Like many of you I have been collecting sports cards and memorabilia most of my life. The difference between us may be that I’m a little longer in the tooth and that means that I have had more time to “accumulate” things.
From time-to-time I find myself having to refocus my collecting habits. There are so many choices of things to collect in this day and age. When I was a kid there was one card set a year per sport so while you might collect multiple sports you were still capped at how many offerings were available to you in a given year.
Nowadays it is just like everything else in our world-sensory overload. And unfortunately when your mind (or your house!) becomes cluttered that can lead to a little less joy with your hobby. That’s because you spend as much time trying to figure out what to do with all of your stuff as opposed to being able to spend real quality time with it.
I am as guilty as anyone of falling prey to trying to collect everything. We automatically set ourselves up to fail as it simply can’t be done. Part of the joy of collecting is the “completing” aspect along with the “chase” aspect. But if all you ever do is chase then where is the fun in that? We are all competitive and we all want to win (finish) every once in awhile!
Even trying to collect a favorite athlete’s trading cards can be problematic. If you are a Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Derek Jeter fan then you’ll need to take out a second mortgage to try and amass all of their cards. It can almost be a curse to cheer for the most popular teams as they often have the most collectible players therefore ensuring a higher demand for the cards of those players. If you are a Kansas City Royals fan you are A-okay!
So what can we do to keep things interesting yet achievable? Focus! But we can make focus fun and affordable too. For example, here’s an approach I have taken to going back and collecting the baseball superstars from when I was a kid (Clemente, Aaron, Gibson and Mays to name a few). I have been collecting League Leader cards that feature these players (or not). Not only is it often a chance to have more than one of them pictured on the same card but they are affordable too! They often cost far less than the player’s common card from the same year. I have been trying to complete these by individual years, one year at a time.
Let’s talk about current cards. You love Dale Jr. but wow, there are a lot of cards out there. How about an approach of trying to collect all of his cards where he has a beard!? That focuses the chase a bit. Or maybe you want a little more variety with a challenge so you could go after non-memorabilia insert cards. That would provide a challenge but wouldn’t completely deplete your Daytona 500 trip money.
My purpose here is to point out that we collect cards and memorabilia as a hobby and an outlet. At the point it becomes overwhelming then it is no longer fun. So every time that I personally start to reach that point with my own collection I just refocus. Sometimes that means I purge some cards to allow me to begin a different pursuit. And that in itself is very exciting because one of the best parts about collecting as a kid was “trading” with your buddies. Think of a purge as just an adult’s way of trading!
One of the best things about our hobby and industry are the myriad of choices. Get creative with how you choose to continue your collecting quest and it will lead to more fun-filled times with family, friends and even yourself.
Showing posts with label trading cards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trading cards. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Should you be online?
The trading card industry is fascinating. It’s one of the few industries left that is still resistant to the idea that change and new technology can make a business more efficient and effective. Granted, many advancements have made doing business more challenging, but I believe that’s because of how retailers and distributors are implementing these changes, not because the changes themselves are bad.
I have been asked more than once by people in the industry if they should be on the Internet. I have danced around the question in the past because of the negative implications of the question. However, if I were asked that today, I would answer yes. The key objective of any business is to reach its customers. If a big percentage of your customers are on the Internet, how can you justify not being there yourself? As a business, you have to make your decisions based on how you can make it easier for your customers to do business with you. Anything else is counterproductive.
Of course, the question of whether or not you should be on the Internet is driven by price. Early adopters in the trading card industry have made ripples because everything they do is driven by being the lowest cost option for customers. While this strategy can give a short-term bump to profits, over time it erodes both the product value (extremely important for everyone in the trading card industry) and the value your business provides to its customers.
By competing solely on price, you guarantee that your customer will look around before making a purchase. If they find a better deal elsewhere, they will buy elsewhere and you have lost a sale. However, if you look at the Internet and your overall business strategy as a way to build loyalty with your customers, you can go a long way toward ensuring that you keep the largest share of your customers’ trading card spending.
Everyone needs to take a hard look at their business and decide if they are doing everything they can to make their customers loyal to them. Are you talking to them on a regular basis? Are you tracking their preferences and what products they buy? Are you making sure it’s as easy as clicking a mouse to do business with you? All of these things are accomplished by an Internet presence. It doesn’t have to be sophisticated or fancy.
Just think about the companies you do business with. What do you like best? What do you not like? Take that information and apply it to your business. The trading card industry is definitely unique…running a customer-centric business is not.
I would challenge everyone in this industry to make their New Year’s resolution finding ways to make their businesses work harder for their customers instead of the other way around. The more you do for your customers, the more likely they are to resist spending their money elsewhere.
Terri Rehkop
I have been asked more than once by people in the industry if they should be on the Internet. I have danced around the question in the past because of the negative implications of the question. However, if I were asked that today, I would answer yes. The key objective of any business is to reach its customers. If a big percentage of your customers are on the Internet, how can you justify not being there yourself? As a business, you have to make your decisions based on how you can make it easier for your customers to do business with you. Anything else is counterproductive.
Of course, the question of whether or not you should be on the Internet is driven by price. Early adopters in the trading card industry have made ripples because everything they do is driven by being the lowest cost option for customers. While this strategy can give a short-term bump to profits, over time it erodes both the product value (extremely important for everyone in the trading card industry) and the value your business provides to its customers.
By competing solely on price, you guarantee that your customer will look around before making a purchase. If they find a better deal elsewhere, they will buy elsewhere and you have lost a sale. However, if you look at the Internet and your overall business strategy as a way to build loyalty with your customers, you can go a long way toward ensuring that you keep the largest share of your customers’ trading card spending.
Everyone needs to take a hard look at their business and decide if they are doing everything they can to make their customers loyal to them. Are you talking to them on a regular basis? Are you tracking their preferences and what products they buy? Are you making sure it’s as easy as clicking a mouse to do business with you? All of these things are accomplished by an Internet presence. It doesn’t have to be sophisticated or fancy.
Just think about the companies you do business with. What do you like best? What do you not like? Take that information and apply it to your business. The trading card industry is definitely unique…running a customer-centric business is not.
I would challenge everyone in this industry to make their New Year’s resolution finding ways to make their businesses work harder for their customers instead of the other way around. The more you do for your customers, the more likely they are to resist spending their money elsewhere.
Terri Rehkop
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Fanatical Sports Fans…
It never ceases to amaze me how fanatical sports fans of all walks of life are in relation to their favorite sport, team and/or, individual personality. They clamor for everything-there-is regarding their personal interest, from history, statistics, etc., all the way to sharing their passion with the ownership of cherished licensed sports collectibles and souvenirs. They proudly show, wear, eat, drink, sleep and still can’t get enough of their fill.
Have you been to a collectible/souvenir section/store/website recently? It seems like anything and everything is fair game. This frenzy of the thousands of items fans could purchase is fed by the companies who produce them, who are limited only to their imaginations of what the next prized piece might be.
Whether you’re an all-consuming serious or a casual fan, there’s something for everyone whether it’s a pennant, trading card, bumper sticker, die-cast car/truck, or one of the other thousand items. Personally, I get a charge out of being part of a company (Press Pass) who produces officially licensed sports trading cards, die-cast cars-trucks-choppers and knowing we’re a piece of that overall sports fan's pride and passion.
Jim
Have you been to a collectible/souvenir section/store/website recently? It seems like anything and everything is fair game. This frenzy of the thousands of items fans could purchase is fed by the companies who produce them, who are limited only to their imaginations of what the next prized piece might be.
Whether you’re an all-consuming serious or a casual fan, there’s something for everyone whether it’s a pennant, trading card, bumper sticker, die-cast car/truck, or one of the other thousand items. Personally, I get a charge out of being part of a company (Press Pass) who produces officially licensed sports trading cards, die-cast cars-trucks-choppers and knowing we’re a piece of that overall sports fan's pride and passion.
Jim
Monday, July 14, 2008
“I got a Basketball Jones….”
Each year I look forward to the NBA draft in late June. There are many reasons...First of all, I enjoy watching college basketball; particularly the "Big Dance" in March/April. One reason is that my alma mater, the University of Memphis, usually has a competitive basketball program. This year the Tigers came as close as they ever have to winning the National Championship. If it weren’t for a lucky shot by Mario Chalmers, the Tigers would’ve have been #1 instead of Kansas. Of course, Jayhawk fans and alum (including our Press Pass Customer Service Manager, Terri) may disagree about the “lucky” part, but I digress…
Another reason I enjoy the draft is because, we (Press Pass) get to see where all of the rookie prospects (who we negotiate autograph deals with in April, May, & June) end up. We take pride in assembling a strong roster of the top rookie prospects each year. This year was especially gratifying for me since 3 Memphis Tigers were drafted (Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, & Joey Dorsey) and all 3 will be included in our set which ships in late July. Particularly satisfying was to see Derrick Rose be chosen first overall by the Bulls. While Memphis didn’t win the National title game, at least Memphis took the top spot in the draft! March Madness and the Final Four--that’s all old news now anyway! The “here and now” is NBA Summer League and rookie potential. I look forward to Derrick, CDR, and Joey making an impact at the next level---Go Tigers!
P.S. Oh yes, as difficult as it was for me to be objective, we also signed up a few of those Kansas Jayhawks to be included in our 2008 Press Pass Basketball releases…even that Chalmers guy.
Tom
Another reason I enjoy the draft is because, we (Press Pass) get to see where all of the rookie prospects (who we negotiate autograph deals with in April, May, & June) end up. We take pride in assembling a strong roster of the top rookie prospects each year. This year was especially gratifying for me since 3 Memphis Tigers were drafted (Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, & Joey Dorsey) and all 3 will be included in our set which ships in late July. Particularly satisfying was to see Derrick Rose be chosen first overall by the Bulls. While Memphis didn’t win the National title game, at least Memphis took the top spot in the draft! March Madness and the Final Four--that’s all old news now anyway! The “here and now” is NBA Summer League and rookie potential. I look forward to Derrick, CDR, and Joey making an impact at the next level---Go Tigers!
P.S. Oh yes, as difficult as it was for me to be objective, we also signed up a few of those Kansas Jayhawks to be included in our 2008 Press Pass Basketball releases…even that Chalmers guy.
Tom
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Nascar, take a right
As many of you diehard or casual Nascar fans may know, the three national series are filled with cookie cutter ovals of varying length. We even see multiple visits to the same tracks, many of which are nearly the same configuration like Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. While I love watching the races each weekend, even I wonder why so many keep watching when most of the tracks are so similar. Sure you have a couple road courses thrown in here and there(2 out of 36 events), but the vast majority are cookie cutter mile-and-a-halfs. To top it all off, Nascar runs all of these ovals in a counter clockwise direction.
My solution: let's run some of these tracks in a clockwise direction to mix things up. Just think about it, most of the drivers are engrained with turning left. I think at least for a few of the drivers that making right turns around these tracks would be somewhat of a challenge. In addition, the car itself is setup specifically to make better time through a left turn.
Having to go around the track in the opposite direction would not only be a challenge for the driver, but for the pit crew and team as well. Setting up the car would be totally different and making a pit stop could be quite interesting.
While I am sure Nascar will continue running the same direction for years to come, they could very easily run a Nationwide or Truck race clockwise as a test platform for the Sprint Cup. So come on Nascar, take a right!
Aaron
My solution: let's run some of these tracks in a clockwise direction to mix things up. Just think about it, most of the drivers are engrained with turning left. I think at least for a few of the drivers that making right turns around these tracks would be somewhat of a challenge. In addition, the car itself is setup specifically to make better time through a left turn.
Having to go around the track in the opposite direction would not only be a challenge for the driver, but for the pit crew and team as well. Setting up the car would be totally different and making a pit stop could be quite interesting.
While I am sure Nascar will continue running the same direction for years to come, they could very easily run a Nationwide or Truck race clockwise as a test platform for the Sprint Cup. So come on Nascar, take a right!
Aaron
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Why we love sports...
Has anyone been paying attention to the baseball pennant races lately? Specifically the American League Eastern Division. In case you haven't noticed, the name at the top of the standings does not feature the city name of either Boston or New York. It's not even Baltimore or Toronto. Who's left you ask? Why it's the Tampa Bay Rays. These aren't your old Devil Rays anymore.With an infusion of young stars like Evan Longoria (he's no Desperate Housewife), B.J. Upton, Scott Kazmir, James Shields and the superstar Carl Crawford these Rays are no longer laughable. Despite some key injuries (Closer Troy Percival and Slugger Carlos Pena) this team just keeps getting better.There's a lot of baseball left to be played but you know what they say about underdogs...the longer they hang around the more dangerous they become. The Red Sox are currently getting a taste of the new Rays having dropped two straight in a head-to head showdown.So just when you thought it was another cakewalk to the playoffs for the mighty Red Sox and Yankees along comes cinderella wearing a stingray on her baseball cap. The clock hasn't struck midnight just yet and we're going to find out if the Beantowners and Bronx Bombers can swim...
D.J.
D.J.
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