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Tuesday
June 30, 2009 Sales Dish of the Day: Boost SalesFiled under: Sales Dish of the Day To improve your customer service and boost sales: Know your suppliers. Become familiar with their turnaround times, imprinting capabilities, quality, strengths and weaknesses to ensure orders are done right and on time. Double-check your proofs; don’t take anything for granted, even if it seems like an easy order. Develop and use a checklist to be sure you place the order correctly. Inspect and insure items, especially when dealing with a highly specialized product and an overseas company. - From Advantages magazine
Friday
June 26, 2009 Sales Dish of the Day: Keep Clients LoyalFiled under: Sales Dish of the Day If you want your clients to stay loyal: Think of their needs first. Walk in their shoes. Help them out on a personal level when you can. Make them look like a hero to their co-workers and bosses. Ask for feedback, good and bad and use the criticism to better your services. - From Advantages magazine
Wednesday
June 24, 2009 ASI Store Adds New Products for SuppliersFiled under: site updates Phase II of the ASI Store is now complete, and customers can now purchase — among other products — CreditConnect and LogoMall Network. More on CreditConnect If you’re a Supplier and looking to get the most accurate and current data on over 22,000 distributors in the Ad Specialties Industry, look no further than our CreditConnect aisle where we’ve got 4 different packages:
More on LogoMall Network If you’re a Supplier looking to reach millions of end-buyers and thousands of distributors, then the LogoMall Network ($185/mo) is for you! With this product, you can:
So what are you waiting for Suppliers? Get Shoppin’!
Tuesday
June 23, 2009 Paul Lage Discusses BIC’s Acquisition of NorwoodFiled under: asi radio show On today’s ASI Radio Show, Norwood’s president and CEO Paul Lage talked about the recent acquisition of his company by BIC Graphic. The following is the interview transcript of Paul Lage during the ASI Radio Show: [BEGIN TRANSCRIPT] Melinda Ligos (ASI): So Paul, tell us what’s been going on, this is obviously a surprise to many in the industry. Paul Lage (Norwood): BIC actually got involved about a month ago, the process that we went through involves an actual auction process and, although Aurora was the company that we went into the event with, BIC stepped up fairly early in the process and showed a lot of interest and, in a relatively short period of time became very comfortable with the business and took some major steps forward in the auction and won and now we’re basically owned by BIC. Dave Vagnoni (ASI): I want to get right to this question about staff and facilities, what will this deal mean for Norwood’s future? PL: Business as usual. The staffs at Norwood will remain the same. The staffs at BIC will remain the same. Facilities will remain the same. We’re going to operate as two separate entities for now, at least. But we will be looking for some synergies across the organization. DV: And how about management? What will be your role going forward? PL: My role right now is still president and chief operating officer, or chief executive officer for Norwood, we’re still working through details in terms of titles and responsibilities. We’ll probably have more information on that in the next couple weeks. DV: And how about brand identity? Will BIC and Norwood basically be separate from a product line standpoint? PL: Yes. That’s the easy answer. I think Norwood has worked very hard especially over the last three years to develop its brand, and BIC has probably the leading brand in the industry. So, no, there’s opportunities, we each have a little bit different personality to our brand so I think they complement each other very well. ML: And now, Paul, obviously you were at BIC for many years, is there any consideration of you going back to BIC? PL: There was a huge deja vu factor that kicked in here. I certainly have a lot of experience there and I hope I have the opportunity to at least participate in some of the BIC parts of the business, but again that’s probably a bit premature in terms of those decisions being made. ML: So no move from Indiana back to Florida any time soon? PL: If it happens it will be in October through February (laughter) [END TRANSCRIPT] Want to listen to a podcast of the interview? Click here. For an archive of the entire show, Click here.
Monday
June 22, 2009 Sales Dish of the Day: RFPsFiled under: Sales Dish of the Day Responding to requests for proposals (RFPs) can be intimidating – but when you have advice from the experts, not so much: Don’t be offended by being asked to bid – put yourself in the client’s shoes. Respond in a way that educates your prospect about promo products. Give examples of case studies and what you’ve done in the past. Point out how you offer quality and service rather than just a lowball price. - From Advantages magazine
Friday
June 19, 2009 Hot or Not for the Industry?Filed under: Poll
Could these trends and styles translate to the promotional products industry? Assisting them in their endeavor, industry apparel experts who know a few things about fashion. The result: A great read full of interesting facts, insightful quotes and humor. (Read the artcle.) But we here at ASICentral thought, how can we take this a step further? And the answer: You make the call!!! Sure, it’s fun to read the experts’ opinions on whether Christina Aguilera’s leopard print body suit is laughable, but what do you think? Could these styles and trends make it in the promotional products industry? Take our celebrity “Hot or Not for the Industry” poll now! –pollDADDY
Thursday
June 18, 2009 Sales Dish of the Day: Case StudiesFiled under: Sales Dish of the Day Case studies are used as powerful sales and prospecting tools in virtually every industry. They provide the necessary proof that your company’s value claims are true and, therefore, it’s necessary for you to build a portfolio of promotions with which you’ve been directly involved. Here’s how: Choose convincing stories. They are those that represent areas of business you’d like to do more of and that have positive, measurable results you can share. Identify specific outcomes. Effective case studies, shouldn’t be complicated, but should address the problem, the solution and the measurable results achieved. Get your client’s approval. A “generic” case study is always suspect. Getting specifics and naming names lends credibility. - From Advantages magazine
Tuesday
June 16, 2009 Sales Dish of the Day: Presentation TechniquesFiled under: Sales Dish of the Day Are your presentation techniques getting stale and costing you sales? Add new technology. Present both conventional and quirky items and ideas. Become immersed in your client company’s culture by reading outside articles and reviewing their own Web site. Rehearse your pitch aloud at least 50 times and let colleagues critique you. Most importantly, be enthusiastic! - From Advantages magazine
Monday
June 15, 2009 Sales Dish of the Day: PackagingFiled under: Sales Dish of the Day You can upsell any order with packaging. Tell your client about these benefits: Custom packaging allows them to send a second brand message. Branded ribbons and wrap give your clients’ gifts a more upscale, professional look. The right packaging stimulates the senses in a pleasing way, setting expectations for what’s enclosed. Use color to excite, fragrance to entice and sound to intrigue. - From Advantages magazine
Friday
June 12, 2009 Sales Dish of the Day: Business TravelFiled under: Sales Dish of the Day Business travel doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Some tips for better trips: Check the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Web site (www.tsa.gov) for updated information on what you can bring onboard a plane. Keep spare chargers for your electronics in your luggage. Keep extra sample-size toiletries in your luggage. When things happen that are beyond your control, keep a positive attitude and make the best of it. Flight delays? Be sure to have business reading material on hand. - From Advantages magazine |
