Archive for September, 2009

Making the right connection!

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Looks like our client, Maribeth Kuzmeski of Red Zone Marketing, made the right connection when she hooked up with Wiley Publishing earlier this year to pen her fourth book, The Connectors. Officially released last Tuesday, the book immediately jumped to within the top 100 business books on Amazon in just one day. Here’s an excerpt from an email we received from Maribeth on Wednesday:

The Connectors officially released yesterday! We had heavy sales at Amazon yesterday and jumped from ranking 252,000 all the way to 2,300 of all available books! And, we appeared in the top 100 for business books. 1 day! Wow!! THANK YOU!! I really believe that this book is here at the right time when firms need powerful strategies for increasing new business without spending a lot of money. This book is filled with these ideas!

You can find The Connectors: How The World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life (Wiley, September 2009), at any bookstore and at all online booksellers including Amazon.com ; Barnes & Noble; Borders; and BooksAMillion. It is also on The Kindle!

About The Connectors: We all know that relationships are critically important in business. The key, however, isn’t knowing that relationships are important. The key is knowing what to do to make them more effective and powerful!  In this book I have gathered the details of how some of the world’s most successful businesspeople actually create better business relationships. In writing the book, I conducted interviews of hundreds of successful businesspeople, CEO’s and founders of companies.”

And speaking of her interviews, if you hadn’t heard, we here at smith&jones were quite flattered when Maribeth contacted us to ask about our long-term client success. And even more flattered when she dedicated three pages to our philosophies in her new book.

But don’t just take it from us; this book is chock full of valuable client-relationship advice that is never so important as it is today. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest keyboard and order yourself up a copy of The Connectors today!

free fallin’

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

In case people didn’t think we were crazy enough for staying up for 30+ hours during our annual CreateAthon last week, I decided to extend the crazy and jump out a perfectly good airplane just a couple days later. While the rest of our staff was recuperating from another successful event, I chose to drive up to Orange, MA to Jumptown and try skydiving for the first time. I had the time of my life and recommend it to anyone who has been wanting to try. Nerves did strike for a second on the plane ride up to our destination (over 14,500 ft above the Quabbin Reservoir), but two free-fall backflips and an amazing view later I consider myself addicted. (Pictures after the jump.)

I think I have a great idea for our next agency outing  ;)
Who’s with me??
(more…)

Presentations… the best part!

Friday, September 18th, 2009

We’ve reached everyone’s favorite part of CreateAthon — presenting to our non-profit clients. While we may not be at our most eloquent this morning, we’re all feeling really good about the work. So far, we’ve had the pleasure of presenting to 6 of the 8 organizations… and the last 2 are on deck. Everything is being very well received and we are so appreciative of our fabulous clients. Here’s Jen and Derek (purple shirts) presenting to Jen from Worcester Free Clinic Coalition.

Go purple.

Go purple.

T-minus 2 hours!

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Presentations start in 2 hours, and despite my annual 3am panic… we’re in good shape. (Famous last words, I know.)  We’re down to 3 projects being worked on, out of 27. Yikes. All the rest are done, printed, proofed (to the best of our bleary-eyed abilities) and ready to go. Amazingly, all the S&Jers and our hearty volunteers have been legitimately cheery for the last 20+ hours. A bit punchy now, but still cheery. We have an incredible team, for real.

Proof... actual folders with actual work ready to show.

Proof... actual folders with actual work ready to show.

Yummy breakfast treats (Thanks, Mom G!)

Yummy breakfast treats (Thanks, Mom G!)

Our “Pet” Project…

Friday, September 18th, 2009

This year…a “stray” project came across our door and boy are we all having fun working on it. John and Mary McCarthy of LongLeash Pet Photography contacted us last year and let us know they’d be interested in helping us out during this year’s CreateAthon. To make a long story short, we put a couple of folks together – Michael Eck of Wolf Printing in Newington, CT and the good people at Worcester Envelope in Auburn – all donating their wares for a great cause…the Second Chance Animal Shelter in East Brookfield, MA. Soon we are to  unveil our “pet” project. But in the meanwhile, you can see our wall of cuteness. Stay tuned for what we’re doing with these awesome shots! Thanks, John, for the great shots. And to Stephanie at the Sturbridge Times – please note the second shot of my fuzzy socks – I told you they’d come out after midnight.

Cutest animals ever!

Cutest animals ever!

Chris' fuzzy socks

Chris' fuzzy socks

apples > coffee

Friday, September 18th, 2009

4am fun fact!
Early this morning, we learned from Jenn at the Worc. Free Clinic Coalition (one of this year’s clients) that apples are actually a more effective energy booster than the old standby – a big cuppa joe. I should go on to explain how glucose is a natural sugar and therefore is better for you and lasts longer or something.. but I’m not a big fan of science, especially after being at work for 20 straight hours. So to all of our fellow CreateAthon-ers; (the ones over there –> in the sidebar) grab an apple! It’ll make you feel like a new person. For a little while at least.

Power naps

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Okay, we’re over an hour into Friday and cranking along. So far, we’ve got 5 logos pretty much wrapped up, 3 websites well underway, 1 brochure complete with a few more written and awaiting design love, several ads concepted and well, a buncha other stuff. Some of us are dreaming of napping, while one of us is actually napping.

Kitty and her stuffed pal

Kitty and her stuffed pal. Seriously, what is cuter?