Ladies Only! Three Stooges Poll

I saw a trailer for an upcoming Three Stooges movie during the NCAA basketball tournament.  I am curious to know what women think about the Three Stooges.  So I have created a poll that I would like only women to take.  Please don't laugh.  This is serious research!  Look here ------------>

No Soliciting vs The American Way

I spend a lot of time traveling from one business to another trying to sell my services and products.  I like what I do and I am confident that the services and products that I sell can really help people and businesses.  Of course I can't help everyone but it's my job to find out.  My company depends on it.  Sadly, just about every door I walk through has some version of the "No Soliciting" sign on it.  Are these companies not open for business?  Do they not have sales people of their own?  I just find it hard to believe that the great businessmen who helped build this great country would have allowed such a sign on the front door of their own business.

CR Print 2012 Calendar, FREE

We print a calendar every year for our customers and friends as a way of saying “Thank You” for your patronage. This year’s calendar celebrates the central role of printing in the history of civilization. 

We know that is a rather lofty theme, but we take a great deal of pride in our industry and, especially, its role in American history. American printers like Ben Franklin, Isaiah Thomas, William Goddard, William Bradford, Elizabeth Timothy, Isaac Collins, John Dunlap and John Peter Zenger were instrumental in shaping the ideas and ideals that make this country what it is today. They delivered a message that is truly timeless.

This calendar is a small reminder of that wonderful heritage. We hope you will use it in good health and reflect on the power of the printed word to make this world a better place in which to live.  If you would like a free calendar please visit our web site @ http://www.crprint.com/ or you can email me at mike@crprint.com

Print Connection: "Linotype: The Film" Official Trailer from Linotyp...

Print Connection: "Linotype: The Film" Official Trailer from Linotyp...: "Linotype: The Film" Official Trailer from Linotype: The Film on Vimeo .

My First Job

A lot of people don’t believe me when I tell them I got my first job when I was in the third grade.  My family lived in a small town on the south side of Chicago called Western Springs.  I wanted a bicycle desperately and my parents thought it would be a great idea at that time to show me the value of money.  They insisted that I get a job and earn the money myself to buy the bike.  Because of my age I didn’t really qualify for many jobs but I did however manage to get an interview with the local paper distributor of the Chicago Tribune.  Yes, a paper boy.

I interviewed with an overweight bald man that worked in a trailer that was parked next to his home.  His name now escapes me but I have since referred to him as Mr. Daley because of his resemblance to the original Mayor Daley of Chicago, and the fact that he was no less intimidating.  He gave me the job but not before declaring..… “No house will be forgotten…. or else“.   He didn’t have to tell me what might happen if I failed to deliver someone their paper because my imagination was hard at work on its own creating possible punishments for such failure.   A brilliant strategy on his part actually and a strategy I have since tried on my own kids.

Fortunately my route was not very large and the streets were flat.  It was the perfect job for me.  A truck would drop off the papers on the sidewalk in front of my house and every day before school I would put my paper sack on and walk up and down the four or five blocks of my route flinging a paper at each house that was on my list.  Sundays were more difficult because of the size of the paper so I had to use my wagon and hand carry each paper to its door.   The job taught me a lot about my neighborhood and about people in general.  Here are a few things I learned.  If they are not picking up their paper they are probably on vacation or dead.  Women are better tippers then men and younger women are better tippers than older women.  If their lawn is not mowed they do not have children.  It doesn’t matter how cold it is or how much snow is on the ground people still expect their news on time.

And this brings me to the part that I did not foresee when I first took the job.  My father had a saying about winter in Chicago, “last year’s winter was the coldest winter ever only until next year.”  It’s called the windy city for a reason but it really should have been called the freezing wind city.  The first winter I had the paper route was of course the “worse winter ever”.  The freezing winds along with snow piled up to my waist made it near impossible for me to find each house.  Yet somehow I managed.   When the snow started to melt it created slushy rivers on the sidewalks and streets making my feet wet even if I was wearing boots or galoshes. These conditions were a little better and at times I had fun jumping in all the slushy puddles.  Then the freezing winds would kick up again turning everything to ice, including my feet.   This process repeated itself several times during the course of a Chicago winter.  By the time I got back home, took a warm bath and had a warm breakfast I was already 15 minutes late for school.  So my school tardies were starting to mount up.  But I had to be defrosted and my parents had no choice, steadfast as they were in this valuable lesson they were teaching me.

 I made it through winter and was probably getting close to having the money I needed for the bike when the job started to take on a different meaning to me.  It was about responsibility and perseverance and succeeding no matter the circumstance.  Those are easy words to say during the spring and it’s funny just how soon the people of Chicago forget about the last winter.  During the summer Mr. Daley gave me additional routes and except for the issue I was having with one of the flag lots in our neighborhood he was very pleased with me.  Sundays were becoming difficult because I could only carry 20 papers at a time in my wagon and since my route was now larger it required additional trips back to my house to pick up more.

Then of course came the “worse winter ever”.  They tell you how cold it is in Chicago by a measurement called the wind chill factor.  After a certain point, however, it doesn’t really matter what the number is.  Who can tell the difference between -25 and -35 degree wind chill factor?  Seriously!  It was a Sunday and I was bundling up to do my route, the wind chill was way past freezing and the snow was one or two feet high with snow banks created by the wind that were 3 or 4 feet.  My father walked me to the door looked outside and saw the pallet of Sunday papers waiting on our sidewalk.  That was all he could take.  He grabbed his jacket, hat, gloves and keys and we loaded up the station wagon.  That was the last winter I delivered papers and we soon moved to Southern California where I plan on living for the rest of my life.

My first job taught me many lessons.  I believe if you work hard you will be rewarded but it may be in a way you don’t expect.  You also need to plan your route before you start.  The early bird really does get the worm when it’s not freezing out.  Some things you just can’t do alone.

Rain in SoCal

Hard to explain.......

3D Marketing

  

What I like most about my job is that I work with some very creative people.  Unfortunately, few companies have had a budget to do anything creative the last three years.  This year has been a little different.  The economy is better and I am sure this is one reason.  I believe the other reason is that my clients are figuring out ways to be creative without spending a lot of money.  



Here is an example of what I am talking about.  I recently designed and produced this 3D marketing piece for a client of mine.  After completion, it was sent via FedEx directly to top executives in the telecommunications industry.  Over the next few weeks it will be followed up with an email campaign and then a follow up phone call.  There are a few things that I really like about this piece. First and probably most important is that it is completely focused on improving the business of the recipient.  Second, it is only going out to 50 executives.  Talk about focus!  Finally, boxes can be manufactured on an as needed basis for future prospects with no additional set up costs.

I make lots of sales calls every day but this is definitely one sales call that I would love to make.  This unique gift is a nice way of introducing your business to a prospect before you contact them.  That makes this a warm call.  A 3D marketing campaign like this should land this client multiple face to face meetings with top executives in the telecommunications industry.  What is that worth?