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Tuesday
October 11, 2011 Automate with ASI SmartBooksFiled under: Guest Blog, News About ASI When I was a kid, my main chore was dishwashing. Since this was before automatic dishwashers were popular, it meant running hot soapy water, scrubbing hard with a threadbare dishrag and drying each dish by hand before putting it away into the cupboard. I despised dishwashing, much preferring playing on the swing, chasing the chickens, skipping rocks in the pond, even just watching the clouds go by. So getting the dishes done fast was a very important motivator. My father, who flew jets off aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy, would occasionally get out the white gloves and inspect my work. His fastidious attention to detail often meant I’d have to start the process all over again until I got it right. I enjoyed a eureka moment when I read “Cheaper by the Dozen” in school, authored by a child of efficiency experts who invented the concepts of time/motion studies in automation. The book explains how, when you have a dozen children, you have to plan carefully. The concepts of process measurement, time control and quality metrics are all explained in a way even a 10-year-old could understand. Applying the same principles to my dishwashing, I determined the fastest, most efficient method with the greatest quality control. Years later, I became part of a team at ASI Computer Systems, Inc. that applied these same automation concepts and delivered them as a software product for the advertising specialty industry: ASI SmartBooks, a new, industry-specific business management software that allows distributors to manage their entire business with a single, flexible, powerful business application. To read our recent press release about ASI SmartBooks, click here. The basic principles about “which is fastest” and “how do we maintain high quality” have been applied to this new piece of technology that should do for distributors and suppliers what “Cheaper By The Dozen” did for my dishwashing. We started the two-year R&D process by taking our stopwatches and notepads out to scores of industry firms, watching what you do each day and asking lots of questions about how you get it done. These studies led us to some of the best practices in the industry that we tried to make fundamental to our new product, ASI SmartBooks. Thanks so much to those who helped us understand how to quote, order, process, deliver and account for promotional products fast and with quality. With ASI SmartBooks, you can get out of the kitchen, so to speak, and get back to selling. For more information on ASI SmartBooks, contact Tara Barbatti at tarab@asicomp.com to find out more. ASI Computer Systems is also offering ASI SmartBooks product webinars on October 13, 20 and 27, with additional webinars offered in November and December. To join the free webinars, e-mail ASISmartBooksInfo@asicomp.com. Click here to learn more. – Mark Bloom Software Product Manager, ASI Computer Systems, Inc.
Tuesday
August 9, 2011 Stitches Named Magazine of the YearFiled under: Guest Blog, News About ASI Last week, I was back in the Windy City for the second time in two weeks (ASI Chicago was indeed just two short weeks ago) with ASI Editor-in-Chief Melinda Ligos to attend the American Society of Business Publication Editors’ (ASBPE) conference and awards ceremony. The ASBPE honored Stitches magazine with its top “Magazine of the Year” award in its 33rd annual Azbee Awards of Excellence competition. In addition, Stitches won five national awards, including “Best Feature Article” for our November 2010 Stitches Golden Needle Awards coverage, “Best Feature Series” for “Mentor of the Month,” “Best Original Research” for our annual May State of the Industry survey by ASI Executive Director of Research Larry Basinait, and “Best Regular Department” for “Look Book.” The ASBPE honored ASI publications with a total of nine national and 11 regional awards of excellence for writing, editing, research, design and photography. In the pic below mine, Melinda shows off one of editorial’s many awards. When I was a graduate student at Penn State studying creative writing, I had the great opportunity to teach undergraduate writing classes. I’d walk from my apartment on Hamilton Street three times a week toward the main campus going over my lesson plan in my head (the pithiness of Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry or artfulness of Mark Doty’s memoir). I loved the nervous tension of these walks, thinking about whether I could get my students excited about writing. My head is still always wrapped up in the beauty of words and the art of communication, and to have Stitches recognized with these awards was truly an honor. For the Magazine of the Year Award, ASBPE’s judges told us that Stitches stood out from the competition with strong writing, understanding of its target audience and intriguing design. In particular, they said Stitches is “brightly written and designed” and “easy to read and aesthetically pleasing,” showing “a real engagement in the industry you don’t always see.” In Chicago, not too far from the brand-new Marilyn Monroe statue with her iconic white dress flying up, I had the opportunity to stand in a lecture hall in the University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center, presenting to other B-to-B magazine editors at ASBPE what it is we’ve done over the last five years to revitalize Stitches. I talked about our complete magazine redesign in 2009; our commitment to hard-hitting content (we recently spent the day in Montana Women’s Prison’s embroidery shop to learn whether it was a great rehab device or a way for outside shops to exploit cheap labor); the way we’ve built a community for readers (we’re on Twitter, @asi_stitches; and Facebook, www.facebook.com/stitchesmag; we have a social site; www.stitchesmagsocialsite.com); and our must-read yearly issues (May’s State of the Industry and November’s Golden Needle Awards coverage). After my presentation, I talked with other editors about what it’s like to be able to do what we love every day and be so close to the written word, but also create these bright vehicles and communities to serve our industries. For me, this Magazine of the Year award was thrilling and humbling, because, really, in the magazine world, you can never sit still – it’s always about moving forward. — Stitches Editor and ASI Director of Education Nicole Rollender 
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Thursday
April 14, 2011 ASI Needs Dynamic SpeakersFiled under: ASI Shows, Guest Blog, Member Benefits, Members, News About ASI How’d you like to join the ranks of dynamo speakers like Michael J. Fox, Laura W. Bush and Mike Ditka? Well, now’s your chance. All you need to do is qualify to become an ASI Show speaker. Right now, the ASI Education team is looking for top-notch industry educators who can deliver compelling presentations on the most effective tools and techniques used in business today. Click here to connect with us. ASI is serious about education. In 2010 alone, 4,600 distributors took more than 16,000 live education courses at ASI trade shows, making ASI the largest educator in the $17 billion ad specialty industry. Each year, ASI commits $1.3 million to educate its members, and we’re really proud to be able to offer industry professionals free, up-to-the-minute live and online education In 2010, in response to lots of member requests, we launched the ASI Certification program, which recognizes industry professionals with Bachelor of Advertising Specialty Information (BASI) and Master of Advertising Specialty Information (MASI) certificates, the industry equivalent of a bachelor’s or master’s degree. These certifications are awarded to industry professionals who have demonstrated their commitment to service and continuing education. To date, 6,700 industry professionals have registered for classes needed to obtain an ASI certification. And, participating in the certification program is free, user-friendly and hassle-free for our members. We track all of the live and online ASI Education courses that members take automatically via our Online Learning Center (www.asicentral.com/onlinelearning), so they can easily access their transcript and remaining course requirements. If you want to help educate the advertising specialty industry, ASI is where it’s at. We’d love to learn more about you and your expertise. Click here to tell us about yourself. You never know where it will lead you. If you have any other questions, email me at nrollender@asicentral.com. – Nicole Rollender
Monday
March 7, 2011 Ready, Set, ResearchFiled under: Community, Guest Blog, News About ASI, Research Each year, ASI conducts the most comprehensive and important research about our industry to create the Counselor State of the Industry report. But we can’t do it without you. All we ask is that you take 10 minutes to complete a survey. And you could win some great prizes just for participating. There are distributor winners chosen at random for prizes totaling $1,500 in Master Card gift cards, and suppliers can win one of three full-page ads in an ASI publication of their choice. Why is the survey important? Because of the in-depth reporting each year on key sales, marketing and operational metrics used every day by industry practitioners. Nowhere else do you get the scope of this detailed information about our industry. And it’s free to ASI members. If Thanks so much for taking the time to help the industry gather this important research. If you have any questions, please shoot me an email. – Larry Basinait, executive director of research services
Wednesday
February 9, 2011 Better Navigation of Tricky ComplianceFiled under: Guest Blog, Member Benefits, News About ASI We all know how challenging it is to navigate through ever-changing product-safety compliance regulations. With escalating concern for product safety and compliance in our industry, there couldn’t be a better time to announce that ASI – in conjunction with our Safety and Legislative Advisory Board – has selected Intertek as its exclusive partner for product quality and safety solutions. And, ASI has negotiated a preferential rate for members to save 20% on all services related to safety testing and compliance. Just this week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) extended the enforcement date for testing of lead content in children’s products to December 31. That means U.S manufacturers will be required to have CPSC-approved third-party certification for children’s items to prove that products they produce or import contain no more than the allowable limit of lead. So even though there’s more time to meet that one requirement, federal restrictions governing manufacturers and importers will change once again in August. We gave a lot of thought to this issue and worked closely with the ASI Safety and Legislative Advisory Board before selecting Intertek, the accredited world leader in testing, auditing, inspection and certification of consumer goods across all product lines. How will Intertek benefit your company? By helping you answer questions like the ones below:
Click here to get more information on how Intertek can work with your company for product testing and to sign up for Intertek’s consumer newsletter. To read our press release, click here. And if you have any further questions, please email me at kcoates@asicentral.com.
– Karyn Coates, ASI’s director of member benefits
Wednesday
October 27, 2010 Are You an All-Star?Filed under: Guest Blog, News About ASI Here in the Philly area, we are still stinging from what was a debacle of a weekend in Philadelphia sports. The Phillies choked and fell to the Giants in game 6 of the NLCS, and the Eagles – well, I don’t know what the heck happened there – but they managed to blow a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter and lose to the Titans. Hey, congrats if you’re a fan of either one of those teams and good luck to the Giants and the Rangers in the World Series. While we’re on the subject of winners, let me get to what brings me here, now that you’ve allowed me to vent. We’re holding our second annual Advantages Sales Rep of the Year contest and we’re adding a spot for sales support staff this year too. So I ask: Are you the next Advantages Sales Rep of the Year or do you know one? Or are you Advantages FIRST Sales Support Person of the Year or know one? Our January issue will be devoted to Advantages Sales Superstars and we want your nominations ASAP. Recognize outstanding sales performance in yourself or others. In 2010, did you come up with something really creative that led to a huge sale? Did you have the largest sales volume in your company? Did you go way over 100% of your quota? Have you gone above and beyond for a client or your sales reps? If you think you or one of your colleagues should be a contender, e-mail me. The winner will receive gifts and praise and bragging rights for the year. Oh and you will also have a magazine profile to show all your friends and family. Now doesn’t that sound special? Send either your 100-word-or-less entry or, if you’d prefer, your video nomination (you can even sing it or recite it in poetry; I’m pretty much up for anything), along with a high-res image if you have it available: khuston@asicentral.com. It’s time to toot your own horn or nominate a worthy colleague. Looking forward to hearing from you! — Kathy Huston, editor, Advantages magazine
Monday
August 30, 2010 ASI Gets the GoldFiled under: Guest Blog, News About ASI I recently had the honor of accepting the Gold Award for service on behalf of ASI at the 23rd annual Proforma Convention and Family Reunion in Las Vegas. This is the second year in a row ASI received this prestigious recognition. This award, which is voted on by owners, is particularly gratifying because it recognizes the hard work and dedication of over 400 ASI employees who create, develop and support the many business tools and education resources Proforma owners use every day to grow their sales. I’ve had the privilege of being one of ASI’s contacts for the Proforma organization for more than 15 years, and I’m proud to be a part of the relationship we’ve developed. At the conference, I spoke to many owners who raved about their ASI services and support – and it reminded me of how fortunate I am to be a part of the ASI team. To read the press release, click here. Proforma is the second-largest distributor firm in the U.S. and now has more than 1,500 personnel using ESP to help clients with sourcing, idea generation and presentations. Proforma LogoMall sites get close to 1 million hits each month from end-buyers shopping for promotional items and ideas. Here are a few of the great comments I heard from owners: “I could not run my business without ASI or ESP,” said Sherry Novelli of Proforma Cornerstone Concepts. “My ability to source products for my clients and quickly turn those products into an online presentation has been the most invaluable tool for operating my business. I love you guys and the partnership we share.” “Without ASI and LogoMall, I would not be able to share with our customers such a vast number of available products,” said Sherry Kennedy of Proforma A-Z Specialties. “The office loves ESP because we can search for current pricing or product information and have immediate results. I cannot tell you how many orders I can attribute to both of these products.” “My business has benefited tremendously from the many technology tools that ASI offers,” said Luis Ostos of Proforma DCS. “Our clients love the option of being able to do product research on their own time, from anywhere, by using LogoMall. And ESP Web offers my team the same flexibility, at the office or on the road, to research and present to our clients the information they request quickly and professionally.” Thank you, Proforma owners – we will continue to work hard to bring solutions that drive more promotional sales. And, congratulations to all my colleagues at ASI for the great support you provide our clients each and every day. – Heather Heather DiPrato is ASI’s senior VP of distributor services. She can be reached at hdiprato@asicentral.com. |
you’re a distributor, you can link to the study 
