Clients are not biting. What’s the dealio?

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

You are selling yourself and are pretty darn good, but companies are not biting. What’s the problem? It could be a number of items, but in this case, I believe it is a branding issue. My client, Russell, wondered why he isn’t landing more business. Think about this scenario. Buying a product process Before you … Read more

Will you be remembered?

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

Five guests are gathered around you, watching your every move. What will happen next?  You put your hands in your pocket and pull out silver lengths of rubber. Then an explosion of movement has your arms moving in an orderly frenzy, creating tubes of air. Voila! In front of their eyes is a functioning balloon … Read more

Look in the mirror

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

What do you see? Describe the adjectives that come to mind? Professional, fun, creative, inventive, sharp, magical, bright, cheery? Do you see these qualities reflected in you? As entertainers, we all have different styles, but we need to communicate these particular aspects through our appearance for most of us. If you do not see these … Read more

Homemade is great when you are talking apple pie, but not for business

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

Take a peek at your business card. How much money do you think this person receives for their service? Are they high-end or low-end? This is a dead giveaway for a small business. I meet many quality people with unmemorable, unrepresentative, confusing business cards.  Examine your card again. Is it thick stock? Full color? Double-sided? … Read more

No Prize for the Most Fonts Used

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta
Be snobbish about fonts

Call me a font snob, but your professional status goes down with the more fonts you use. It’s like golf or blood pressure. You want the lower numbers.

When you look at a snappy dresser, how many colors and patterns are they using? Not many.  Each color is complementary or matching to the other colors. Plus, he or she is wearing a color that flatters them.

When you enjoy a 7-course meal, you aren’t served cheese whiz with caviar. And you’re not poured Paps with the escargot.  Dessert is not blue jello with chocolate soufflé. A pleasant dining experience will be well thought out and in theme. Including extraneous types of food that don’t go with each other is more like a smorgasbord at the Country Buffet.

If you want to be the snappy dresser or the five-star dining experience, you need to figure out your brand and keep it in theme. Which main font represents your brand? Pick one font for your titles. It can be unusual and flashy, but you need to select a normal font for the body of your text. It’s getting busy after three fonts.

Too many fonts and colors will confuse your reader. It tends to look busy, messy, and unfocused. Look at the fortune 500 companies, analyze their materials, looking at their fonts, colors, and style.

 

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What do underlines, font sizes and capitals have in common?

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

Learn about the “text don’ts” to improve your professionalism. If you were to blur your text or to replace your text with lore ipsum, would your reader know which items are priorities? Is your information appealing to skimmers as well as the thorough readers? Is your text formatting working for or against you? What does … Read more

Don’t be Clark Kent, Superman is more convincing

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

The performer in you needs to be present at the meeting, not just during showtime Your performance is like the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Beach, but your conversation in the halls is like Motel 6. Your show clothes say Armani, but your street clothes say Walmart. Your confidence beams par 64, but off stage you’re … Read more

Maximize Your “Return On Image”

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

What is your biggest marketing tool? You, of course. But even though you try to be everywhere at once, it is not possible, so your company brand  must represent you.  Your  image must be consistent.  Look at Starbucks.  Have you ever seen a Starbuck’s product, store or advertisement  that was inconsistent where you couldn’t recognize … Read more

What’s your vibe?

Balloon Animals Featured Blog Post, by Balloon Artist Dale Obrochta

What vibes do you give when you meet people at your friend’s house or a networking event? Are your vibes consistent with your brand?  Or do they speak the opposite? Test the waters, ask around. For me, I want others to perceive me as “fun and intriguing.” By the way, I just added the intriguing … Read more