Free Power Sessions
Click here for complete education listing

Friday, January 4, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
David Blaise, Top Secrets of Promotional Products Sales
Sales & Marketing
.10 CEU                       

While many salespeople are excellent at making presentations, success in promotional products sales requires an ability to drive a steady stream of qualified prospects to your door. Learn the most effective methods of lining up the prospects that are most likely to buy from you. If your livelihood depends on getting in front of new prospects, this hour-long session will pay major dividends for years to come.

David Blaise, Top Secrets of Promotional Products Sales
What do the promotional products industry’s first audio podcast, video podcast and theme song have in common? They were all created by entrepreneur, author and business consultant David Blaise. David is a direct marketing and advertising expert with nearly 20 years experience in the promotional products industry. He currently provides consulting, coaching and training to many of the top names in the industry. He is the author of Sledgehammer Marketing, Top Secrets of Promotional Products Sales, Getting Started and co-author of the industry best-seller The Power of Promotional Products.

Friday, January 4, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Bobby Lehew, ROBYN           
Sales & Marketing                       
.10 CEU

In the past few years the blogosphere has exploded with radical changes and vast opportunity. Learn how to harness the power of the Conversation Age by utilizing your business blog to draw traffic to your company’s web site and increase your online presence. Topics that will be discussed include:

• An overview of the blogging tools available to set up and maintain your blog
• Dos and don’ts of business blogging    
• Increasing traffic organically to your company website using your blog  
• Maximizing your readership by utilizing RSS readers and newsreaders
• Suggestions for capitalizing on your role as a promotional consultant through your blog
• Social networking, Web 2.0 and its impact on the promotional industry

Bobby Lehew, ROBYN
Bobby Lehew is Director of Operations for ROBYN, a fulfillment company that creates and distributes branded products and collateral printed materials through private-label company stores. A passionate believer in the effectiveness of well-placed promotional marketing and the strategic significance of well-managed brand assets, Bobby cut his teeth in the industry packing boxes for a corporate catalog program 15 years ago and now oversees the multi-million dollar distributorship. With an exceptional staff, ROBYN has doubled its sales since 2002 due to a direct emphasis on company stores.

Friday, January 4, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Rosalie Marcus, PromoBizCoach.com
New Distributor                                   
.10 CEU

A seasoned promotional products distributor reveals the most common mistakes new distributors make and how to avoid them. Learn the expensive lessons from those that came before you and you are 100% more likely to experience immediate success in the promotional products business.

Rosalie Marcus, PromoBizCoach.com
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach™, shortens the learning curve for people in the promotional products industry, teaching them how to get more sales, more clients and more income FAST! Rosalie is the creator of The Fast Track to Promotional Products Sales Success: How to Make More Money in Promotional Products Sales and the facilitator of the Women’s Selling Advantage Success Circle. A successful distributor herself, Rosalie is passionate about inspiring promotional products distributor professionals to grow their sales faster and farther than they ever thought possible! 

Friday, January 4, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Danny Friedman, Added Incentives, Inc.
New Distributor                                   
.10 CEU

The foundation of a successful career in the promotional products industry is a strong client base. Learn how to build and manage your client base to maximize your sales potential. This seminar will teach you the skills and techniques needed to earn profitable new clients and keep them for the long term. You will also learn:

• Referrals — the gift that keeps on giving!
• How to “spread yourself thin” within a client’s company
• How to deal with client objections and problems

Danny Friedman, Added Incentives, Inc.
Danny Friedman has been in the promotional products industry for over 12 years and is a multi-million dollar producer. Danny’s clientele includes some of the top companies in the Fortune 500. Danny has been a sales manager and sales trainer for the last nine years. He combines his promotional products industry experience along with other industries he has been in that include office products, real estate and being a multi-line representative in the sporting goods industry. Danny has over 20 years of sales experience.

Friday, January 4, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
David Blaise, Top Secrets of Promotional Products Sales           
Sales & Marketing                                   
.10 CEU

Did you know that many of the most successful salespeople in the world do not even consider themselves salespeople? Perhaps you’re one of them and don’t even know it! If you love helping clients get what they want, but hate the idea of a “typical” sales approach, this session is for you. True consultative selling is not about coercion, it’s about providing solutions. Learn how your natural approach and personal concern can help more clients and close more sales than you ever dreamed possible.           

Friday, January 4, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Jay Busselle and Craig Mertens, Digital Art Solutions           
Sales & Marketing                       
.10 CEU           

Discover how to combine powerful graphics with key marketing messages to dramatically increase your sales and profits. Learn to communicate themes, concepts and ideas graphically so your clients say WOW and your bottom line grows! Set your company apart from the competition by adding visual value to your clients existing logos and event marketing. Discover how the wildly successful graphic design pros define a purposeful marketing message and tie it to powerful graphics to win large corporate clients.

Jay Busselle, Digital Art Solutions
Jay Busselle began his graphics career at the age of 14, printing bootleg surf and skateboard T-shirts. After learning valuable lessons about copyright law, Jay landed a job as a cut-and-paste artist for the Yellow Pages and quickly saw the advantages of working for his parents' screen printing and ad specialty company. Jay evolved into a top-producing sales professional and 27 years later, he is (mostly) grown up, and serves as General Manager of Digital Art Solutions, a Phoenix-based software company that makes graphics easy for distributors and suppliers. 

Craig Mertens, Digital Art Solutions
Craig Mertens began his career in the imprinted sportswear business as the warehouse boy/janitor in the family screen printing and embroidery business. During college, Craig was known as “The T-Shirt Guy”, after saturating the campus with T-Shirts during his marketing class entrepreneurial project. After graduation, Craig undertook a vigorous sales training program in the imprinted sportswear industry that consisted of a sample bag, a price list and the words “go get'em kid." Craig quickly realized that great graphics were the key to opening new accounts. As an early pioneer of virtual samples, Craig used graphics to separate himself from the competition and build an imprinted sportswear empire. Translating his knowledge of graphic design and sales into software, Craig co-found Digital Art Solutions in 1999. Under Craig’s leadership, Digital Art Solutions has made it possible for countless non-artists to turn artwork into their secret sales weapon.

Friday, January 4, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Rosalie Marcus, PromoBizCoach.com
New Distributor                                   
.10 CEU

In a world where customers are bombarded with 4,000+ marketing messages each day, how can you make your services stand out from the crowd? How can you reach the marketing-weary public and attract new clients? From the book of the same name, this inspirational program features a 28-day marketing program that shows you how to locate, land and keep new clients in greater numbers than you ever dreamed possible.

Rosalie Marcus, PromoBizCoach.com
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach™, shortens the learning curve for people in the promotional products industry, teaching them how to get more sales, more clients and more income FAST! Rosalie is the creator of The Fast Track to Promotional Products Sales Success: How to Make More Money in Promotional Products Sales and the facilitator of the Women’s Selling Advantage Success Circle. A successful distributor herself, Rosalie is passionate about inspiring promotional products distributor professionals to grow their sales faster and farther than they ever thought possible! 

Friday, January 4, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products
New Distributor                                   
.10 CEU

As a new distributor, you are inundated with catalogs and samples. Learn how to keep them organized for easy access and how to use them to make more money. New distributors will get great ideas for keeping these valuable sales tools orderly and useful!

Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products
Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products, was recognized as one of ASI’s Top 10 Growing Distributors for 2006. With almost 20 years industry experience, Bill has worked with large companies, small companies and now owns his own company. He is a frequent presenter and contributing editor for many industry publications and has won awards for creative design in advertising specialty marketing campaigns. Bill’s selling strategies and case histories are drawn from his experiences as one of the industry’s top sales performers, his varied client base and his ability to grow new business while still getting home for dinner by 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 5, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.                       
Cliff Quicksell, Jr., Cliff Quicksell & Associates                                          Sales & Marketing            
.10 CEU

Walking in and dropping off a catalog no longer works. Clients can buy imprinted products off the Internet or through the mail without the assistance of a distributor. To earn the sale in today’s market you must uncover clients' needs, diagnose their problems and prescribe creative solutions. Asking the right questions and getting to the root cause of clients' needs helps build rapport and credibility and establishes you as an advisor, not just a salesperson. This session is designed for EVERY advertising and marketing professional who wants to grow their business by providing marketing ideas and business solutions.

Cliff Quicksell, Jr., Cliff Quicksell & Associates
Cliff Quicksell, Jr. has designed and sold more award winning promotional marketing campaigns than any other distributor in the promotional products industry. He has been a distributor, a supplier and a trainer in our industry for more than 22 years, all the while sharing his secrets to success in creative marketing. His vast industry experience and research into what clients really want from distributors have helped him build a thriving training and consulting business in our industry.

Saturday, January 5, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products           
Sales & Marketing            
.10 CEU

Create a larger than life image and close deals without ever leaving your office. Clients today use the Internet to source, buy, sell, trade and communicate and prefer to work with you via the Internet too. Discover how to make the most of today’s technology without being technical. You can find, research and prospect new clients, qualify accounts, uncover needs, research products and quickly respond to client requests without ever leaving your office. Learn how to effectively send ideas, virtual samples, receive and send artwork and close deals — all in your slippers! As a bonus, you’ll learn tips and techniques for organizing your emails and keeping account information at your fingertips. With today’s technology, you can build a bond with clients thousands of miles from your office as easily as the ones down the street. 

Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products
Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products, was recognized as one of ASI’s Top 10 Growing Distributors for 2006. With almost 20 years industry experience, Bill has worked with large companies, small companies and now owns his own company. He is a frequent presenter and contributing editor for many industry publications and has won awards for creative design in advertising specialty marketing campaigns. Bill’s selling strategies and case histories are drawn from his experiences as one of the industry’s top sales performers, his varied client base and his ability to grow new business while still getting home for dinner by 5:30 p.m.        

Saturday, January 5, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Danny Friedman, Added Incentives, Inc.
Sales & Marketing                                   
.10 CEU         

Today’s competitive marketplace makes price a major issue. However price is always more of an issue in the mind of the seller than the buyer. Learn what customers really want and the five reasons they buy. When you know your competitive edge, establish your value and communicate it effectively to customers, price will rarely become an issue. In this session, you’ll:

• Master techniques proven to close a sale when faced with price resistance
• Learn to sell value not price
• Train your clients that your quotes are non-negotiable
• Acquire new ways to handle inquiries from purchase agents

Danny Friedman, Added Incentives, Inc.
Danny Friedman has been in the promotional products industry for over 12 years and is a multi-million dollar producer. Danny’s clientele includes some of the top companies in the Fortune 500. Danny has been a sales manager and sales trainer for the last nine years. He combines his promotional products industry experience along with other industries he has been in that include office products, real estate and being a multi-line representative in the sporting goods industry. Danny has over 20 years of sales experience.

Saturday, January 5, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m
Don Arbuckle, Creative Resources
Sales & Marketing
.10 CEU

Ideally your client base would be made up of people whose strengths and preferences are perfectly matched with yours. In the real world every client is different - they think, react, make decisions, and buy for different reasons. Learn how personality differences complement each other in a powerful way, and how you can use personality theory to achieve sales success. Using Junigan psychology of personality styles (called temperaments) we'll reveal what a salesperson should look for when working with a client/prospect, and discover how to speak in a way to get the sale. Through class discussion, you will discover your own personality style and the temperament of your clients and business partners and realize more loyal, effective relationships in every aspect of your life.

Don Arbuckle, Creative Resources
Don Arbuckle started his distributorship, Creative Resources, Inc., in 1999 and it has been growing strong for over eight years. While not a true computer “geek,” Don has been using computers since the early 80s, teaching college classes in Fortran, and using artwork programs since before CorelDraw had numbers. Prior to opening his distributorship, Don was an educational consultant and designed, developed and delivered training programs on technical skills as well as personal and executive development. Don sits on ASI's Production Ready Artwork Committee (PRA) and was instrumental in the development and release of electronic standards for our industry.

Saturday, January 5, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Cliff Quicksell, Jr., Cliff Quicksell & Associates
Sales & Marketing                                   
.10 CEU         

This session will empower you to make concise, on target presentations that have your clients sitting on the edge of their seats. Discover how the pros captivate the senses and evoke emotions that convince and motivate customers to buy — without a hard sales pitch. When you know how to effectively present marketing concepts and ideas to clients you’ll establish yourself as the one to call for marketing advice and generate endless referrals. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to Present Like a Pro!

Cliff Quicksell, Jr., Cliff Quicksell & Associates
Cliff Quicksell, Jr. has designed and sold more award winning promotional marketing campaigns than any other distributor in the promotional products industry. He has been a distributor, a supplier and a trainer in our industry for more than 22 years, all the while sharing his secrets to success in creative marketing. His vast industry experience and research into what clients really want from distributors have helped him build a thriving training and consulting business in our industry.

Saturday, January 5, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.           
Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products
New Distributor                                   
.10 CEU

As a new distributor, you are inundated with catalogs and samples. Learn how to keep them organized for easy access and how to use them to make more money. New distributors will get great ideas for keeping these valuable sales tools orderly and useful!

Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products
Bill Jones, Atlanta Promotional Products, was recognized as one of ASI’s Top 10 Growing Distributors for 2006. With almost 20 years industry experience, Bill has worked with large companies, small companies and now owns his own company. He is a frequent presenter and contributing editor for many industry publications and has won awards for creative design in advertising specialty marketing campaigns. Bill’s selling strategies and case histories are drawn from his experiences as one of the industry’s top sales performers, his varied client base and his ability to grow new business while still getting home for dinner by 5:30 p.m.