Meet Our Chief Financial Officer, Linda Casimano
There are no “lazy days of summer” at Creatacor as we have exciting new projects to design and
fabricate and new staff members joining our team as we continue to grow.
As chief financial officer for Creatacor, I oversee and manage all matters regarding financial accountability and human resources for the company. I am also responsible for strategic management and development.
I have been part of the Creatacor team for 25 years and have gained comprehensive understanding and knowledge about our business, culture and financial matters. I look forward to collaborating with members of the executive group and the entire Creatacor team well into the future.
San Diego Comic-Con 2016
Creatacor and LEGO® continued their creative partnership, producing another amazing LEGO booth for San Diego Comic-Con 2016. The LEGO exhibit offered fans a chance to see the awesome 2017 LEGO building sets and enjoy interactive LEGO experiences with friends, family, other Comic-Con fans and LEGO Master Builders. In addition to featuring four life-sized LEGO models, the booth also featured LEGO brick graffiti walls for fans to build their own art creations, a large video wall and a fully-stocked LEGO store.
The hands-on exhibit also allowed attendees to assist LEGO Master Builders in building three life-size LEGO models to celebrate Warner Bros. The LEGO Batman Movie which will be coming out next year.
VVMF’s “The Wall That Heals” Gets Digital Upgrade
“The Wall That Heals” is back on tour with a new look. Creatacor had the honor of working on the displays for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s mobile Education Center, installing three new 75-inch screens to create a more engaging visitor experience. The mobile tour features a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. with supplemental information provided through these new display screens.
One screen will focus on the “Wall of Faces” – VVMF’s effort to put a face to every name on The Wall. For each day, the photos on display will be of those service members on The Wall who were born that day. A second screen will focus on “Hometown Heroes on The Wall” and be customized for each tour stop with photos and information on local service members. A third screen will be devoted to VVMFs “In Memory Honor Roll” and be customized for each visit.
A tour schedule and virtual “Wall of Faces” can be found on VVMF’s website.
Follow-Up With Ease
It’s true that you only have one chance to make a good first impression, but, in the sales business, that’s not always enough. Following up with potential clients whom you connected with at a trade show is your opportunity to seal the deal, and as with most things in life, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about it. We’ve got a few pieces of advice to help you steer clear of the pitfalls of follow-ups and the unpopular cold call.
Be prepared, positive and confident.
You believe in your product or service and know that this will help prospective clients. Be clear, confident and honest in how you can help solve a problem and you will have a prospect’s undivided attention.
Ask to schedule an appointment.
This respects your prospect’s time. It also helps ensure that you aren’t wasting your time pitching someone who isn’t truly interested in your services or products and only dropped off a card to get the giveaway.
Actively listen.
Focus on learning about the prospect’s needs to determine the direction of the call. Take notes to help remember details critical to customizing services and products to the prospect which will further build the relationship.
Email wisely.
If you send an email before a call, frame the particulars to be discussed. An email after a conversation should recap the discussion, include action items and provide further value that is customized to the prospect’s needs.
Add value and be remembered.
Follow up again by sending a short handwritten note to a potential client to stand out. Or, send an email, but add value by including a relevant article link or suggestion based on your discussion.
Did You Know?
Less than 20% of trade show leads ever receive appropriate follow-up attention. Therefore, exhibitors miss valuable sales opportunities and trade show ROI and budget protection is difficult at best.
Source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research
Creatacor Welcomes Staff Accountant
Rebecca Schultz recently joined Creatacor’s finance team as a staff accountant. She is responsible for
assisting in day-to-day finance office procedures and financial processes for accounts payable and accounts receivable. Prior to joining Creatacor, Schultz was a staff accountant at Hedley & Company, a full-service accounting firm. She studied at Fairfield University and earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Rhode Island. She and her family currently reside in Mechanicville, New York.