|
Wednesday
August 12, 2009 Who’s on the HOT List?Filed under: Community, Industry Initiatives, Members, News About ASI
Our magazine’s editors survey the scene and showcase the hottest people and products in the industry, and this year’s issue is no exception. You’ll discover some surprises among the 40 names on the HOT people list. Are you on it? To find out, click here. It never fails to amaze me just how innovative this industry is, which is reflected in the “Objects of Hotness” section, featuring dozens of great products to sell to clients. There’s everything from a biodegradable first aid kit and basketball-shaped foam hat to poolside saddle tote bags and an iPod speaker bag with a carabiner. For the complete montage of the products, click here. If that wasn’t enough, Counselor also reports on key business trends affecting how ad specialty companies are moving forward in today’s marketplace. For instance, did you know green is the new black? Hot people and products, valuable strategies and intriguing ideas. It’s all in the issue. Also, we hope to see you in Las Vegas at the HOT Party on Wednesday, September 16, at the Christian Audigier Nightclub in Treasure Island. It’ll be a celebration of all things hot and will be happening during the new ASI Holiday & Incentives Expo. Tell me what or who you think is hot – or even what we may have missed – by posting a comment now or emailing me here.
Tuesday
August 4, 2009 Awards From Suppliers – A Closer LookFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Members Any time we present awards at an industry event like the recent black-tie Counselor Awards at ASI Show Chicago, we spend a lot of time working with the supplier designing the awards – since the pieces are treasured by recipients for a long time to come. This year we had the pleasure of working with the pros at Crystal D (asi/47759), whose slogan is “We exist to turn emotions into memories.” Chuck Dahlgren, president, and Angela Wurst, marketing coordinator, stood by their motto throughout the process of selecting the right awards to reflect the industry’s best and brightest talent. I believe we don’t highlight our own industry’s unique products enough, so here’s an up-close photo of the Person of the Year award. Also, a photo with me and Bonni Shevin-Sandy, president of Dard Products (asi/48500), holding her International Person of the Year award.
Crystal D offers more than 1,000 awards and plaques, along with eight imprint methods, so the decision-making process was thorough and allowed us to customize our awards to intricately represent the caliber of individuals and firms receiving them. In addition to Crystal D, other Counselor Awards sponsors this year were Anvil (asi/36350), Mars Direct (asi/68888) and The Corvest Family – Toppers (asi/91530), Adva-Lite (asi/32145) and It’s All Greek To Me (asi/62960). To see photos from the awards ceremony – including winners holding the Top 40 awards – click here.
Thursday
July 23, 2009 Chicago Hot Products VideoFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, News About ASI The ASI Show in Chicago ends later today and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed doing business in the Windy City, which has really come into its own as one of the most vibrant and sophisticated cities in the world to have a great time and have industry events. One of my favorite things to do at any show is check out the hottest new products and here in Chicago cleverness was abound. Click here to watch my video with a few of my picks, including:
Also, when the business day ended yesterday, we continued meeting and greeting on a truly spectacular evening cruise around Lake Michigan on the Spirit of Chicago, sponsored by SnugZ USA, asi/88060. It’s on to the final few hours and if you’re here, hopefully we’ll see each other on the floor. I’d love to hear about your experiences in Chicago, so post a comment now or email me here.
Tuesday
July 21, 2009 New Email Marketing Tool for DistributorsFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties Today we’re launching a new, easy-to-use email marketing tool that allows distributors to quickly create and send email marketing messages and promotions to customers with the click of a button. The latest ASI distributor benefit was unveiled on our first day of ASI Show Chicago. Read all about it in the press release, by clicking here. ASI chose RatePoint, Inc., a leading provider of user-friendly, Web-based communication tools, to provide the program to ASI distributor members. RatePoint is providing the program at a substantial savings, exclusively for ASI distributor members. I’m especially pleased with this powerful marketing tool because it costs about the same as the price of lunch, and you can choose from over 100 ready-made templates or can create a custom template. The new program includes:
Additional features include customer feedback tools that allow your clients to easily provide testimonials and feedback that distributors can use to promote their Website and LogoMall site, and at no extra charge. The new email marketing tool is available immediately, with a 30-day free trial for distributors with no further obligation. This latest distributor member benefit joins more than 12 other member savings programs from ASI, including discounts on UPS® shipping, group health insurance options, office supplies at OfficeMax®, credit card processing and digital artwork services. To check it out, visit asicentral.com/ratepoint. For more information, contact Dale Denham, senior vice president, at dale.denham@asicentral.com. I’d love to know what you think. Post a comment on the blog or email me here.
Monday
July 20, 2009 ASI Enhances ASI ContentBridge PlatformFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties When someone like Dave Regan, vice president of sales at Counselor Top 40 Distributor The Vernon Company (asi/351700), gives a product a thumbs up, you can bet it’s worth a look. Dave recently told us that ASI’s newly-enhanced ASI ContentBridge platform, which allows distributors to build customized websites and use all of ASI’s product data and education content to stream into their own systems, has helped Vernon boost their online presence and improve operations. Jack Nadel International (asi/279600), also a Top 40 distributor, recommended the service’s versatility. Craig Nadel, president, calls ASI ContentBridge “great for our company.” See their full comments and learn what the buzz is about in the press release – click here. ASI ContentBridge is now more powerful, faster and easier. It makes order management a snap – because ASI does all the hard work using our enhanced data stream – and you can also showcase more products and make changes in near real-time. The service offers the same quality data that powers ESP Online and LogoMall websites and includes information such as pricing, set-up fees, product images and supplier ratings. Also – a real benefit for suppliers – when suppliers update their product and pricing information with ASI, it’s automatically forwarded to distributors with ASI ContentBridge to feed their websites and business systems. In turn, the latest product data reaches distributors and end-buyers faster. The bottom line is that larger distributors using ASI ContentBridge are growing their business and improving their customer service with fewer errors. For more information, visit asicontentbridge.com, or contact Dan O’Halloran, senior vice president of distributor services, at dohalloran@asicentral.com. Tell me how ASI ContentBridge is helping your business and post now, or email me here.
Wednesday
July 15, 2009 Serious About Education with New ASI Distributor Success SystemFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI ASI is serious about education, as is evident from the $1.3 million we invest each year Our new learn-as-you-go series includes an introductory DVD and ten 30-minute lessons on CDs, along with a workbook and motivational flash cards. The best part is you can use it when you want, where you want – at home, in the car, on a PDA or through a smart phone. The program is part of ASI’s generous ASI member benefits program, and is shipped free to new ASI distributor members. Distributors attending three education classes during the New Distributor Success Track at the ASI Show in Chicago on Tuesday, July 21, will receive a complimentary copy. It’s also available electronically to all ASI members, by clicking here. You’ll recognize some of the faces in the series, as it’s led by ASI executives, and supplemented with interviews from successful distributors, top suppliers and industry experts. Let me know what you think of the series and post a comment now. See you in Chicago!
Wednesday
July 1, 2009 How Can I Enhance my Print Catalog Online to Grow Sales?Filed under: Guest Blog, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits When it comes to catalogs, suppliers want to know how many to print and Distributors continue to use print catalogs and find them effective for generating sales and getting the word out about the products they offer. There’s no doubt that catalogs work. And now there’s a way for suppliers to enhance exposure digitally for their print catalogs – through ASI’s Digital Express service. The new service acts as a 1-2-3 marketing punch to boost exposure through ASI’s Email Express and through ASICentral.com’s catalog library. It works like this: ASI takes a print catalog and creates an online flip Suppliers should also make the online Digital Express catalog a big part of their website by putting it front-and-center on the home page. Companies invest a lot of time and effort to make a catalog great, so why not highlight it all year long on your homepage? The Digital Express service also provides an interactive searchable format, enabling distributors to search for the exact item they’re looking for. I’ve also suggested to every supplier who has signed up for Digital Express so far to include the link to their online catalog in the signature line of their emails. That way, every single time they send an email to a distributor, their online catalog is right in front of their potential client. Digital Express really is a unique service that helps suppliers increase leads and helps distributors find items for their clients faster, and at a time when you need it more than ever. For more information on the Digital Express program, or any other digital product, please do not hesitate to give me a call at 1-800-546-1295 or email me here. I’m more than happy to help you out in any way. Click here for examples of the digital catalogs (use your ASICentral.com email and password). – Dan Dienna is ASI‘s advertising director for catalogs and electronics. |
