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Customers Get More Than Calendars When Buying From Us

October 10, 2013 by  

When you go to the car wash you pretty much expect to get one thing from the experience–a clean car when you drive away.   When you go to the barbershop to get a haircut you step out the door feeling like a new person with stylized hair, but that’s about it.   Certainly when you go to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk you walk away perhaps with the milk and a few other “essentials” discovered along the way.

But when you purchase imprinted promotional advertising calendars from CalendarsNow.com we don’t just sell you the calendars.   We also offer friendly marketing advice and will even go so far as to put your calendars into your customer’s hands for you.   Let me explain.

We realize when it comes to calendar distribution not everyone is an expert on knowing how to properly get the calendars into the correct hands.   In other words, calendars need an appropriate strategy unique to your business to get the most bang for the buck marketing value.   A short five minutes speaking with our trained sales staff will offer you many practical ideas on how you can best use calendar advertising.

We understand how calendars that never leave a box will not result in a repeat sale next year.   Unfortunately, many printers only want to sell you the product, they don’t want to educate their customers on how they might use it to their best advantage.

If we don’t feel calendar advertising is right for your business we will tell you so.   One of the hardest tasks we often do is tell a customer who wants to produce a custom calendar how we don’t think it’s a good idea–at least not yet.   You see, especially with custom created calendars, a buyer must put together a marketing plan for using that calendar long before the calendar design gets assembled.   Unfortunately, too many customers produce the calendar first and then try to find a way to use it.   They have the process backwards.

On the same token, we often consult with our customers to ensure they are not overbuying.   Nothing sours a customer’s mood more than ending the year with too many calendars that did not somehow get distributed.

Allow our staff at CalendarsNow.com to not only sell you the calendars, but to provide the right advice on how best to use them.   Often times they will also provide suggestions on how one particular calendar style seems to work even better for a particular industry.   We know this information, we see it in action 365 days each year.

Oh yeah, earlier I said we will even put calendars into your customer or prospect’s hands for you.   Simply provide to us your mailing list and we take care of all the tasks of mailing.   How easy is that?

Of course, all these options that are available to you can be discussed with our friendly and helpful sales staff.   Keep in mind we are here to help you with your calendar marketing efforts by providing whatever information is necessary to accomplish that goal.   While some companies may only want to sell calendars and nothing else, we take great pride in our products and strive to see our customers succeed using them.

So, the next time you are in the market for imprinted promotional advertising calendars give us a call to discuss your business.   We want to learn about you.   We want to assist in tackling your unique marketing challenges.   And in the process don’t be surprised when we offer some advice you may want to consider.   After all, we sell calendars but we strive to deliver much, much more.

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Yes, Our Promotional Advertising Calendars Offer Lots Of Color Choices

October 9, 2013 by  

One of the comments we hear often is from customers who are looking for a calendar style that offers lots of color.   In fact, color can be a nice marketing concept because people generally like to add splashes of color to their walls to make their environment more vibrant and emotionally uplifting.

“Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.”  ~Allen Klein

These monthly images from the CN-1717 SIMPLICITY calendar shout colors and patterns.

Indeed, this world would be a pretty boring place if it were colored simply with drab tones and hues.   Thankfully, color not only can excite us, but perhaps even more importantly it can even catch-the-eye, so to speak.   A fact that has been in the marketer’s toolbox and used for ages.   After all, if your message doesn’t get seen it stands no chance of having a desirable outcome to promote your cause.

That’s one of the reasons we offer a calendar so vibrant with color it appears almost to be dripping wet with fresh ink.   Not really, of course, but the CN-1717 Simplicity wall calendar is designed especially for those customers who like lively colors and shapes–the sort of thing that speaks “LOOK AT ME!!”

Actually, several of the calendar styles we offer are intended to use color to capture attention.   Consider these other colorful calendar options:

When contemplating a purchase for imprinted promotional advertising calendars it’s important to consider many factors.   Obviously, you want to offer your prospect and customers a calendar they will take home or back to the office and use.   Still, you want that calendar to get noticed once it is hanging.

Calendars full of color can ensure they get noticed.   And when a calendar gets noticed with your business advertising imprint included, it means your calendar marketing is healthy and working as planned.

So, the next time you purchase calendars, give some thought to what will be hanging on your customer’s walls for a month at a time.   It can certainly work to your benefit by adding more color to the calendar you distribute to prospects and customers for their use.

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Our Imprinted Promotional Advertising Calendars Are Made In Minnesota

October 8, 2013 by  

Well over 90 percent of the imprinted promotional advertising calendars we produce for customers are manufactured and shipped right here from Minnesota.   Does that mean anything to you?   There was a time when Made In America meant something special to many consumers.

Now it seems as though we have turned into more of a global market.   Items once considered ridiculously cheap and poorly made from sections of the globe are no longer viewed in that same manner.   Quality products can come from half a world away just like they can come from the shop owner on the nearby street corner.   Times have certainly changed and along with that so has attitudes.

And while all this is true we still feel that products made right here in North America are some of the best to be found anywhere on the planet.   In a printing world where it’s commonplace to find imports from overseas, we feel that you can see and feel a real difference in the products we manufacture vs. the imports.

In fact, when it comes to printing calendars for advertising purposes no other state in the country can boast it employs more people within this unique industry than Minnesota.   All combined, over 1,000 full-time and seasonal part-time employees live and work in Minnesota to bring imprinted promotional advertising calendars direct to your door.

Indeed, for over 4 decades Minnesota has been the epicenter for the production of quality calendar products serving customers worldwide.

Here in the Gopher State we take great pride in producing quality products at a value price.   The calendar producers in this state, some of which are our friendly competitors, all have a solid work ethic and take great pride in producing a top-notch product that we would be proud to hang on our walls.   We all understand how the calendars we produce and sell to you represent your important business image and brand so it pays dividends when they only look and perform the very best.

Certainly the next time you are in the market for a promotional advertising calendar you have many options in which you can choose.   We encourage our customers to buy local, when available for many reasons, not the least of which it keeps Americans employed.   But we also think when you are looking for superb quality to promote your brand it’s not necessary or always practical to be looking half way around the world when you can get the best imprinted promotional advertising calendars right here.

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Buying Calendars Is Much Like Buying A 3-Legged Stool

October 7, 2013 by  

We often tell people how when buying calendars from any calendar printer it is like buying a 3-legged stool.   Perhaps the analogy sounds sort of silly, but let me explain.   It’s based on a very sound business concept that could apply to many different products.

Consider the three legged stool that is solid and stable if all legs function properly, but subject to tipping over if problems are encountered in weight distribution or the strength of one or more legs.   When properly used and maintained, the stool is a dependable piece of furniture.

Now, consider how one of those stool legs is product quality.   Another is price.   Perhaps the third is the customer service itself.   So, holding up the stool is product quality, price and customer service.

Assume a customer gets an insanely great price but the product quality is questionable and the customer service is deficient.   If that stool is a calendar will it function in the manner in which it was designed with two unstable legs?

Perhaps the situation is a decent price and a fair product quality, but the customer service is atrocious?   Again, do you have a stool you can depend on?

One final scenario.   You find a decent price and friendly customer service, but the product quality just doesn’t quite perform to your satisfaction.   Once again, this stool just doesn’t quite hold up to your needs and will easily topple over because expectations are out of balance.

We try to educate our customers how a good calendar product should not be judged by price alone.   There are other important factors such a product quality and a helpful sales team who will stand behind that purchase.

At CalendarsNow.com we strive to deliver fair prices, great quality and friendly, helpful service to each and every sale.   Our customers are not a one-time event, they are building a relationship we hope to grow for many years to come.   Part of growing a strong relationship is understanding how when corners are cut in either quality, price or quality staffing it means a shaky existence.

So, the next time you are contemplating an imprinted promotional advertising calendar purchase make sure you are getting a reasonable price.   Make sure the product quality is adequate by perhaps requesting a sample for inspection prior to ordering.   But above all, talk to the folks trying to sell you the calendars.   Two minutes on the phone discussing your calendar order can explain a lot about the type of company (and it’s people) you will be dealing with on the transaction.

The next time you think about calendars don’t forget about the 3-legged stool, too.

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Common Imprinted Promotional Advertising Calendar Questions Answered

October 4, 2013 by  

Here is a sampling of some of the most common questions we get asked about imprinted promotional advertising calendars.

QUESTION:  Are there set-up charges or other hidden charges we need to take into account when ordering?

Good question.   We spell out our pricing as clearly as possible.   A small number of our products do have a set-up charge, but that is clearly explained and there is a reason.   Some customers who want multiple colors for their ad imprint layout require additional press set-up, hence the additional charges.   Other products that either print on vinyl or leatherette material use a hot-stamp and require a special die to be produced for each order that is unique for that customer.   In the case of hot-stamping, this set-up charge is a one-time charge as we can reuse the die until such time copy within the ad layout might need to get modified.   Then a new set-up charge would be necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION:  Do envelopes come with the calendars?

Yes, in some cases they do with desk calendars and we supply them at no additional charge.   All other calendar styles have the option to purchase mailing envelopes.   On top of that, we also provide the option of sending the envelopes out bulk or with the calendars inserted.   When calendars are inserted into envelopes it does increase the cost slightly as well as the production time before the order leaves the factory.

QUESTION:   We have an event date…is it possible to get calendars in time?

In most cases yes it is…unless you have procrastinated to the very last minute.   Give our customer service reps a call to discuss the order flow and how it would all work.   Sometimes we can speed things up at the factory depending on our press loads at the time.   Also, we can always expedite shipping, however, this can prove to be a more costly option to get calendars into your hands quickly.

QUESTION:   Can you give me an estimate to determine how much it will cost to ship the calendars to me?

We sure can.   All you need to do is call us, tell us what calendar style you are contemplating, how many units, whether or not there will be envelopes (or mailing tubes) included with the order…and then finally we need your zip code.   Our shipping department will give you their best estimate to determine those costs.

QUESTION:   Is there an extra charge to include our company’s logo?

Absolutely not.   Provided that you can supply us with camera-ready art for that logo.   If we need to polish it up to look its best we will do that if it takes our art department 15 minutes or less.   When any logo touch-up work takes greater than 30 minutes we will contact you asking for either better artwork or your approval for a nominal art charge to make your logo look and print its very best.

QUESTION:   Can we mix and match styles as part of our order?

Often times we will allow this practice to get better pricing.   It really depends on what is being ordered.   Call one of our customer service reps for the full details on what is allowed so you can get the best pricing and selection.

QUESTION:   Do you keep our calendar ad layout from last year or some previous year?

Yes, part of the beauty of storing things electronically is we can and do keep artwork now indefinitely.   In many cases we can go back 10+ years and find old artwork still on file.

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