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Tuesday
May 5, 2009 New Virtual Trade Show for our IndustryFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI May 20 is a special date on the ASI calendar – our virtual trade show for the industry featuring Dard Products, Maple Ridge Farms, Prime Resources, and other top suppliers. This all-day, real-time event is the perfect alternative in challenging times for distributors, suppliers and decorators to connect, network and sell – without packing a single suitcase – and will feature a variety of top suppliers. And, it’s free for distributors.
A virtual trade show isn’t a substitute for face-to-face meetings at bricks and mortar trade shows (ASI Chicago is coming up fast in July), but we’re thrilled to provide an additional way to bring people together. Today it’s more important than ever for salespeople and suppliers to find each other, find the right products, and sell. And for many sales staff who often can’t travel to industry shows, there’s no more productive outlet than this show. Click here for a video message from me with more information.
More details are provided in the press release, available here. And if May 20 is already booked on your calendar, don’t worry. The show will be available anytime for six months following the live event. Registration for the ASI Virtual Trade Show is available to distributors for free – and with an added bonus. At registration, distributors will receive a free download of ASI’s new Distributor Success System – worth over $180 – with tips and proven strategies to spur business. Visit asicentral.com/vts to register. Let me know what you think about the trade show by posting a comment now or by emailing me here.
Monday
April 27, 2009 The ASI Store is open for business 24×7Filed under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI In today’s fast-paced marketplace, 24×7 is the new 9-5. So it’s no wonder online sales are growing at four times the rate of offline and businesses need to offer around-the-clock convenience. ASI is responding with the opening of the ASI Store, a new online shopping site available to distributors, suppliers and decorators. With the click of a mouse, ASI members can buy products and services, including the ESP Online business tool, customized LogoMall company websites, ASI catalogs and subscriptions to Counselor, Successful Promotions, Advantages, Stitches and Wearables magazines. Still thinking of becoming a member? Your can apply and pay online with a credit card, and it’s secure. It doesn’t matter if you’re halfway across the world on business, waiting for an early morning flight or awake and ready to roar at 4:00 a.m. We’ll continue to expand in coming months, adding more award-winning products and services from ASI. As always, we’ll continue to offer personalized service through our account executives, but for those times outside of normal business hours or across time zones, the ASI Store is always open. Take a look around and let me know what you think by posting a comment now or emailing me here.
Monday
March 23, 2009 Now’s Your Time to Advertise and Get the Word outFiled under: Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties
In fact, Counselor was ranked No. 1 in ad pages for 2008 among all business-to-business magazines, which just goes to prove what I’ve been saying all along – suppliers know that advertising works and now’s the time to ramp it up and reach the right qualified distributors. Read the press release here. A recent article in min’s b2b, a publication that tracks the magazine industry, also noted that Advantages magazine ranked No. 3. Together with Counselor, the two books accounted for 15% of all ad pages among the top 25 business-to-business publications in the nation. The article also ranked magazines in the advertising/marketing/sales management category for North America, where Advantages, Counselor and Successful Promotions comprised 29% of all ad pages and Successful Promotions posted the highest percentage increase versus the prior year. Competing industry publications accounted for only 18% of ad pages. I believe the rankings help get the word out that the advertising specialty industry is important and vibrant. What are you doing to get the word out about your business right now? Post a comment now or email me at tim.andrews@asicentral.com.
Wednesday
March 18, 2009 ASICentral Enhances Navigation, Education and SearchFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI, Research One thing that really makes my day is when I visit a website that’s well-designed, easy to navigate, and provides useful information – which is why I’m delighted to announce ASI’s recent upgrade of ASICentral.com. The new website is all part of our commitment to provide the best industry education for our members and to also help buyers and prospects understand the power of promotional products – especially now.
The user-friendly design and enhanced content enables suppliers and distributors to find the tools to help them grow their business, and provides more interactive videos and educational articles and webinars from the award-winning Counselor magazine and all of ASI’s six publications. Here are some more great enhancements:
There’s lots more. Click here to read the full press release. Let me know your favorite websites by posting a comment on the blog now.
Friday
February 6, 2009 Hot Product Videos and Record Dallas AttendanceFiled under: ASI Shows, Education, Member Benefits, Members, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties
Read the press release here. I enjoyed checking out “must have” products for this year, meeting with distributors and suppliers, and of course sampling Texas barbeque at Eddie’s Deen’s Ranch. Also, watch my products video from the ASI booth featuring these cool items for 2009, like:
There’s also my video on closing day, featuring the new stainless steel drinkware with digital wrap-around printing and a double-wall acrylic travel cup with leak-proof seal. They’re all great products that will brighten your day and interest clients, no matter what the economic challenges are. Now, more than ever, marketers need the impact and high ROI that advertising specialties provide. Everyone’s been really excited after attending Don Hutson’s keynote and we’re ready to put into action the sales tools and strategies he’s devised to get any business cracking. Everyone who attended his session also received a copy of his book, The One-Minute Entrepreneur: How to Prosper Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. Along with all the great distributors and suppliers I met and friends I reconnected with, I’m returning to ASI more energized for the year and with a really interesting piece of Texas trivia: In the Lone Star State, it’s illegal to put graffiti on someone else’s cow. What products have you seen that caught your eye in Dallas or elsewhere? Post a comment on the blog now or email me anytime at tim.andrews@asicentral.com.
Wednesday
February 4, 2009 $1 Million in Data Protection and Texas Trivia at ASI DallasFiled under: ASI Shows, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits, News About ASI
Did you know the name “Texas” actually comes from an Indian word meaning friends? So, it’s no surprise how much networking there is at the show and especially during today’s 70 free education sessions. Here in longhorn country, everything is big, which makes it the perfect place to announce ASI’s investment of over $1 million to protect industry data – information you rely on every day to run your business. Check out the full details in the press release here. What it comes down to is this: If there’s a natural disaster or other emergency, ASI has acted to help ensure that our products — including ESP Online and over 10,000 LogoMall Websites — will be operating. We’re providing the most up-time to give you more time for selling, especially in this challenging economic environment.
The remote location depends on a different portion of the nation’s power grid and source, and is located alongside backup systems for Fortune 500 companies and some of the world’s largest financial services firms. Even if a regional power grid crashes, we can respond quickly by activating this facility. How’s that for peace of mind? Read the full press release here. If you have any other Texas-sized ideas, I’d love to hear them. Post a comment on the blog now or email me anytime at tim.andrews@asicentral.com.
Thursday
January 29, 2009 Shrink Your Carbon Footprint with Free UPS ProgramsFiled under: Education, Guest Blog, Industry Initiatives, Member Benefits
As you may know, UPS is an ASI affiliate providing members with up to 45% savings on shipments. There are a few ways UPS is thinking green and you can help by using its Reusable Express Envelopes. These are made of recycled paper and can also be reused. With these envelopes, the recipient of a package can use the same envelope to ship back to the sender or to another recipient. Look for the new Reusable Express Envelope in your Register Box from ASI. UPS has also partnered with Costco to recycle computers and electronic devices. Costco members log-in online to calculate an estimated value on the goods. Members print a UPS shipping label and send it to the Costco partner, GreenSight, for free. Credits can be applied to a future Costco purchase.
– 20,000: The number of low-emission vehicles in the “green” fleet. – 126 million: The number of miles driven by UPS alternative fuel vehicles since 2000. – 84 million: Total sheets of paper saved each year using Delivery Information Acquisition Devices (DIADs), the handheld device UPS uses to scan packages. This saves 7,308 trees a year. – 124 million: The number of sheets of paper that could be eliminated annually if UPS customers converted to Paperless Billing. Read about other UPS green initiatives here. Not enrolled in the UPS discount program from ASI? Visit asicentral.com/ups. – Karyn Coates is Executive Director of Member Benefits. Email her here. |
