Coach's Corner
by Fred Albrecht
What a great week, the weather has turned to fall, the government might open up again and more importantly, we are having another fantastic month. More reps are earning more money every week. This is the best industry in the world, more opportunity and more freedom than any other business. We were just visited by ASI's Counselor Magazine team, Andy Cohen, Melinda Ligos and Joe Haley on their annual road tour of "The Best Places to Work". They would not reveal where we finished but we will be among the top. For the first time, they are having a "Best Places to Work" conference that Suzie and I will attend where we will learn who won top honors this year. That happens in late November. We are very proud of all of our employees and sales reps as Suzie and I feel this is YOUR AWARD, since YOU make Proforma Albrecht, The Best Place to Work.
Halloween is upon us and on Thursday October 31st, we will once again roll out the "Orange Carpet" and have our employees demonstrate their creativity with our annual Halloween Costume Contest where YOU will be the final JUDGE. Watch for our video, more fun than ever, don't be left out of the voting, it will HAUNT you the rest of the year!
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Check Out Our Article in This Month's Counselor Magazine!
 The lobby of Proforma Albrecht & Co., headquartered in Milford, OH, is just plain scary. There are spider webs everywhere. Rats are perched on every surface. A pair of skeletons are sitting on the couch, reading Counselor magazine. And just around the corner sits a guy who has a torture chamber and hanging, bloody clown heads in his office.
Lots of offices put decorations up on Halloween, but Albrecht-well, they go a little bit overboard, in a good way. Everywhere you walk, you'll find, say, a black crow or a ghoul, staring you in the face. It's all part of the culture at Albrecht, where Suzette Albrecht, who founded the company with husband Fred in 1999, prides herself on creating an environment where employees are comfortable and happy.
 "I hear people talk about motivating employees by giving them free products they've gotten from suppliers, and I was amazed by that," Suzy says. "That's not motivating. For me, motivation is creating a
real nice work space for people."
And that's exactly what Albrecht has done. When the company, which has 30 employees at its headquarters and about 100 sales reps spread throughout the country, moved to its headquarters six years ago, Suzy said she "was very picky" about everything from employee chairs (they had to be ergonomic) to the conference room. Instead of a traditional boardroom with a table and chairs in the middle, it's decked out with cozy sofas, brightly colored bar stools that bounce (they have springs on the bottom), and a showcase of interesting products the company has provided to its clients. In this room, Albrecht often holds "lunch and learns," where a supplier brings in lunch and talks about their new product line. Employees are paid to attend their sessions, since they're giving up their normal lunch break to do so.
Sp eaking of lunch, a separate lunch room is stocked with drinks and Albrecht-subsidized snacks (each item costs only a quarter), along with an extensive library of the latest video releases which employees can check out for free. Every Friday, Suzy goes to Target to buy whatever new movie has just come out. "We really want people to feel like they're respected, like they're taken care of here," Suzy says.nChristina Ashby, who's in order processing, says touches like this-and the fact that she gets whatever treat she likes on her birthday (she prefers lemon cupcakes), makes all the difference. "When you have a busy week, these kinds of things just make you feel good."
While Suzy has employees' comfort in mind, Fred makes it a point to be accessible at all times, especially to salespeople who are working in home offices throughout the country. If a rep based in Los Angeles calls him at midnight, well, he answers the phone. He spends so much time talking to reps that he knows practically everything about their personal lives-from whose kid pitched a no-hitter to whose daughter is getting married. The Albrechts have been known to fly to employees' weddings, and Fred won't hesitate to make a trip to help a rep out on an important presentation.
All of these personal touches are clearly paying off for Albrecht. The company has grown every year and was on Inc magazine's fastest-growing list for five years in a row. That's all well and good, but there's another important topic on the table today: As we end our visit, employees are discussing what they'll be at this year's company Halloween party. In the past, employees have dressed up as headless horseman, a hamster from the Kia commercial, a fire cracker and Mary Poppins. "I don't know what I'm gonna be this year, but it has to be creative, and over the top," said Kim Perry, a senior account executive. "That's just how we roll here."
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Success Story
Josh Frey and Proforma Albrecht & Co. Use Teamwork to Display Diverse Capabilities and Land $500,000 Deal
When it comes to eCommerce solutions, Proforma has proven once again it has a strong advantage on the competition. Josh Frey, Sales Representative, and Carl Albrecht, Project Manager, with Proforma Albrecht & Co. became aware of an opportunity to provide a national promotional products and apparel program for Iron Mountain, a leading provider of storage and information management services. The program was being managed by Staples, but Josh and Carl were determined to prove Proforma could exceed Iron Mountain's expectations for the program.
With more than 1,000 locations in 32 countries, this Fortune 1000 company needed a sophisticated and reliable, yet user-friendly eCommerce store to handle their program. Josh and Carl turned to the Support Center to help create an ironclad request for proposal. Manager of Business Development - Major Accounts Michelle McCafferty helped from day one, assisting Josh and Carl with filling out the RFP and gathering the needed information. Once this was off and running, Dan Whitehead, Strategic Advisor to Owners selling more than $1 million, began to coordinate resources at the Support Center to demonstrate Proforma's capabilities to the Iron Mountain decision makers.
Dan, Josh, Carl and Fred Albrecht worked with key members of the Support Center to map out an entire day of informational presentations, including a mini-tradeshow at the Support Center with more than a dozen of our top PLPs in attendance! Norwood & BIC Graphic North America, Leed's, Trimark, SanMar, Gold Bond, Sweda Company, Vitronic Promotional Group and Hub Pen Company were among the dedicated Vendor Partners who committed to attending the end-user showcase with just one week's notice.
Three decision makers at Iron Mountain flew into Cleveland for the day to meet with Josh, Carl, Fred and the Support Center Team. They heard about the products and services Proforma could provide and walked through the vendor tables to hand-pick items they would like on their company store.
The event allowed Josh and Carl to display their vast capabilities, including warehousing and fulfillment. They took the Iron Mountain representatives to the nearby warehousing facility owned by Dennis Funk and Rich Bewley, Co-Owners of Proforma Signature Solutions. The decision makers were able to walk away with the confidence Proforma could execute an eCommerce site that could seamlessly takeover their Staples relationship with complete transparency. They were convinced Proforma would improve their brand management while providing more product variety and customer service. With teamwork and support, Josh and Carl sealed the deal on this anticipated $500,000 annual sale with Iron Mountain.
ENGAGE with your Strategic Advisor and reach the next level of success! If you are selling more than $1 million per year, please contact Dan Whitehead (DWhitehead@Proforma.com or ext. 3266) at your Support Center to learn how you can build on your success.
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Coloring Puzzle Case History
Here is another interesting project that we worked on for the entertainment industry. Our coloring puzzles have always been a big hit but it was very exciting to see them sold in our very own Wal-Mart. If you would like more information, a client friendly version of the flyer or samples of other case histories please let me know. Thank you for your time, have a great day! Mary Dobsch President The Chest 800-238-7411 maryd@chestinc.com www.chestinc.com www.facebook.com/thechest |
 Holiday Catalog from Magnet Group
As one of your dedicated MVPLP Suppliers, we are pleased to share with you a digital link to our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide, customized with the Proforma branding to share with your customers! Please share the link with your customers interested in holiday, end of year and incentive gifts, as it is truly a mix of great ideas for various uses! http://www.zoomcatalog.com/catalogs/proforma-holiday-2013If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or your dedicated Regional Rep with The Magnet Group for assistance. If you are not familiar with who your rep is, please let me know, and I will direct you accordingly. Have a great day and happy selling! Jessica Hiner Director of National Accounts, The Magnet Group (800) 458-9457 X5130 / Cell: (630) 803-2894 jhiner@themagnetgroup.com / www.themagnetgroup.com
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October Specials from Snugz
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Kitchen Gift Ideas from Starline
 Check out some great gift ideas for the kitchen from Starline!
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Fred Albrecht
513-753-2580
Proforma Albrecht & Co.
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