From Joseph Heller’s Catch-22:

Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. “Is Orr crazy?”

“He sure is,” Doc Daneeka said.

“Can you ground him?”

“I sure can but first he has to ask me to. That’s part of the rule.”
“Then why doesn’t he ask you to?”

“Because he’s crazy,” Doc Daneeka said. “He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he’s had. Sure I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to.”

“That’s all he has to do to be grounded?”

“That’s all. Let him ask me.”

“And then you can ground him?” Yossarian asked.

“No, then I can’t ground him.”

“You mean there’s a catch?”

“Sure there is a catch,” Doc Daneeka replied. “Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn’t really crazy.”

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, that specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; but as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of the clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he observed.

“It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka replied.

Awards retailers already have a track record for promotional items—they just don’t know that they do.

Few industries are able to prove their effectiveness as quickly and easily as the industry for promotional items. How so? Take a look around your office or the T-shirt drawer in your dresser, and count the logos. See? Promotional items work.

It’s not a difficult point to make or to take, and because of that, many awards retailers have long looked into joining the promotional products industry. Naturally, they sought out advice from and membership with the industry’s premier organizations for promotional items: ASI, PPAI and SAGE. In years past, many awards retailers reported that they were unsuccessful in earning membership with these groups.

Many shops today still believe that membership in these groups seemingly requires a Catch-22 set of qualifications.

For example, you are welcome to join ASI, PPAI and SAGE so that your business will have access to thousands of businesses that make and personalize hundreds of thousands of products. In fact, their membership application is on their website. All you have to do to become a new member of the industry is fill in the blanks beside name, address and then list the requested ten or so promotional suppliers you purchased promotional items from and the ten or so promotional customers you sold those promotional items to (there’s no proof like purchase-order proof). Basically, you are left with the impression that all you have to do to join a promotional products association and take advantage of all the resources they offer is prove that you have already been buying, personalizing and selling promotional items without their help.

Huh?

If that seems confusing to you, don’t worry; it only means you’re paying attention. In order to sort out that confusion, we spoke with several of the industry’s experts in these matters, and their responses were very helpful. According to them, awards retailers already have a track record in the industry for promotional items—they just don’t know that they do.

All of the suppliers that awards retailers have used and all of the customers they have comprise the track record requested for membership in ASI, PPAI and SAGE.

Easy As Pie
Among the many benefits of joining PPAI is their analysis of the industry, part of which takes the form of a pie chart breaking down each segment of the industry and the percentage its revenue contributed to the industry as a whole.

Awards have their own slice of pie. Logic follows then that all of the suppliers they have used and all of the customers they have comprise the track record requested for membership in ASI, PPAI and SAGE. It turns out that these organizations are all logical.

“PPAI defines promotional products as any free, logoed item used to promote a business or entity. In PPAI’s eyes, awards retailers are already in the promotional products industry. They just focus on a particular niche. So, the good news for your readers is that they are already in the promotional products business. In fact, recognition and awards products made up 3.6% of the nearly $16 billion promotional products sales in 2009,” says Marcia Bohannon, Senior Manager of Member Relations for PPAI in Irving, Texas. She adds that in most cases, awards vendors will be able to use their current business relationships to establish full membership in PPAI.

As for a track record for new companies, Bohannon says, “If it’s a brand new company, it would go the provisional route to full membership. Once it can provide five invoices from verified industry companies, it will become a full member. Our membership reps excel at guiding folks new to the industry through the qualification process.”

She adds that it is only fair to point out a difference between PPAI and its competitors, ASI and SAGE.

“It’s not solely about joining an organization. Any company, even if they focus solely on awards, can join PPAI once they provide the necessary qualifiers. It’s really more about what the association can provide for you. SAGE and ASI are great companies, but they are for-profit software and technology companies. PPAI is a true not-for-profit association, governed by our members, that provides a totally different set of benefits. PPAI is focused on the growth of our member companies and the industry as a whole,” says Bohannon.

Recognition and awards products made up 3.6% of the nearly $16 billion promotional products sales in 2009.

Today Versus Years Ago
Tim Andrews, CEO of the Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) in Trevose, Pennsylvania, says that awards retailers will find that gaining membership in ASI is a little different today than it was ten years ago.
“If someone is selling trophies and other types of recognition items, we consider them to be in the industry. We’re pretty welcoming to people that are in that segment. They just happen to be specializing in one category of promotional products, but we certainly view them as being in the industry,” says Andrews, adding that he still has his first trophy from a speech competition, and engraved on the plate is the name and logo of the company that sponsored the event.

Any business that has been buying and selling awards qualifies for ASI membership. “That’s how it is today; 10, 15, 20 years ago, it may have been different,” says Andrews. He noted that for a long time, the industry had a narrow definition of what it was. “Our definition now is much more inclusive.”

Today’s definition: If you are making items that are being personalized, personalizing items or reselling personalized items at a profit (hopefully you’re selling items for a profit), then you are a part of the ad specialty industry. For a business that has that track record, joining is as easy as filling out the form on the website. ASI even has something called the New Distributor’s Success Track, a program specifically designed to help new ad specialty distributors succeed.

Addressing the past that today’s world is so different from, Andrews says that, “They weren’t welcomed. It’s very possible that some of these awards shops came to us in the past and we told them, ‘No, go away,’ to put it bluntly. That isn’t our strategy today. Today, we absolutely welcome businesses that have been selling trophies. We consider them to be one segment, and a very important segment, of promotional products, and we welcome them to join ASI to learn more about how to sell all of the different kinds of promotional products and really become a one-stop shop for their customers.”

Andrews went on to say that customers want to buy from people they trust, and ASI thinks that it makes incredibly good sense for a trophy shop to offer a whole range of promotional items. It’s a perfect fit.

“And so, we are very open and welcoming and have educational programs to help people get a jump start. Our goal is to make our members more profitable than they would have been otherwise, and our tools are designed around that strategy,” says Andrews.

These days, ASI, PPAI and SAGE are very welcoming to any awards retailer that wishes to join one of their organizations. Since you’re already selling items like this one, joining ASI, PPAI or SAGE is simple: go to their website, download the membership form and fill it out.

First Step
The first step in joining any of these organizations is simple: go to their website, download the membership form and fill it out.

“Get the tools needed to be very successful at selling promotional products, which includes education and training on what it takes to sell,” says David Natinsky of SAGE Quick Technologies Inc., in Carrollton, Texas. He adds, “SAGE gives the awards company an easy avenue to be able to sell promotional products! I would suggest that awards distributors try SAGE for free for 30 days at sageworld.com.”

“Joining PPAI is simple. All we require for membership is that a company be either a supplier or distributor of promotional products. Any company already in the awards, trophies or recognition marketplaces should qualify. There is a short verification process that can typically be handled in 24 hours or less,” says Bohannon. She adds that more information can be found on their website, ppai.org, and by attending their show, the PPAI Expo (theppaiexpo.com).

Following that line of thought, Andrews says the first step for any business that wants to join ASI is to visit their website, where he says they will find all sorts of helpful information. “There is an incredible amount of educational material about the industry on our website, asicentral.com. That will provide them with a good feel for the industry and its background.” That information includes articles, videos and demonstrations from their shows and webinar information.

The next step, says Andrews, is to check the schedule and make plans for a visit to one of the 60 cities (hopefully you’re close to at least one of them) visited by the ASI’s one-day tradeshow, called the Advantages Roadshow. The Advantages Roadshow is for businesses that are not in the industry for promotional items but are interested in joining. The exhibitors are member-supplier companies that are interested in working with those prospective businesses (what business doesn’t want more customers?), and they are generous with their time, answering questions and offering advice. Those discussions are successful in helping more companies join ASI, says Andrews.

ASI’s own research backs him up, as the institute projects 6,000 new distributorships will launch in 2010. In 2009, ASI reported 5,000 new businesses started selling promotional items, nearly twice as many new distributorships as in 2007 (the numbers from 2008 represent an anomaly). The start-ups include a significant number of woman- and minority-owned businesses and companies owned by people under 30.

Awards retailers are already personalizing items and reselling them at a profit; therefore, they’re already part of the ad specialty industry.

Why The Track Record?
The track record was one of the most frustrating issues in joining organizations in the industry for promotional items. We have already discussed that most awards shops already have a track record because they are awards shops and are therefore already in the industry. However, the question remains as to why a track record is required at all.

“There are a couple of reasons,” says Andrews, “and one of them is that we want to make sure that the people joining this industry are legitimate businesses looking to sell for a profit rather than a buyer in sheep’s clothing. That’s why we want the track record. Second, we want to ensure our suppliers that the people we are introducing them to in the distributor network are committed and qualified customers.”

“We have a set policy in place to determine if the qualification of the new distributor is valid. It is not necessarily only determined by the six suppliers, because we know that there is an entry point into the industry. But the stringent policy is in place to make sure only the legit distributors get entry. They must be re-selling the product, and if they are, most suppliers in the promotional products industry will sell to them even if they don’t have a SAGE, ASI or PPAI number. Of course, having a relationship with one of us does help,” says Natinsky.

Bohannon adds that it is very important for the industry to maintain the supplier, distributor, end-buyer business model. Track records instantly communicate to the others in the supply chain that the company is an active, verified member of the wholesale chain of supply.

“By respecting the supply chain model, the industry is able to rely on clear models when dealing with the many legislative and product safety issues we face as a community while having a positive impact on the industry. Additionally, these track records for membership help us establish a company’s role in keeping the industry healthy and growing, and they ensure that the business model remains intact,” says Bohannon.

ASI, PPAI and SAGE all want your membership, and you want to join, so do it.

Welcome
Here’s the bottom line: Any issue you had regarding the track record required for membership in ASI, SAGE or PPAI is now an issue of the past. All of these organizations want your membership, and you want to join, so do it.

“Expanding from just awards to a full-service promotional consultant is much easier than your readers may suspect. Very little capital expense is required, no inventories need to be maintained, and often it’s as simple as asking existing customers for additional business. Maximizing current relationships is the key to expansion and we are here to help,” says Bohannon.