This morning at the Omaha Empowerment Breakfast my breakfast companion observed the dozens of promotion pieces that were distributed to each attendee. Catalogs, beautiful color booklets printed on glossy paper, simple single sheet ads, business cards offered business awareness, specials and deals.
"As a professional organizer, what do you do with all of these papers?" my new acquaintance asked upon learning of my profession. It is a good question that many business people face as they have opportunities to learn about other businesses through meetings, conferences and one-on-one sessions.
Here are some options for savvy handling of promotional pieces:
- Cherry pick for the items that are useful to you and leave the rest. Take what you can use and leave the rest. If you brought items for others, be sure to gather the unused ones at the end of the meeting or show. You can replenish your inventory, or at the very least, dispose of them in a responsible manner.
- Upon return to your workplace, deal with the new information as quickly as possible. We often discover plastic tote bags full of conference materials months after the meeting is over. Add contacts to your system and make notes of any follow-ups you want to handle.
- Rely on a master list of attendees when available. Internet sites and other contact information may be available in a central document. One item is much easier to keep track of than multiple pieces.
- Reflect on your use of paper promotional pieces. Are there other items such as quality logo items that fit your budget or small food or beverage packages that are appropriate for conveying your message?
What strategies do you use to prevent promotion material pileup? We would like to hear your ideas!
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