Photography is an important element of the Promotional Product industry. Having the ability to show your clients what their product will look like with their logo on it is a great way to close the deal and make a sale.
Make Your Photos Come to Life: A Look at Free Photo Editors
May 22nd, 2013 
Amy Evenson, Art Director Meet our Team Members: Molly Neises
May 15th, 2013 The Maple Ridge Team 
Here at Maple Ridge Farms, we love taking the time to get to know our distributors better. We feel that our relationships with them set us apart and help us to provide the best service we possibly can. As part of our ongoing series, here is a look at another member of the Maple Ridge Farm team!
Name: Molly Neises
Department: Customer Service
Years of Service: 5
Your Time on the “Farm”…
What brought you to Maple Ridge Farms, and what where you doing before coming to MRF?
I was working in a factory! When they shut the doors, I thought it was time I took a 2nd look at Customer Service. (And I couldn’t be happier!)
What is your role on the MRF Team? How do you typically spend your day?
I am a Gift Specialist working in our Customer Service Department, and am a member of our Custom Gifts team. I field incoming requests from our distributors regarding a wide variety of their needs (new orders/pricing, current orders status, custom projects, etc.) You name it, we help with finding them the information they need!
What part of your job do you most look forward to?
I love the daily interaction with our distributors! I am always excited to work with them on custom and “out of the box” projects, as well.
What is the strangest request you have seen since joining the Maple Ridge Farms team?
Working with our custom gift projects, we have seen quite a few strange requests… I think the oddest was a customer who was looking for a version of our cheese/sausage gifts but they wanted exotic meats (vs. our beef sausage). We were able to source them a variety of options including venison, bison, and more!
What is your favorite Maple Ridge Farms item?
That’s a tough call. The English Butter Toffee is addictive, but the new Cocoa Dusted Truffles are “melt in your mouth” perfection!
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
A few years back, I was honored to receive the Supplier Customer Service Representative of the Year Award from CPPA. I am also excited to be starting toward my TAS/CAS certification.
What do you feel sets Maple Ridge Farms apart in the industry?
High-quality, fresh and delicious gourmet treats, packed fresh to order, provided by a service-driven staff willing to do whatever it takes to help make your customers happy!
On the Lighter Side…
What do you do in your spare time?
I love spending my life with my family and friends. I enjoy movies, music, etc. and have been sticking to my New Year’s resolution of reading more.
What are you proudest of in your personal life?
My circle of family and friends
If you could have a drink with anyone (fictional, real, dead, alive, famous, non-famous) who would it be?
This one changes all the time… Right now, I would have to say my old college roommates…It’s been too long!
What is your ideal vacation?
Anywhere on the North Carolina coast.
I love it there!
What is your favorite quote or saying?
I have two: “It can’t rain all the time” (The Crow) &
“She dances in a ring of fire, and throws off the challenge with a shrug” (Jim Morrison)
What three words best describe you?
Loyal / Loud / Laughter
If you were stranded on an island with one book, one movie, and one CD what would they be?
Right now, I would have to say: To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) / One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest /Doo-waps & Hooligans (Bruno Mars)…
(Ask me next week, and you would probably get a different set of answers!)
Should Suppliers Still Produce Catalogs?
May 8th, 2013 Cathy Cain-Blank, Contributor
(We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience earlier this week, when notification was emailed with an inactive link for this week’s blog. The link is now up and working!)
Once upon a time, the printed catalog was king. Each fall thousands of industry suppliers dedicated countless hours to photography, page layout, proofreading of pricing and price codes and, equally important, selecting a commercial printer whose pressmen churned out sheets that made even the most basic promotional item look like a work of art. As soon as the catalogs arrived on suppliers’ doorsteps, distributors clamored for them, even if they were responsible for the shipping charges. Short of giving out samples, presenting catalogs was the best way to show the new wares of the year to buyers with brand-new budgets.
For many distributors, this way of introducing products is no longer the standard. Even if they love the feel and hi-resolution look of the printed, glossy page they have embraced today’s technology. Having the tools in your own hands to create custom, online presentations, personalized for each buyer, is powerful. It allows for fast turnaround and easy circulation of ideas. Today’s technology has certainly reduced the need for catalogs, and there are some who question whether catalogs are needed at all.
At Maple Ridge Farms, there’s no debate whether to abandon print catalogs. Their distributors continue to report that the printed catalog is one of their best tools for selling food gifts. Surveys over the years confirm that one of the most effective ways to whet the food gift appetite of buyers is to place a catalog in their hands. (Product samples also play a big role.) Still, the 34-year-old, award-winning food gift supplier recognizes the need to equip distributors with both electronic and printed materials to promote its line. That’s why they continue to add more marketing tools to their website in addition to printing a very appealing catalog.
“L. L. Bean, Lands’ End, Williams-Sonoma, Neiman-Marcus and Cabella’s are some of the top U. S. e-commerce companies[1]. Yet they print and mail millions of catalogs monthly to drive customers to their websites,” explains Maple Ridge Farms President Tom Riordan. “Distributors tell us, unless a buyer knows exactly what they want, a catalog is best for browsing for ideas, especially with higher end products like gourmet food gifts.”
What role do print catalogs play in your distributorship? Do you swear by them for presenting ideas? Prefer creating online presentations for customers and prospects? Depend on both print and new media for selling? Let us know.
Cathy Cain-Blank of CC Marketing creates custom email communications for promotional products distributors and other small/midsize companies. She is a periodic contributor to the Maple Ridge Farms blog.
[1] Multi Channel Merchant Magazine’s Top 100
Using Edibles as Promotional Gifts for Events
May 1st, 2013 Molly Neises, Gift Specialist 
Some people might argue that using promotional food items creates short-lived goodwill, but leaves the recipient less likely to retain a lasting impression. We disagree! Whether sweet, salty, savory or subtle, using gourmet food as part of your promotional approach during events will have your recipients talking long after they leave.
Gourmet food gifts are versatile! There are many different ways to incorporate promotional food items into your events, and the type of events that they work for can be limitless. Here we will take a look at some of the most popular occasions for adding food gifts:
Why Networking Works – Chambers of Commerce
April 24th, 2013 Luke Aitken With today’s buzz about Facebook or LinkedIn, some companies put traditional networking on the back burner. You may not hear as much about your local Chamber of Commerce as you did years ago, but they are still very relevant in our current business world. How can you make your local Chamber of Commerce work for you?
Meet our Team Members: Traci Simonis
April 17th, 2013 The Maple Ridge Team 
Here at Maple Ridge Farms, we love taking the time to get to know our distributors better. We feel that our relationships with them set us apart and help us to provide the best service we possibly can. We will periodically be posting personality spotlights to help you get to know members of our team here at Maple Ridge Farms!
Name: Traci Simonis
Department: Customer Service / Program Coordinator
Years of Service: 14
Your Time on the “Farm”…
What brought you to Maple Ridge Farms, and what where you doing before coming to MRF?
Before starting at Maple Ridge, I just had my first child, Makayla. She was 6 months old when I decided to take the seasonal receptionist job here. I just graduated from a Tech school with my Travel Agency degree. I worked as a travel agent for about 6 months and realized that I did not want to do this for the rest of my life. The rest is history!
What is your role on the MRF Team? How do you typically spend your day?
My role is Customer Service Team Lead, Program Coordinator and Sales. I am lucky enough to be able to attend tradeshows and sales meetings before the busy part of our year starts. Starting in July I am working on company store programs, setting up all of the paperwork and items for roughly 120 stores per year! When I am not working on store programs, I am also team leading customer service, taking customer service calls, answering questions, and working on quotations. Whatever it takes to make our customers feel appreciated.
What part of your job do you most look forward to?
My favorite part of my job is working with our distributors. I love getting to work with them on so many different levels. Meeting them face to face at shows, teaching them about our products, and getting to work with them on custom gift projects are always exciting. They call in looking for something out of the ordinary and it is our job to come up with a product that the both the client and the recipient will love. My absolute favorite is working with store program distributors. These are people that I work with year after year and have really formed a connection with.
What is the strangest request you have seen since joining the Maple Ridge Farms team?
The request that sticks in my head the most is when a company wanted to run a 12 week promotion through the summer months for their stores. We started quoting the project in January. The client gave a price point, number of items they were looking for and a few other specifics. After going back and forth with the client for 4 months, we came up with an awesome baseball wrapped box. We filled the box with different content each week to meet their price point. The promotion was a success and this was the biggest order that Maple Ridge had ever received!
What is your favorite Maple Ridge Farms item?
My favorite Maple Ridge Farms item is the Chocolate Covered Almonds. They are so addicting and you never get sick of eating them.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
My greatest accomplishment at Maple Ridge is receiving my CAS certification. I started working towards my goal 6 years ago. It took me longer than planned but most great things in life are worth working for. (Now hopefully it does not take me another 6 to get my MAS!)
What do you feel sets Maple Ridge Farms apart in the industry?
I feel that we stand apart from other suppliers because of our outstanding customer service. All of our employees go above and beyond to help in anyway possible, making sure that the customer will be happy with the product they are receiving. It really does have the family atmosphere to it. Great employees make a great company!
On the Lighter Side…
What do you do in your spare time?
In my spare time I love to spend time with my friends and family, play volleyball, shooting pool and being outside.
What are you proudest of in your personal life?
My proudest moments of my life are when my two kids were born. I have always heard that you never know how much you can love another person, until you have kids. That is so true!
What is your ideal vacation?
My ideal vacation would be to a warm island with my family where we could soak in the sun, swim with the dolphins and go snorkeling.
What is your favorite quote or saying?
Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day.
What three words best describe you?
Ambitious, personable, trustworthy
If you were stranded on an island with one book, one movie, and one CD what would they be?
The Bible, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Greatest Hits of the 80’s
LinkedIn as an Opportunity to Sell
April 10th, 2013 Mary Kate Riordan LinkedIn is the world’s largest and most active professional network providing up-to-date information on people and businesses.
The more effective keywords you use, the greater the chance you will show up on top of the competition.
We previously presented some ideas on using LinkedIn to Market Your Services. Here are some additional ideas on how to improve your sales by tapping into LinkedIn.
Optimize your profile. Utilize customer-focused keywords in your summary and information about your career, your company and your work. These are the terms that will help you show up in search results within LinkedIn and other search engines. The more effective keywords you use, the greater the chance you will show up over the competition.
Knowing The Options: Alternatives to the Standard Office Software Suite
April 3rd, 2013 Shana Gardner, Gift Specialist 
Microsoft SkyDrive offers the option to create and edit your files online.
In this age of digital communication, it’s difficult to work effectively without a few necessary tools. One of those tools is an office software suite, such as Microsoft Office. Unfortunately, cost can be prohibitive in the acquisition and maintenance of this software, especially for small businesses; as of this writing, the current version of Microsoft Office retails for over $200. The good news is that this isn’t the only option! There are a number of free resources out there to help you save costs.
The first option is a cloud service, such as Google Drive or Microsoft SkyDrive. Though ostensibly file hosting services, both offer the option to create and edit various file formats as well. Did you receive a spreadsheet with a mailing list from your client but don’t have a program like Microsoft Excel to view it? Upload it into the service and it’s ready for you to open and edit. (Microsoft SkyDrive will work with the existing format if the file was created to be compatible with Microsoft Office, but Google Drive will convert to another file type compatible with their service. Don’t worry–you can convert it back to the Office-compatible file type when you export it!) Both options offer the ability to create a range of document types, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, though be aware that editing and formatting options will generally not be as complete as an office software suite.
OpenOffice provides all the capabilities you would expect from an office software suite.
The second option is free open source software, such as OpenOffice or LibreOffice. Open source means that the source code (the guts of the software) is able to be used or modified by the general public, rather than being limited to a specific developer or team as is the case in proprietary software. Because of the nature of open source software, this results in the software being free for use, while offering virtually the same capabilities as a purchased office software suite such as Microsoft Office. This software uses a file format called OpenDocument, which was developed to provide a universal document format that could be used with any office software suite, but is also fully compatible with Microsoft Office file formats.
The third option is for those who need to work with files on the go: there are a number of apps available for smartphones and mobile devices that offer the capacity to view and edit files. Most of these will integrate with a file hosting service for storage, but allow you to work with the file straight from your device. The downside is that, while there are free options, they tend to be a bit limited in functionality; more robust versions generally do have a charge associated. Editing capabilities tend to be more limited than the cloud services or software, but they’ll do in a pinch!
Although the biggest name in the game is certainly Microsoft Office, it’s not the only player. If you’re looking to cut costs, don’t be afraid to explore the alternatives!
Why Are They Telling Me My Artwork Won’t Work?
March 27th, 2013 Amy Evenson, Art Director One of the most frustrating phone calls that a distributor can receive is when the supplier cannot work with their customer’s artwork. For many distributors, who often do not have their own art department, trying to wade through art terminology is akin to understanding a foreign language. But not to worry! In this post, we are going to go over artwork basics to help alleviate that confusion.
History of Chocolate – A Brief Overview
March 20th, 2013 The Maple Ridge Team 
Hernan Cortes was introduced to chocolate in Mexico and brought cocoa beans back to Spain.
What do you think of when you hear the word “chocolate”? Many people probably think of something like a milk chocolate bar. You may think of a chocolate pecan turtle or maybe a chocolate covered almond or peanut. Most people probably don’t think of drinking a bitter liquid, but that is how the first chocolate was consumed. In fact, it remained that way through most of it’s history.
