Silver Medal Follow-Up

Cody Curry received the AAF Silver Medal Award from AAF-Fort Worth March 19. A very worthy recipient, Cody embodies the qualities for which the award is given (see story below).

Photos:

Cody Curry accepts Silver Medal from Kent Dean








Curry Family - Brent Tucker, Jan Curry, Carrie Tucker, Cody Curry, Linda Curry

Past SM Winners (+1) - Gwen St. Clair, Roby McEuen, John Cockrell, Cody Curry, Joe Dulle, Susan Adkins, Scott Turner



Attending: Bob Howald and Joe Dulle





Attendees load up their plates

April Program: The Non-Negotiable, Irrefutable and Never Changing Laws of the Sales Universe

Sales gurus come and go with the wind.
Books line our shelves touting every conceivable permutation of approach.
When it is all said and done, there really are laws of the sales universe that are forever and unchanging. Sales people ignore them at their peril.

If your pitches aren't landing business you thought was in the bag...
If your company cut the training budget ( what budget?)
If you're wondering, how are those other guys doing it?

April's meeting will be a reminder of how much fun sales can be and how great it feels to win.

Barbara Beggs is President of Beggs Consulting, Inc. a training and consulting firm that helps clients develop their competitive edge by improving their sales and marketing skills. A sales executive for more than twenty years, she has worked for and with Fortune 100 companies, as well as entrepreneurs. She creates customized training and coaching programs for organizations and individuals that want to find, win and keep the best clients for life.

Barbara graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and got to Texas as soon as she could. She’s currently enrolled in the University of Texas at Dallas Executive and Professional Coaching program, pursuing accreditation by the International Coaching Federation. Barbara is a Qualified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner and is a Certified DiSC Sales Styles Assessment trainer. She lives in Arlington, where she enjoys spoiling friends with her skills in the kitchen and planning her next travel adventure.

Legislative News to You

From Acting Legislative Committee Chairman - Mike Roundtree
March 5, 2008

SPECIAL ALERT:
Consumer Products Safety Commission
The U.S. House and Senate are currently considering legislation to "modernize" the Consumer Products Safety Commission. The bills are wide-ranging, but the version being considered in the Senate includes provisions that are especially problematic for advertising. The Senate bill calls for any advertisement for a toy, game, balloon, small ball or marble that requires a cautionary statement to include the statement in or immediately adjacent to the ad.

The House passed bill would require the entire cautionary statement in any ad that provides a direct means to purchase the toy—such as Internet or catalog advertising. The Senate bill ( S. 2045) would especially place undue burdens on advertising by compelling inclusion of the warning language in all advertisements. In addition, the mandated speech would likely violate the First Amendment guarantees of commercial free speech. Warning language on packaging is appropriate and sufficient. Timing is uncertain, but the Senate could consider the bill as
soon as this week. Senators need to hear from the industry that this provision must be deleted. Contact information for your senators can be found at:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm .

OTHER NEWS:

FTC Plans Green Guides Workshop
The Federal Trade Commission has announced it will hold a second public workshop on April 30 as the agency continues its review of the "Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims," or Green Guides. The workshop will focus on new green packaging claims such as "sustainable" and "renewable" and the consumer perception of such claims. Additionally, the FTC said it will examine third-party certification programs that verify environmental impact. The guides were last revised in 1998.

Nielsen Study Finds Many Americans Unprepared for Digital TV Transition
A new study released by Nielsen found that 13 million households have television sets equipped only for analog broadcasts and are currently unprepared for the digital television transition. An additional six million households have at least one television that will not work once the analog-to-digital transition is completed on February 19, 2009. These numbers amount to 10 percent of households with only analog broadcast capabilities and 17 percent of households with at least one television currently incapable of receiving digital broadcasts. In order to continue to receive television signals, consumers must purchase a new digital TV, purchase a converter box or subscribe to a cable or satellite subscription service.

THE HONDO GROUP BUCKS TREND: While Some Talk Recession, The Hondo Group Enjoys Growth

The Hondo Group, a Fort Worth-based marketing communications company, is pleased to announce two additions to their team – Traffic Manager Van Artiaga and Public Relations Director René Smith. “The Hondo Group is experiencing unprecedented growth and we’re preparing for continued success by expanding our team with seasoned veterans such as Van and René,” said Lynn Balinas, president of The Hondo Group.

In conjunction with expanding the team, the company is planning a celebration for its newest office located in Darlington, Wisconsin. The office helps to better serve The Hondo Group’s many clients in the agricultural industry. The opening celebration for the Darlington office is planned for May 1, 2008.

CONCUSSION SCORES SIX GRAPHIS GOLD INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS

Fort Worth agency, Concussion, was awarded six Graphis gold awards and placement in the Graphis Logo Design 7 book, and is up for inclusion in the Graphis Poster Annual ‘08/’09, honoring excellence in poster design.

Honored are logos created for Quicksilver Gas Services, Fort Worth Zoo’s Arachnitopia exhibit, Hello Labels, N3, FireLake Grand Casino and Treehouse Foods.

The Graphis Logo Design 7 book will be available soon. Graphis has long been hailed as the design industry’s premier showcase and publication for graphic communications worldwide. “It’s one of the most prestigious honors a designer can receive”, said Andrew Yanez, chief creative officer. “Our six awards and published work are further proof of our world-class capabilities.”