Small Business Optimism Increases
As 2010 nears its midpoint, a new survey shows small business owners are becoming more optimistic about their future prospects. According to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey, respondents reported improving sales and economic conditions at the start of the second quarter. “As consumer and business spending appeared to pick up pace, this bolstered small business owners' optimism around their current situation,” said Scott Anderson, Wells Fargo senior economist.

In April, the survey’s Small Business Index optimism score rose by five points compared to January, yielding a 10-point improvement compared to July of 2009. A separate measure, called the Present Situation Index, also improved in April, jumping seven points. The Present Situation Index is based on six variables, including capital allocation spending and credit availability. “In our latest survey, we see more small business owners describing their cash flows and current financial situation as good and higher percentages seeing an increase in revenues over the last 12 months,” Anderson said.

While most index factors improved consistently throughout the first quarter, the survey shows job hiring still lagged behind. According to survey data, 53% of business owners have recently maintained current staffing levels, only hiring as many employees as needed. Additionally, 67% of business owners say they have not increased weekly employee hours, with nearly 20% saying they continue to decrease hours. Business owners cited several reasons for not hiring more workers. Most notably, 65% of respondents said they had concerns about the potential cost of health care.

Survey: Finding New Leads Is Top Marketing Challenge
According to a new study by MarketingSherpa, the most pressing challenge for business-to-business marketers is generating high-quality leads. The B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey finds that 69% of the more than 2,600 professionals surveyed name that as a top concern – and ad specialty distributors have ideas on how to help. “It’s critical to expand your leads and your network in general, but if you can be more specific and target those leads and get good ones, that makes a difference,” says Erv Pesek, president of Common Sense Consultants (asi/165982), who services and advises a number of B2B marketers.

Pesek says that rather than just going after anyone as a potential new client, it’s important to have a good “suspect list” to begin with, and that a tangible promotional product can help close the deal. As many marketers are expected to do more with less, and stretch out their marketing and promotional dollars, it makes sense that “marketing to a lengthening sales cycle,” came in as the second biggest concern on the survey, cited by 39% of respondents. “Clients may not have as many promotions and they’re trying to extend the lives of those promotions,” says Pesek. He says for clients looking to get the most of their marketing dollars, he would urge them to target the products more effectively – for example, giving a coffee traveler to a trucker company, rather than a mug.

Following close behind the concerns of lead generation and longer sales cycles is “creating perceived value in ‘cutting edge’ product benefits,” which 37% of respondents cited. “Perceived value is a big part of it,” says Kris Gregerson, owner of Premium Solutions (asi/298872). He says that sometimes perceived value of promotional products can be improved through simple packaging or small improvements, and that it’s worth it to marketers to make these changes if it will help get the right message across about their brand. “Certainly the client has a budget and I appreciate that, but on the other hand, it represents who you are and what your company does,” says Gregerson. “You want to make sure that if you are giving away a pen, then the pen works.”

The Joe Show: Hot Products Kick-Off
In conjunction with the Hot Issue of Counselor this August, Managing Editor Joe Haley will dedicate the next six weeks to showing off the hottest products in the ad specialty market. Broken into fun categories, each week he’ll focus on a different theme – and then each of the items will be shown in the August Hot Issue.

In this episode, he shows off some of the newest and most unique personal-use items available now. Have clients looking to use household items in their next promotion? Check out this episode. 

Click here to see this Hot Products edition of The Joe Show.

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Obituary: Ken Heslop, PPPC Hall Of Fame Member
Ken Heslop, a member of the Promotional Products Professionals of Canada (PPPC) Hall of Fame since 1982, died on Thursday, May 27, in Weston, Ontario. He was 87.

A leading voice of industry education in Canada, Heslop was the first Canadian to achieve the Certified Advertising Specialist accreditation. Even in his final years, Heslop continued to train those just entering the industry, offering countless hours of service, many from his own home. Setting an encouraging example for his family, Heslop helped several relatives join the ad specialty market. Heslop’s daughter Susan is a past PPPC chair and a fellow Hall of Fame inductee.

Heslop is survived by his wife Jennie, children Pauline, David and Susan, sisters Ivy and Lily, brother Maurice, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A funeral service for Heslop was held yesterday in Weston at St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church. Memorial donations made be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.

Tuesday Morning Radio Show Live On The Air
Every Tuesday morning from 10:30am eastern time to 11:00am, 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 suggested creative ways to ramp up corporate gift sales, listed top markets for entrepreneurs and provided ideas for de-aging resumes.

Nominate Your Company For The Best Places To Work Contest
For the third year in a row, Counselor is setting out to identify the industry companies that employees simply love to work for. These are the distributors and suppliers that have a loyal work force and that provide a work environment which employees want to go to every morning.

Counselor will be unveiling its second-annual Best Places To Work issue in September, and it will undoubtedly include an elite list of industry companies. Do you want your company to be considered? Getting involved is easy – and it’s completely free to participate. The only necessary qualification is that a company has at least 10 employees. To nominate your company, or any others in the market that you think deserve to be recognized, simply click here. Also, there’s no risk to participating. Only the honorees – those companies with the best scores from the survey – will be published in Counselor.

ASI Online Learning Center  

Click here to get a sneak peek of just one sales strategy you'll learn in this course.

Did you know you can take self-paced, on-demand courses at ASI Education’s Online Learning Center? This is the newest and most convenient way for distributors, decorators and suppliers to get educated. In our newest course for distributors, "Cold-Calling Clinic: Get More Appointments Now," we’ll teach you how to use cold calling as an important tool that can take your selling skills to the next level, including five ways to reduce rejection and key tips for connecting with your prospect. Click here to take the course.

Coming next month: Break Into Five Hot Apparel Markets

ASICentral: Take Our Survey … You Could Win $250!
The team at ASICentral.com is currently investigating ways to improve the site through a redesign and would like your feedback regarding our homepage via a brief 10-question survey.

Help us out. Take the survey now and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win $250!

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
Heritage Sportswear Inc. (asi/60582) has partnered with apparel manufacturer Jerzees to offer a month-long T-shirt promotion, awarding a total of 22 prizes, including $5,000 in Hyatt gift certificates and $5,000 in airline certificates. For more information, go to: www.heritagesportswear.com.
 
iClick (asi/62124) has launched an iClick+ service, allowing distributors to create sales sheets and other presentation and promotional materials. For more information, go to: www.iclickplus.com.

Kormark Strategies Inc. (asi/244872) will introduce a new marketing initiative in July called “100 Days, 100 Bags.” The goal of the program is to unite vendors, distributors and end-users, with Kormark asking participating suppliers to provide anywhere from 500-1,000 products that have an average value of $2.50 and margins no lower than 35%.

Kronex Global (asi/65693) announced that it has added Agfa, Vivitar and Vistaquest digital cameras to its product line. 

Leed’s (asi/66887) is offering custom USB memory devices in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, available with no mold, set up or other charges.

River’s End Trading Company (asi/82588) has announced that its Page & Tuttle Corporate division will unveil its new Jockey Sport and Jockey Classic collections as part of its 2010 Playbook Catalog, scheduled for release on June 15.

The Perfect Promotion (asi/293158) has created the Fostering Hope Program to supply children in foster care with new duffle bags, backpacks and luggage. In addition to collecting products for children, the company plans to donate a percentage of sales to the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents.

The Vernon Company (asi/351700) has named a total of nine high school and college students as winners in its annual William F. Vernon Scholarship program. All winners are children of company employees.

People On The Move
Affinity Express Inc., an ASI affiliate, has hired David Kang as executive vice president and chief digital officer.