wrap up our 2007 fiscal year, count and tabulate our inventory, and get into 2008.

During the summer and fall, we are fortunate enough to have some large trophy orders for different tournaments around the Greater Cincinnati area. We buy the components in full cases, so we may buy 1,300 components for an order of 1,248 trophies. So, I collected these parts and designed a trophy that I thought would be well received. See below:

http://www.trophyawards.com/trophy.pdf

This is a 9” trophy with a male soccer figure on the top. It is assembled on a black marbleized base, 3’’ platinum soccer ball, and a 5’’ platinum male soccer figure.

Because we were able to assemble this trophy with “mostly” extra parts, I though I would offer this trophy at a very special price for the subscribers to my newsletter and for those who read my blog.

The retail value for a trophy like this would be about $7.50. I will offer this trophy to you for $4.00 with a plate and $2.50 without a plate.

We only have about 50 of these trophies remaining and this is only available in male soccer. Because of the limited number of trophies available, they will only be available for a limited time on a first come, first serve basis. Let’s keep this available to as many customers as possible…please just request the number you will need for your team. No distributors or resellers.

Please reply directly to me:
tom@trophyawards.com

Please don't forget to shop our hottest products:
crystal awards
acrylic awards

Have a great day!

Thomas Arthur Busch
President

Special Gift For TrophyAwards.com Blog Readers

Tom — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:43:00 GMT

======= Attention Blog Readers ===========

This Special is for YOU only
I appreciate the fact that you read my blog regularly.

The replies I get are encouraging and fun to read.

This week I want to offer a “special”. The Trophy Awards general policy is not to have “specials” or sales. We think our customers appreciate consistency in pricing. Our customers do not have to worry about ordering at the wrong time or have anxiety of paying more than the next customer.

So, maybe I should call this a “gift” to my blog readers and subscribers.

From now until December 3rd, 2007, I will offer our readers and subscribers a remarkable gift-like price on the following clocks. These items have just been introduced on our website, but only our readers and subscribers will see this special price.
This item will make a great recognition item or Christmas gift.

Please reply to me directly for this price at tom@trophyawards.com. Please let me know that you are a subscriber.

This offer will definitely end on 12/3/07 and only applies to the two following items. See the photo and description below…

http://www.trophyawards.com/clock/Pianowoodaccentclock.html
Take $25.00 off the listed price.

http://www.trophyawards.com/clock/Pianowoodweatherstation.html
Take $25.00 off the listed price.

Offer good in 48 states ….some limitations may apply.

Have a great day!

Tom
www.TrophyAwards.com
tom@trophyawards.com

The Clydesdale Who Ran A Marathon

Tom — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:04:00 GMT

I ran my 7th marathon in Columbus Ohio a couple weeks ago on October 21st. My co-worker once asked me, “Hey Busch, why ain’t you thin”…Well, he’s right, “I isn’t thin,” so I run in the heavyweight division called Clydesdales or Cruiser depending on the race. Due to my stature and my obnoxious t-shirt, I have a lot of people cheer for me along the marathon route.

You see, I put my name on my running shirt with this glittery holographic tape that was on a shelf in Trophy Awards when my parents bought the tiny company in 1984. Yes, this tape is ugly…in a flashy way. Still, it does the job. Between my stature and my glittery 1970’s decorative trophy tape, I hear my name called out several hundred times during the 26.2 mile route…Go Tom! Keep it going Tom…you can do this! I think you get the picture.

I know this sounds weird, but during every marathon I’ve run, I have to hold back this instinctive desire to tear-up. Tear-up as in eyes welling with tears…not tear-up as to describe my muscle tissue and the skin ripping on the inside of my legs and toes. Why, after 7 marathons, do I feel so emotional when people call my name? Well, I think it has a lot to do with trying to accomplish a difficult task combined with an overflow of gratitude for all the spectators who try to help me along the way.

I have a good customer, Dan Dwyer, and he has told me several stories of his recipients getting “emotional” during their award presentation. He contributes this “emotional” outpouring to the selection of the award piece and presenting it with the perfect message. Dan and I work hard on our award projects to make sure his recipients feel special, appreciated, and encouraged.

I think these recipients deal with the same impulse I have during a race. It is the joy of being recognized for your hard work. This makes your trials, frustrations, and pain seem worthwhile. It also encourages you to keep running, keep trying, and persevere through the upcoming difficulties. There is positive power in recognition and gratitude. Perhaps you should consider this if you know someone who could use some encouragement and appreciation along this race of life.

I am already looking forward to my next marathon…and I thank all those spectators along the Columbus Marathon route who saw my shirt and stature and yelled…”Go Tom!” My time was 3:46:28…not bad for a 200-pound Clydesdale with a lot of encouragement along the way.

For great recognition ideas, please click on the links below

Acrylic Awards
Crystal Awards
Plaques

To see our entire virtual showroom, go to our website http://www.trophyawards.com/

FREE Bonus Gift
I woud like to send you a FREE personlaized lasered pen!
Just send me an email at tom@trophyawards.com saying "Tom, send my FREE pen!"
Be sure to include the name you would like on the pen, along with the shipping address.

Have a great day!
Tom

Exceptional Service

Tom — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 18:23:00 GMT

I did not take “small engine repairs 101” during my experience at Turpin High School in the quiet suburbs of Cincinnati…some days I wish I had. You see, I know so very little about cars and motors that I feel blinded by the wires, fans, belts, and so forth. Sad to say, my greatest accomplishment mechanically was installing a garage door opener. I did not enjoy the process of installing it, but I enjoyed the years it lifted for me in the rain and snow.

I was hoping to have the same sort of happy ending when dealing with my yard trimmer a few weeks back. I have a general anger towards gas burning yard appliances because I seem to spend more time trying to get them running than I do actually trimming. The trimmer was mad at me. It would start, but then as I increased the gas flow, it would stall. My shoulder began to ache due to my persistence in restarting (because if you try it 100 times it might start working properly). Anyway, I finally took the trimmer to my workbench. I cleaned off the spark plug and it started running great. I went back out to trim fairly happy with myself for accomplishing a mechanical act, but I soon felt a cold sensation on the back of my leg. No worries, it was just the gasoline/oil mixture dripping from my trimmer and running down my calf.

I took the hot trimmer with dripping gas back to my workbench where I noticed a split in this yellowed/orange hose that ran between the primer and carburetor. Most likely, I pinched or damaged the hose during my spark plug repair. I cut the hose and reattached it, but it would not hold. The hose was just too old, stretched, and weak. The annoyance factor was really growing. I drove to a major hardware store and searched the aisles, but found nothing that would work. Twenty minutes had passed…I did not see any “helpful associates” or a similar hose, so I left empty handed and more frustrated than ever.

On my way back home, I noticed a smaller hardware store. I did not think they would have the inventory to help me, but I went in anyway. I was 10-steps in the door when an associate asked if he could help me. I showed him the decayed gas line and told him of my project. The manager of the store overheard my project, they discussed my mission together, and then I was soon led to the lawn and garden area. They opened little containers which held rolls of fuel line hoses in 6 different diameters. I asked him for a 12’’ segment and I was out the door in a few minutes…having paid much less than expected. I was fully operational shortly after arriving home.

O.K…you might be asking…Tom what does this have to do with Trophy Awards. Well, I think there are clear connections between the “smaller” hardware store and Trophy Awards. Most people are not award experts…there are not many high school or college classes offered in recognition products or acrylic awards 101. Rather, it is often the admin of a company given the task to find the ultimate recognition item. Without a history of ordering awards, the task can seem confusing and overwhelming. How do I “phrase” these awards? Where should we put the logo? How do I pick the perfect recognition item? What will reinforce the message we intend on sending?

Trophy Awards will help you with your project. Yes, there are bigger award companies, like the hardware store, they may appear to have a large selection and look impressive from the outside; however, it can be hard to find help on the inside. Including myself, we have 8 staff members who specialize in customer service. We generate ideas and share with each other our customer’s projects. The inbound e-mails land on Vickie’s desk which is less than 2 feet from my desk. We usually reply to all the inbound e-mails within the hour they arrive. We also personally answer all our phone calls. We do not start with an answering system…we start with a live human to greet you, answer your questions, and get an idea of your project. We strive to provide you with exceptional service. Our inventory is also impressive. We carry a full line of personalized acrylic awards, crystal awards, marble awards, plaques, desk and wall clocks, and other specialty items. These awards are probably more affordable than you may have thought.

Ordering awards should be satisfying. You start with a project and end-up with a solution. My gas trimmer is still running fine. Guess which hardware store I will use next time.

Tom Busch
President, Trophy Awards Mfg, Inc
Your trusted source for recognition awards including acrylic awards, crystal awards, plaques and much more!

Special Offer: To our valued blog readers -
Send me an email at tom@trophyawards.com and receive a FREE metal pen and 52 page color catalog.
Please include your mailing address.

Acrylic Awards Versus Crystal Awards

Tom — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:30:00 GMT

Acrylic Awards or Crystal Awards?

Many customers ask me about my preference when
given the options of Acrylic versus Crystal Awards.
I don't have a simple formulaic answer
to this question, yet my answer is largely
dependent on the overall scope of the project.

Most companies have a specific budget
allowance for their project. I like to ask some
of the following questions:

How many awards will you need?
Who is going to receive these awards?
What is your budget per award?
What is your time frame?
Where are these items going to be displayed?

I understand that award buyers want a
return on their investment…it's the American Way.
One way to achieve this goal is to
carefully consider the above questions.
We want your recipients to be proud
of their recognition item and to
keep it on display. This keeps your name
favorably on their mind and builds
reciprocity in your relationship.

Let's hypothetically observe an awards
opportunity…a customer needs 25 awards
that are going to their top twenty-five customers.
They have a $35.00 to $50.00 budget and they
have 3-weeks prior to presenting these items.
This customer hopes that the award will be
displayed in the reception area
of their recipients business.

For a project like this one of my
recommendations would be our Elliptical Vase series.
This vase would allow our customer to present
an affordable award that would look great
in almost any reception area. It also can be
used as a standard vase with dried or cut flowers,
hard candies, or chocolate pieces.

I would also suggest that we insert a signed card
or letter with the vase to further verbalize
your gratitude to your customers.

Now then, if the scope of this project changed
and the recipient's scenario included children
in the reception area, then an acrylic award or
Lucite award would be a safer suggestion because
it will not shatter like glass and crystal.

Perhaps the Acrylic Beveled Rectangle or
the colorful Crimson Series would be a better choice.
Each situation is different and the answer
for each customer is not the same.

The more you communicate with our staff the
specifics of your project, the better we can
suggest an award which will best
fulfill and satisfy your goals.

One of my favorite questions around here is,
"What is your project?"
Our customer service team does not consist
of ridged order takers. Rather, our team will
work with you, get to know the specifics
of your project, and then make suggestion
to best fit your unique situation.

Some customers don't want or require any help,
and that's fine too. But, we recognize our job
is to assist our customers in their
decisions and not just generate work-orders.

In summary, I think the best return on awards
investment requires some thought and consideration.
As a company, I think we really excel at helping
our customers ask these difficult questions and
then make suggestions so that our customers'
recipients are very well pleased.

Often times our customer has an idea of what
they want but change their minds when the
hear of the many options we offer.

You can view our large selection of Acrylic Awards by clicking this link
http://www.trophyawards.com/acrylic/acrylic.htm

To see our selection of Crystal Awards, click this link
http://www.trophyawards.com/crystal/crystal.htm

I hope this newletter gave you a better understanding
between Acrylic and Crystal awards.

Whatever your choice, we are here
to help you every step of the way.

Our first-class customer service champions will
guide you through the decision making process.

To see our entire virtual showroom
go to www.trophyawards.com
or call us at 859-442-7500

We'll be here waiting to serve you

Best Regards,

Tom Busch
President
tom@trophyawards.com

P.S. FREE Gift For You!
Email me today at tom@trophyawards.com
and ask for your *FREE* 52 page color catalog