{"id":2418,"date":"2013-08-05T09:55:23","date_gmt":"2013-08-05T13:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/?p=2418"},"modified":"2013-08-05T09:55:23","modified_gmt":"2013-08-05T13:55:23","slug":"soi-cautiously-optimistic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/2013\/08\/05\/soi-cautiously-optimistic\/","title":{"rendered":"SOI: Cautiously Optimistic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remember the dark days of the Great Recession? We were mired in a subprime mortgage crisis, losing millions of jobs and experiencing 10% unemployment. Nearly every industry took a hit, including ours. Distributor sales dropped to $16 billion in 2009, down from a record high of $19.8 billion the year before.<\/p>\n

Today, our industry has almost fully rebounded, with total 2013 distributor sales expected to reach new heights, according to the latest \u201cState of the Industry<\/a>\u201d report from Counselor<\/em> magazine. Counting Q2, in which sales rose to $4.9 billion, we\u2019ve now enjoyed 14 straight quarters of growth.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, anything can happen between now and the end of the year. Regime changes, shifts in consumer confidence and even natural disasters could impact profits and sales. And I know we\u2019re all holding our breath to see how the ongoing implementation of the new federal health care law<\/a> affects our bottom line.<\/p>\n

But for now, I\u2019m happy to spread a little good news for a change.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to capitalize on the gains, increase sales, spend a little more on marketing \u2013 and get the word out about the ROI and high rate of advertiser recall of promotional products. With the U.S. economy still struggling to gain a firm foothold, a lot of companies, schools and non-profits continue to count every penny, which makes our message all the more compelling.<\/p>\n

ASI makes it easy for you to go on your next sales call armed for bear, with tons of useful stats about the health of our industry and viability of our products. If you haven\u2019t already, read Counselor<\/em>\u2019s SOI issue<\/a> cover to cover and cherry pick the stats and info most useful to your business. And be sure to read the growth strategies that are working wonders for industry leaders \u2013 and put them to work for you.<\/p>\n

Along with tons of sales-generating ideas, this year\u2019s report analyzes 2012 sales to determine the biggest markets and most popular products. This year, health and education kept their grip on the number one and two markets, while manufacturing and construction both rose, providing new opportunities.<\/p>\n

Other highlights from the 2013 Counselor<\/em> \u201cState of the Industry\u201d issue include:<\/p>\n