Video Report From ASI Dallas
The ASI Show kicked off in Big D (Dallas, that is) on Monday with an action-packed Education Day. On the agenda: A full slate of courses designed to help distributors and suppliers build their businesses. Besides the popular New Distributor Success Track, a day-long set of workshops to help distributors ramp up their businesses, attendees took in sales and management classes, hands-on computer training, courses on how to focus on hot niches like health care, and an embroidery machine demo.

Plus, suppliers had the chance to meet with "The Catalog Doctor," (ASI's Marketing Guru Tom Augeri), who gave them some much-needed Rx to improve their catalogs.

Finally, attendees packed the room at the end-of-day Women's Networking Reception, where popular speaker Rosalie Marcus talked about how women can leverage their natural strengths to build their businesses.

Counselor's editors and cameras were on the scene all day. Click here to check out the action in our special Show Update video.

Staples Adds Jobs In Iowa
Counselor Top 40 distributor Staples Promotional Products (asi/334634) is planning to add roughly 50 jobs in Northwest Iowa by this summer, filling the positions following a plant closure in St. Louis. The majority of the new jobs will be created in Staples' Orange City, IA, facility, with other openings in Marcus, IA. Applications will be accepted for positions in customer service, distribution and decoration.

In April of 2009, citing a struggling economy, Staples eliminated 45 jobs in Iowa, including some at its Marcus plant. Employees who lost their jobs were given a severance package and encouraged to apply for work at Staples' Orange City plant. In Iowa alone, Staples Promotional employs about 450 people in Orange City and 60 in Marcus.

Staples Promotional Products is the largest distributor in the ad specialty industry, owned by office supply corporation Staples. In a $2.6 billion deal, Staples acquired Corporate Express in June 2008, combining two of the largest companies in the industry. Currently, Staples Promotional Products employs 1,200 people total and generated revenues of $448 million in 2008, as estimated by Counselor.

The Best Way To Get New Leads
What's the most valuable commodity for a sales rep? It's time, according to Danny Friedman, vice president of Added Incentives, who led a Dallas Education Day session titled Easy Tactics to Get Better Leads. "If you want to get the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time, you need to be smart with your most important commodity. The more leads you get, the more clients you get, the more deals you make and the more money you make," he says.
           
Friedman says you need 100 leads to get a new client. His formula for success works like this: 100 leads equals 100 calls; 100 calls equals 30 decision makers; 30 decision makers equals two to four appointments; and two to four appointments equals one new client. "You have to make the calls," he says.
           
How do you get leads? "The easiest step is prospecting and lead generation," Friedman says. "Physical cold calls are best. You have to hit the streets. When I first started in this business, I was making 200 to 300 physical cold calls a week for nine months, and it paid off." Networking is another main ingredient for success. "People want to work with people they know or have something in common with," he says. "I recommend my reps join two networking groups and to try to join groups where they're the only reps. This industry is event and time sensitive, so you need to set yourself apart by working hard, making cold calls."
           
Reps have to be detectives too, Friedman says. He advises reps look around the office at magazine subscriptions, letters on the gatekeeper's desk and other clues to come away with a name. "Also, get leads from clients. Use the credibility you've gained from your clients to grow your business. You don't need to work with a huge corporation to make good money. Just spread yourself thin within a company and ask for referrals – it's the gift that keeps on giving."

Keeping The Sales Fire Lit
One of the best ways salespeople get an edge over competitors is simple: "Stay on track every day doing what's important—getting business you don't have," Greg Muzzillo, co-CEO of Proforma (asi/300094), told a packed crowd yesterday at the ASI Dallas Education Day. It's not as easy as it sounds. Muzzillo says many distributors focus too much of their time on administrative tasks, or tasks that he calls "$20 per hour work. You don't get enough value out of that," he says. To focus on selling tasks, or work that's valued at "$500 per hour," Muzzillo recommends appointing an "accountability partner" who will ask you each week, "How many hours did you spend this week on $500 per hour work? Which goals did you not reach? Why didn't you spend 20 hours per day selling?"

The Joe Show Day One
In this episode of The Joe Show, Counselor Managing Editor Joe Haley strolls The ASI Show floor in Dallas to find the hottest product trends available in the market.

Click here to see this ASI Dallas Day One episode of The Joe Show.

Top Secrets To Catch a Big Fish
Major companies are looking for "solutions, not stuff," from ad specialty distributors, instructor Lisa Leitch told audience members during a popular sales session at ASI Dallas, "Secrets to Penetrate the Fortune 500." "They need solutions for trade shows, incentive programs, safety programs, reward and marketing programs," she says.
           
With all the competition out there, the big companies "need a reason to go with you, and you need to send a strong message on why you're different and help them justify a purchase." Leitch says referrals are the most effective approach to gaining access to a Fortune 500 company. Other strategies include cold calling, direct mail, trade shows and networking. She says it takes an average of 10 to 20 contacts to get in the door.
           
As for the top traits that Fortune 500 businesses look for in a rep, Leitch says they're looking for a high level of service, reliability, intelligent and sophisticated reps. "They're high maintenance, but they're worth it," she said.

The Ins And Outs of Embroidery
Ever seen an embroidery machine up close and personal? Show attendees got to observe the embroidery process first-hand, plus learn about the most popular techniques, during a special session led by Ed Levy, director of software for Hirsch International.

GDP Continues To Expand
Growing at its fastest pace in six years, the U.S. economy expanded 5.7% in the fourth quarter of 2009, surpassing analysts' expectations and strengthening hopes that a consistent period of recovery has begun. Many economists believed the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of goods and services output, would not expand beyond 5% during the last three months of 2009. "We've stabilized the financial system and we can safely say that we've avoided that looming depression," said President Obama. "We received a report that affirms our progress and the swift and aggressive actions that made it possible."

According to released data, business investment rose 2.9% in the fourth quarter, after falling 5.9% during the prior three-month period. Export growth also outpaced imports, and salaries and benefits both increased 0.5% from October through December. However, analysts caution that not every economic indicator is positive. For example, consumer spending increased at a 2% rate in the fourth quarter, but only added 1.4% points to the GDP. Spending on new home construction increased at a 5.7% annual rate in the fourth quarter, but dropped sharply from the 18.9% pace in the third quarter. Job creation also remains stagnant. "While positive GDP growth is a necessary first step for job growth, our focus must remain on getting Americans back to work," said White House Economist Christina Romer. "There will surely be bumps in the road ahead."

Looking to spur hiring, President Obama has proposed that $100 billion of his $3.4 trillion budget be used for investments in small business tax cuts, infrastructure and clean energy. In recent months, the president has focused on trying to loosen the tight credit market, backing initiatives that would increase the ceiling on loans guaranteed by the government to small businesses.

Despite a stronger than expected finish to 2009, the U.S. GDP still contracted 2.4% overall during the year. Most economists expect the nation's GDP to grow about 3% in 2010.

Tuesday Morning Radio Show Live On The Air
Every Tuesday morning from 10:30 a.m. eastern time to 11:00 a.m., a team of ASI editors debate the most important topics facing the industry. We also, of course, offer our own off-beat look at the market. This morning, we gave a live update from The ASI Show in Dallas, revealed what a fair sales quota is for 2010, and debunked the top myths about profit margins. Plus, we even took calls from audience members looking for ways to get out of a sales slump.

If you missed the show, don't worry. A recording is now available at www.asicentral.com/radio. And, don't forget to join us next Tuesday, February 9, for our next broadcast. Log on to www.asicentral.com/radio at 10:30 a.m. eastern time and give us a call at 215-953-4979. We want to hear from you!

Take The State Of The Industry Survey
Counselor is currently polling professionals in the industry – both distributors and suppliers – to see how the market did in 2009 and to get impressions on where the industry is headed in 2010. We need your input. Please take some time to click the appropriate link below and complete the annual State of the Industry survey. Your responses will remain anonymous and you'll be helping to create Counselor's annual State of the Industry report.

Distributors click here to take the distributor State of the Industry survey.

In The News
Facilis Group has been named a 2010 "Hot Company" finalist by publication Networks Product Guide

Fields Manufacturing (asi/54100) has launched online videos for distributors, featuring products, selling ideas and case histories. For more information, go to: www.fieldsmfg.com.

Legacy Buying Group has named Gemline (asi/56070) its 2009 Preferred Supplier of the Year.

Logomark (asi/67866) has introduced a new promotion to enhance delivery times. The company is upgrading orders placed from East of the Mississippi River to two-day FedEx shipping.

Newton Manufacturing Company (asi/283300) has announced that its employees recently donated more than $600 to the Red Cross for relief efforts in Haiti. Employees donated $1 each for the right to wear jeans to work on January 22.

SanMar (asi/84863) has released a new 24-page catalog, featuring 35 high-visibility, safety workwear products. For more information, go to: www.sanmar.com.

US Branding Group LLC has created a new division called Luminous Branding (asi/68181). The division will be responsible for all marketing and manufacturing associated with the ThreadLites line of illuminated branded apparel. 

People On The Move
Liqui-Mark Corp. (asi/67675) has appointed Jo Ann Linden to the position of vice president of sales and marketing for its promotional products division.

Martini Promotions (asi/68935) has named Izzy Munitz regional sales manager for the Western U.S.

Sterling Cut Glass (asi/89663) has hired Vince Bagwell (Bagwell Advertising) to provide sales representation in KY and TN and John Browning (The Browning Group) to provide sales representation in TX, OK, LA, AR, NM and CO.

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