Laser etching

(Name) tag, you’re it!

November 2, 2011 by Alan R Leave a Comment

Wood Name Tag from Naag Tag

I know who I am. Not only that, I rarely if ever forget my own name. The problem is, try as I may, I can’t recall everyone’s name off the top of my head. Sure, maybe after five minutes of thinking, the name may pop in my head. What can we do? Well, you can wear a name tag.

I enjoy watching David Siteman Garland’s interviews at The Rise To The Top. He talks to some amazing guests and the information you glean from these interviews is great. One such interview was with Scott Ginsberg. Years ago, Scott made a choice that would change the direction of his life forever; he decided to wear a name tag everyday for the rest of his life. He even went so far as to get a name tag tattoo. What may have started as a quirky thing to do turned into part of a business that now supports him. So, what is important about a name tag? Should I be concerned with name tags if I own a business?

A big part of owning a business is having a professional image. The image you and your employees project to customers, prospective customers, and the general public can have an effect on profits. Would you hire a plumber in a three-piece suit? Would you hire a banker in short pants, flip flops, and a Hawaiian shirt? The image you project will often dictate the clients and customers that are attracted (or not repelled) by you, your employees, and your business. So, how does a name tag fit in?

First impressions are important. If you and your employees are dressed appropriately for the clients and customers that are in your target market, you have made a good first impression. Now, assuming that you introduce yourself to your customer, you are continuing to make a good first impression. What happens if the customer is bad with names, did not understand what you said, or was just not paying attention to the introduction? Name tags allow you and your employees to become more personal with the customer or client. Some clients or customers would feel more comfortable dealing with John rather than Mr Smith. By having a name tag, you lesson the worry of the client or customer in using he wrong name. Since name tags vary widely, what style should you choose?

Name tag from WoodenNameTags.com

Your first impression should be memorable. The client or customer should remember you above the competition. Your product or service may differentiate you from the competition, but how are you, as a sales person, being remarkable and memorable? Does a small, plastic, generic name tag sound remarkable or memorable? What if you interfaced with clients with a name tag from Wooden Name Tags? What if the only thing your customer or client remembers is how unique your name tag was? Wouldn’t you want to do everything you can to be memorable?

Many businesses try to be relevant and remembered. They believe they are being memorable by offering their logo on pens and other small trinkets but how often do those trinkets get thrown away because they are low quality or not relevant to the customer or client? A well designed, unique, creative name tag is memorable, cost effective (able to use it over and over), and is yet another way to make you and your business remarkable. Remarkable is what gets remembered. Remarkable is what differentiates the common from the extraordinary. Being remarkable drives business, drives profits, and drives growth.

How are you being remarkable in your life and business?

What can you do to your personal or professional image to be remarkable?

How can a simple name tag make you remarkable?

A Wedding gift to stand the test of time

October 12, 2011 by Alan R Leave a Comment

Your wedding is a special day. You plan for months if not years to make that day one to remember forever. Often, the whole day is filled with action and you are the start attraction. Well-wishers will bring gifts, but you often will not notice. Days or weeks later, you will open the gifts, write your Thank You notes, and begin your married life. What gifts did you receive? Can you remember a year from now? Two? Ten? What makes a wedding gift stand the test of time?

According to Nina Callaway on About.com, a great gift idea is a nice bottle of wine with instructions for the couple to open it on their tenth anniversary. That day, you will look back fondly and remember the special friend that gave you that amazing gift. Handwritten notes may get lost, tags will come off, those special instructions could be lost. What better way to ensure your instructions stay with the gift than to etch them on the bottle.

So, what makes a wedding gift stand the test of time? A thoughtful, useful, elegant gift that is chosen from the heart. Toasters are fine and that new stand mixer would be great, but a personalized bottle of wine for the happy couple to enjoy for years to come, that is a gift you remember.

Laser Engraving – Embossing seals

September 30, 2011 by Alan R Leave a Comment

Laser etchers are versatile tools. Among the many things a laser can create, embossing seals may be some of the most useful. Often these seals are created using Delrin (or acetal).

Delrin is an engineered thermoplastic with a variety of uses. Often, it is the material of choice for embossing seals. The seal designer typically creates the seal digitally in two parts, a positive and negative, but can also consist of only a positive or negative. Once the design is created, the material is loaded into a laser and the laser burns away the material to create the die. Delrin is a very good choice for the die material as it is very strong, is highly abrasion resistant, and absorbs little or no water. It can be worked easily, such as with a laser, and is used in a variety of products.

There are many jobs and careers that require embossed seals; Notary Public, Architect, Professional Engineer, etc. These roles are usually tied to state or federal licensing or certification. To ensure the documents created by these professional are authentic, an embossing seal is typically used. These seals usually consist of a positive and negative die that, when used together, result in a nice raised pattern or seal in the paper or other material. When used, the seals provide physical proof, along with the signature of the professional, that the particular document was reviewed, created, or endorsed by a licensed, certified, or registered professional.

Notary Seal - Alabama - Acorn Sales

Seals differ in the information they convey. Some seals convey information about the professional such as license numbers, the state where the license is valid, the licensees name, etc and varies from state to state and the purpose of the seal. There are variations in the seals even from the same state, but there are guidelines for the minimum information on the seal. For example, this notary seal for Alabama lists the state, the name of the licensee, registration number, and when the license expires.

Embossing seals have many other uses as well. You may see an embossed sticker on an award or on a corporate document. You may receive a hand made card with a design embossed on the paper to give it that unique touch. You may decide to have a custom seal created just for your business, to add that little special touch that will set you apart from your competition.

What ideas could you come up with for an embossing seal?

How could an embossing seal add to the professional image of your company?

iPad personalization

September 21, 2011 by Alan R Leave a Comment

Product personalization is becoming more popular. Companies are taking advantage of this trend by offering this service when you purchase their product. One notable example is Apple.

You can now get your iPad laser engraved for free when you order your iPad or iPad 2 from Apple (2 lines with approximately 25 characters per line). This creates a great personalized gift idea for that special someone, customer, employee, or for yourself. While this is a great idea and option, what happens when you upgrade your iPad to an iPad 2? Will anyone buy the iPad if it is laser etched with “Happy 14th Birthday from Grandma” or something similar?

Well, there are so many choices. One possibility is getting your iPad laser etched by someone other than Apple. If you want your iPad personalized and want more than just text, there are a number of companies that do that would be happy to work with you on a design and etch it for you. An example of those companies would be HiTech Tattoos in New York, NY and In A Flash Laser in Virginia (there are many others, just Google Laser etched iPads).

Another possibility would be to get a cover for your iPad and get the cover laser etched. In A Flash Laser offers the option to personalize a Dodo case for your iPad (For those who are unfamiliar with Dodo cases, there is an amazing entrepreneurial story behind the business that you can read about here on the blog of Tim Ferriss). There are wood skins for the back of your iPad as well as complete wood and leather cases.

The bottom line is that there are a wide variety of choices for you to express your personality. Whether you choose to have your iPad personalized through Apple, have a design and/or text added from a laser design and etching company, or decide to go with a cover, the items in your life tell the world about your personality. What would you like to tell the world?

Laser Etching and Fashion Week

September 17, 2011 by Alan R Leave a Comment

Fashion week is the ultimate springboard for aspiring designers and a showcase for established brands. They are held in cities all over the world to let the fashion industry know what is “in” or “out” for the coming season. Invitations are sent out to buyers and celebrities from a wide variety of companies, all vying for attention. With a deluge of invitations, it is often the most unique that gets remembered. This year, according to the Wall Street Journal, that prize goes to Frye.

In an effort to stand out, Frye had their invitations laser etched. The invitations were made from 3/8 inch thick maple-wood blocks in Pennsylvania and enclosed in a cotton sack with a hand stitched label. According to an article from the Wall Street Journal, Jamie Laycock, the creative director of Frye, said “we really wanted something that would catch people’s attention and represent the company’s core equities of being handcrafted.”

These invitations were an important part of the marketing plan that Frye put in place to build buzz around the opening of their new store. The attention to detail, from the custom laser etching, to the cotton sack and hand stitched label, shows a growing trend in companies to design unique products and marketing material. Companies are realizing that items which are not unique and new are failing to gain consumer attention.

In business, gaining consumer attention is a major focus in many areas, including sales. It is often said that it takes seven exposures to a product or service before a consumer makes a purchase. Most customers are deluged with products and information that often look the same so when they are presented with something new and unique, they take notice. If the item or information is interesting enough to keep their attention, that attention will often lead to a sale.

How can laser etching help your business? Do you need a custom designed laser etched postcard to send to your VIP customers? Do you need unique store fixtures and signs to show customers that your business is relevant and worthy of attention? How would your potential customers react if your business card was embossed (with a custom laser engraved embossing die), had laser cut areas or custom cut borders, or a stamp from a custom made laser etched ink stamp? What if your business card around if it was unique, different, and attention grabbing? Would that business card help keep your business in a top-of-mind position to a customer?

Remember, it often takes seven exposures to a product or service before a consumer makes a purchase. If your company pops into the customers mind when they need something, you are one step closer to making a sale. So, how can laser etching help your business?