inside - Confluence

INSIDE
September 2015
11816 Lackland Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63146
“Indoff Provides Product and Services for Everything from Floor to Ceiling”
CONTENT
Page 2
Human Resources
Page 3
Partners of the
Month
Page 4
Recruiting
Page 5
New Faces
Page 6
Finance &
Accounting
Page 9
Partner Meet
& Greet
Page 10
Operations
Page 11
Vendor Spotlight
Page 13
Marketing
Page 14
Anniversaries
Page 15
Techie Talk
President’s Prose
by Jim Malkus, Indoff President & CEO
Ready or not, the 4th quarter of the year starts soon. It’s not too late to achieve your personal or
professional goals for the year, but it’s definitely time to start pushing hard if necessary. If one of
your goals is not attainable, don’t just pack it in – set a new goal for the 4th quarter and use it to
lay the groundwork for success in 2016.
Our sales meeting is in late October. If you are attending, I look forward to seeing you. If you are
not attending, make a note now to try to make our next St. Louis meeting in the spring of 2017.
I know that seems to be in the distant future, but it’s not. I believe the sales meetings are a very
important contributor to both our corporate success and our Partners’ individual successes.
This year’s theme is “A World of Opportunity”, and I think it is a perfect fit for our company. For
many years, we have stressed to prospects that what Indoff offers them is an opportunity. There
is no single path to success with us – take a peek at Kevin Flynn and John Kaiser – and there is no
magic product or formula (other than intelligently hard work). Our job at Indoff corporate is to
provide Partners with the tools, capital and administrative support to find their own opportunities
and success.
Here are a few quick ideas on “opportunities” that you may wish to consider:
• Your fellow Partners – get to know your local Indoff colleagues, and introduce each other to
your accounts. There are very few things a business needs that we don’t sell; help your loyal
accounts out by introducing them to your fellow Indoff Partners.
•
LED replacements – all of our customers have lights (if they don’t, they’re probably not much
of a customer). Whether you choose to learn the retrofit business or just locate a bulb source,
the change from incandescent and fluorescent is coming fast. Help your customer out by
giving them a trusted source for this cost-saving changeover.
• A niche product within your area of interest – become the expert at conference rooms, break
room supplies (Keurig?), rack protection, bedding or trade show give-aways. Choose
something that interests you and make it your passion (and perhaps marketing site topic).
Bottom line to this “strategy” is that it’s easier to sell more to a good customer than it is to sell to
more customers. Don’t abandon prospecting and referrals, but work on becoming a more
indispensable resource for your customers.
I hope to see you in a few weeks, but whether you are attending or not, I thank you for all you do
for Indoff throughout the year. Have a great fall season!
INSIDE
INSIDE
Human Resources
by Robin Migdal, Indoff VP of Human Resources
Welcome to Fall which means Sales Meeting! I have been working very hard
since August with the booking of flights, hotel rooms, menus and all the details
that go into making your trip to St. Louis enjoyable. It’s already September and
the sales meeting will be here before you know it! We are bringing all five
divisions together to share insights, enthusiasm and tales from the field for an
outstanding 3 days here in St. Louis.
I want to remind you that MassMutual will again have two booths at our vendor
show on Friday afternoon. This is a great opportunity to sit with a MassMutual
representative and go over your account and ask questions. Remember to bring
your last statement you received via mail or go on-line and print it. Also be sure
you know your PIN number to the “RetireSmart website” to make it easier to
access your account. MassMutual will have a computer at the booth and will
have access to view your account, your investments and be able to offer advice
for your portfolio.
“It’s already
September and
the sales meeting
will be here
before you
know it!”
Please watch the mail in early October for your NSM packet which will include
important information to make your trip to St. Louis successful. Please contact
me if you have questions regarding the meeting and I look forward to seeing you
next month.
Program Agenda
DATE FUNCTION
Thursday, October 22
2:00pm – 5:30pm Registration
6:00pm – 8:30pm Welcome Reception (Spouses Welcome)
Friday, October 23
7:00am – 8:00am Breakfast
8:00am – 12:00pm Indoff U
11:30pm – 1:00pm Lunch
1:00pm – 5:00pm Vendor Expo (Spouses Welcome)
FREE EVENING
Saturday, October 24
7:30am – 8:30am Breakfast
8:30am – 3:00am Roundtables
11:30am – 1:00pm Lunch
3:30pm – 5:00pm General Corporate Session
State of the Company
5:30pm – 11:00pm Cocktail Reception (Spouses Welcome)
Awards
Dinner / Dancing
Sunday, October 25 Brunch and Departures
7:00am – 10:30am Brunch and Departures
SUPERIOR PRODUCTS &
OUTSTANDING DISTRIBUTORS
A WINNING COMBINATION
48 Hou
r
Shippin
g
from
KY, PA,
NV
Pallet Rack Enclosures
Secure Storage Areas
The nation’s leading manufacturer
of woven & welded wire partitions
800-626-1816
wirecrafters.com
Indoff Sales Partners of the Month
Congratulations to our top Partners from each division!
July
August
Material Handling:
Tim Stine
$672,908
Commercial Interiors:
Bruce Lang
$377,320
Business Products:
Tom Vanhoozer
$85,456
Promotional Products:
Kristy Long
$158,689
Allied:
Lee Key
$391,321
Material Handling:
Andrew Harmon
$210,257
Commercial Interiors:
Lisa VanDyke
$630,914
Business Products:
Rob Dean
$123,697
Promotional Products:
Kristy Long
$163,199
Allied:
LeeKey
$213,952
INSIDE
Recruiting
by Angela Suntrup, Indoff National Marketing Manager
Preparations are underway for the 2015 National Sales Meeting. The National Sales
Meeting is the best time to see old friends, corporate staff, and meet new partners
that have joined Indoff since the last sales meeting. We put on the National Sales
Meeting for you, the Sales Partner at Indoff! It is supposed to inspire, re-energize and
educate you! We look forward to seeing those of you who will be attending!
The Recruiting Department is excited to announce our referral contest drawing will be
held on Thursday evening, October 22nd. Now through October 21st, 2015, for every
qualified* name you submit to the Recruiting Department, we will enter you in to a
drawing for time in the money machine! We will hold the grand drawing on Thursday,
October 22nd at the National Sales Meeting so please make time to cheer on your
fellow Partners in the money machine. I am sure it will be a sight to see!
“Now through
October 21st,
2015, for every
qualified* name
you submit to
the Recruiting
Department, we
will enter you in a
drawing for time
in the money
machine!”
Please send in your referrals; we will have someone enter the machine on your behalf
if you are not present! In addition to the cash machine, we still offer the $1000
referral bonus if you refer a rep or owner that becomes an Indoff Partner!
Qualified Prospects*
• 3 to 5 years of outside sales experience in one of our divisions
• Transferable customer base
• Yearly sales of $350K ($200K in Promotional Products)
If you can’t make the 2015 meeting our next meeting will be in April 2017 at the Hyatt
Regency St. Louis Arch!
Welcome to Indoff!
JD Nash
Material Handling
Indianapolis, IN
Jim Karnes
Material Handling
Erie, PA
Michael Ours
Material Handling
Macedonia, OH
Derek Jenkins
Material Handling
Titusville, FL
Dave Thomas
Commercial Interiors
Midlothian, VA
Lori Bauerle
Commercial Interiors
Lafayette, IN
Wendy Coleman
Commercial Interiors
Madisonville, KY
Ike Yancy
Energy Solutions
Milton, GA
Stephen Jacques
Energy Solutions
Dover, NH
Steve Clifford
A/R Department
Deirdre Everett
A/R Department
Emily Myers
A/P Department
Not Pictured:
Tony Brawley
Allied Warehouse
Not Pictured:
Dwight Wahl
Business Products
INSIDE
Finance & Accounting
by Julie Frank, Indoff Executive VP & CFO
Fall is just around the corner and I’m excited for two reasons. First, my oldest just started
college at Mizzou and is playing trumpet in the Marching Mizzou band. I have my
season tickets and can’t wait to go to the games! Second, the NSM meeting is just
around the corner and I am looking forward to seeing all of your friendly faces. We are
having a great year, thanks to all of you, and this meeting will once again be a time to
celebrate your successes and learn new selling strategies from other Partners.
“The theme of
this year’s
meeting is “World
of Opportunities”
and that is exactly
what you have
at Indoff!”
The theme of this year’s meeting is “World of Opportunities” and that is exactly what you
have at Indoff. We are having a record sales year thanks to all of the new opportunities
that have been created in areas such as lighting, energy and appliances. Companies are
placing large orders again, as evidenced by the 51 orders we have secured over $100,000,
with 2 of those being over $1,000,000. We know the amount of work involved in these
large orders and congratulate those partners who are taking on these projects. In many
cases the jobs involve more than one partner working together; just another opportunity
you have here at Indoff!
Some of you might not be aware of another opportunity you have to earn commissionsVendor Direct Billings. Year-to-date we have received over $150,000 in
commission payments related to direct billings and our partners have recorded an
additional $215,000 in anticipated commissions. Several of our vendors, primarily in the
Commercial Interiors division, have GSA contracts that allow them to sell directly to your
customers with a significant commission paid to you on the sale. When the vendor bills
your customer, they incur all of the order processing costs, as well as carry the credit and
collection risk. If you have a direct bill opportunity and you are not sure how to enter the
order in Confluence, please contact Jeff Spahn or go to the Finance group page on the
Intranet to find instructions.
I hope to see all of you in this October for the NSM in St. Louis. Don’t forget, there is still
time to bill gross profits in 2015 to qualify you for the 2016 reward meeting in
San Antonio. Good luck and we hope to see you all there!
Partner Meet & Greet
1. If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
The future... about fifty years from now, I would like to see what
transportation is going to be like.
2. What advice would you give to a new Indoff Partner?
Surround yourself with successful, motivated Indoffians and ask their three-key points for staying successful.
3. Do you have a big project in 2015 you are looking forward to?
I just completed a project with Gensler Architects, with a certification at LEED Gold level. It was a four story dorm with new innovative,
collaborating learning and training areas. Gensler is entering this project in an Architectural competition.
4.
How long have you been in the business?
Vicky Pape
Sixteen
years.
Commercial Interiors
5. Are there any new product categories you have started selling recently, that you would recommend to other Partners?
The last few years I’ve been selling a lot of Sit and Stand work-areas. Stand alones, in work-stations and modified for custom desks.
6. What’s your favorite movie?
Regarding Henry.
7. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?
Xena Warrior Princess.
8. Why Indoff?
You control your ability to succeed.
9. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
It would be great to speak multiple foreign languages.
10.If you could have any super power, what would it be?
The ability to heal people.
1. If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?
I would have loved to witness the life of Booker T. Washington.
2. What advice would you give to a new Indoff Partner?
Work harder than you have before and make more money than you ever
have before.
3. Do you have a big project in 2015 you are looking forward to?
No!
4. How long have you been in the business?
I have been in the contract furniture industry for about 20 years. And
Roland Baugh
selling
for 7 of those.
Commercial Interiors
5. Are there any new product categories you have started selling recently, that you would recommend to other Partners?
I get all of my new product catagories from my sales partners. So I can’t take any credit for that.
6. What’s your favorite movie?
If I said Blazing Saddles would I get in trouble?
7. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?
I honestly don’t know.
8. Why Indoff?
Because they have an approach to employment that allows me to relax and sell without the stress of
micromanagement. Because they would not have hired me if they did not believe I could make it.
9.If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
To play music like Led Zepplin!
10.If you could have any super power, what would it be?
Reading minds. I would likely never lose a sale.
INSIDE
Operations
by Pam Hake, Indoff VP of Operations
Hello out there in the Indoff World. Seems the older we get, the faster time goes by. Summer
is all but officially over. As we look towards Fall, the National Sales Meeting and year end; it is
a good time to take stock of your Indoff Business. Have you accomplished the goals you set for
yourself this year? Are there things you could do better? Are you looking for ways to grow your
business? The opportunities you have with Indoff have very few limits. It is what you make it.
Indoff does not have quotas, call reports or sales management - we offer the
opportunity to run your own sales business, in your own market, in your own style.
You have the freedom to set your own schedule, decide who you reach out to, and what vendors
you use to meet the needs of your customers.
A World of Opportunities will be our NSM theme this year. That will mean different things to
Partners. Each individual will have to figure out what that means for them. I have listed some
possibilities that hopefully will trigger some ideas for some of you:
“Have you
accomplished
the goals you set
for yourself
this year?”
• Consider adding to your mix or working on a new niche product, that you offer to all or at
least most of your customers & potential customers.
• This particularly applies to Business Products folks, but I believe it holds true across for all
Indoff Divisions. The following could apply to several divisions: packaging
supplies, Keurig Brewers and K-cups, jan-san & breakroom supplies.
• E-marketing pieces- feel free to contact Lexy in marketing for assistance.
• Cross Selling with other Partners from other divisions in your area.
• Have you done a proposal or quote, but still don’t have the order? Here’s some tips that
can help you close the order:
• Approach the vendor for assistance including a letter regarding a pending price
increase or other suggestions they may have.
• Adjust the pricing to help close the order.
• Is Direct Bill an option to lower the price or would the vendor be willing to do a
direct bill?
• Have samples been submitted? If not would it help?
• Has a vendor rep accompanied you to the customer’s site?
• If the project is for non-consumables over $10,000 does it make sense to offer a
lease option?
These are just a few ideas. If you have others that you want to discuss call or email me.
I know that I have said it all before and it may be redundant but if it sparks something for any of
you, then it has been well worth it.
Thanks for all you do all year long. Until next time…………………………
Vendor Spotlight: HSM
We have been offering our customers
“Made in Germany” quality for over 40 years.
With every HSM document shredder, you get a machine combined with decades of experience
in manufacturing shredders. From a small machinery plant in southern Germany to a global
company with inventive spirit, expertise, high quality requirements and service orientation, HSM
has developed into an international market leader for document shredding. Satisfied customers
all over the world are impressed with HSM quality “Made in Germany” produced in the HSM
production and assembly plants in Salem, Frickingen and Reichenbach.
Hermann Schwelling founded the company in a small workshop in 1971. With a clear
commitment to its sites in Germany, HSM currently employs around 700 employees all over the
world: highly-qualified specialists and managers, who have a considerable impact on the
success of HSM. They ensure that HSM meets the high requirements of the product quality
100%. “Great Products, Great People” – for the satisfaction and security of HSM customers.
Warranties, service, sustainability – these all belong to our understanding of quality.
Guaranteed quality
• HSM produces all shredders in the HSM Classic, SECURIO and Powerline product ranges in Germany.
• Lifetime warranty on solid steel cutting rollers in HSM Classic and SECURIO shredders at security levels
P-2 to P-5. Cutting rollers are impervious to staples and paper clips.
• Precise cutting unit geometry for high efficiency (special V-Tek groove ensures a higher cutting capacity
for the same energy consumption).
•
Expertise in shredding various data storage media as well as paper: CDs/DVDs, credit cards, flash
memory, hard drives etc.
Energy management and environmental protection
• The principles of sustainability and a sense of responsibility apply to the products and the production
process.
• Exclusive use of environmentally-friendly materials.
• Use of patented technology for maximum performance at low energy consumption.
Security and comfort
• The slight pressure on the safety element prevents unintentional intake and stops the document
shredder immediately.
• Quiet Operation due to optimal combination of motor and cutting unit. The low acoustic level ensures a
quieter workplace.
Comprehensive service and support
• More peace of mind – before and after the purchase.
•
Individual advice on products by our staff – on the phone, by email or onsite at your company.
• Training and education in areas like data privacy and cost savings through our HSM Academy.
2015 National Sales Meeting:
The Sales Meeting is only about a month
and a half away!
It will be held in Saint Louis, at the
Saint Charles Embassy Suites/Convention
Center on October 22-25.
Feel free to follow along and share with
us on social media!
Twitter: @indoff_inc
Facebook: Indoff Incorporated
YouTube: Indoff Inc
2015 Holiday Schedule:
2016 Champion Circle:
Also, keep in mind, the Champion Circle will be held
Indoff will be closed the following days:
Thursday, November 26 - Thanksgiving
Friday, November 27 - Thanksgiving
Thursday, December 24 - 12:00 - Christmas Eve
Friday, December 25 - Christmas
Friday, January 1, 2016 - New Years
The Champion Circle will be held
April 30-May 4 in 2016 at the
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort.
We hope to see you there!
INSIDE
Marketing
by Adam Heck, Indoff Marketing Manager
Hello Partners,
Adam Heck
Marketing Manager
Lexy Polich
Marketing Assistant
We are about 1 month away from the 2015 National Sales Meeting. The theme for
this meeting is World of Opportunities, mainly owing to the breadth of product
lines available to Indoff Partners to offer. Over the last few years we have added
new divisions and added lots of new vendors in our existing divisions. There has
never been a better time to look into new products you can sell outside of your
traditional offering.
As we have mentioned before we do have an archive of all the marketing pieces
that have been created over the years on the intranet section of Confluence,
accessible by clicking on the Marketing group page. We have the email pieces
broken down by industry and if you haven’t, take a look at some of the pieces in
other industries. It’s highly possible that we have created a MH piece over the
years that a BP, CI or ES Partner can use and vice versa. As always we are happy to
customize or update a piece with your information and pricing.
As of now we have about 110 vendors attending the NSM, with close to 120 total
booths and have almost 60 vendors that have applied to present at Indoff
University. As in previous years we have a wide variety of products, new and old
vendors, and even new and traditional industries represented. We highly
encourage you to take a visit with all the vendors in attendance, even the ones in
other industries. The vendors go to considerable expense and effort to be able to
attend and we want it to be a worthwhile show for them as well.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone in late October!
Happy Anniversary!
Congratulations to the following Partners and Corporate staff who are celebrating their
employment anniversaries with Indoff!
George Musk
Material Handling
20 Years
Loretta Burk
Business Products
15 Years
Gail Polivy
Commercial Interiors
10 Years
Rodney Petrie
Business Products
15 Years
Carol Eckhoff
Commercial Interiors
10 Years
Marcia Whites
Corporate
20 Years
Dennis Emily
Business Products
15 Years
Mike Powell
Promotional Products
10 Years
Angela Suntrup
Corporate
15 Years
INSIDE
Techie Talk
by Shawn Faulkingham & Colin Faulkingham
In the beginning, IT was focused on efficiencies - automating tasks that were
repetitive, predictable and programmable. As time moved on, businesses began using it
for competitive advantages; once the Internet arrived (from the original ARPANET – nerd
alert!!!), changes really began to take place and level the playing field. From the creation
of Google, Amazon and others, we have created a digital world of opportunity.
Chief Information
Officer
Chief Technology
Officer
Technology has changed drastically since November 21, 1969 (first message
transmitted through ARPANET – nerd alert!!!). The World Wide Web has transformed
business and personal lives. The ability to sell to anyone in the world, to be able to
communicate instantly with others all over the world – this has made our “world”
smaller. Knowledge (and mis-information) is available with a few keystrokes. New
phones now have the ability for you to talk to them in your native language.
Opportunity has always been around since the beginning of mankind; technology has
made it easier to take advantage of opportunities.
Indoff has used technology to increase efficiencies and to manage its business since its
inception. Beginning in 1998, we began using it for a competitive edge in the Business
Products marketplace. We created IRIS (Indoff Remote Information System) so that BP
Partners could enter orders electronically for transmittal to certain vendors. We used
the best technology at the time; right around the corner was web based applications
which did not require special software. Six years later Confluence was released - a 100%
web-based application using a very new technology called AJAX. With this version of
Confluence, we began using it across all divisions, instead of one. We created individual
marketplaces and tools for customers and vendors. It opened up numerous
opportunities that we continue to capitalize on to this day.
Indoff’s Partner Program has opened opportunities for many of you. Using the
technology we provide can open up more opportunities. Our theme for this newsletter
and our sales meeting is “World of Opportunity”; I think Indoff speaks to that now, and
will continue to speak to that in the future. Using your own skills with our processes,
technology and financial strength allows you to take advantage of any opportunity that
happens to knock on your doors.
If you ever have any comments, suggestions, criticisms (yes, we are not perfect – well,
Colin’s not but I am) do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for all that you do. It is much appreciated.
Shawn, Colin, David, Courtney and Jerome