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Friday
June 25, 2010 Sprint Your Way to SavingsFiled under: Guest Blog, Member Benefits Are your clients, family, friends and colleagues contacting you more frequently on your cell phone or by text message? Landlines, what are those? I recently spent a few days in New York visiting family (yes, I’m a native New Yorker transplanted to Pennsylvania). At dinner one night, I was amazed at the number of people either talking on their cell phone or feverishly texting – something I try to avoid. Seems those of us who are “hooked” never turn our phones off because we’re afraid we’ll miss something. With cell phones and wireless technology being a major mode of professional and personal communications, having the ability to cut monthly costs is a welcomed opportunity – an opportunity ASI members are taking advantage of through an exclusive discount program with Sprint. I’m thrilled to tell you we recently negotiated even better discounts* that enable members, their employees and families to save even more.
No worries if you’ve already enrolled – your account will automatically roll over to the new enhanced rates. You won’t have to lift a finger to save even more on your wireless services. If you haven’t enrolled yet, put your phone or blackberry down and click here to get started. Please don’t hesitate to email benefits@asicentral.com, with questions, comments or suggestions regarding ASI’s Member Benefit programs. – Cathy Cathy Martino is ASI’s affiliate relations manager. *Discount does not apply to Simply Everything Plans and Mobile Broadband plans.
Tuesday
June 22, 2010 A Virtual Thumbs UpFiled under: ASI Shows, News About ASI We love feedback because it helps us continually improve our products and services. Of course, we especially love positive feedback because it makes our day. This week, during another of our popular Virtual Trade Shows, we got a number of encouraging messages and emails from participants. Here’s a sampling:
The June 22 trade show attracted top exhibitors, including Graphco Line (asi/57956), Ingredients Corp. of America (asi/62649), Logo Mats Inc. (asi/67849) and World Emblem (asi/98264). Each booth had an average of 812 visitors, and distributors spent about 47 minutes enjoying the show. But there’s always room for more. In fact, since it’s a virtual experience, there’s room for everyone. We know the all-day, online event is effective because exhibiting suppliers experience an average 24% increase in ESP searches the day after each show. And if you missed this week’s show, you can access it on-demand at www.asicentral.com/vts. Virtual events certainly won’t replace our bricks-and-mortar shows (Chicago is in a few weeks!) but definitely qualify as an added bonus. The next ASI Virtual Trade Show is Wednesday, September 22 from 10 a.m. -3 p.m. ET. Let me know how your virtual experience went by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
June 22, 2010 Celebrate the Top 10 U.S.-Made Promo ProductsFiled under: News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Not long ago, The New York Times asked “Is anything made in the U.S.A. anymore?” Their answer? “You’d be surprised.” I know I was. The U.S. remains by far the world’s leading manufacturer by value of goods produced. For every $1 of value produced in China factories, the United States generates $2.50, the Times said. ASI is happy to do its part with its first-ever Top 10 list of promotional products made in the U.S., proving once again that the innovative American spirit remains in full force when it comes to promo products and creative ad campaigns. Just in time to celebrate summer and Independence Day, here’s our list of Top 10 Made-in-the-USA Products:
To see photos of the products and purchasing information for each, click here. To read our press release, click here. What’s your favorite U.S.-made product? Let me know by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Monday
June 21, 2010 Discount Credit Lines for Your Equipment NeedsFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, Members, News About ASI At a time when banks and credit card companies are tightening up lines of credit, ASI is smoothing the way for members to increase their cash flow while building their business through another new member benefit. The discount program – now available through ASI affiliate InteliLease – will save members an average of $800 on every $20,000 credit line used for new or upgraded equipment. That means any company, large or small, new or established, can apply for a line of credit at the lowest, most competitive rates available to lease everything from computers, furniture and phone systems to copiers, software (including ASI ProfitMaker) and more. Program features include:
ASI extensively researched numerous equipment leasing programs before selecting InteliLease for its low rates, personalized service and ease of application. For more information, click here to read our press release. And let me know your favorite ASI benefit by posting a comment or emailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
June 11, 2010 We’ve Got Your NumberFiled under: Guest Blog, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties What would you say if someone offered you a complete customer service center – for free? That’s exactly what ASI is now offering distributors who buy our 2011 Spectrum catalog. In December, the first 100,000 Spectrums will come complete with an 800 number on each page that leads to an ASI call center. When end-buyers need info on any of over 500 products, a representative will happily provide it. Better yet – the ASI representative will then contact the distributor to let them know they have a hot lead and an interested client. There’s no additional cost. The catalog just needs to be preordered before August 4. For more information, click here to read our press release. With this latest program, distributors can better market themselves as a sophisticated, full-service operation – no matter their company size. And suppliers now have a way to track the performance of their advertising in the catalog. Spectrum is already one of the most recognized catalogs in the industry, and the 2011 edition will still feature all of the qualities that make it so successful: • “Customer Favorites” section, highlighting the most popular products Spectrum, which prints in November with a total circulation of 625,000, is just one of nine customized catalogs offered by ASI as sales-generating tools for suppliers to advertise a wide variety of products and for distributors to sell, market and promote their brand. Please contact me at dbrown@asicentral.com or at 800-546-1350 if you’re interested in learning more about the program. Since we’re printing a limited number, this will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so I urge to be the first to take advantage of this special program today. – Dan Dan Brown is ASI’s executive director of distributor services.
Wednesday
June 9, 2010 Advisory Board Nominations Now OpenFiled under: Community, News About ASI The only idea worth having is the one worth sharing. And one of the best idea-sharing forums in the industry is now accepting nominations. Now through July 31, you can nominate yourself or someone else for a term on any of four ASI Advisory Boards. It’s simple. Just click here for more info and to submit a name. The ASI nominating committee (comprised of advisory board members and ASI staff) will review all nominations and open the pool to voting from September 1-30. The new board members will be announced at the ASI Power Summit in November and start their new terms in January 2011. The four ASI advisory boards that help guide ASI and the industry are:
Who knows? Your next great idea could make a world of difference. As always, I’d love to know your thoughts, so please post a comment or email me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Friday
June 4, 2010 Save Thousands in Credit Card Processing FeesFiled under: Guest Blog, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits Does your jaw drop to the floor each time you open your credit card statement? One comment I often hear from members is they’re getting “killed” with additional merchant account fees. You may not know, but there are two types of merchant account rate/fee structures:
Ours is a B2B industry and most cards used are key-in business/commercial cards. With most merchant accounts being the “tiered” type, the majority of transactions fall to the higher non-qualified (NQ) rate, which can be as high as 4% or more, depending on the processor/provider. Yikes! An ICP account eliminates all of those additional mid and non-qualified fees. However, ICP pricing is traditionally limited to large volume merchant accounts ($120,000-$250,000 in annual processing volume). Now, this is no longer the case, thanks to a new and exclusive ASI member program. To help members save even more, ASI affiliate Access Group has agreed to offer all ASI members interchange plus pricing, regardless of their processing volume. You can even get a free, no obligation savings comparison to see how much you will save by switching to the ASI member program. The comment I hear the most from members who have switched to Access Group is “Wow, I’m saving at least 30% on processing costs each month.” Some bigger member companies who switched are now saving as much as $40,000 annually. Be sure to take a few minutes to look into this great ASI member benefit, get your savings comparison and let me know what you think. Click here to request your free, no-obligation savings comparison to see how much you can save with the ASI member merchant account processing program. In addition to discounts on merchant account processing, ASI members save on shipping, equipment lease lines of credit, wireless services with Sprint™, graphic and design services, and much more. Visit http://www.spotasisavings.com/ (asicentral username and password required) to learn more about how your ASI membership can save you thousands each year. Please don’t hesitate to email benefits@asicentral.com with questions, comments or suggestions regarding ASI’s Member Benefit programs. — Cathy Cathy Martino is ASI’s affiliate relations manager. |
