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CONTENT Page 2 Human Resources Page 3 Partners of the Month Page 4 Recruiting
Page 5 New Faces
Page 6 Finance & Accounting
Page 7 Vendor Spotlight Page 9 New Email Prog. Page 10 Operations Page 11 Partner Feature
Page 13 Marketing
Page 14 Anniversaries Page 15 Techie Talk
November 2016
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11816 Lackland Rd. St. Louis, MO 63146
“Indoff Provides Solutions to Your Business Challenges.”
President’s Prose by Jim Malkus, Indoff President & CEO This is either the “what I’m thankful for” or year-in-review newsletter – I’m going thankful this year. I’ll hit on 2016 on-line and in January. I consider myself richly blessed for many, many reasons; here are a few: • I am thankful for my large, loud, occasionally annoying family. I know they have my back at all times, and they know I have theirs. • I am thankful for my friends who I can laugh with, complain with and swap medical ailment stories with until the wee hours. • I am thankful for my colleagues at Indoff, many of whom now fall into the “friend” category as well. I am blessed to work with people who care about each other and about doing a good job – that is not a given in today’s workplaces. • I am thankful for everyone who helped take care of me during my summer of the sling. It is amazing how difficult routine tasks are with only one functioning hand, but it was more amazing to see everyone who helped out and made sure I obeyed the doctor’s orders. • While it is a subset of the family thankfulness, I’m thankful for my 81-year old mother who still lives alone, mows her own lawn, shovels her own snow (hey, we bought her a snow-blower) and speaks her own mind (appropriately, most of the time). • A tiny, tiny part of me is even thankful for the Cubs winning the World Series – I think my dad must be sitting up there in heaven with a long-anticipated smile on his face. To be very clear, I am now fine if it takes another 108 years for Cub fans to smile again… • While we are on petty sports thankfulness, I am thankful that the Rams have continued their awesome St. Louis winning ways after returning to LA. As a side remark, I’m happy for the LA fans and hopeful it works out for them over the long haul; I am actually thankful to have my Sunday afternoons back and not be sitting in the dome watching the home team lose. • I am thankful for all of you reading this – co-workers, customers, vendors and anyone else. The Indoff family makes my days interesting, fun and never, never dull; I am very, very appreciative of this opportunity and of working with you all. I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends and good times. I thank you for all you do for Indoff throughout the year, and I look forward to what the future will bring.
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Human Resources
by Robin Migdal, Indoff VP of Human Resources Happy Holidays to all of you and your families. I wish each of you a safe and blessed holiday season and a happy, healthy 2017! In HR year-end is a busy time with salary ranges to prepare, year-end reviews, a clean payroll cut-off for 2016 and staying compliant with the myriad government rules and regulations. The 2017 plan limits for our 401(k) are unchanged from this year: • •
Limit on elective 401(k) deferrals for 2017 is $18,000 Catch up contributions for workers aged 50 and older is $6,000
It is also a great time to reflect on how fortunate we are. Every holiday season, we collect canned goods and clothing for the Salvation Army in conjunction with our world famous Box Decorating contest. We also have $2 jean days throughout the year, and each quarter we collect for a different charity:
“Another big event to look forward to is our 2017 National Sales Meeting being held here in St. Louis at the Hyatt Regency, April 20th through the 23rd.”
• • •
1st quarter “Support Dogs” a local St. Louis charity - $850.00 2nd quarter “ALS Association” - $1,000 3rd quarter “Welcome Home Angel”, John Kaiser’s foundation - $1,650
For the 4th quarter we are collecting for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. As you head into the holiday season, please remember to give thanks for what we have. When you pass the Salvation Army bell ringer this holiday season, give what you can - it makes a difference. Another big event to look forward to is our 2017 National Sales Meeting being held here in St. Louis at the Hyatt Regency, April 20th through the 23rd. Invites will be sent via e-mail towards the end of January after final sales figures are in for 2016 (in general, sales volume of $20,000 per month is the cut-off, and most new Partners who have started since October 2015 will also be invited). Please let me know if you have any questions; we hope to see everyone there! Holiday Schedule for Indoff: Thursday, November 24 – Thanksgiving Friday, November 25 – Thanksgiving Monday December 26 – Christmas Monday, January 2, 2017 - New Years Day
Indoff Sales Partners of the Month Congratulations to our top Partners from each division! September
October
Material Handling: Bob Barroll $442,042
Material Handling: Joe Vander Zanden $438,247
Commercial Interiors: Georgine Golitko $503,336
Commercial Interiors: Georgine Golitko $442,603
Business Products: Deanna Lies $73,669
Business Products: Deanna Lies $72,838
Promotional Products: Kristy Long $125,758
Promotional Products: Kristy Long $259,999
Allied: Lee Key $226,601
Allied: Chris Koeneman $425,793
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Recruiting
by Angela Suntrup, Indoff VP of Recruiting As 2016 is coming to a close I am thankful for many things, but the Partners are always at the top of my list! This year Indoff welcomed back 3 past Partners that generated over 1.9 million in sales. We are thankful to welcome back Jamie Roark, Mark Snider and Dave Perry. I am also thankful for the other great new Partner’s who joined Indoff this year. We have hired 42 Partners through October, including 12 mentees, and the class of 2016 has generated over $5 million in sales!
“If you have a good prospect that you would like to bring on board and mentor, Indoff will pay 60% for the new hire’s comission rate for the first year.”
If you have a good prospect that you would like to bring on board and mentor, Indoff will pay 60% for the new hire’s commission rate for the first year! Or maybe you know a qualified individual you would like to bring on board when you retire. The new Partner will receive 50% commission and the referring Partner will receive a 20% commission override on the new Partner for 2 years! Also please don’t forget about our referral bonus program for referring new Indoff Partners. You can earn up to $10,000 for referring a qualified candidate to Indoff: $1,000 when the referral’s billed gross profits > $1,000 $1,500 when the referral’s billed gross profits > $25,000 $2,500 when the referral’s billed gross profits > $50,000 $2,500 when the referral’s billed gross profits > $75,000 $2,500 when the referral’s billed gross profits > $100,000 This program applies to new, qualified prospects only. A qualified prospect is someone who has 3-5 years outside sales experience in one of our divisions, has a transferable customer base and yearly sales of $350K or greater.
Welcome!
Meet the new Additions to Indoff!
Scott Beard Material Handling Evansvill, IN
Barry Blankenship Material Handling Colonial Heights, VA
Doug Cooper Commercial Interiors Lakewood, CO
Justin Dodd Business Products Newark, OH
Sam Migdal Energy Solutions Saint Louis, MO
Jackie Nelson Corporate
Kevin Nix Allied
Mark Robinson Allied
Angela Harris Corporate
Not Pictured:
Not Pictured:
Not Pictured:
Dean Nguyen Energy Solutions
Adam Lawson Material Handling Amo, IN
Valentine Nwankwo Material Handling Pearland, TX
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Finance & Accounting
by Julie Frank, Indoff Executive VP & CFO For most of us Thanksgiving means a time for sharing a delicious meal with our family, watching a few football games, starting our Christmas shopping or just enjoying a long, relaxing weekend. For all of us in accounting and finance, it also means that year-end is just around the corner. What is the significance of year-end, you ask? Year-end is a very busy time in our departments. After all the holiday festivities have died down,we have some serious business to attend to. Some of the more important things we do during this time are:
“By working together, you can help us bring the this year to a successful close.”
• Review open order reports – although we do this every month, at year-end we do a more thorough review to identify orders on which action should be taken. This may mean doing a partial billing because part of an order was delayed, canceling an order that never shipped or billing an order complete that should have been billed in prior months. In many cases we will need your help to determine the next steps to take. One way you can help is by reviewing your open order reports during the month of December and • providing us with any information that would help us clear the older orders. We may be missing a labor invoice, a sign-off sheet or freight information; any assistance you can provide in obtaining these is appreciated. • Process all vendor invoices – Before officially closing our books for the year, we work overtime to make sure we have all the 2016 invoices processed. We do this not only to have accurate and complete financial statements, but also so that we get a fresh start for the New Year. Again, we will be asking for your help to “clean up” some of the problems that may have been overlooked during the year. • Bill and collect on orders before your customer’s budget year runs out Some of your customers submit orders to you with clear instructions that it must be billed and sometimes paid for by year-end. Please make sure that someone in billing is made award of these conditions so that we don’t miss key dates. Our collections department will be feverishly working to contact your customers as well, making sure our payments don’t get pushed off due to the holidays or year-end busy time in your customers’ own accounting departments. By working together, you can help us bring this year to a successful close. Please inform us of any order cancellations or changes as soon as you can. Please make sure to enter estimated completion dates on your orders so that we don’t bother you on orders that have longer lead times. You can e-mail us notes on your orders at any time; please send to
[email protected]. I hope each of you enjoy this Holiday Season; take some time to relax and reenergize and then help us work towards a successful year-end close for all.
Vendor Spotlight:
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123 MAIN STREET GROTON, MA 01471 1-888.555.1234 www.AutoMedics.com
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PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. Check one of the statements below and sign. I understand that under state law I am entitled to a written estimate, if my final bill exceeds $100.00. DOLLARS £ I request a written estimate. £ I do not request a written estimate as long as the repair cost does not exceed $________________ The shop may not exceed this amount without my approval. £ I do not request a written estimate. SIGNATURE _____________________________________ DATE __________ AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE
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I hereby authorize the above repair work to be done along with the necessary materials. You and your employees may operate vehicle for purposes of testing, inspection, or delivery at my risk. An express mechanics lien is acknowledged on above vehicle to secure the amount of repairs thereto. It is understood that you will not be held responsible for loss or damage to vehicle or articles left in vehicle in case of fire, theft or any other cause beyond your control. In the event it becomes necessary to collect all or a portion of this work order, then Auto Medics shall be entitled to recover court costs, interest and attorneys fees. “This charge represents costs & profits to the motor vehicle repair facility for miscellaneous shop supplies or waste disposal.” [S.559.904(4)]
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Learn More About Our New Email Marketing Program! Indoff’s Marketing Dept. Answers Your Questions Here:
Why should I consider e-mail marketing if my current methods are face-to-face and phone calls are working just fine? Our new email program is designed to increase Partner sales without the extra effort from our Partners. We create the emails, execute the campaigns, manage the lists and monitor analytics at no hassle to you. Studies show that email is now the preferred means of communication by 72% of consumers. Our program will send customers to you, instead of you pitching to your customers.
What will I get out of the email marketing program?
Statistics show that for every $1 spent on email marketing, there’s an average return of $43 - the highest ROI of all marketing tools! One of our Partners, Mark McCullough, had great success from email marketing. He sent out a high-speed roll-up door piece on a whim, even though he didn’t sell the product and it didn’t interest him. From sending that email to his customers, he received calls and emails for multiple quote requests and sales for other products he offers. Email marketing is the most effective way to gain sales and make money!
Can I add or make changes to my customer list once I send it in? Yes, of course! We suggest reaching out on a monthly or quarterly basis with any new leads or changes to your list. We will also be monitoring unsubscribe activity or bounced emails and let each partner know about customer activity on our end. We want to make sure our database is accurate so that this program is a valuable asset to your sales efforts.
What made us decide to revamp the marketing program? The new program allows us to create, send, and monitor email campaigns all in one place on behalf of the Partners. Before, we created the pieces and Partners were responsible for sending on their own. While this gave Partners flexibility, it also was a huge time crunch for Partners to handle on their own. It also prevented us from being able to contact customers on a consistent basis and monitor who opens our emails and what emails customers respond to best. These emails will also be optimized for mobile devices, which is crucial since 56% of emails are now opened on mobile devices. The new program will allow us to create a more cohesive, uniform marketing plan that should be more effective in every way.
What if I don’t want to participate because I’m afraid my customers will be annoyed or bothered? We don’t want your customers to be annoyed either, that’s why we have researched the optimal volume of emails to send and the optimal times to send them. We found that 61% of consumers enjoy receiving promotional emails on a weekly basis from companies; therefore, we decided that no customer will get more than 4 emails a month from us. There will be small amounts of customers who unsubscribe from us, but that does not mean we should shy away from emailing customers - the value in added sales will surely outweigh those who always click delete.
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Operations
by Pam Hake, Indoff VP of Operations Wow, where has 2016 gone. It feels to me like it has been a whirlwind of activity and events, both business and personal for me. Indoff is on track for another record year. We are projecting a final sales number for 2016 in the neighborhood of $145,000,000. Of course none of that is possible without our Partner Group out there selling day after day. As you make Holiday plans for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, (or whatever holidays your family celebrates), look back at your goals for 2016. Have you met or exceeded all of them? If the answer is no, there is still some time to reach your goals.
“Bottom line is the sky is the limit for you with Indoff and we are here to help you achieve your sales goals.”
That means it is also time to make plans and set goals for 2017. One of the great things about the Partner Program is that we don’t tell you what those plans need to be, you are free to make those choices for yourself, while following our small amount of Corporate Guidelines. Here are some things to think about as you set those goals: • Review your customer list- are there customers that you haven’t contacted recently? Maybe it is time to renew those relationships • Are there new potential customers right under your nose? Make plans to contact them • Are you looking to increase your sales? Have you thought about expanding your mix? Products available to you include lighting retrofits, kuerig coffee products, jan-san, breakroom, safety supplies…..the list is endless. • Do some cross selling with Partners in other divisions, in your area • Do you have an idea that you think is a little outside our normal program or your personal comfort zone? Give me a call and let’s discuss the possibilities. Our structure allows for almost endless opportunities. • Get signed up for the email marketing program Indoff is now offering. It allows you to stay in touch with your long time customers, and market to new prospects with very little time and effort. Bottom line is the sky is the limit for you with Indoff and we are here to help you achieve your sales goals. Let me know if there is something we can assist you with and I will do my best to make things happen- within reason. Thanks for all you do all year long. We are a team, but if you aren’t out there selling we have nothing here to administrate. Happy Holidays to everyone, and I am looking forward to a great 2017 for all of us.
“New” Partner Feature
On the Blog
1. What made you decide to join Indoff? A good friend of mine, Tim Wallace introduced me to Indoff and the Energy Solutions division. Being the owner of a small business (computer store), I am Michael Gustine always on the lookout for new and innovative products and services. LED lighting fits Energy Solutions that description perfectly.
2. What was your biggest career goal for 2016? To close my computer store and market LED lighting full time.
3. What advice would you give someone considering joining Indoff? Check it out and get all your questions answered. I did and found a company that I am proud to represent and put my name behind.
4. Tell us about some of your past sales achievements: • 1980 - I went to work for a company selling and designing television production studios ( including the lighting) , church lighting for television, and I was the technical director/lighting designer for the Sanger Theater in Hattiesburg, MS. • 1984 - started the second cable TV advertising company in the state of Mississippi. The biggest challenge was selling a totally new advertising concept to local businesses. • 1998 - started North Mississippi Computers. It started out as a home business servicing business and industry. • 2008 - opened my first retail store and service center.
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Marketing
by Adam Heck, Indoff Marketing Manager Hello Partners,
Adam Heck Marketing Manager
Lexy, Kaitie and I would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. We also hope you are having a good 4th quarter and are looking forward to 2017. In the Marketing department we are diligently working on the email marketing program that is scheduled to start right before Thanksgiving. We have sent out many emails and announcements about the program, but if anyone needs more info please do not hesitate to contact anyone in the Marketing department. We think it will be a great benefit for our Partners and the company in general.
As we get close to the end of the year, we also begin looking forward to 2017. We are working on plans for next year as we speak and are looking some other ways to help you market yourself to your customers. Our hope is that the email marketing campaign will create some time on your end to utilize other marketing materials we offer. We can help you produce case studies, power point or pdf presentations for customers and can work with you to develop or customize leave behind materials when you visit new customers. If you have a large customer with several locations that you want to get set up on a standards program, we can help you create a company store site to make it very easy for the ordering and Lexy Kettler Marketing Coordinator re-ordering of standard products. We plan to offer more social media marketing help in 2017, with an emphasis on better utilization of Linked In. Linked In’s structure enables you to connect to business contacts and share info with them more easily than the other social media platforms. So we plan to provide more content- articles related to the products Indoff offers, case studies, and other industry info that you can quickly share with your customers and contacts on Linked In. Kaitie Herbranson E-Marketing Coord.
We also going to attempt to get Indoff Partners more involved with our corporate Facebook page- with Partner meet and greets, introductions to new Partners, and also give you a forum to brag about a large job you recently completed. We hope that with more emails going out to your customers, more end users will follow our Facebook page and we can begin posting customer facing content to help drive more leads. Stay tuned for more info on 2017 marketing tools and let us know if you want to sign up for the email marketing program. Thanks for all you do for Indoff.
Happy Anniversary! 20 Years:
Mac Beare Material Handling Las Vegas, NV
15 Years:
Pam Hitpas Corporate
10 Years:
John Fincher Material Handling McDonough, GA
Annette Martin Commercial Interiors Woodbridge, VA
Did you Know You Can Follow Indoff on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Stay connected with Indoff by following us on social media! You can find us on several social media platforms via the usernames provided below: Facebook: Indoff Incorporated Twitter: @Indoff_Inc LinkedIn: Indoff, Inc Some of the content you can expect to see includes: a monthly vendor quiz (with the chance to win one of two $50 Visa gift cards), vendor videos, vendor/product spotlights, articles relating to your sales division, events at the corporate office and much more!
@Indoff Incorporated
@indoff_inc
Betty Long Promotional Products San Luis Obispo, CA
Indoff, Inc
Shannon Algee Corporate
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Techie Talk
by Shawn Faulkingham, Chief Information Officer Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner – my two favorite holidays of the year! The holidays are a great time to get together with family and friends to share your lives over the last year and to see what everyone is doing in the coming year. I love all the stories that we tell each other with plenty of laughs for everyone! Make sure you spend some time with family and friends; it is what makes us human. Here is what we are working on in the IT Group:
Shawn Faulkingham Chief Information Officer
Colin Faulkingham Chief Technology Officer
• Colin is putting the finishing touches on the new Confluence! We will have a couple of days when we “turn off” the old Confluence so that you use the new Confluence for a day. That helps us work out remaining bugs, look at performance and give you an opportunity to learn more about how to use the new Confluence. We are still looking at moving to the new Confluence at the end of year! Take advantage of this to learn the new software! • Upgrading software / hardware: Courtney and Shawn will be working on upgrading our infrastructure for performance, reliability and security reasons. It’s usually a several weekend process; be looking for our emails over the coming weeks. We will try to make sure we minimize downtime! • Security / PCI Compliance: we will continue to insure that our infrastructure and applications are as secure as possible. Our forward facing applications get tested once a month for issues and for PCI Compliance. You can never be too secure! • 2-step authentication for email: Courtney and David are sending out emails in small groups to get everyone using 2-step authentication for your indoff. com email. If you get the email from them, call and get it done! It’s easier than you think, and you will be keeping your email and other folks’ secure as well! We really do appreciate your patience and cooperation when we have to do maintenance to our systems. I know it’s not always convenient, but as my late grandmother always said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is more true now in the world of technology then at any time! Take some time to make sure your systems are up to date and secure. Call us if you have any questions or concerns! The IT Crew - Shawn, Colin, David, Courtney and Jerome
