Case Study:
More than a Note Holder
When leaders of Cambria Suites were looking for a note holder to distribute during their sales blitz, they turned to their distributor, Red Ball Promotions (asi/346567). “They wanted something that would ‘rent’ desk space for a while, coupled with being creative and fun,” says Nina Shatz, Red Ball’s director of sales.

Shatz found an ASI vendor that was able to custom-design the top of a note holder. She chose the “swirl” design within the client’s logo. The vendor turned around a virtual sample within 24 hours. It was also able to include a one-color imprint on the logo on the base of the holder. The supplier’s factory overseas PMS matched the color of the wire, and its employees hand-shaped each piece.

“They came out so well that people are still talking about them,” says Shatz. Red Ball produced 1,500 note holders and had them shipped all over the United States. The order generated about $7,000. And while it wasn’t a huge order, the client response was the best part. “They saw that we always look outside of the box and work as a team for success,” she says.            

Since then, Cambria Suites has continued to book business with Red Ball Promotions. “We recently did menus for the company’s new in-house restaurants,” says Shatz. “Also, for the Annual Owners Meeting, we used the Maui Jim consignment program, and everyone got a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses, encased in a custom Cambria Suites sunglass case.”

All About ESP Websites
We’ve added five technical training courses for ESP Websites users to our Online Learning Center. Earn points toward your BASI or MASI, and learn how to use ESP Websites to build your business and grow your sales. At ASI, we’re committed to promoting your success! Visit www.asicentral.com/onlinelearning to take the classes.

Elective Hands-On Technology Training Courses
ESP Websites Training, Module 1: Getting Started
In this ESP Websites video package, you’ll get an overview of your ESP Website, learn about accessing your ESP Website and the Quick Launch, find out how to build your site in three steps, and learn about the administrative side of your ESP Website.

ESP Websites Training, Module 2: Site Settings
In this ESP Websites package, you’ll learn all the details about your ESP Website, from setting up domain names to using Google Analytics to implementing e-commerce, and a lot more.

ESP Websites Training, Module 3: My Dashboard
In this ESP Websites video package, you’ll learn how “My Dashboard” makes it easy for you and your customers to use and create orders on your ESP Website.

ESP Websites Training, Module 4: Design Studio
In this ESP Websites video package, you’ll learn all about the design of your ESP Website, from the logo and colors to featured products to news and videos, plus a lot more.

ESP Websites Training, Module 5: Features
In this ESP Websites video package, you’ll learn about creating Select-A-Searches, showcasing custom products, managing content and preferred suppliers, and other vital features of your ESP Website.

1-Minute Case Study

In a new video report, Advantages is presenting a 1-Minute Case Study each month that focuses on quick success stories that will boost your creative energy. In this month’s edition, we spotlight a campaign that used a creative snowman kit.

Advantages Staff Writer Jennifer Vishnevsky discusses a unique campaign that will grab clients’ attention any time of year.

Social Networking
Like Us on Facebook
When you become a member of our ASI Education Facebook fan page, you’ll connect with us and lots of other distributors, suppliers and decorators who are developing innovative approaches to sales and marketing. You’ll get the latest ASI Education news, view our latest webinars and educational videos, read case studies and pick other fans’ brains for their most effective strategies to increase your sales – and your bottom line. Click here to join us now.

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Case sTudy:
Get Students' Attention
Each year, SandRidge Energy visits college campuses across Oklahoma and neighboring states in search of talent to keep the company competitive. ROBYN Promotions (asi/309656)has been doing business with SandRidge Energy for several years. “They were actually referred to us by one of our local vendors,” says Brian Blake, director of marketing for ROBYN.

Each spring and fall, SandRidge recruiters attend career fairs to talk with students majoring in engineering, IT, accounting and other business specialties about internships at SandRidge. In order to stand out amidst a crowded auditorium, SandRidge reps knew that they needed to give something away. “The students swarm to the cool items,” says Ashley McDaniel, a recruiter for SandRidge. “We’ve used water bottles the last couple of years, so I wanted to do something different this year ... something we haven’t seen before.”

The SandRidge communications department worked with ROBYN Promotions to design a Tervis-inspired, double-walled tumbler that works for either hot or cold beverages. They selected a Triton 16-oz. tumbler. What really sets it apart is the custom woven patch with the SandRidge logo encapsulated inside the tumbler. “We used a woven patch to make a really sharp logo,” says Blake. This was the company’s first order of this particular product (over 1,000 units). “They love it though and we expect them to order more in the fall when they start attending career fairs again,” says Blake.

ASI Education Is Looking for Dynamic Speakers
Do you have what it takes to be a top-notch industry educator? Do you have a passion for sales, marketing or business management? Are you an industry consultant or skilled ASI distributor? If so, the ASI Education team is looking for you!

We’re looking for candidates who can deliver compelling webinars on the most effective tools and techniques used in business today. We want you if you’re a thought-provoking sales, marketing or business-building guru who can showcase your talents in ASI’s Online Learning Center. This is a priceless opportunity to help brand you as an expert in your field – and also provide amazing networking opportunities to grow your bottom line and your career.

Click here to connect with us.

Case Study:
Striving for Sustainability
In an industry that often values cost-efficiency over sustainability, Ad Spice Promotional Marketing (asi/105286) stands out as a distributor that’s doing things a little differently.

In January of 2011, co-founders Suzanne Robinson and Lee Coggins began gathering supplies and laying the foundation for their “Seed to Shirt Organic Cotton Project.” The project, dedicated to raising awareness about organic, sustainable business practices, involved months of preparation and manual labor. On any given day, Robinson could be found on hands and knees, priming soil and digging in the yard outside the office building, which is located on a busy street in Durham, NC. In April of the same year, they planted the first of the organic cotton seeds they’d acquired from a seed bank in Virginia, effectively turning their lawn into a miniature but fully functional cotton farm.

Using a combination of social media, press releases, highlights in the local paper, and the buzz generated from passersby, company leaders hoped to attract attention to their often-overlooked cause. “It’s easy for people to understand why you’d choose an organic apple over a genetically-modified apple,” Coggins says, “but it’s hard for people to see the need for something like organic cotton.”

Once the display farm was up and running, Coggins says that interest exceeded their expectations, and all of Ad Spice’s hard work was rewarded with an explosion of curiosity in the company and its commitment to the environment. “People got excited about stopping by and seeing how the crop was coming along,” she recalls. “They started to see everything that goes into an organic farm, how hard it can be.”

Coggins says the effects of the project spread beyond the company and into their neighborhood. “It was a real community-builder,” she says. “We were able to show people around the farm and even send them home with vegetables that we’d planted as trap crops (plants meant to lure harmful insects away from the cotton).”

And while the campaign may have improved the community, it certainly improved business. Year over year, Ad Spice saw its sale of organic cotton products jump 495%. It’s also continued to pick up clients who have heard about the project through word-of-mouth and are curious about the company’s organic products and its commitment to sustainability. The successful run has also prompted Ad Spice to announce the return of the farm, planned for 2013.

Distributor Success System
ASI's educational Distributor Success System is the ultimate "crash course" for new distributors entering the industry.

Led by several ASI executives, and supplemented with interviews with successful distributors, top industry experts and end-users from the Fortune 500, the education content provides new distributors with a clear roadmap to jump-start their business.

This self-instruction series for new distributors is available online so it can be accessed 24/7. Each section contains valuable insight and content developed for new distributors.

Click here to try out the system.