$4,000 A WEEK!

How is it that you've done all this when you just found out about the whole advertising on mugs idea a few days ago when you called our company and got all this info from our office manager. You haven't produced a single mug. You asked me to send you samples a few days ago. You are now making up stories. We googled your name and found out that this seems to be a track record of yours.

Mark,

Great to see you post and bring this topic up to speed. Extremely enlightening.

Quality restaurant mugs! I never knew there was a difference. But then again I don't sell mugs at all.

I just went over to your site: http://www.mugsacrossamerica.com/ and looked around.

Hopefully those who want to approach this business will consider a sales career with your company.

Thank you L.B. What do you sell and where do you travel?

Originally Posted by Mugs Across America, Inc.

How is it that you've done all this when you just found out about the whole advertising on mugs idea a few days ago when you called our company and got all this info from our office manager. You haven't produced a single mug. You asked me to send you samples a few days ago. You are now making up stories. We googled your name and found out that this seems to be a track record of yours.

Hi Mark, Great program and product you've got but not enough sales reps to run with it. I see from your post that Don has been researching his competition. I'm not defending his actions, however I know for a fact that Don was dabbling with selling ads on mugs back in the late 90's. In Fact - Randy who posted in this thread above and I talked about Don selling a info product on the Admug program back in 2003 and Randy sent me one of the Mugs he had sold ads on in Georgia the year before. I read Dons post again and see where he says that he was selling ads on mugs in the past but not in full color. Several weeks ago we posted a question on this forum asking if anyone knew where to get full color mugs from and I guess he started to look at all of the competition at that time.

This thread should be good PR for you as my belief is most people considering doing this will take the path of least resistance and choose to work with a team that already has all of the pieces in place for them to run with.

It's hard to tell when done is or is not being truthful, I agree. The pet photos in his sample fridge magnate calendars are ones that I took. But Don did not do anything wrong with using my images. He purchased my pet photography info product back in 2003 and everyone who purchased it has my blessings to use my images to make up samples.

So maybe he has done Pet Photo Fridge Mags or not... but I have after buying Dons info product on Car Dealership Fridge Mags. Despite what anyone thinks of Don as a person, one thing is for sure, his ad programs are good profit generators for those who are willing to run with them.

Anyone reading this post who is considering selling ads on mugs would be wise to team up with MugsAcrossAmerica.com

Cheers,
Steve
www.FreeBackgroundClub.com
Get a Free Digital Fantasy Background Each Month!

Thanks Steve,
I appreciate all your support. However...I must admit that I would be curious to see the mug that Don Alm had sent to your friend from Georgia back in the late 90's to early 2000's. We had 2 full time reps in GA at that time and I'd be curious to see if it was one of our mugs we produced. I would also be curious to see one of these 3 full color cup jobs that Don has produced in last few weeks that he was talking about in his post. I believe he said he was on his 3rd order. When he called me 2 weeks ago acting like he wanted to be a part of our program, he was acting very naive to the whole concept.
Just tons of questions and eventually told me he was too busy with other things to mess with mugs.
His post on this sight was practically verbatum of what we told him about how set up our contractors with the display boxes and table cards to drum up leads.
I have no problem with competition unless they are about ruin the whole concept and area by using an inferior product that can ultimately seriously burn or scald a restaurant patron when the handle simply falls off one day while they are drinking from the mug, or someone cuts their lips on a sharp edge on the rim because the mugs chip very easily and are not vitrified restaurant quality. I do have some legit competition out there that use a safe, quality product. We don't mind any of them, they don't steal our sales material, or pretend to have come up with the concept, and they don't short the restaurant on the number of mugs they need and the best part is that their ad rates are more than double what we charge, so it's not hard to get customers to advertise with us verses them. The point is that the restaurants don't get a bad taste in their mouth to the whole concept if a quality product is used. Most ASI distributors don't carry any Commercial grade mugs. You have to import them or buy from a restaurant supplier and then find someone with experience and knowledge in high temp ceramic inks.
On another note, I checked out your sight and I like what you are doing.
I wish you the best of luck in your future ventures!

It's really amazing how you "girls get yer panties in a dither"!

Ya really "get yer jollies" trying to discredit little ol' me.

Just a little background;

1) I AIN'T sellin' a course on "Coffee Mug Advertising"
2) I've been selling "Ads on Mugs" since around 1998 or 99
(Here's a post from Richie Carey WAAAY back in 2003;

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++
Richie Carey….July 24, 03…..4:40pm
Here's the scenerio...you have use of a retail store space in a decent location (tourist town, fair amount of traffic) until next March. You DO NOT want to SELL physical products because that opens up sales tax issues, hiring issues, etc, etc.

You want to use this visible physical location as a MARKETING tool ONLY - free flyers, free cd-roms, free maps, who knows...maybe you charge other businesses to display their flyers, etc.

Would you use it as a physical face for a local business portal site? Would you give away free coffee and doughnuts with ads on the coffee cups? (tip of the hat here to Don Alm ;-)What would you do?

Thanks!!

Richie)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++

Did ya notice the "Tip o the hat comment...about Ads on Coffee Cups"?

Ol' Woody Quinones even thanked me in his "Little White Mug" Manual he wrote back in 06. (http://www.thepromotionalguy.com/mlwm.html)

3) I started selling FULL Color Ads on Coffee Cups last year...COMBINING THE ADS WITH ANOTHER AD MEDIA.....SO MY ADVERTISERS GET TWO....I REPEAT....TWO AD MEDIA....WITH THEIR ADS ON.....FOR EXTRA EXPOSURE!

AND.....I AIN'T GONNA TELL YA WHAT DEE UDDER "AD MEDIA" IS!!! So....go bout yer "Conjecturin'"

Then...I started having the dye-sub mugs chip and break....so I went on a hunt to see if I could find someone had an answer to the problemo.

Decided to check out "Mugs Across" to see what they were doing. STILL charging less than $200 fer an ad. That's what I STARTED WITH! NOT worth my time.

So....I combined FULL Color Ads on Mugs WITH....something else....and got my price UP!

But....mugs are chipping in SOME of the dishwashers....same as the guy in New Hampshire.....HOWEVER....if you "gals" were to PHONE the restaurants he's showing on his site NOW....http://okjr.ws/mugs... you'd find that some of them have had HIS MUGS....IN there diners for OVER 2 YEARS!

So....some of his Dye-Subs ARE holding up!.....as are mine. I think I've found a supplier who has better quality mugs.

So....go ahead an' jump up an down like little chilluns. Makes YOU appear VERY JUVENILE.....in fact....You "Girls" are downright LAUGHABLE!

Don Alm...."gittin da girls all wound up in dere panties agin"!

Originally Posted by Mugs Across America, Inc.

Thanks Steve,
I appreciate all your support. However...I must admit that I would be curious to see the mug that Don Alm had sent to your friend from Georgia back in the late 90's to early 2000's. We had 2 full time reps in GA at that time and I'd be curious to see if it was one of our mugs we produced. I would also be curious to see one of these 3 full color cup jobs that Don has produced in last few weeks that he was talking about in his post. I believe he said he was on his 3rd order. When he called me 2 weeks ago acting like he wanted to be a part of our program, he was acting very naive to the whole concept.
Just tons of questions and eventually told me he was too busy with other things to mess with mugs.
His post on this sight was practically verbatum of what we told him about how set up our contractors with the display boxes and table cards to drum up leads.
I have no problem with competition unless they are about ruin the whole concept and area by using an inferior product that can ultimately seriously burn or scald a restaurant patron when the handle simply falls off one day while they are drinking from the mug, or someone cuts their lips on a sharp edge on the rim because the mugs chip very easily and are not vitrified restaurant quality. I do have some legit competition out there that use a safe, quality product. We don't mind any of them, they don't steal our sales material, or pretend to have come up with the concept, and they don't short the restaurant on the number of mugs they need and the best part is that their ad rates are more than double what we charge, so it's not hard to get customers to advertise with us verses them. The point is that the restaurants don't get a bad taste in their mouth to the whole concept if a quality product is used. Most ASI distributors don't carry any Commercial grade mugs. You have to import them or buy from a restaurant supplier and then find someone with experience and knowledge in high temp ceramic inks.
On another note, I checked out your sight and I like what you are doing.
I wish you the best of luck in your future ventures!

Hi Mark!

You have an excellent program. Steve had posted a link here a few days back and one thing I really like is that you do MORE than just the typical coffee mug.

Years ago back in '92 as I recall when I sold my first mug one of the things I thought would be a great seller but never pursued was the plastic tumbler like the one on your website. I believe that would be even a better seller in some markets than the coffee mug.

I don't want to leave you with the wrong impression because I did not buy my mugs from Don. It was however (IF memory serves correct) about that same time frame that I became aware of Don and some of the creative advertising ideas he would promote.

Like Steve I am not defending any action Don may or may not have taken. I do know that the many ideas Don brings to the table are money making ideas no matter who came up with the idea. Which came first anyway ... the chicken or the egg? And in the end does it really matter?

I got mine from a company that went out of business almost as quickly as I got the biz plan and sample mugs. I ended up ordering through a catalog from Kaeser & Blair on my first mug.

As far as quality of mugs go I guess I never knew there was a restaurant quality mug because the ones I sold were from an ASI supplier and they held up really well. Matter of fact I still drink coffee daily from the first mug I ever had printed. Of course I have seen some thicker mugs at restaurants but since the ones I sold back then held up so well I never looked for a higher quality.

Anyway ... it is great seeing that you have such a successful mug business. Selling coffee mug advertising was always one of the most fun and easiest to sell out of all the various advertising and marketing I have done over the years.

Much continued success to you.

Randy

Originally Posted by Adman

1) I AIN'T sellin' a course on "Coffee Mug Advertising"

2) Ol' Woody Quinones even thanked me in his "Little White Mug" Manual he wrote back in 06. (http://www.thepromotionalguy.com/mlwm.html)

1) You're NOT Selling a course on "Coffee Mug Advertising," eh?
REALLY:
http://midasreports.com/
#6 - AD MUGS

REALLY?!?
You're talking "INTEGRITY?!?"
... hahahahahaha

What does Woody think of you NOW?!?
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...ight=Integrity

AS for L.B. Jenkins
AND
Mark A. Ragen of
Mugs Across America, Inc.

Thank You for Posting Your Comments!

Thanks,
Christopher

PS. Notice that whenever someone posts any Q's questioning alm,
there is ALWAYS 1 or more NEW Registered Users THANKING him
for his info and, in some cases, they've been 'Lurking for years?'

Sounds a bit DESPERATE to Me, doesn't it?

To get MY price for MY Ads on MY Mugs.....I COMBINE the Ads on the Mugs WITH....either an Ad on the;
DAILY SPECIAL BOARD
or
MENU!

So.....go play wid yer Tiddly-Winks!

Some of "You" people ....make me want to Vomit! YOU are "Sickos"!!!!!!!!!
Don Alm....headin' fer da medicine cabinet to get a swig o Milk-O-Magnesia

[Dien Rice]

PS. Notice that whenever someone posts any Q's questioning alm,
there is ALWAYS 1 or more NEW Registered Users THANKING him
for his info and, in some cases, they've been 'Lurking for years?'

Just to clear up any misunderstanding, many people participating in this discussion (on both sides) have been posting here since the early 2000s at least... (They can identify themselves if they wish to, or you can search through the early posts...)

As for my view on this... I feel if you are using someone's artwork, photography, etc., at the very least the source should be credited...

However, on the other hand, taking business "ideas" from others and using them has probably been happening since neanderthal man...

I'll give you a quick example... In Australia, there is a very successful chain of stores called "Bunnings"... it is a kind of "warehouse" hardware store. That's right - it's just like Home Depot! Bunnings "stole" the concept of a hardware warehouse from Home Depot - and became very successful in Australia with this concept, just as Home Depot are successful in the USA! However, nowhere in a Bunnings store will you see "Home Depot" credited for the concept (surprise surprise)...

Microsoft "stole" the basis for their first operating system, "MS-DOS" - from other software called "CP/M", which was created by Digital Research. However, I've never heard of Microsoft crediting Digital Research for the concept!

And of course, Microsoft's "Windows" operating system copied Apple's "Macintosh", which in turn got its ideas from Xerox's research unit... (At least Apple gave Xerox a whole bunch of shares in return for taking their ideas - ideas which Xerox weren't using commercially anyway. However, I believe Microsoft gave Apple nada.)

The first credit card ever created was Diner's Club, back in 1950. Visa (1958, originally as "BankAmericard") and Mastercard (1966) came along later to the party. However - strangely enough - I've never heard Visa and Mastercard acknowledge their debt to Diner's Club for the concept!

Anyway, you get the drift. There are about a billion other "copycat" stories just like those. Just to see how common this is in business history, there's a book all about it (where you can read about many other examples) - "Managing Imitation Strategies" by Steven P. Schnaars.

However, you can prevent others from copying you and succeeding. That's what the whole concept of a "toll position" is all about...

(Before you ask - yes, the Harvey Brody toll positions project is still chugging along on its pre-planned track - we've been very busy behind the scenes!)

- Dien