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Call for Entries: 5th Annual Univator Awards Now Underway
By Jackie Rosselli
Creative. The dictionary defines the word as "characterized by originality and expressiveness."
It is what we here at UniformMarket seek to promote through the annual Univator Awards, this publication's year-end wrap up of the most note-worthy products, ideas, programs and campaigns that have influenced the industry throughout the year. Any company, both national and international, regardless of size, is eligible to enter the competition.
Now in its 5th year, the Univator Awards place the acclaim and attention where it belongs – with you, the manufacturers and distributors who comprise the uniform, corporate apparel and promotional products industries. By giving your concepts the exposure they deserve, the Univator pays tribute to your accomplishments, and is an acknowledgement of a job well done.
How is this exposure achieved? An in-depth feature on all award winners appears in the January online edition of UniformMarket, an e-zine with international reach. The story will also run in the print edition of the venerable Made to Measure, the magazine industry insiders turn to first for the latest trends and market reports. Past recipients have also received coverage in other trade outlets, and many awardees have showcased the news in their own publications, on websites, and have used the results in marketing efforts.
Contrary to ancient wisdom, the customer is not always right.
But make no mistake that clients are not just to be valued, because without them there can be no business. In many circumstances saying No to a client may be the right thing for your business and your ability to serve that client successfully in the future. The challenge arises because the difficulty in saying No, whether to a client, or an associate, or vendor, encompasses the tension between exercising your power and nurturing your relationship.
So how can we say No and expect a desirable outcome? Fortunately, we have an expert who can help with that conundrum. Many of you may be familiar with the work of author William Ury and his book, Getting to Yes. Ury works with the Harvard Negotiation Project and is world-renowned and the creator of the win-win negotiation strategy. From his recent book, The Power of a Positive No, we can learn how to maintain our core values, respect others, communicate our interests effectively and protect principles valuable to us.
It's difficult to say No because we fear the risk of losing the sale or the client, damaging a relationship or even of putting your job in jeopardy. Beware of the three "A" trap: accommodation: a Yes that buys a false or temporary peace; attack: usually a response born out of anger and as Ambrose Bierce said "makes the best speech you'll ever regret"; and avoid; when we choose not to say Yes or No to possibly avoid disapproval and very likely cause angered responses. Avoidance is also physically and mentally unhealthy and can lead to ailments such as high blood pressure and anxiety.
Sound familiar? It did to me. Through understanding and accepting these typical forms of behavior we can be educated to a different and healthier response mode.
For the last 40+ years, the internationally recognized Pantone Matching System (PMS) is what has laid out choices of color for all visual aspects of our world: Cars and fabrics, cosmetics and hair care, house paints and carpeting, china and crockery, plastics and appliances, crayons and computer design graphics, and more. Colorwise, today's finished products are determined by Pantone, Inc., and interestingly, not the other way around. Home Depot orange, UPS brown, Tiffany blue, Barbie pink: It is the work of genius.
There are shades of light and dark by adding black and white; tints of colors such as azure, navy, royal, or teal blues; and the various hues such as basic red, blue, yellow, orange, brown, and so forth. There are metallics, shineys, and flats or bisques—no different than lame's, satins, and cottons or woolens.
Every one of the hundreds of Pantone colors is different, and yet similarities abound. Colors can appear with an entirely different presentation on fabric than on a paper calling card or the sign painted on a company truck. Sometimes, it's very difficult to convince a customer that the color he sees in a magazine may be closely duplicated but not exactly, when attempting to transfer ink to cloth, or a printed logo to embroidery thread. Substances grab dyes differently. PMS colors help us as manufacturers and sellers of uniforms to convince our shoppers that there is an official bottom line for color.
Creative. The dictionary defines the word as "characterized by originality and expressiveness."
Contrary to ancient wisdom, the customer is not always right. 
For the last 40+ years, the internationally recognized Pantone Matching System (PMS) is what has laid out choices of color for all visual aspects of our world: Cars and fabrics, cosmetics and hair care, house paints and carpeting, china and crockery, plastics and appliances, crayons and computer design graphics, and more. Colorwise, today's finished products are determined by Pantone, Inc., and interestingly, not the other way around. Home Depot orange, UPS brown, Tiffany blue, Barbie pink: It is the work of genius.