An Interesting Marketing Lesson Taken From a Day at a Sporting Goods Tradeshow

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Posted by admin | Posted in General | Posted on 30-11-2011

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My consulting firm specializes in marketing and developing consumer products. Currently we are preparing a hunting product for launch at a major outdoor products tradeshow. This week I took the opportunity to attend the largest expo targeting the archery/bow hunting product industry to scout trends and network for my hunting product client. It was revealing and a valuable lesson was strongly reinforced.

In every industry, and especially on display at tradeshows, there are mammoth players that dominate their category. These leading brands are the stars of the trade and are immediately recognized as such by competitors and consumers. Their products typically are well established, their distribution channels fulsome, the marketing strategies are dominant and awareness of their products nearly universal to their targeted consumers.

The bow hunting industry show I spent a day visiting this week was like most of the hundreds of other trade shows I have attended over many years. The largest, loudest, most active booths were populated by the biggest archery product marketers. The vast majority of the stands in the show, however, were small, independently owned businesses, featuring more targeted product offerings. The opportunity to participate commercially in an industry, in this case for avid bow and arrow hunters, where the entrepreneur shares a passion for the sport with the pursuit of profit is a strong lure for the driven creator.

As I walked the show, I was able to meet and chat with a range of small business owners who love hunting with bow and arrow and relish the opportunity to earn their living in the archery/bow hunting industry. They have created products that fill needs they have identified from their field experiences. These people were virtually all passionate, positive and proud of the many items and specialty products they were showing.

Consider the simple hunting arrow. We all, even if we have never hunted in the wild, have shot or held an arrow, certainly as kids playing cowboys and Indians. We know there is a tip, a bow shaft and feathers built into an arrows assemblage of parts. At the trade show there were numerous purveyors of all types of arrows. Interestingly, there were also numerous vendors offering only tips, or shafts, or feathers, in a stunning range colors and styles. The specialization of these products, their artisan nature and the small, even seemingly tiny, niches they occupy were testament to the idea that building a better mousetrap will be profitable.

I left the show re-energized. The lesson I relearned for the thousandth time is this: If you have passion for something, and can identify a way to improve the experience, you can profit and enjoy earning a living doing what you love most. Many people do exactly this. They earn a good living from commercializing their hobby, craft or favorite pastime. It takes a bit of vision and a bunch of courage to successfully take the leap from employee to entrepreneur, but it is being done every day.

How To Make Sure You Choose The Correct Soccer Boots For The New Season

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Posted by admin | Posted in General | Posted on 23-10-2011

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For those of you who have ever played football or soccer at any level you’ll understand how important good boots are to your performance. It used to be a ritual for my team mates and me to go shopping in the pre-season together to get our new football boots. When I was younger there was choice alright but nothing compared to today, you’re choice consisted of moulded studs or screw in and then the different makes. Today the choice is endless, but what ones should you choose and why?

More recently, moulded soles with specially designed boots known as blades have moulded soles facing in multiple directions, theoretically to maximise grip and minimise ankle injury. If you read the product details on your new kids football boots to help you equate the sporting goods offered in this category. We dragged the football boot upper crossed a football and the football boot in truth does grip the ball. Preds are the choicer boot in my opinion, though it is fold.

Look to the right chromatography column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. Contoured heel, external heel parry and shaped choker software system offer stability and comfort. You will be a sports fanatic and particularly interested in tennis but kids football boots and all its games are better by a mile. More recently, moulded soles with specially designed boots known as blades have moulded soles lining in multiple directions, theoretically to maximise grip and minimise ankle hurt.

If you get the pred kids football boots [http://www.kids-football-boots.com/The_News/Boots/Junior_football_boots], you know you are acquiring a solid cleat. We tried and true them at the weekend and will be rental you know concisely how we got on. You will be a sports fiend and particularly interested in lawn tennis.

We are looking for top mass to get part of our winner write up. If you get the pred, you know you are acquiring a solid cleat. Contoured heel, external heel comeback and wrought choker software offer stability and comfort. Association football it is wet on the floor to practice my soccer skills shall I go and get muddy and practice on grass? Many players now use this personalisation military service to both ameliorate their boots and to make them easily identifiable in the club environment.

In football, referees must now check all boots prior to kick off to check for equipment casualty to studs, to preclude harm. Doses should be excluded if they experience immunoglobulin within seven days after the treatment application is on and linen in hot body of water. Kid’s football boots must fit correctly as children’s feet can be damaged by incorrectly fitting boots

Adidas have been about a long time, and intelligent competition from littler companies is all part of the game. I am a nerve centre back in association football shall I still practice run with the ball? We tried them at the weekend and will be lease you know soon how we got on. Skirrow agrees that the weight unit of the football boot should be a consideration, tho’ he cautions that it should not be the main feature. If you get the pred, you know you are getting a solid cleat. Doses should be excluded if they welcome immunoglobulin inside seven days after the treatment application is on and linen in hot knee.

So don’t skimp when it comes to your boots as you will need them to last you the whole season, there is nothing worse in football than having to break in new boot mid season.

Where Can I Get The Best Price On An Elliptical?

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Posted by admin | Posted in Fitness | Posted on 19-06-2010

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When it comes to purchasing an elliptical trainer you have four choices in where to buy:

1. Mass Merchant

2. Fitness Specialty Store

3. On-line Distributor

4. Used from a private individual

I would discourage you from option 4 since quite frankly, it’s very risky to purchase a used elliptical trainer. By their nature, elliptical trainers can be expensive to repair and you most probably won’t receive any kind of warranty with a used elliptical. So be careful.

A fitness specialty store will carry the higher-end ellipticals costing upwards of $1000 and well beyond. They will carry light commercial to commercial-grade elliptical trainers such as Precor, Life Fitness, SportsArt, and others. These are excellent brands and I encourage you to at least have a look at them since quality is extremely important when considering an elliptical trainer. This will also provide a basis on which to judge other elliptical trainers.

You will most likely find knowledgeable sales people in fitness specialty stores, but not always the lowest prices. The salespeople typically work on a commission basis and you may find them to be on the aggressive side. However, don’t let that deter you from test-driving and researching ellipticals at these stores. Just don’t get pressured into buying just yet.

Mass Merchants such as Wal-Mart, Sears, The Sports Authority, and Dick’s Sporting Goods carry the lower-end ellipticals. You can find some good values here, but it’s extremely important to understand exactly what you’re getting. Elliptical trainers in this price range can wind up costing you more that you expect in repairs and down time. I don’t recommend any elliptical trainer that retails for under $500.

Though it may be tempting to go for that $150 elliptical machine from Wal-Mart, you may wind up regretting it soon after you get it home. The salespeople at these stores, though typically friendly, aren’t always the most knowledgeable about elliptical trainers and the quality behind them.

If you are sold on elliptical trainers from ICON Health and Fitness such as Nordic Track, Reebok, and ProForm then I highly recommend that you purchase it from Sears. In fact, you may want to purchase it from the Sears on-line store. You can even purchase your Sears elliptical on-line and pick it up at any of their retail stores. Sears has a good reputation for handling repairs and exchanges during the warranty period.

Some of the best deals on elliptical trainers can be found on-line. Besides frequent sales, on-line distributors often provide free shipping and free extras for ellipticals over a certain price. Having the elliptical delivered right to your door can be a huge help since you won’t have to schlep a large, heavy box home as is the case if you purchase from a mass merchant.

To best answer the question — “Where Can I Get The Best Price On An Elliptical?” — is to try elliptical trainers off-line and buy on-line for the best deals.

Making The Most Out Of Live Chat

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Posted by admin | Posted in Live Chat | Posted on 30-09-2009

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Live chat is yet another tool for companies in creating and maintaining effective communication with their customers. Think about the last time you were in a department store or perhaps looking at some golf club at a sporting goods store. You likely had someone working there approach you and ask if you had any questions or needed help finding anything. Live chat is the online equivalent of that. With live chat, customers are able to ask questions or get more information from you or your staff on their terms. Live chat puts you right there with the potential customer yet you aren’t intrusive. For many people, some major benefits of online shopping are its anonymity and how comfortable it can be shopping without even leaving the house.

When ecommerce first started to gain popularity, many people compared the online shopping experience to that of a store.

One of the major criticisms of online stores was that customers didn’t have anyone to talk to and ask questions. In many ways, the online shopper browsed and purchased merchandise with little more than the information contained on the page. With the advent of technologies such as Live Chat, this is beginning to change. Although it is not yet in every online store, there will eventually be a time where most ecommerce sites have an employee there to answer questions as they would in a store.

To make the most out of live chat, you should ensure that you have at least one person from your company logged on at all times. This may be difficult at night or in the early morning, but keep in mind that the more often you are available means the more you’ll be available to customers.

During certain times, companies that use live chat may enlist the help of an advanced call center to help field inquiries about their products. It is interesting to note how Live Chat and similar services are in many ways like calling a company on the phone and emailing them. It is immediate like calling them yet there is a sense of detachment like sending an email. A lot of people appreciate how casual and unimposing it is while being helpful in their shopping experience.

Live chat has an excellent history in opening up communications with customers over the web, but it pairs excellently with other methods of contact such as email. You may find yourself answering questions and providing information on live chat for a length of time when your prospective client asks for pricing information, product or service specifications, or some other information more easily transmitted by email. In this situation getting the person’s email address is even easier than by phone because problems with hearing the correct name and spelling are next to none. This also fixes the problem of having to hold your phone and type or write at the same time. You would simply copy and paste their address into an email window and you are ready to go.

Live chat isn’t a comprehensive communications solution for your company, but of course it does not try to be. Live chat works best when used as yet another channel of contact between you and your customers. If you don’t already use Live Chat, ask yourself “What is standing in my way?” You can already converse with people by telephone, email, and fax. You could really be gaining more business by adding Live Chat to your website. It is a low-cost solution that is easy to use and fits in well with your existing company structure because it allows customers to direct their inquiries by department as well.

Second Hand Sporting Items for Sale

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Posted by admin | Posted in General | Posted on 28-05-2009

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If you intend to make an online purchase, it is important that you research the product as well as the seller before you go ahead and handover any money. For any equipment such as bicycles, camping or sport and fitness equipment you need to be more careful. This is because these items are generally more expensive.

If the product you are purchasing is brand new, then check with the seller if any warranties or guarantees are provided with the product. Also what comeback do you have if the item is damaged or broken.

Ideally, it’s better if you’re buying a brand new sporting item. This is because it is likely that the item has been used by someone else and may be unclean.

Many of the free classifieds you will see for sporting goods; both in newspapers, magazines and online, are for second hand products. It is important to remember that these items will very rarely come with a return policy attached to them. Therefore you need to look carefully at the product and do as much research before purchasing in case it is not ideal for what you want.

If you are in contact with the seller by email then arrange with them to send extra images and information relating to the product. If it’s a tent or a bicycle, ask them to provide you with photographs taking from various angles. This way you will be able to see just what sort of condition the item is in.

Before you make any purchase, it is advisable to speak directly with the seller by email or on the phone. This way you will be able to ask them more pertinent questions with regards to the condition of the item you are thinking of purchasing. It is at this stage that you can find out the reasons why they are selling the item. Sometimes you may well find that the item you are interested in is not a personal item but a job lot that the seller is trying to get rid of quickly.

Be wary of sellers who use standard advertisement photographs from other websites or from sales brochures to advertise their products. It’s these people you should once again be asking to provide further photographs so you can really see what condition the equipment is in. If they are unwilling to supply further photographs of the item for sale or provide you with answers to your questions then walk away immediately and look elsewhere for the same item.

Make sure you take the time to learn about the product and the seller before making a more informed decision about your purchase. So never rush into making the first purchase, but spend time looking closely at all the other adverts that have similar products for sale.

Adflyer is a one stop shop for new and used items. 1000′s of Products listed by Merchants and private sellers within the UK.

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