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SALES CHALLENGE
Spotting NewOpportunities
“When the new PhRMA regulations came out, they
didn’t affect our business so much that we had to
reinvent who we were,” says Rogow. “We were fortunate
because we had been focused on employees as brand
ambassadors for pharmaceutical companies and
hospitals, and not so much on the doctor giveaways. We
always brought our creative strengths to employee
engagement in health care. And, in the case of hospital
systems, we worked to engage patients with fun and
useful promotions.”
TOP-GEAR STRATEGY
Focus On Internal
Opportunities
Rogow says his team doubled down on their efforts toward
employees of pharmaceutical companies and healthcare
organizations, using promotional products to engage,
recognize and reward employees as well as support
health-related campaigns like Go Red For Women.
THE ICEBOX, LLC
Atlanta, Georgia
What are your clients’ most frequent
uses for promotional products, and
what items do they prefer using?
We have focused on health andwellness for
employees, offering products that help them lead an
active and healthy lifestylewhile beingmindful of
the environments theyworkwithin.These include
fitness tracking technology, yogamats, lunch packs
so employees canmake healthiermeal choices,
hot/cold packs for post-workout recovery and gym
bags. For healthcare systems engaging patients, we
recommend products with an antibacterial slant
such as hand sanitizers, wipes and even pens.
What questions do you ask clients to help
them select the appropriate products?
There are two ways to approach any
opportunity—as a product seller and as a
creative consultant. One client may say, “I want
a water bottle”—that commoditizes what we do
as creative professionals.
Our Creative Solutions Experts open a
dialoguewith our clients, asking questions
such as “Whowill receive the product?Why are
they receiving it?When are they receiving it?
Howmuch are you spending?”We then offer
our subject-matter expertise on the “what.”
We never come backwith a single idea, but
several, to help achieve client objectives.
What advice do you have for distributors
who are stuck in a creative rut?
Take yourself out of your daily grind. Go to a
place that inspires creativity—a museum, eclectic
neighborhoods, or a hike in the woods. I also
find attending networking events for creatives
and visual artists to be helpful. An example is
Creative Mornings, a breakfast lecture series for
the creative community, but really any creative
marketing networking environment will allow
you to interact and engage, and think differently.
Lastly, don’t be afraid of failure. People who are
afraid to fail often keep themselves from truly
pushing their creativity.
CLIENT SNAPSHOT
Healthcare
Professionals
The Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers
of America, a trade group
representing pharma
companies, threw a wrench
into the promotional
products business in 2009
when it adopted a voluntary
code of conduct restricting
the use of promotional
items within the industry.
The trickle-down effect
sent many distributors
searching for new sales
avenues, but The IceBox,
LLC has maintained
client relationships in the
healthcare sector by focusing
on other segments of the
marketplace, says Chief
Growth Officer Alex Rogow.
Q&A WITH
Alex Rogow
AskThe Right
Questions To Build
The Right Promotion
Ensure your clients select the best
products for their promotion or
program by asking questions like
these, suggested by Ginger Ales Hutter
of HALO Branded Solutions:
What is the name or theme of
the project, program or event?
Why are you implementing
this project or program, or
participating in this event?
What are you trying to achieve?
When is the event?
Where will the project or
event take place?
Who will be receiving the
product(s)? Who is your end user?
What is your budget?
How many items are
you considering?
What quantities of each item
are you considering?
How will the promotional
product(s) be distributed?
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NOVEMBER 2016
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FEATURE
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Strategies For Gaining New Business