The Buck Stops Here

Your company uses a variety of vendors for certain products or services every day, making make life easier for everyone. So do we.

Your company probably uses a few providers that actually make life more difficult for you or your coworkers. Same here.

On Monday one of our primary vendors emailed to let us know that our project with them was complete. . .Great.

This was typical and expected. . .

However, the details on getting the order back to us were left out, forcing us to stop what we were doing, contact them about it and make these arrangements ourselves. Done.

Once the items were received, we found quality issues on practically every piece that was delivered. Where was the quality control??

We would have sent the entire order back to be redone from scratch, except that we needed these pieces for a larger project that our client was expecting on time. We had to stop what we were doing (again) and fix every mistake and flaw to bring this project back up to our high standard of quality, (which our client expects).

Everything worked out in the end, our client was thrilled with the final result and his coworkers were equally impressed with the craftsmanship and attention to detail, (and the shipping was arranged without our client’s involvement whatsoever).

So the extra effort on our end resulted in a great experience for our client. We love that.

The vendor’s actions, on the other hand, had to be managed, monitored and corrected.   Is this the case with some of your providers?

Communication and responsibility are the landmarks of a company you can trust for the long term. The reason companies like CalCo have been around for over half a century, is because they are trusted, respected and are the go-to guys when quality and professionalism are important.

Did you know that CalCo can handle your POP displays, your screen printing, your photography, your display storage, your prototyping, your sales cases, your website design, your 3D animation, your metal finishing, your large format printing, your digital image manipulation, and many of the other items you struggle with every day?  It’s true.

Please call 847-639-3858 or email to see if your project can be handled correctly this time by CalCo, let us handle the problems so you can just sleep easy for once.

Employee and Sales Awards can be Remarkable

There are certain individuals or groups in every organization that stand out and need to be recognized. The question is what kind of recognition will be appropriate and special enough to show appreciation for a job well done?  The answer: a customized award!

CalCo creates trophies, medals, plaques or any type of personalized award. The award in the photo above was customized for a DeZurik employee who gave 50 years of service to the company. While this is a rare accomplishment there are many other achievements that deserve special  recognition as well.

CalCo has built awards to celebrate sales achievements, years of service, company anniversaries and more.   If you have an employee or group of employees who deserve special recognition call CalCo at 847/639-3858 or click here and they will work with you to create an appreciative and memorable tribute. To see more awards or gift ideas click here.

Cutaways: Tips for Maximizing this Unique Tool

Of the many ways available to explain the benefits and advantages of your product line to people, you probably already know that there is a great deal of value in getting the actual product into the hands of potential clients or investors, right?

Cutaways are about the highest form of education mixing with a “real world” feel that is available for many physical products.

There is a significant advantage that is gained by giving someone this physical connection with your products. Are you maximizing the edge that this type of hands on experience can give??

Let’s look at many of the people can benefit from the educational nature of this type of tool:

• The end user (educational and memorable)
• The potential and current investor
• The sales person (descriptive and interactive)
• Trade show staff and visitors (draw and discussions)
• Field service personnel (education)
• Your end user’s service department
• Distributor networks (point of purchase)
• Website visitors
• Direct mail recipients
• Marketing department (website and brochure/catalog development)
• Investor relations representative

Many companies are only taking advantage of a slim cross section of these opportunities, and some are taking advantage of close to all of them. . .

Even a single cutaway can be used in almost all of these areas if managed correctly. Most times it makes sense to make these educational tools widely available, as knowledge leads to understanding, and let’s face it, when everyone knows why your products are the best, your main focus will be on filling orders!!

For more information about cutaways please click here for contact information or call CalCo at 847-639-3858 .  Visit the photo gallery in the cutaway section at www.CalCoCutaways.com for more ideas.

Unique Awards, Plaques and Corporate Gifts

CalCo can create unique awards using your product or logo. In the past we have created personalized magnets , lamps with product cutaways, scale models of products and much more for service rendered awards. These are much more exciting and more memorable than the old gold watch and they provide the recipient with a displayable permanent reminder of the years invested in your company.

We can also create corporate gifts, holders for certification awards or promotional items using your product or a lightweight scale model. Let us know what you want to do and we will help you find a way to do it!

Click here to contact CalCo or call us at 847/639-3858.  Click here to see another award idea.

Investor Relations Meetings Require a Great First Impression

When investors and VIP’s are touring, it is crucial that the impression you are giving is one of expertise and leadership in your industry. Lobby displays and showroom exhibits can impress your audience and show your authority in a variety of ways.

Products on display in the right light, and in context, can send a powerful message, one that could create a unique first impression that could make all the difference in the long run.

Stack the deck in your favor and control the experience of ‘important’ individuals from their first open door to the final shaking of hands.

It is typically the visual and hands-on experiences that make a lasting impression once the visit is over, so make yours very positive and intriguing. It may make all the difference. 

Cut face paint, where the Outer meets the Inner

When opting for a cutaway, the point is to show off the internal components and passageways that are typically hidden from view.

Alongside this process is that peculiar area that gets exposed which is actually the area inside the metal that gets exposed.

In this area CalCo applies their signature cut face paint for a number of reasons:

1. To let the audience know that the display is actually a cutaway
2. To cover up any minor casting imperfections that may appear
3. Help prevent this newly exposed metal from showing signs of corrosion over time

CalCo knows the difference between professional looking displays and basic showiness. You can be rest assured that CalCo cutaways will draw people in to talk about your great products and the benefits that the cutaways are showing.

Click here for contact information for CalCo or call 847-639-3858.

Corporate Installations Tell an Impressive Story

When guests and visitors enter your premises, are they greeted by a stunning display that grabs them and generates interest and intrigue? What sort of impression does your current lobby or entryway create? Does it provide additional insight and/or education into the company as a whole?

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CalCo is Used To Losing Sleep on Your Behalf

Over the years CalCo has been creating great relationships with Premier Vendors in a wide variety of products. Often, these products can be ordered through CalCo for the same cost as ordering direct. Why is this advantageous? Because when you order from CalCo, what you get is what you ordered in the first place, and the quality control steps remain invisible.

Imagine ordering your supplies and they show up, on time and just how you expected. Let CalCo worry about the messy details and the back and forth. You have plenty of more important tasks to occupy your time.