Ash City, Scarborough, Ontario, recently announced the promotion of Chris Clark, Mike Rozier and Paul Kory to the position of vice president of sales for Ash City USA. “As one of North America’s leading suppliers of corporate and promotional apparel, Ash City is constantly evaluating opportunities to bring increased value to our clients,” said David Woods, managing director of Ash City Worldwide. “Chris, Mike and Paul will be responsible and fully accountable for managing Ash City’s sales results in the United States, and managing and leading our sales agencies and representatives.” For more information, call (800) 761-6612 or visit www.ashcity.com.
Read MoreTips of the Trade: “Getting Referrals”
By Ilise Benun www.marketing-mentor.com Everyone knows that the best way to get new customers is through referrals, and there are two elements that make it so: trust and timing. If someone comes to you by referral, you don’t have to “sell” the person on what’s so great about you. He or she comes to you with at least some trust already in place. He or she probably also comes to you in his or her moment of need, so timing is on your side. The downside of referrals is that you can’t control when or how many come along, which can put you in
Read MoreNew Proprietary Business Model for Distributors
Facilis Group, St. Louis, Mo., recently announced a new business model designed specifically for distributors in the $1- to $5-million revenue range. The Internet-based business model consists of a front-end Web-site offering more than 2,000 products with a back-end contact management and order processing tool. “The tool revolutionizes the industry,” said Chuck Fandos, president of Facilis Group. “We believe a very important aspect of our industry today is speed to market. The tool allows distributor sales people to generate quotes within minutes. These quotes offer color images, detailed product descriptions and all the information the customer requires to make a decision.” Of equal interest
Read MorePromoVision Palomino Acquires Avenue One
PromoVision Palomino, Memphis, Tenn., has acquired Avenue One. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. “The addition of the AVEONE line is a natural fit with the company’s other product lines,” said David A. Campochiaro, president of PromoVision. “The line offers product extensions and additions to our current lanyard and accessories line. We look forward to offering additional capabilities and choices to both Avenue One and PromoVision Palomino customers.” In addition to AVEONE, PromoVision Palomino offers five other product lines: PROMOVISION, which offers products for corporate clients, including lanyards and badge holders; OPTICAL, which offers a full line of safety products;
Read MoreQuick Point to Produce the Klio Eterna Line
Quick Point, Fenton Mo., has acquired the exclusive license to produce and market the Klio Eterna Line of writing instruments in the United States. The new partnership with Klio GmbH of Wolfach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany will combine the recognized quality and style of Klio writing instruments with Quick Point’s customer service. The current 2006 Klio Eterna catalog will remain in effect for the balance of the year. All orders and questions should be directed to Quickpoint, effective immediately. For more information, call (800) 638-1369 or visit www.quickpoint.com.
Read MoreArtmetal Indulges Women’s Love for Pearls
Artmetal Promotional Products, Toronto, now offers Hydra Pearls by Artmetal, a line of premium freshwater pearls for the promotional products industry. The line was launched last month at Toronto’s Promotional Products Association of Canada’s expo, and according to Harris Krofchick, CAS, the company has already sold 100 pairs. “We had been looking to add a premium division to the company, and wanted to use something that was a hot seller in the retail market,” he exlpained. “There’s nothing, in my opinion, that can give you a classy image and longterm exposure like pearls.” A part of the company’s Pearl’s Night Out Collection, each set of freshwater pearls
Read MoreCustom HBC Keeps It Clean
Custom HBC, Waconia, Minn., has introduced foaming soaps to its line of antibacterial products. The unique foaming dispenser mixes air with liquid soap to create a rich foam that lathers faster and rinses more easily than conventional liquid soaps. Additionally, the foam encourages more frequent hand washing, which is the primary way to help reduce cross-infection. The product is available in two sizes: a 1.7 oz. Mini Foamer with a clear bottle and white pump that conveniently fits into a handbag, tote, briefcase or desk drawer; and a 8.3 oz. retail size ideal for home and commercial use. Both sizes contain a choice of
Read MoreTips of the Trade: “How to Build Your Own Marketing Machine”
By Ilise Benun www.marketing-mentor.com A marketing machine is a well-oiled system designed to get you the clients and the projects you want. Once you put it in place, all you have to do is keep it going and the prospects will start coming. A marketing machine is made up of 3 things: a singular focus on a market, a couple of effective marketing tools that work well together and the attention of one person to keep feeding the machine. Step 1: Choose a market: Your marketing machine needs a focus on one market, which isn’t to say you can only work in one market.
Read MoreYou Gotta Look Sharp
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, a woman who sat in one of my image seminars stated she had been passed over for promotions time and time again. Actually, for twelve years, and she never knew why. After listening to me speak about perception and answering the question, “Is your attire congruent with how you desire others to perceive you,” she realized her image was not. So she set out to purchase several new outfits, this time making sure they sent the message of a professional woman who was serious about her career. In a matter of six months, she received that promotion. She admitted for years,
Read MoreMille Lacs Offers A Bite of the Pie with New Site
In an effort to make its Web site more user-friendly, Mille Lacs Gourmet Foods, Madison, Wis., has redesigned its Web site at www.corporategifts.mille-lacs.com. According to John Manzer, vice president, the former site lacked many important features. “We have included all the typical features that make a Web site more useable, such as options to shop by category, product type, price or keywords,” he said. “We are excited to get the site up and running because it is completely under our control, where we can continuously update it with current information.” A little less than a month old, the new site offers all of
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