QUARTER IV - 2023
Celebrating
inside
Indoff CORPORATE NEWSLETTER
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NEWSLETTER
Indoff
WHERE SOLUTIONS TAKE SHAPE
CEO Message
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New Partner Spotlight
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Indoff ’s Newest Partners
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Going Above and Beyond
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Marketing
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Sales Partners of the Month
11
Partner Support
7
Anniversaries
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1/2PgEMH Indoff11-23.qxp_Indoff Newsletter 10/17/23 11:00 AM Page 1
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FOURTH QUARTER 2023
CEO
Message Jim Malkus
Chief Executive Officer
A
nd so it begins…
I’ll recap 2023 in a separate document in mid to late January, so in this newsletter, I want to talk about what is on our horizon. As we begin 2024, there are some exciting initiatives, programs and opportunities that await us all: •
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Our eCommerce site – a re-skinning of the Global Industrial site with Indoff’s branding, we will be able to offer our customers a top-notch industrial supply, material handling and budget furniture site. I expect this to be a huge positive for our Material Handling group due to the product mix available, but I think it will also benefit Business Products and certain Commercial Interiors customers as well. We’re excited for this roll out beginning in January. A new “Facility Solutions” group – the Global site provides a solid base of product availability for facility maintenance and upkeep. By combining this with our existing access to Jan/San, foodservice, maintenance and custodial products through Essendant and SPR, we believe we can recruit professionals from this sub-market. We further believe this is an excellent opportunity for some of our BP group to expand their offerings to their customers. With our further relationships with R3, the TUG group through OPI and our opening with RJ Schinner, we believe we have the product mix to effectively service our customers in this important if not glamorous portion of their business. New Marketing efforts – Michael describes these in more detail inside this newsletter, but it’s exciting to be trying some new ways to generate leads and more business for us all. Reworking of our management structure – I think elevating Courtney Brazell to a Vice President role signifies the critical importance of the Partner Program to our success. Courtney and her team work hard to support our Partners, and recognizing this effort helps reinforce our unique structure to us all. The creation of our Vice President of Business Development role with Tom Vanhoozer is yet another important sign of our commitment to our Partners’ success. As discussed in the announcement, Tom’s “involvement” will be consultative in nature and voluntary for any Partner. We believe that by working with some Partners who want to increase their volume that we can come up with some “best practices” that will help any Partner grow their volume.
It’s a lot. Our world, both at Indoff and beyond, changes daily. I’m excited about our opportunities for 2024 as noted above, and I’m equally sure there will be some other opportunity that comes along which we’re not even contemplating right now. I’m confident in our future, and I look forward to working with all of you to help make it happen. Thank you all for all you do for Indoff, and here’s to a fantastic 2024 for us all.
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NEWSLETTER
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FOURTH QUARTER 2023
Indoff’s
Newest Partners MATERIAL HANDLING
COMMERCIAL INTERIORS
BUSINESS PRODUCTS
Barry Duff
Jamie Asch Trinity Pierce Randy Lowe
Sean Stinson Chris Eggert Patty Augustyniak
Indoff’s
Newest Corporate Employees
Jackie Shelton
Evan Moore
Aiyana Tindle
Jacob Renie
Government Inside Sales Specialist
Payroll Administrator
Sr. Developer
Sr. Marketing Specialist
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NEWSLETTER
Marketing
New Ways to Support Our Partners Michael Dormagen
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Marketing Director
ndoubtedly, we all agree that 2023 was a crazy year for Indoff. While much has changed, a lot has remained the same. We are still Indoff and what makes us who we are. The corporate office operates the same way we did before the acquisition, and our Partner program remains as it always has. That said, these weren’t the only changes taking place, as the Marketing department has made an outbound effort to get more leads to the Partners and increase brand awareness. Here’s what excites us for 2024: Google Paid Ads – We are running two test campaigns with a handful of Partners focusing on Material Handling in the Dallas Fort Worth area and Commercial Interiors in the Raleigh, NC market. While still early, we are testing which keywords work for us and if this is even the right platform or method. As a test phase, we also cautiously spend our money which means we only receive a few opportunities. We hope we can assist our Partners by getting in front of more customers who may not have heard of us with the end goal of closing a sale. This is a new effort for Indoff, so we have no data or insights to build on. We are going through the learning process, which can sometimes have unintended and wacky results. We appreciate the Partners who have been assisting us as we continue this effort through Q1. AI Email Bots – We have 3 AI bots on the team that have been mimicking several of us in the corporate office as they reach out to potential new customers. These bots have been created with specific job titles, company sizes, industries, and more in mind. While we control a few touchpoints, they primarily operate independently. They crawl the web and use several professional services to source names and phone numbers and then actively engage with them on our behalf. If the customer shows interest, such as asking for more information or setting up a call, we forward it to a partner in that division. We will also use one bot for recruiting and one for the appliance group, for a total of 5 bots. Again, this is a new effort, and we will see where it takes us, but it’s exciting nonetheless. I mention this to show that we continue looking for new ways to support our Partners and drive business forward. We understand that there is value in assisting Partners with their efforts. Whether these specific programs work or not, we’re dedicated to try to drive more business to our Partners, and we’ll continue to search for new avenues until we find ones that work for us. That said, our business model remains Partner-centric. Our Partners are primarily responsible for their own success, but if we can hit on a way to help drive opportunities, we will do so enthusiastically. It takes a team of us to run the ads and create the landing pages, track the leads, call upon Partners to contact these customers, record results, etc.; we appreciate everyone who has helped with these efforts. These tests are designed to find what works and what doesn’t and then learn how to scale it so ALL Partners can participate in the future.
FOURTH QUARTER 2023
Partner Support
Global Integration and Lead Generation Courtney Brazell
VP of Partner Support and Programs
H
appy Holidays to everyone in Indoff land! In Partner Support, we are busy wrapping up the year and gearing up for success in 2024! The Global integration continues to move along, and the finish line is in sight for our new e-commerce platform to be launched early next year. We are excited about what this site will offer, and your customers will now have access to our massive selection of products right at their fingertips. Stay tuned for more information and to schedule training dates very soon. Our next big effort and investment is lead generation. What used to require cold call lists and keeping your fingers crossed now includes artificial intelligence and targeted online ads. While we continue our efforts in email marketing with our very talented Marketing team (if you aren’t participating, you should), we need to focus on the future to build visibility, credibility, brand awareness and expand our customer base. In the past few months, we’ve been testing, in various US locations, both pay-per-click advertising with Google and online sales bots that find and validate new prospects/customers. Partner Support received around 50 new leads in November and distributed each of them accordingly. Lead distribution can be time-consuming but our process is quite simple and fair: • • •
All leads are cross-checked against our current customer database. If a Sales Partner is already working with them in the same division, we make sure to get them involved. New customer leads are qualified and are distributed to the Sales Partner closest in proximity, if possible. Follow-up is done so we can track our efforts and measure success.
Not all leads work out or result in a sale, but every lead is an OPPORTUNITY! Please make sure you follow up with the customer and with Corporate when you pursue one of the leads. While we don’t manage our Sales Partners, it’s the only way we can truly show that our efforts are working. If we see results in the form of quotes and orders, we can increase our investment! As always, we thank you for everything you do and want to remind you to reach out to Partner Support with any questions or concerns. We can be reached at 866-587-4648 or via email at partnersupport@indoff.com In closing, we are very happy to announce that during our Corporate holiday dinner this year, Partner Support’s very own David Eberbach was awarded the 2023 Marjie Vorel Award. Named in honor of Marjie, who worked for Indoff for 22 years, this award goes to the individual who embodies Marjie’s spirit by being conscientious, reliable, dedicated to their job and co-workers, as well as being kind, caring and confident about the future. Please join me in congratulating David on this well deserved recognition!
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NEWSLETTER
New Partner Spotlight Kyle Jacobson
Kyle Jacobson
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CI Partner
s we head into the new year, it’s a great opportunity to hear from a Partner who joined us in 2023 and discuss what they have learned so far. We reached out to Kyle Jacobson, a new Commercial Interiors Partner located in Utah, to learn about his first year and what advice he can pass along to our new prospects. Tell us a little about yourself I started installing furniture in high school and through college to earn a little extra money - little did I know it would become my career. I have been selling furniture (and occasionally installing) for the last 8 years. It has created countless relationships. What has your first year been like? My first year with Indoff has been great, and it has shown a lot of potential. It was a little challenging to get my feet off the ground and going. I really like the whole A-Z process of being involved with my clients and projects. I had to make a switch on the vertical markets I pursue due to contracts and not being able to be added to them. What were some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced? I feel like, for me, the biggest challenge has been finding new leads. The vertical markets which I used to maintain relationships with require being on the state of Utah contract, and it is manufacturer held, and unfortunately, I haven’t been able to be added to it. I used to sell to a lot of schools and city municipalities. The beginning was a little rough. I started in the middle of a month and ended up going 3 months without a paycheck, which was kind of tough at first. What advice do you have for new Partners coming onboard? To really put your head down and work. We really are able to provide almost any furniture line. What do you enjoy most about Indoff? The freedom of not having a specific sales goal or set hours allows me to focus on what I want to provide instead of having to hit a certain # for a manufacturer. Who (if anyone) have you relied on the most, and what have they helped you with? The support staff has been amazing - shout out to Jo Anne and Maureen. They have helped a lot, plus also talking with reps in the field. Ken Groth, Dana Miller, and Matt Bell, just to name a few, have been helpful by answering questions on how they go to market.
FOURTH QUARTER 2023
Going Above and Beyond For Our Clients Carrie Sharp
F
CI Partner
requently, some of our most significant sales come from Partners who not only work as a team but take the time to go above and beyond for their clients. It’s that trust that you build with your clientele that can make or break a deal. That said, we recently contacted the Indoff Carolina team to learn more about their recent large order with Skyla Credit Union and to see what lessons could be shared with the rest of the team. Below is the story from Carrie Sharp. It shows that building trust is vital to interacting with your customers and being seen as their trusted source for their furniture needs. I started working with Premier Federal Credit Union (PFCU) out of Greensboro, NC, through an architect in Salisbury, NC in 2014. I continued to work with the credit union president for years, providing furniture for multiple branches. They ended up merging with Charlotte Metro Credit Union (CMCU) in Charlotte, NC, about two years ago. At that time, the President of PFCU introduced me to the Facilities Manager of CMCU, and we helped the newly named credit union, Skyla Credit Union, with their rebranding process. I drove to each of their branches in North and South Carolina and evaluated the condition of their existing furniture to determine if the pieces could be reupholstered or refinished as we attempted to salvage and save money. On the other hand, the incumbent dealership for CMCU told them to trash everything and buy new and the Facilities Manager also told me that their salesperson was not knowledgeable and kept changing their suggested solutions. Due to all these issues, she had lost trust in the incumbent dealership. I had won her trust by continuing to provide her with solutions and allowing her to decide how to spend her money. Because of this, she knows she can count on us for their furniture needs. Early this spring, they also discussed a new headquarters, and we were brought in once again to provide solutions. The client truly sees me as their advocate as I strive to be objective in my suggestions and always seek their best interest. After 42 years of selling furniture, I can’t do it any other way. I will be retiring May 30, 2025, and I know I am leaving this and the business of many other clients in good hands with Kristina and Tracey. Skyla has just merged with two more credit unions, so I think this will be good, consistent business for quite some time.
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NEWSLETTER
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FOURTH QUARTER 2023
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Sales Partners of the Month SEPTEMBER 2023 MH David Studebaker CI Dana Miller BP Deanna Lies PP Keith Harris, TAS ES Brad Anderson Allied Chris Koeneman
OCTOBER 2023 $450,064 $1,236,659 $98,445 $59,093 $125,344 $394,496
Indoff’s SALES PARTNERS
Anniversaries
NOVEMBER 2023
MH Joe Vander Zanden CI Doug Fore BP Jim Riley PP Keith Harris, TAS ES Bob Barroll Allied Chris Koeneman
$482,119 $353,679 $145,290 $83,803 $35,256 $399,132
MH Victoria Bloom CI Carrie Sharp CI Kristina Venable CI Tracey Davant BP Julie Thompson PP John Hollern, TAS ES Bob Barroll Allied Chris Koeneman
$450,032 $750,000 $750,000 $750,000 $77,920 $69,707 $59,624 $399,591
Congratulations to the following Partners & Corporate employees who are celebrating their Employment Anniversaries with us in the months of October through December 2023.
25 YEARS LeAnn Pashina
Oct. 7
20 YEARS Darrell Reed Susan Roldan
Oct. 1 Oct. 1
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NEWSLETTER
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