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We're excited to share another week of news & ideas with our MAiZE family. There never seems to be a shortage of ideas and the truth is that some of the best originate with all of you! So, if you ever have an idea you'd like us to pass along to the group, please just send it our way. Also, please remember that we'll be archiving these ideas on the siteowner web site, so that you can go back and view them whenever you like.
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Idea of the Week: Go the Extra Inch!
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Love this message from Bob Negen at WhizBang! Training...
We've all heard about going the extra mile... doing something spectacular, above and beyond the ordinary to deliver an amazing customer experience. But how about just going the extra inch?
Retail is detail... and in many cases just doing a tiny bit extra will make your customers super happy and ultra loyal.
At the Mackinaw Kite Co., we used to tie a snap swivel on every spool of kite line that went out the door. We would also size and trim every child's first yo-yo string. Not a big deal, but it made their experience better and easier.
Our favorite ice cream shop puts a candy corn in the bottom of those pointy sugar cones so the melted ice cream drips don't leak out. They also put cute candy eyes on the kiddie cones. Not a big deal, but it makes my ice cream more fun and less messy.
Here's what one of our Facebook friends shared: We give them a kiss...Our shop is 330 sq feet filled with glass and breakable treasures. Sometimes a customer breaks something by accident, which upsets them. When accidents happen we give the customer a Herseys kiss. (Unless they were throwing the treasures, then we boot em out LOL) Sort of like not crying over spilled milk...This has helped brand us as being kind and friendly. We plan to continue this in our next, much larger, location!
So, what's your extra inch? Can you...
- Dress up your shopping bags with pretty tissue and a raffia tie?
- Correctly adjust the straps on every bike helmet you sell?
- Send a thank you note to your best customers each day?
- Offer a logo-emblazoned mini bottle of water to thirsty shoppers?
- Put a piece of candy in each package?
- Give out a sheet of planting tips with your annuals?
There are probably lots of little things you can do to go the extra inch. Ask your team to come up with some ideas - they'll probably surprise you!
One of the best things about these ideas is that, unlike going the extra mile, you can start doing them quickly and easily. No need to build a roller coaster in the back parking lot, or hire 10 new employees. Just go the extra inch.
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2012 Application for Annual MAiZE Scholarship
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Daniel Huffstutler, a good friend and former MAIZE owner, was one of the first to bring the corn maze concept to the southern states, opening a location in his hometown of Locust Fork, Alabama in 1998. In the spring of 1999, at the age of 24, Daniel unexpectedly suffered a brain aneurysm and passed away. The Daniel Huffstutler Memorial Scholarship was established in 2007 to honor his memory and help further his passion and love for agriculture.
The annual scholarship, now in its 6th year, provides an immediate family member of a MAiZE owner with $1000 toward their college education. Applications are due July 15 and the winners will be announced in August. Applications are reviewed and scored by the 6 members of our MAiZE Siteowner Advisory Board and this year two scholarships will be awarded:
$1000 MAiZE-sponsored Scholarship
$1000 Jumping Pillow USA-sponsored Scholarship
To download a copy of the 2012 application, CLICK HERE.
Applicants must be an immediate family member of a MAiZE owner and enrolled full time in college for Fall 2012. Previous winners are not eligible, however applications can be resubmitted by former applicants who have not yet received the scholarship award. Best of luck to all of this year’s applicants...
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A Few Recent Commonly Asked Questions...
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 Q: Do I need to get permission to feature a celebrity in my maze design?
A: Though each state regulates its own laws on this subject, in most cases the answer is yes. Anytime you feature a celebrity in a way that portrays their likeness and implies they may have approved of or endorsed your maze, you will need to have their permission to avoid potential legal action. An exception to this rule is for political figures. Because they are elected public officials, you could feature them in your maze design without obtaining their permission.
Q: What do I say to the media when they ask how my maze is created?
A: This is a question we get from the media all the time - as you probably do too! Though we don't want to reveal everything about the process, some of the basics are becoming more widely known and are okay to be candid about. Here's one suggested answer, which you could tweak to fit your own situation:
Our maze is actually designed and cut (if we cut yours) by The MAiZE company out of Utah who's created thousands of mazes since 1996. The maze is first designed on the computer and we then use a series of flags to mark the maze out on a grid system in the corn maze. By placing points in the field and connecting them, we are essentially creating the maze in a way that is similar to a dot-to-dot game on the back of a cereal box! Once laid out, the design is carved into the field by either mowing, rototilling or sometimes spraying it out with roundup. It's a process that the MAiZE company has definitely tried to perfect over the years. The very first one they created was done with a modified weed whacker and it took them three weeks to finish! Needless to say, it doesn't take nearly that long now!
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Vendor Message: Tees & Gifts from Stephen Joseph
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It was such a pleasure to see all of you in Sacramento! It is always so much fun and such a blessing to be associated with such a fine group of people! I am excited to offer you a line of fun, bright farm and corn maize t-shirts and gift items again this year! Above is the artwork of the t-shirts and images of the best selling gifts items we are offering for your upcoming harvest season. You will see we have dropped a couple of the shirts and are going forward with the strongest styles from the tradeshow. You will see some of the gifts images above and below!
Sizes
Toddler: 2T,3T,4T $ 5.45
Youth: 2/4 (XS), 6/8 (SM), 10/12 (MED), and 14/16 (LG) $5.95
Birthday: 2/4 (XS), 6/8 (SM), 10/12 (M) $5.95
Adult: S,M,L,XL, $7.25 and 2X $9.25
Ladies :S,M,L,XL $7.95 and 2X $9.95
T-shirt Minimums: 48 pcs per design, 2 design minimum. You can split your colors and sizes to make up the 48 pc minimum per design. This includes your custom namedrop on all designs! We do have other designs on our website at www.kidtee.com (click on KidTee) Password: GIRAFFE (all caps).
We can do your own custom t-shirts as well with your design and/or logo!
The fun farm designs in our gifts were a huge hit at the tradeshow. Call for minimums and pricing! You can also see our other designs on our website at www.stephenjosephgifts.com. User name: INTERNET and Password BRIDE (all caps)
The best performers for mazes have been Bottle Buddies, Little Squirts, Bottle Totes, Penny Pinchers, Hide-a-pens, Doodle Dudes(pencils, Zipper Pulls, wallets, Little Charmers- necklaces and hairclips, Quilted Backpacks, Lunchboxes, Go Go Backpacks, Sketch Pads, Tiny Totes, and Signature Backpacks.
**The deadline for ordering will be July 13th so get your orders in asap.
All designs have to be printed at one time however, you can place your order now and not pay for it until it ships in August or September!
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Chat with MAiZE owners on the Facebook Forums
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If you have a Facebook account, but haven't joined the Forum & Marketplace pages that are exclusive to our MAiZE family, you're missing out on a great opportunity to chat with your fellow MAiZE owners and/or get info on items for sale!
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To access the Discussion Forum, CLICK HERE and request permission to join.
To access the Marketplace, CLICK HERE and request permission to join.
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Archive of Ideas of the Week
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If you'd like to browse through past Ideas of the Week, you can access them by visiting the Resource section of the siteowner website OR by CLICKING HERE. This link takes you to the most recent Ideas. Older ones, dating back several years are also on the siteowner site. |
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The MAiZE Inc.; PO Box 367, Spanish Fork, UT 84660; 888-798-0596
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