Let's Talk with Michael Smith

Good Luck, Mr. Smith

Shelly — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:19:00 +0000

We here at Wendell's would like to thank Michael for all of the work he has done to help not only our company thrive but in reaching out to every one of his readers over the past few years. We hope Arizona has prepared itself, as Michael is a true powerhouse of positivity that we are certainly going to miss.

To those of you looking for more helpful sales advice and killer coin promotion techniques- -stay tuned! We have a few new voices here in the office, Wendy Johnson (who some of you may have met) and Shannon Coy, both excited to help develop new ideas and share their knowledge of the minting process. We also have our stamp and office product gurus Jake Forslund and Rick Wilson ready to chime in as well.

Expect big, exciting, new things to start popping up in June. As for now feel free to read over Michael's articles or post any special topics you would like to see featured in our upcoming articles to our comments section.

Jan/Feb 2008 - A New State of Excellence

Mike Smith — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:11:00 +0000

One of the hardest issues about selling can be revealing the costs, more so when you know you are competing with others for the business. I have been in this business for 10 years and the one item that seems to catch people by surprise is the cost of the tooling. Don’t misunderstand me, we are very competitive with our tooling costs, nonetheless, it can be a concern. There are customers who want a two-sided key tag or medallion yet do not want to pay tooling charges.

We have a great solution for the possible deal breaker. We maintain a large catalog of stock image tools that you can use in your project at no cost. We are now offering new tools for your consideration.

I am very excited to introduce and unveil to you our State Quarter Series. We have created tooling with the new, unique images for all 50 state quarters. There are a lot of proud residents waiting to have their state quarter image minted on your next minting project. We have captured every detail you see on the actual quarter. This setup can be used on both key tags and medallions. Please note the images shown to the left; truly stunning examples.

Normally, I would have provided several selling scenarios for you, but I wouldn’t want to overwhelm you with possibilities just yet. Please check out my article every other month at www.wendellsinc.com and "Lets Talk" about ways to sell medallions. We want you to have the tools!

Nov/Dec 2007 - The holidays are almost here...

Mike Smith — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:05:00 +0000

Now that the holidays are almost here, it’s time to start planning for the 2008 show season. To open the New Year’s show season, Wendell's will be exhibiting in Orlando and Las Vegas in January. Make sure you stop by our booth to learn about our new tools and exciting ideas for 2008. The secret is out!!!!!!!

Orlando booth number: 2834
Las Vegas booth number: 6427

The start of the show season gives us at Wendell's the pleasure of meeting all of you and talk about how selling medallions can be lucrative to your business. Additionally, it gives us the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the medallion-selling veterans and share new ideas about blossoming markets. In both cases, it's one of the things we enjoy the most when going to the shows.

I have enjoyed writing the "Let's Talk" articles and welcome your comments. If you have any topic suggestions email me directly at msmith@wendellsinc.com or call at 1-800-328-3692 and "Let's Talk!"

Sept/October 2007 - School Is In Session!

Mike Smith — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:08:00 +0000

Recently, I attended a local trade show and was speaking with a woman about our medallions. In the early stages of our conversation, she made it very clear that her customers would not be interested in medallions. I asked her what customer base she served. One type of customer she worked with was schools. I was surprised to hear that she thought the school market wouldn’t be interested in medallions!

In this edition of “Lets Talk” I will give examples of case studies that work and can provide repeat business, year after year with any school.

Whether schools are looking for a fundraising item or an item that will aide in building school spirit, suggest the following; Mint a medallion where side 1 of the coin or key tag has the school’s mascot or building on campus and Side 2 has the team’s motto or sports mascot. To help sell the idea for future business, avoid having any year or information that is likely to change on both sides.

For the younger students, suggest medallions to encourage reading. The school can offer reward medallions for students who read a certain number of books. This particular type of medallion can have side 1 of the medallions with the school’s name and side 2 of the medallion can have one of our stock motivational dies. The school can make the award ceremony a big event with family and friends invited. This particular opportunity to use medallions in the school system has been going for over 10 years.

The case studies listed are not new and may be used again in the near future. As long as there is one Sales Professional not convinced that schools are actually good medallion prospects there is a case to be made for how effective medallions can be. I strongly believe if you have a school as a customer you have to present medallions as an idea. Keep reading our website article for helpful hints on selling medallions or call us direct and “Let’s Talk”.

July/August 2007 - Getting the Community Involved in Community Events

Mike Smith — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 15:32:00 +0000

A local community recently had its 150th Anniversary. For the event a neighborhood print shop created an image of a covered wagon being pulled by a team of horses. The print shop also made calendars with the identical image adorning the front.

A community newspaper highlighted the event and printed the image in one of its weekly publications. The paper also listed a calendar of planned events; there was no mention of commemorative medallions. The highlight event for the celebration was a four-day wagon train tour through the county. The wagon used for this tour was the inspiration for the medallion.

When Wendell’s originally called the print shop to present the concept of a commemorative medallion the idea was well received. However, the owner of the print shop did not want to bear the expense alone. We made the suggestion that other business in the county might be willing to support the sponsorship of the medallion. Many businesses quickly stepped up and the medallions were on their way to being minted. A second custom die was made with the sponsors being listed on the obverse side. There were approximately 20 companies, not to mention Wendell’s.

Next time there is a community celebration in your area “Let’s Talk” on ways of getting the entire community involved. Schools, churches and businesses would be ideal sponsors for this kind of project. The dies were donated to the county’s historical society for display. This medallion made a fantastic keepsake and will long out last the other items produced for the celebration.

For more information on medallions for community events or on donating dies, please contact me at 800-328-3692.

May/June 2007 - Give your Die a New Lifeline

Mike Smith — Fri, 18 May 2007 17:46:00 +0000

I am thrilled to report more people are requesting medallions for their annual and anniversary events. The annual events offer the best chance for repeat business, however, the anniversary or milestone events should not be overlooked. Both offer unique opportunities to generate business without costing any additional time or money.

In minting, one of the most expensive items can be the cost of the dies. What happens to the die(s) once all the medallions or key tags have been minted? Presently, the dies sits in a die drawer at the plant awaiting the next order. Is there a better use for the dies? How can the dies be used to generate more sales?

Many of the organizations or groups that request medallions will use them in historic displays. When selling medallions remember to inform your customer that they can keep the actually dies used to mint the medallions. If you are successful, it will provide you an opportunity to advertise your business with the exhibit. The idea of the die going to the end user has several additional benefits. Let’s look at a few.

Here are two that come to mind right away. One, it shows your end user you are creative and that you have their success in mind. Two, you are giving other prospects an opportunity to contact you after viewing the exhibit where the dies and medallions are on display. I have received orders because someone from a nearby community or organizer for a different event viewed the medallions and wanted them for their event. In this case let’s say medallions can be contagious.

Keep watching our website for helpful hints on selling medallions or call us direct and “Let’s Talk”!

Raise Interest with your Fundraiser

Mike Smith — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 16:39:00 +0000

Recently, I read an article written for the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute on memorial statues made of zinc. The statues honor those Firemen who died in the line of duty. They were all erected in the beginning of the 19th century. Like so many of our country’s memorials, some of these are in need of restoration. As you can imagine, restoring memorials is a costly endeavor. As a result of the expense involved many organizations make plans for fundraisers. What can we do to help support historical preservation and restoration? Let’s Talk!

Medallions and key tags have a very successful track record as fund raisers. This isn’t the first time I have been asked about this market and I know it won’t be the last. Medallions really work! Year after year, the use of medallions and key tags has continued to grow. I expect the trend to carry on for the foreseeable and beyond.

Whether you live in Aberdeen, SD or Zurich, MT there is undoubtedly a historical monument in your community that needs support. Your local Park Board is an excellent resource as well as the internet to assist you in finding contact information and numbers. Affordable medallions and key tags provide an outstanding long term fund raising opportunity. As an additional keepsake, organizations can produce a limited number in precious metals for the dedicated volunteers or key financial contributors.

Keep watching our website for helpful hints on selling medallions or call us direct and “Let’s Talk”.

I have enjoyed writing the "Let's Talk" articles and welcome your comments. If you have any topic suggestions email me directly at msmith@wendellsinc.com or call at 1-800-328-3692 and "Let's Talk!"

Welcome to the New Year!

Mike Smith — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 16:38:00 +0000

Now that the holidays are over, its time to get ready for the 2007 show season. to open the New Year Wendell's will be exhibiting in Las Vegas, Orlando and Dallas all in the first three months. Make sure you stop by our booth to learn about our new and exciting products for 2007.

Las Vegas booth number: 6325
Orlando booth number: 1726
Dallas booth number: 2523

I will be dealing blackjack and offering tips from the booth in Vegas. Stop in and let's play- -there will be good deals for everyone!

The start of the show season gives all of us at Wendell's the pleasure to meet all of you and talk about how selling medallions can be lucrative to your business. Come to our booth and let us show you how. Additionally it gives us the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the medallion-selling veterans and share new ideas about blossoming markets. In both cases it's one of the things we enjoy the most when going to the shows.

Let us not forget this year is our 125th Anniversary! It is a proud moment in our company's history. With your continued business and support we will be around another 125 years. thank you and have a great business year.

Commemorate and Celebrate

Mike Smith — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:36:00 +0000

Get Ready...

We at Wendell's will be commemorating our 125th anniversary, in 2007, and we will be celebrating this historic event the whole year. What a great event for a medallion! Since I have the inside track on this job, you'll have to find your own, there are plenty opportunities for everyone.

Many cities, municipalities, states and other entities will also be celebrating a milestone anniversary. It is the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma becoming the 46th state to join the union. It is the 50th anniversary of the start of the space race and Motown. The list goes on and on for historic events across the country.

Committees are being formed to discuss activities and which promotional ideas to be considered. The internet has made it easy to obtain contact information on committees and their location. Give them a call or send a letter. Be proactive, make the connection before your competitor.

The opportunity for medallions could easily turn into repeat business. I really like saying that! There is nothing wrong in letting your customers know you plan on selling promotional items to them for more than one job. Go ahead and use words like next time, start a tradition and make these a collectible.

We want to help you close the deal! Use our outstanding ideas, case studies and creativity in your proposal. Give us a call and "Let's Talk!"

Gauge and Impact 101

Mike Smith — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:19:00 +0000

Let's talk about an issue that many promotional and motivational consultants find confusing; understanding a metal's gauge and its impact on the coining process. Gauge is a term used to define thickness of a metal. Logically one would think the larger the number the thicker the medallion. However, in the minting or metal industries it is the complete opposite. To illustrate, let's look at the thickness of our standard materials.

Gauge	Fraction	Decimal	Millimeters
14	1/16"	.064	1.588
12	3/32"	.080	2.381
10	7/64"	.101	2.778

Simpy put the lower the gauge the thicker the material and that allows more relief and detail opportunities.

At Wendell's, we maintain a selection of material gauge and material types to provide you and your customer options to compliment a promotional or motivational project. Don't worry, there is no test on the topic of material gauge or any other technical detail to create minting masterpieces, I'll handle that.

Please feel free to send in any questions you may have to discuss in our forum. If your questions is used we will discount your first order by 15%. Submit all questions or comments to:
msmith@wendellsinc.com. Watch our website for more helpful hints on selling medallions or call us direct and "Let's Talk".

Welcome to Let's Talk!

Mike Smith — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 15:16:00 +0000

The best part of my job is talking to and helping distributors develop successful promotional programs that incorporate Wendell's quality minted products and accessories. I will review and address commonly asked questions to help make selling medallions easier.

One of the questions I hear most often, at the many trade shows I attend concerns the use of medallions and who buys them.

Q. Who buys Medallions?

A. Medallions are an item that can be used by any customer looking for a great promotional idea. Medallions are an item customers may not ask for specifically. However, medallions will sell themselves once they're suggested. Whatever the message your customer wants to convey; a milestone, say thank you to employees or thank you to customers. Medallions will carry the message for a lifetime.

Here is a case study where medallions were used successfully:
John Cooke, President, The J.P. Cooke Company, and parishioner of the Morning Star Lutheran Church wanted something special to commemorate their 50th Anniversary. The Omaha, NE based church decided on medallions. One side had an image of the church with the name underneath. The reverse site had the message "Celebrating 50 years of Ministry" with their trademark stars and a cross image to compliment the overall look. Approximately one thousand antique bronze medallions were minted for all the parishioners, twelve .999 fine silver for the Pastors who have presided over the congregation and one 24 karat gold medallion for the very first Pastor of the church. The gold piece was packaged in a cherry wood box with the image of the church engraved on the top. In addition, the dies used to mint the medallions were sent to the church as part of the historical display.

In this competitive market where national and international suppliers are all competing for the same business the need to differentiate yourself becomes essential. Show creativity and "Create A Lasting Impression!"

Make the suggestion!
Any customer looking for a great promotional item will buy medallions.

Please feel free to send in any questions you may have to discuss in our forum. If your questions is used we will discount your first order by 15%. Submit all questions or comments to: msmith@wendellsinc.com. Watch our website for more helpful hints on selling medallions or call us direct and "Let's Talk".