May 2016

Welcome to our monthly eNewsletter! Look for this in your inbox every month for useful information you can share with your customers, new line/product info or other tips that you can use in your business. If there is a topic you'd like us to discuss, we'd love to hear from you!

Watch for our periodic eBlasts with product info & ideas!

Selling Corporate Gifts & Rewards

In a previous newsletter, we talked about the advantages of working with an incentive manufacturer's representative, and why cash is NOT King in the world of performance improvement. Over the next few months, we'll talk about why and how Distributors benefit from selling name-brand merchandise for corporate gift & reward programs.

The Incentive manufacturers and representatives are finally realizing that we need to speak in our customer's language. When we say "incentives", we mean name-brand gifts, rewards and recognition merchandise. Here's our definition:

in-cen-tive: something given in exchange for

greater effort or performance, based on

specific objectives with measurable outcomes*

Many of you have been selling merchandise into incentive programs for years (thanks!). Some information follows for those who are put off by the word "incentive".

A coffee mug can be both a promotional product and an "incentive"; it depends upon whether the coffee mug is given away, or is earned. If you are providing merchandise to your clients for use in Service awards, Employee-of-the-Month or Spiff rewards, a documented Customer Gifting program - you are selling incentive (corporate gifts & rewards) merchandise.

What's in it for your customer?:

74% of U.S. businesses have reward & recognition programs
84% of sales reps in defined programs exceed their quotas
Studies show that participants perform at higher levels for non-cash rewards
Incentive programs are a big part of Employee Engagement strategies

What's in it for you?:

Incremental business from current clients
Incentive budget for small businesses estimated at over $16 billion annually^
Be a one-stop-shop for your clients (don't direct them to another source!)
Add value to the supplier-client relationship
Help from your local incentive manufacturer's rep

A recent study by The Incentive Research Foundation finds that only 40-43% of end Users that run Employee and Sales promotions use merchandise reward suppliers for their programs. This represents a huge opportunity for Distributors to step in to help that other 57-60% (and 40% of the 40-43% think that Amazon is a merchandise rewards supplier....).

In the coming months we'll discuss how to select the right merchandise, how to design an effective incentive program, the types of programs your clients may be running and fulfillment options that are available to you at the factory level.

In the meantime, contact us to discuss how we can help you expand your business with your current customers by proactively seeking out corporate gift & reward merchandise opportunities.

*defined by the Incentive Marketing Association

^Source: Non-Cash Incentives Best Practices: Aberdeen Group @theirforg 2013

Issue: 6

Featured Line:

JDH Sales

Sunview Furniture

Are you an arm-chair quarterback? We've got the recliner for you!

Click here to view the full line of Sunview Furniture from JDH Sales.

Retails are shown; of course, there are discounts for corporate use! Contact us for a quote: All prices quoted will be delivered pricing.

Recliners are by far the most popular items in customer programs.

Call us to discuss how you can rest easy with Sunview Furniture from JDH Sales in your client's programs!

Types of Incentive Programs:

Employee Incentives

(Years of Service, Employee-of-the-Month, Customer Service awards, etc.)

Sales Contests

Safety Programs

Consumer promotions

Dealer promotions

Loyalty Programs

Customer Gifting Programs

Wellness Programs

Watch for future newsletters where we'll give examples of each type of program and how you can help your clients!

Award Marketing Services
908-534-5700