PPB November 2017

feed back Send feedback on articles in PPB or opinions on industry issues to JamesK@ppai.org . 8 | NOVEMBER 2017 | Product Responsibility Summit Makes A Difference PPAI’s annual Product Responsibility Summit, held this year in September in Newport Beach, California, brings industry professionals together with policy makers, regulatory specialists and thought leaders. It has built a reputation as the event that focuses on the pressing business implications, challenges and opportunities associated with compliance. I thoroughly appreciated your team’s effort in pulling together the summit event. Your execution and customer service all these years have been impeccable. Areas of compliance and quality are too often perceived as only cost centers—and get inadequate attention in a highly cost-driven industry like ours. After attending these summits for the past four years, I’ve come to see a visible shift in the industry culture, especially in the mobile tech category where TWINTECH plays front and center. Your efforts are absolutely paying off. The prime example of that is with the Li-ion powerbank UL certification. Before PPAI facilitated industry awareness, there were, to my knowledge, no UL powerbanks to be found among major retail brands back in 2014. The only thing we found was an obscure model fromDuracell, which was not even a serious player in Li-ion. But in less than two years’ time, PPAI’s efforts managed to overhaul the entire powerbank supply chain and set the market safety standard for not just the entire promotional industry, but with significant spillover into the retail realm. DAVID TAI / TWINTECH Industry, Inc. / Cerritos, California / PPAI 261545 A Trend Toward Consensus The September issue of PPB featured an excerpt from Anthony Iannarino’s book, The Lost Art Of Closing: WinningThe Ten CommitmentsThat Drive Sales . The excerpt, “Why Consensus Is King,” examined how, due to a focus on collaboration and consensus-building, in many organizations it can be difficult to find someone willing to act unilaterally. In the past five-plus years there has definitely been a shift in the C-suite’s decision-making process. I’ve sold program solutions to financial institutions for 40 years (yes, this dates me). Even though my target market has always been very conservative, they have turned even more to a consensus- building model since the financial downturn. It seems no one wants to make a quick or less than perfectly informed decision. The plethora of information that everyone can easily find on the internet, especially by those who may want to make someone else look bad, has contributed to this lengthening of the sales cycle. In this instance, I’d say that the internet isn’t a friend of those in professional sales. JOHN MARTIN / National Director, Strategic Innovations American Solutions For Business Glenwood, Minnesota / PPAI 101656 PPEF Builds A Legacy With the support of the promotional products industry, The Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF) awarded $175,000 in scholarships this year to 117 students around the country who were featured in the October issue of PPB . I’d just like to say “thank you” to all the PPEF donors. My son has been the fortunate recipient of a PPEF scholarship for all four years of college. Words cannot express our gratitude at how you all helped my son get a college education. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA in his computer and electrical engineering major and will graduate in May. He already has one firm job offer and is looking at grad schools as well. Thank you so much for your generosity! SANDRA RODRIGUEZ / Owner D and S Designs / Bridgeton, New Jersey PPAI 288673 Standing Together In The Face Of Tragedy Following the shooting in Las Vegas on October 1, PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, and PPAI Chair of the Board Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS, issued a statement expressing the support of PPAI and the industry for the victims, their families, the city of Las Vegas and the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where the shooter was located. PPAI has held its PPAI Expo at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center since the trade show was moved to the city fromDallas in 2003. The Expo is scheduled at the facility in January 2018. Thanks to Paul for his wise and comforting words in the wake of the horrible tragedy in Vegas. My daughter lives there and I was able to spend some time with her at the end of last week. Hanging with some of her friends, I heard many stories about their friends who were at the concert—many shot and recovering—and all dealing with the aftermath of the trauma. I know I am only one small voice in your crowd, but I just wanted you to know that I am steadfastly committed to coming again [to The PPAI Expo] this January, as is my staff. We stand in support of Vegas and PPAI and look forward to seeing all of you in January. BRENDA SPEIRS / President Buzztag / Bend, Oregon PPAI 354827