Is the pen mightier than the spear?
August 20, 2008
I don’t happen to have a sword in my office - but I do happen to have two authentic Masai spears - a male and female one - that I managed to bring back from my adventures in Africa.
The male spear is WAAAY too big to get in the shot ( ahem…). It’s a good foot taller than me. It currently protects my doorway and has a resident spider living on it ( well - until I picked it up anyway).
The female spear is delicate and intricately carved and is holding up my wall hanging from Tanzania (behind me). Must be a peace spear and not for war being female and all……………………………you must have a look when you come to my office!
ANYWAY - I digress.
Is the PEN mightier than the spear/ sword/sharp-pointy-instrument-designed-to-kill? Well - this blog is not actually about WORDS Vs WAR - it’s about the PEN.
ZULU’s FUNKY PEN
Ok - so sorry if you feel you’ve been a little misled by that introduction - but my point here is that I’ve had these funky pens now for over 6 years. The same style pen in Zulu orange and blue.
Everyone I meet in the realm of business, community and some social - receives a pen with my business card. It’s one of the most effective marketing tools I have and it’s my signature ( ahem again…..) item - part of my brand.
At times - I’ve considered getting something else to replace the Zulu pen - but nothing that I can think of:
- is appropriate, well received, very very useful and appreciated! People don’t expect to receive anything, and it IS my pleasure to be able to give something to everyone that they genuinely like and can use.
- has longevity - is very useful, practical and has a long shelf life
- is easily transportable and giveable - and it’s not too painful to give out en mass - expecially when I’m presenting to groups
- can provide great branding and is an effective marketing device
- is distinctive, cool, funky, striking and memorable
- is GREAT quality for unit price
THE POWER OF THE PEN
Story 1: Executive Impact: A few years ago I had to separately interview individual members of a Board and an Executive team. I introduced myself and gave them my pen - as I do.
I was told later by my client - that at their next combined meeting - as if synchronised - they all reached into their suit pockets and portfolios and out came their Zulu pens. Orange beams around the room! They all looked at eachother , laughed and nodded - they had all been ZULUed!!
Story 2: Pens for Nuns and Priests in Sri Lanka: On one of my post - tsunami relief trips to Trincomalee in Sri Lanka in 2005 I gave out some pens to the nuns and priests I was working with.
For me - it’s not always about trying to promote my business - it’s just that sometimes - it’s just nice to be able to give something that people will like that I have available- so the pen it is. I’ll let the picture speak for itself.
Story 3: Pen pleasure lives on: You don’t know HOW much satisfaction I get when - months or years later, I catch up with someone and they are STILL using my pen. So much of what is produced and given out - ends up in the bin or in a drawer somewhere.
About my pens they say :
- it’s the best pen as it has lasted so long - and they love using it
- it’s hard to lose because it’s bright and chunky. It can be found in their hand/manbag clutter and no-one dares to steal it
- can I have another one.
For me this means:
LOVE the Pen - I remember you - You are TOPS - You’re a great marketer and a funky human being - I must catch up with you or visit your website to find out more about you.
AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS: Plan - select and invest better!
STOP wasting money on buying STUFF that’s just STUFF ! Spend a bit more time putting thought and consideration into rationalising your selection and investment spend on promotional items. I promise you, the work you put into planning and selection at this end will pay off with a more consistent brand, relevance and impact for your business.
- It doesn’t have to be flashy and expensive to be effective - just THINK about what you’re choosing for your marketing before investing in it. Every marketing TOOL has a function - what’s the function of this tool?
- If you find something that works well for you - stick with it. It becomes a part of your brand.
- Marketing works in mysterious ways - that may not be abundantly obvious TODAY but will bear fruit down the track - it takes time to build your brand
- If they ever stop making these pens - I’m in trouble!
- I can get these pens for you - but you can’t have my orange.
What has worked well for you in the past with your marketing tools?
Do you need help with selecting and producing your marketing tools? Well……………. here I am - give me a call.
Comments
2 Responses to “Is the pen mightier than the spear?”
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When I first started Working Solo I would give new clients a business card holder. It was a classy brushed stainless steel one (no tacky plastic here) and every one would comment on it and many are still using it years later.
I also did the coffee cup thing that many people also liked and many are still using.
But your post has made me think about the lack of consistency here - I stopped giving them out just through being too busy to get it all together and also the space to store them before I gave them out. Maybe it’s time to get my act together and get some consistency going in my promotional material.
Spears and Pens.
It’s not only about conflict.
A scalpel and a pencil are both tools, to be wielded with skill to accomplish many good things.
We are modern hunter gathers who cooperate to get things done. We work with information and relationships.
The need for clear effective communication of ideas, concepts and directions is even more important in the electronic age. Fast communication is not necessarily good communication. The “maintenance” of relationships is being seen as an important success factor.
Where once a misread handsignal lead to the tribe going hungry for a few more days the potential impact of a misdirected, misread or misunderstood electronic communication could have global ramifications.
Tools need to be kept in good condition. Keep your pencil sharp.