<![CDATA[Rachel Brauer - Engravers Journal]]>Wed, 11 Jun 2025 18:39:24 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[The Awards Pro: Selling Corporate Crystal & Glass]]>Wed, 30 Jun 2021 02:07:18 GMThttp://www.rachelbrauer.com/engravers-journal/june-29th-2021There is an upsurge in demand for high-end recognition products in corporate America, and crystal and glass are widely viewed as our industry’s most prestigious awards. In fact, Cathy Garcia, marketing manager for Marco Awards Group, claims that corporate crystal is the fastest growing awards market, two to three times higher than other awards/gift products. So if you already sell to the corporate sector or if this is a market you would like to get involved with, high-end personalized crystal awards and gifts is the way to go.

A survey conducted in 2017 by WorldatWork reinforces corporate award programs as a key contribution to a business’ success because they encourage employees to work towards a common goal. In summary, appeased employees equate to satisfied customers, and satisfied customers correlate to business growth, sales and overall satisfaction.​
Crystal & Glass—the Difference
Although “glass” and “crystal” are often used synonymously, there are differences between the materials. Broadly speaking, there are three types of “glass” used in the manufacture of awards and gifts: glass, crystal and optic crystal. The major difference between the three is clarity. If you placed three identical pieces next to each other, one made of glass, one made of crystal and one made of optic crystal, you could readily see the difference in clarity. Glass would be the least clear while optic crystal would have the best clarity.
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Glass is the least expensive of the materials, primarily because it’s made from silica sand, an abundant resource. Lead crystal is just that—it has the added element of lead oxide that softens the glass and gives it sparkle. Optic crystal is the highest quality crystal used to make gifts and awards. There are no imperfections, like bubbles, in optic crystal, and it is much clearer than glass or leaded crystal. Of course, it’s also a much more expensive material.

Why Crystal & Glass?
“The crystal and glass market offers significantly better margins than the traditional trophy market,” says Garcia. “In the past few years, our offerings of these products have doubled in both dollars and the breadth of the product lines. Today, the awards retailer is looking for opportunities other than trophies; the corporate market lends itself to that growth.”

The corporate awards market is profitable because many of these organizations have larger budgets to spend on recognition programs. They are looking for premium quality products that hold meaning for the recipients and reflect the true significance of the honored achievement. In addition, award programs are usually cyclical, with new recipients recognized quarterly or annually, so there’s plenty of opportunity to establish repeat clients.

Dan Messerschmidt, national sales manager for JDS Industries, Sioux Falls, SD, sees selling crystal to the corporate market as an opportunity to move your business farther into the high-end award and recognition business, which can result in a significantly higher margin potential. Messerschmidt points out that current customers who might purchase lower dollar awards and promotional products from you might also have a need for high-end recognition products, and you want to be able to fill that need.  

 “Offering crystal and glass items keep your customers from doing business with someone else,” says Messerschmidt. “If you don’t currently offer these products, you are leaving money on the table. Many of your customers could be purchasing these products from another retailer, maybe even your closest competitor.”

Who’s Buying Crystal & Glass?
In the experience of Jim O’Neil, executive vice president for Pacesetter Awards, Chicago, IL, many of the larger corporate customers usually prefer high-end crystal and glass products to other types of award items. However, corporate clients of all sizes and budgets can afford crystal and glass because these products are offered in a wide range of price points. And, in addition to stock items, custom glass awards are also an option from some suppliers which can also prove to be very profitable.

Oftentimes, customers dismiss glass and crystal items as too expensive before even considering them. Although some organizations may have a tighter budget for recognition programs, they still want their awards purchase to appear timeless and high-end, and nothing fits those needs better than glass and crystal.

JDS’s Messerschmidt points out that glass and crystal products are available in a variety of price ranges and can be quite affordable. “You can target almost any customer's price point. For example, you can offer a relatively inexpensive laser engraved glass piece all the way up to an intricate multi-stage sandcarving on a large crystal piece,” he explains.

Corporate clients can include large, medium and small companies, in addition to government, municipal, non-profit, educational, professional and charitable organizations.

Jen Jezierski, marketing coordinator for Crystal D, Saint Paul, MN, adds that while corporate America is a profitable niche for the awards retailer to market crystal and glass to, it is not the only available audience.

“Crystal is affordable, and there are limitless opportunities to use crystal awards,” reminds Jezierski. “Some requests we’ve gotten at Crystal D include chamber of commerce awards, thank you gifts, corporate values, leadership, shapes of states, sporting events, gifts for season ticket holders and company mile
stones.”

What Are They Buying?
​There’s a huge variety of crystal and glass products available today, making it easy to satisfy all kinds of corporate clients. These include everything from round, rectangle and diamond-shaped awards in a variety of sizes to crescent-shaped, picture frames, paperweights, business card holders, figurines, plaques, desk clocks, stars cubes and globes. You can also find crystal and glass vases, bowls, trophy cups and ornaments in addition to colorful and unique art glass in many shapes and sizes.

According to suppliers, new variations of tried and true designs are what is trending in glass and crystal today. This might include round and diamond-shaped crystal awards with elements of color or a unique base added, or art glass and beveled shapes in new designs.

ChungIn Park, general manager for CIP Creations, Irvine, CA, says corporate buyers are growing tired of traditional crystal and glass awards, and instead are looking for new alternatives with more colors or with unique design elements, such as wood, metal or stone accents. “Designs for crystal and glass have evolved and that’s what corporate buyers want. Anything is possible these days,” Park says.

Mark Badash, owner of Badash Crystal, Deer Park, NY, also notes a trend in consumers moving from traditional cut crystal toward glass that makes a contemporary, artistic statement. Badash explains that the younger generations carry a more modern taste for contemporary blown crystal pieces, such as Badash Crystal’s Morano-style art glass and home décor collections.

How Do You Sell Crystal & Glass?
Knowing who to sell crystal and glass products to and what to offer to is half the battle. You also need to consider how.

JDS’ Messerschmidt recommends developing a multi-faceted marketing plan that lays out the next 3, 6 and 12 months. He explains that spontaneous offers, which last for a couple of weeks or months and aren’t strategically planned out, most likely won’t bear much fruit in the corporate market, but a consistent strategy will.

For example, to invest in a showroom display while neglecting your website and social media platforms is a mistake. On the other hand, relying solely on digital marketing and not taking the initiative to simply talk to your customers about your new, best-selling glass and crystal offers is a missed opportunity.

Above all, always be mindful of how to best reach your target audience. It’s always a good idea to inform your customers that you offer crystal and glass products through in-store displays, newsletters, your website, social media posts and even snail mail. These methods all have a good chance of reaching potential customers.

If you have a showroom, displaying crystal and glass recognition products is an excellent way to show what you have to offer. Select unique pieces for your display to enhance the WOW factor of these beautiful products and include a variety of items, perhaps art glass pieces, colored glass stand-up awards or a soaring eagle on a black crystal base. Creative Gifts International (Canton, MA) Vice President of Sales, Keith Pettengill, says that displays allow customers to touch the pieces and envision their own information etched onto the award.

Another good marketing tactic is to have retail catalogs on hand to show customers what you have to offer. Retail catalogs not only mitigate having to stock a lot of inventory, but they also provide customers a hand-held resource to browse the price and appearance of hundreds of crystal and glass awards at their convenience. Many manufacturers offer preprinted catalogs that can be personalized with your own business information as well as online “virtual” catalogs that you can post on your website.

“Leverage your supplier partners for product flyers that you can use as promotional emails or social media posts,” suggests Crystal D’s Jezierski. “Your suppliers may even have other marketing collateral to help boost your sales.”

Since the rise of the technological era, the global economy is shifting towards e-commerce. Even if you don’t have a full-blown e-commerce site, it’s important to have a well-done website that showcases your glass and crystal offerings.

Jezierski adds that it’s also important to ensure your business listing on Google My Business is up to date, and that it includes high-quality pictures. Images of your showroom and some unique glass and crystal products work well.

Conclusion
If you don’t include crystal and glass in your product line, maybe it’s time you did. With opportunities for repeat business with cyclical awards programs, corporate crystal awards are an excellent niche to add to your arsenal. More, crystal and glass have become quite affordable in recent years, allowing for small nonprofits and large businesses alike the option to purchase high-end personalized crystal awards and gifts.

The implementation of a strategic marketing plan ensures addressing both the needs of digital marketing and your store front. Above all, always be mindful of how to best reach your target audience. These methods, in combination with strategic marketing, help retailers secure a high profit margin.

“Keep it fresh, and keep it in front of your customers,” advises Messerschmidt.
]]><![CDATA[Marketing Holiday Merchandise]]>Wed, 30 Jun 2021 02:03:43 GMThttp://www.rachelbrauer.com/engravers-journal/marketing-holiday-merchandiseEver feel at a loss on getting gifts for everyone on your list, and disheartened by the idea of presenting your loved ones trivial presents like chocolates and bath bombs?

Personalized gifts tug at the heartstrings, and the custom “home décor” market provides products to curate that moment. Such as a wooden recipe box sublimated with grandma’s 100-year-old recipe, a personalized sign for a mantel or bar, or even an engraved pet tag for the beloved family dog.

Business wire claims the personalized gift industry grossed over $31.36 billion in revenue in 2017. Industry analysts forecast the Personalized Gifts market to grow at a CAGR or a compound annual growth rate of 9.52% during 2018-2023.

While it’s great to acquire new customers, the easiest way to increase your profit margin is by offering new products, like holiday gifts, to current patrons. Pre-existing clients are a great place to start. They know, and like you, so already, you have overcome several hurdles.

For the 2019 holiday season, awards and trophy shops have the opportunity to position themselves as a place to purchase gifts for the upcoming festivities. Often, adding personalized home décor to your inventory requires business owners to shift their mindset as well. Specifically, the trope that November and December are the slow months for awards & trophy businesses.
 
“Let customers know that you can also solve their gift-giving dilemmas,” urges Dan Messerschmidt, National Sales Manager for JDS Industries, Sioux Falls, SD. “With one stop into your store or website, they can get impressive, personalized gifts for the hard-to-shop-for people on their list.”
Reaching your audience at the right place, at the right time
When selling a product or service, always consider the buyer demographic, or a target audience. A target audience is a specific group of people you want to reach with your marketing and who are most likely to buy your products. They share similar characteristics, like demographics, interests.

For instance, the president of Condé Systems, David Gross, Mobile, AL, notes their sweet spot in purchasing power is young millennial women, around 20-years-old through their late 20s.

Because Condé knows who their target audience is, they can create products with them in mind.

For the 2019 holiday season, they anticipate hot sellers to be wall-art, such as patterns and monograms. To appease their target audience, Condé created a new dry erase board in the shape of a speech bubble for people to leave each other notes.

Another way to think this is what home décor you choose to focus on could depend, in part, on where you live, what the population looks like and what influence these groups provide.

How early is early?
We all know big box stores launch their holiday marketing campaigns right after Labor Day. Adopt this early bird attitude for your business, and start your Christmas shopping ahead of time. The Marketing Director for the Gavel Co., Rachel Jacobs, Lincolnwood, IL, explains how some products, especially custom ones, require a longer lead-time. By marketing for the holidays as soon as possible, it ensures all orders are completed on time.

In fact, a 2018 report by the National Retail Federation reveals fewer Americans shopped either on or offline from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday in 2018 than in 2017. However, overall holiday spending still rose in 2018 because people cross items off their gift list before Thanksgiving as retailers roll out the sales earlier and earlier.

Gross agrees that getting an early start is the best approach for reaping a profitable holiday season. He suggests a way to expand for shop owners to expand their reach in the community is to collaborate with local nonprofits with fundraisers. This could look like selling personalized ornaments to raise money for a cause. One side of said ornament could be the organization’s name and logo, and the other could feature the fundraiser’s message.

Identify who the decision-maker is at the organization and reach out with your proposal. It’s an all-around win: you get paid, the person who purchases the product has a keepsake to pass down for generations, and you establish local connections.

Another way to jumpstart your holiday sales season is to connect with local pet groomers. Talk with the owner of the groomer’s shop, and inquire if you can leave some product in their storefront for customers to browse while waiting for their pets. The pet product line is a large and profitable niche and covers an assortment of products ranging from ornaments, leashes, collars, and more.

Gross attests that forging community connections is likened to hiring a sales force that does the extra leg work for you.
 
How to reach your audience through bricks and clicks
Messerschmidt remarks that for numerous dealers, especially awards and trophy brick and mortars, being recognized as a place to go for holiday gifts requires shifting your customer’s perceptions of your business. Remain cognizant that getting consumers to change their buying pattern can take multiple reminders, whether that is through in-person interaction, email blasts, or Facebook posts.

Businesses need to communicate the message that they are the place to get gifts long before the holiday season and continue to remind people what they offer. For online businesses, it’s not quite as tricky, but still necessary.

While it may not be possible to utilize every communication and marketing method available, once again, dealers and shops need to consider their target audience and where they spend the most time online. Examine what way would be most effective in reaching your target audience. 

For example, Regional Sales Manager for Marco Awards, Michael Cornicello reports that Marco’s website’s banner features products. Around the holiday season, their website displays items for dealers to feature in their showrooms and their websites. As an added feature, retailers can download product images and templates to assist in their own marketing.

An effective website presence serves as the Yellow Pages for retailers. Increase your investment in a website hooked up with Google.    

During the holiday season, Marco Awards Group sends out daily email blasts to their customers. They could contain information on everything from sales, closeouts, seasonal items and more, depending upon the season and occasion.

Marco also has a Facebook page that is updated often with product information, industry news, and more. While ordering and other forms of communication are still done on the website or with sales staff, Cornicello encourages businesses to think of their Facebook page as an awards industry news feed.

Optimize your showroom
In any showroom, there are several “hot spots” to enhance. The front windows draw foot traffic. Near the counter and cash register is another prime opportunity, explains Messerschmidt. And just inside the front door, you can let everyone know that you carry personalizable holiday products.

For in-store placement, Cornicello suggests a feature display table that allows customers to browse the seasonal items. He notes that customers like a small sample in the showroom with a sign saying, “please see our full display in the rear of the showroom.” This way,  patrons have traveled past the daily award products to see what is featured and get an idea of other items you sell.

Consider making a list of the types of home décor items you would like to offer your customers. When you build your display, making it the most dominant thing in the room. Instead of displaying products, get creative, and add props, such as pumpkins and gourds for Thanksgiving. Consider using a computer monitor or a chase light sign to draw attention to it.

If you take care of the samples, you can use them for several years, so it won’t be nearly as expensive or time-consuming as the first time around.

Under the notion of never quite having enough counter space, Gross also recommends acquiring flat-screen TVs in your showroom to oscillate high-quality pictures of featured products. Consider adding some props so the customer can envision it in their home, like a cup of hot cocoa on Christmas coasters, ornaments hanging from a tree, a knife and vegetables on a personalized cutting board.

Product pictures can be repurposed in your digital advertising as well. You can use these photos on your website, email blasts, in newsletters, and other forms of digital advertising you do.

What’s hot?
Jacobs believes that Gavel Co.’s salt and pepper grinders, hardwood cutting boards, tablet holders, and wine boxes and caddies will continue to be great sellers this season. These products exude beauty and function.

For Marco Awards Group, their best gift ideas can be found in the “Big Book” on their website. Cornicello anticipates their clocks, wine gift sets, cutting boards as well as many of the decorated items finished with sublimation or UniNet printers will be big sellers.

Happy Holidays!
The effort dealers put into marketing products for the holiday season is only the beginning. Once you have customers purchasing gifts from you, there are numerous opportunities throughout the year to repeatedly serve your customers, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, weddings, births, graduations – just to name a few.

Using these touchstones as an opportunity to reconnect with your customers year-round will help them regard you as a place to get gifts in the future. Now is the time to set your plans in motion for a successful holiday season.

Above all, break free from the confines of your comfort zone.

“Don’t let your opinions get in the way of making money,” explains Gross. He believes that your clients should be making the decisions on what products they want to purchase, and what owners think will sell are irrelevant.
]]><![CDATA[Memories for Life: Personalized Gifts for Everyone]]>Wed, 30 Jun 2021 01:59:51 GMThttp://www.rachelbrauer.com/engravers-journal/memories-for-life-personalized-gifts-for-everyone
The digital revolution is shifting commerce as the trend toward online shopping continues to grow among consumers. Today, more and more customers are spending their shopping dollars through E-commerce avenues, and that includes those who are looking for personalized products. As a result, many businesses in the personalization industry have recognized the need to specialize their services in this direction—and many with great success. 

Edi Bond, the owner of Memories for Life, located in Essex, IA, recognizes this need and has built her business online instead of following the traditional brick and mortar route. On her platforms, she markets her laser engraved items as timeless keepsakes for generations to come—whether that entails engraving great grandma’s cookie recipe onto a cutting board or an ornament to commemorate baby’s first holiday. 

“Customer service is a huge part of the personalization business, and making connections with customers ensures them that their order is important,” affirms Edi. She 
recalls each client and their order, right down to putting their name on the shipping label. 

However, the most rewarding aspect about her job is the relationships she builds with each customer while working with them one-on-one. 

Lifetime events such as births, weddings, anniversaries and memorials provide the perfect opportunity to give a personalized gift. Her products carry sentimental value given their tailored nature, and the customer relationships she builds secure repeat business for generations to come. 
Why an Online Business? 
Edi says she originally built Memories for Life as an online business instead of following the traditional brick and mortar route because the overhead is substantially lower. She doesn't have to keep standard business hours, allowing her the freedom to come and go as she pleases, and she can work remotely by responding to emails and inquiries. Plus, she doesn't have to hire additional staff to run the store in her absence. 

Etsy, a platform for sellers of handmade goods and buyers seeking unique, handmade items, is the best outlet Edi has found for selling her handmade, original work. She claims the platform is both easy to use and set up, and the fees are lower than other sites or consignment options she’s discovered. A major advantage of utilizing Etsy is its potential to expand her market. 

“I can reach a much larger audience by selling online. I am from a town of 800 people, so my audience is limited,” explains Edi. “By selling online I can reach customers all across the U.S. as well as internationally.” So far, Memories for Life has shipped to many countries and all 50 U.S. States. 

While Edi prefers to host Memories for Life virtually, she still showcases her personalized products in public spaces to further supplement her income. Edi participates in three Iowa craft shows each year, two of which are Callahan Promotions, Inc., and the other is the Clarinda Craft Carnival. Memories for Life also reaches the shelves of three local wineries where Edi provides an assortment of items for consignment, such as wine glasses, beer mugs, wine bags, wine charms, coasters and metal tumblers. Edi also sells wholesale to local gift shops with products featuring engraved Iowa-themed items: wine glasses sporting Iowa and a heart, spatulas, magnets and local school-themed items. 

Balancing Creativity with Business
Before considering startup e-commerce, Edi explains that it’s important to realize that although the business is online, it’s still a business which means that developing a sound business strategy is essential to success. While creative people may possess exceptional talent, it’s often easy to gloss over foundational aspects of entrepreneurship when establishing an online presence in shops like Etsy. Edi believes her educational background in business gives her an edge in this area. 

For example, Edi stresses the importance of knowing what taxes have to be collected and how to file the returns. She adds that having good Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is also important as it can do a lot of the marketing legwork for businesses. To harness the power of SEO, Edi has focused efforts on recognizing the different keywords customers use to search for a product like a cutting board versus a wedding guest book. 

“When I list something on Etsy, I try to think what keywords a buyer would put into the search engine to look for that item,” explains Edi. “Then, I try to use correlating terms relating to that specific product.” 

Edi obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Business while working in a factory for ten years making truck transmissions. But she knew she eventually wanted to use her education to expand her life vision, so she started making scrapbooks for people as a side job. In pursuit of a machine heavy-duty enough to cut thick chipboard into custom shapes for the scrapbook pages, a friend introduced her to Epilog lasers. After watching a 30-second video, Edi knew she needed a laser engraving machine. 

Following the purchase of a Mini 18 laser from Epilog Laser, Edi knew she was onto something she could build a business around. So she quit scrapbooking and her steady, full-time job with benefits in favor of becoming self-employed in the lucrative laser engraving business. Since then, she has also added a Fusion 32 laser to her equipment arsenal which accommodates larger work in her growing business. Edi explains that having two lasers allows room for multi-tasking, she has as a backup in case one goes down. During the holidays when she is putting in 16-hour workdays, that extra backup is crucial. 

Practice, Patience and Persistence 
To remain relevant with the economy’s shifting demands, she continuously reinvents her marketing strategy to align with the changing social media landscape. This has helped her to grow her 5-star customer-rated Etsy shop. 

While her Etsy shop provides the majority of her sales, she uses Facebook for advertising purposes. Facebook simplifies blogging by allowing her to write short posts and add a few photos. This gives her customers insight into her day-to-day life as an engraver and enables her to sustain relationships with customers. Additionally, the Memories for Life Facebook page lets followers know about new products and upcoming local craft shows Edi will be attending. 

Since launching Memories for Life on Etsy in 2008, Edi learned to photograph her products in natural lighting. This allows her to showcase her beautiful work while not having to rely on Photoshop, except for minor adjustments here and there. 

As a one-person shop, besides shipping assistance that her mom contributes during the holiday season, being organized is critical. Edi groups similar tasks together to streamline productivity. For example, if Edi has multiple customers requesting her signature bamboo cutting boards, she works on those orders together. When transitioning to glass tumblers, she switches over her machine to engrave those items. 

The Craft of Unique Creations While building her business, Edi gained experience working with a variety of materials, including wood, glass, metal, faux leather, acrylic and rubber stamps. She currently offers a mixture of both pre-made blank products and handmade products. Edi makes all of her books, ornaments, earrings, magnets, bamboo coasters and alder wood products by hand, while she purchases blank items like recipe boxes and cutting boards that she personalizes. 

“I run an engraving business and not a woodworking business,” says Edi. “If I had the space and time to do both, that would be great. But I need to focus on what I do best and let others do what they do best.” 
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And she is always experimenting with new materials. That is one of the great things about laser engraving, she says. There are boundless options of what one can engrave. In her job, Edi rarely finds herself bored. 

Ultimately, Edi says, maintaining your inventory and adding new items to fit trends is quintessential to success. “Becoming stale on Etsy by not adding new products causes people to quit looking at your shop,” reveals Edi. “The same goes for craft shows—people will walk by if a booth doesn’t have new products. Novel items catch patrons’ eyes. ” 

Selling personalized “Memories for Life” allows Edi to utilize her creativity, enjoy what she does and make a profit while doing it. That, in itself, is a major secret to success.
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