Natural Trends' Patent Violated
Supplier Natural Trends (asi/73497) has announced it has reached an amicable agreement with a competitor that violated patents currently held by the Provo, UT-based supplier. As part of the agreement, the unnamed competitor has turned over 50,000 sanitizer pens to Natural Trends and has issued a retraction to distributors. "This situation has been resolved to our satisfaction and we don't see a need to point fingers," says Rex Kocherhans, director of marketing for Natural Trends. "I can't imagine they did this on purpose. They would have known we were going to closely protect our patent."

According to Kocherhans, the competitor recently sent out an e-mail blast to distributors, marketing the sanitizer pen. Another company contacted the competitor, notifying them that Natural Trends holds a patent on the product it was attempting to sell. "A day or two after the initial e-mail, [the competitor] sent out another e-mail blast saying the product had been discontinued," says Kocherhans.

On the market for roughly the last five years, the sani-pen is Natural Trends' most popular product. Unlike similar pens, Natural Trends' product has a twist tip, allowing a user to spray sanitizer without removing a cap. "Our product is a safe, quality product that's made in the USA," says Kocherhans. "It was definitely concerning to us when we found out there was an exact replica out there." According to Kocherhans, the competitor's product was manufactured in China and filled with Chinese-made sanitizer.

Natural Trends does not believe any of the fabricated sanitizer pens were sold to distributors. Natural Trends holds both a design and a utility patent on the sani-pen.

ASI Radiothon: Help Raise Money For The G.I. Go Fund
On December 15, the hosts of ASI Radio's Tuesday Morning Show will be conducting the first-ever ASI Radiothon. The live event will take place next Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. eastern time, when the regular radio show will be dedicated to a charity drive to benefit The G.I. Go Fund, an organization that assists veterans when they return to the United States.

In conjunction with the live Radiothon, there's a silent auction taking place this week. Go to www.gigofund.org/asiradio now to check out the items up for bid (high-end promotional products all donated by industry suppliers). There are watches, sleek pens, gift sets, sunglasses, digital photo frames, and more. In this silent auction, items will go to the highest bidder and the top bid each day will be updated on the Web site. The G.I. Go Fund is definitely a worthy cause to donate to this holiday season. The organization helps veterans with financial and medical assistance upon their return from overseas. And it even sets up job fairs exclusively for returning veterans so they can find work and acclimate quicker into everyday life. Jack Fanous, the executive director of The G.I. Go Fund, will join ASI Radio on the phone next Tuesday to share stories of veterans he's encountered and tell our audience exactly how his organization helps these people.

So, join in on the charity drive and help ASI raise money for this valuable cause. Go to www.gigofund.org/asiradio now to bid on items in the auction or to make a donation. And make sure to log-on to www.asicentral.com/radio on Tuesday, December 15 at 10:30 a.m. eastern time to take part in the live Radiothon. Call the show at (215) 953-4979 or e-mail us at radio@asicentral.com to pledge your donation – and help make the lives of returning veterans that much better.

College Bowl Games Reveal Gift Suite Trends
Looking to win business from college football bowl committees, an increasing number of distributors have begun offering items for gift suites, rather than traditional packages of apparel and basic logoed merchandise. The suites are literally rooms, often set up in team hotels, where athletes, coaches and staff can choose from a variety of high-end items. "It's not a secret that electronics are becoming a big deal," says Jon Cooperstein, a salesperson at Memphis, TN-based Davene Inc. (asi/176080). "We work directly with Sony."

According to Cooperstein, Davene is providing items for 20 out of the 34 bowl games taking place over the next month, including several BCS games. "Exactly what we provide depends on the bowl and the location," Cooperstein says. "Everybody wants to be different."  

The latest trend in collegiate gift-giving was started two years ago at the Champs Sports Bowl and Capital One Bowl. Athletes were taken to a local Best Buy in Orlando for a quasi-shopping spree, where they could each spend up to $400 on merchandise. Then, last year, executives representing the Orange Bowl reserved a suite at the team hotels of participants Virginia Tech and Cincinnati. Players visited the suite and were told to choose up to $300 worth of items that would then be shipped to an address they provided.

This year, officials from the Sugar Bowl will try yet another approach, setting up an on-campus room prior to the game, stocked with Sony electronics, Trek mountain bikes, Weber grills, Garmin GPS systems and Apple iPods. "There is intense competition [for services]," Cooperstein says. "For us, it's about service and never taking the client for granted. You have to know the right people and then service them well."

Podcast: Counselor's Industry News
Every week, the ASI Internet Radio Tuesday Morning Show delivers an audio version of the industry's top news. Click here to listen to the segment from this week's show. The topics: a recent surge in private equity investments into the ad specialty market, advertiser sentiment increasing, and a new law in North Carolina that bans certain promotional license plate frames. Click here to listen.

Have any news you'd like covered in Counselor PromoGram or on the ASI Internet Radio Show? Send an e-mail to newsdesk@asicentral.com.

Obituary: Marvin Wilt, Bells Promotional Products Inc.
Marvin Wilt, chairman of the board of Bells Promotional Products Inc. (asi/136400), died last Friday after a short illness. He was 93. Wilt jointly purchased Bells Advertising in 1973, but soon after took full ownership of the Austin, TX-based company. "Dad honed his selling skills in the '50s and '60s and believed in strong relationship-based customer service," said Terry Wilt, Marvin's son and president of Bells Promotional. "Bells continues with many longtime employees, no doubt because they saw the strong work ethic and dedication that dad had for his company."

A lifelong salesman, Wilt began his career at the age of 15, selling for the JJ Newberry Co. of Florida. Later, Wilt became an award-winning salesman for the Steck Publishing Company of Texas. A family business, Bells grew through sales in the national healthcare and technology markets. Under Wilt's leadership, Bells also added an advertising agency in 2003.

Podcast: How To Reach 2010 Business Goals
On Tuesday's ASI Internet Radio Show, the hosts took questions from listeners who were looking for tips on steps they could take to achieve their business goals in 2010. Looking for ways to increase revenues or go deeper into current accounts? Check out this podcast.

Click here to listen to the call-in segment from Tuesday's show.

If you'd like to check out a recording of the whole online radio show, go to www.asicentral.com/radio. And, don't forget to join us next Tuesday, December 15, for the ASI Radiothon. Just in time for the holidays, the Tuesday Morning Show crew will be revving up their charitable side and raising money for The G.I. Go Fund (www.gigofund.org), an organization that helps veterans upon their return to the United States. Auction items are open for bid right now at www.gigofund.org/asiradio.

Survey: Marketing Increases Lead To Revenue Increases
Need evidence about the viability of your marketing investment? A new survey clearly equates increased marketing spending with increased revenue generation. Of the 259 businesses polled, the 65% that increased their marketing expenditures experienced an increase in revenue over the same period. The survey, which exclusively examined businesses with one to 20 employees, was just released by Hurwitz & Associates. Thirty percent of those that kept their marketing spend flat saw a boost in revenue. This left only 5% of businesses that invested more in marketing encountering a revenue decline.
           
"Now is the time for people to market. I don't think there is any question," says Gary Garton, owner of Garton Specialties (asi/202132). "If they market now and keep their name out there they can improve their position when [the market rebounds]."
           
The Hurwitz survey also proved the damage that can be done to a business when it decreases its marketing budget: 41% of respondent that decreased their marketing expenses experienced a decline in revenue. "It's always a good time to market. You can't not be out there," says Sharie Stewart, owner of Abacus Enterprises (asi/101830). This is particularly valid for distributors, Stewart says. "Too many things happen in this business. Contacts move around, especially in this economy. People lose their jobs and others step in. If you don't stay on top of it, you can lose the customer. Even in the good times a really good salesperson is always prospecting."
           
Of those polled in the Hurwitz study, 46% used digital marketing methods – social media, e-mail newsletters and search were the most used avenues.

Call For Entries: Counselor Product Design Awards
Counselor magazine is looking for innovative products for its Product Design Awards competition. Suppliers are invited to nominate their favorite eye-catching products in the following categories:

In order to enter, please submit the following three items: 1. A sample of the product. (We recommend that the product be exclusive to the supplier that is submitting it, although this is not a requirement.); 2. A quick description of the product, including any special features; 3. The category that the product should be considered for. There is a limit of one submission per category, per company. All submissions will be judged on the following areas: design appeal, functionality and the ability to attractively feature a logo (when appropriate). Winners will be featured in the June issue of Counselor.

Please send all entries to: Karen Akers, Awards Editor, Counselor Magazine, 4800 Street Road, Trevose, PA 19053. Questions? E-mail Karen Akers at kakers@asicentral.com. Please note that only products from North American suppliers will be considered and that submissions will not be returned unless specifically requested.

New Course Available on ASI Education's OnlineLearning Center
Be sure to register at http://www.asicentral.com/asionlinelearning for some exciting new courses available exclusively to ASI members. Brought to you by ASI Education, Online Learning is the newest and most convenient way for distributors to get educated. Here are some of the courses from our New Distributor Success Track available now:

NEW
Write Your Business Plan. You've gotten your feet wet in the advertising specialty industry. You've aced all of our tests on industry terms, ASI numbers, artwork requirements and purchase order standards. Now, it's time to really delve into your own business by writing a business plan -- this is how you really develop a strategy for exactly how you're going to achieve success in this growing industry. In this course, we'll teach you how to write a business plan, how to determine the best markets to target, how to create a margin strategy, and how to choose the right supplier partners.

Course Track: New Distributor Success
* Nailing Down the Basics
* Marketing Your New Business
* Steps to Selling Success
* Creative Case Studies
* Avoid These First-Year Pitfalls
* Managing Your Business
* Wearables Crash Course
Coming Soon:
* Building Profitable Client Relationships

ASICentral: Interactive Power 50
With last month's announcement of the annual Counselor Power 50, we here at Team Central thought, "Hmmm, how can we spice this up online?" So, with a little creativity and some technological finesse, the Interactive Power 50 was born. Click on the image to check it out, and read more about it in our Blog.

Got questions, comments or any type of feedback regarding anything ASICentral, don't hesitate to contact us at feedback@asicentral.com. Also, follow ASICentral at .

In The News
iPROMOTEu (asi/232119) has announced that 14 distributors affiliated with the company in November, generating an estimated annual sales volume of more than $8 million. The following are among the new affiliates: Sarah Becker, Miracle Graphics & Marketing, LLC, Brookfield, CT; Sue Ann Cunliffe, Sue Ann Cunliffe, Auburn, NY; Bryan and Trish Day, Motivational Incentives, Arvada, CO; Jill Douglas, SJB Promotions, Inc., Paxton, IL; Michael Lara, Sir Brandzalot Inc., Miami, FL; Connie Laxton, Auburn, NY; Edward Levy, Edventure Promotions, Inc., Chicago, IL; Mark Losiak, Sonic Print & Promotions, Minooka, IL; Ijeoma O'Connell, Marketing Solutions, L.L.C., Baltimore, MD; Nathan Rothschild, Promotional Buying Group, New City, NY; Richard Samson, Design By RAS Inc., Rochester, NY; Stephanie Schwartz, Ladera Ranch, CA; Marilyn Swanlund, Concept Rewards & Recognition, Belmont, MI; Tyrone Thompson, ProCentives, Naperville, IL.

People On The Move
Superex (asi/90231) announced that it has hired Janet Trachter to be the company's vice president of sales and marketing.

ASI SHOW

The following are the dates and locations for The ASI Show in 2010:
Orlando: January 3-5
Dallas: February 1-3
San Diego: February 24-26
New York: May 4-6
Chicago: July 13-15
Holiday & Incentives Expo, Las Vegas: September 14-16

Plus, don't miss the ASI Advantages Roadshow, the industry's #1 traveling show. Visit www.advantagesroadshow.com for the complete schedule!