IHRA orter · 7) SELF-EMPLOYMENT TAX - For 2010 only, self-employed people can deduct the cost of...

InternatIonal Housewares representatIves assocIatIon

Field Sales Professionals Serving the Home • Housewares • Gourmet • Hardware Industries

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December 2010An Editorial .............................................................. Page 3Tech Bits ................................................................... Page 5Sorry, no Lines Available, this month ........................ Page 6Industry Show Calendar ........................................... Page 9

Private label and stuff

It seems as we get older the time just goes faster, and I have attended another Annual Private Label Show (PLMA, November 14 - 16, 2010; http://www.plma.com/) here in Chicago. It is not that I have that much there, but it is “in town” and it’s a major show in a focused industry. If a rep represents a vendor that attends, you or the vendor has to spend $125 for your badge, which includes the Show, a cocktail hour and two

breakfasts; and one of the breakfasts features a report on the state of the industry. Here are the highlights from this year: 1.) The consumer today is mainly shopping at value stores (Ecommerce, Mfg direct stores, Wal-Mart, etc.) to maximize their $$$$. 2.)Amazonhasintenyearsgrownfrom$2.8Bto$24.5B.NetflixandApplehavegrownasbrandstoo.

3.) Consumers: 43% are having hard times, 53% are worried about their job, 48% are living paycheck to paycheck, and 61% are worried about their life plan. 4.) In the last ten years Private Label has grown from 16 to 19% of overall sales.

Here are the highlights of the tax implications of the newly passed Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. Items in the law that will DECREASE taxes 1) BUSINESS LOANS-Thegovernmentwillloanmoneyforfiveyearstosmallbanks(thosewithassetsunder$10billion)toloanto

small businesses. The banks will have to pay interest. Unlike when the Bush administration sent out money without strings attached, the rules require banks to report to a newly created loaning agency both the amount and the number of small business loans that they have made. Their interest rate will be pegged in inverse ratio to those numbers. 2) GAIN FROM SALE OF SMALL BUSINESS STOCK - Applies to investors of “original issue” stock issued during 2010 by corporations with assets less than $50 million. If held for fuve or more years, that stock can be sold TAX FREE. 3) BUILT-IN GAINS TAX - Applies to S-corporations which were formerly C corporations that, at transfer, had assets that had not been taxed. Typical examples would be receivables in a cash basis corporation or assets whose market value exceeded the cost basis. (In the old days, that

IHRAREPorter

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Summarizing the tax impacts of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010

by Steve Grossman, CPMRGM PartnersIHRA Founding President and Delegate to MRERF

by Stanton B. HerzogApplebaum, Herzog & Associates, P.C.IHRA Accountant and Financial Consultant

was typically real estate or investments such as publically held stocks or gold or silver.) An S-corporation could escape the tax by holding the assets -ornotshowingataxableprofit-for10years.Theholdingperiodwastemporarilyloweredtosevenyearsin2008(tohelptheGallowinefamily);for2011only,it’sbeenloweredtofiveyears. 4) SECTION 179 ASSET WRITEOFF-Thelargefirst-yearassetwriteoffswereabouttoexpire.Congressinsteadexpandedthewriteofflimitsofequipment and furniture for 2010 and 2011. Assets totaling $500,000 can be written off immediately. They added leasehold improvements and retail space improvements for up to $250,000. The deduction is reduced dollar for dollar to the extent that total asset purchases exceed $2 million. 5) FIRST YEAR DEPRECIATION - The 50 percent depreciation allowance permitted in 2009 was extended to 2010 but not 2011. This bill adds whatwasmissingfromthepriordepreciationbill:firstyear“luxury”automobileadditionaldepreciationof$8,000,puttingitonparitywith2009. 6) START-UP EXPENDITURES - For taxable years beginning in 2010 and thereafter, start-up expenditures up to $10,000 can be immediately deducted as long as the total does not exceed $60,000; the deduction is reduced dollar for dollar by the excess. 7) SELF-EMPLOYMENT TAX - For 2010 only, self-employed people can deduct the cost of the family’s health insurance costs from self-em-ployment income for computing their self-employment tax. The deduction will not reduce the self-employed’s income records for Social Security retirement purposes. 8) CELL PHONES - Finally, cell phones are removed from “listed property” which required written proof that every call was for business purposes. The IRS had, on occasion, used this as a club to disallow major portions of the telephone deduction for some unfortunate companies under IRS audit. Items in the law that will INCREASE taxes 1) FORM 1099 REQUIREMENTS-Thebattlethatwasragedoverthestupid,onerouslawrequiringallbusinessestofile1099sforeveryfirmorindividual to whom it paid more than $600 for any reason after Jan. 1, 2011, was lost, and the rule was expanded to cover owners of real estate. Coveredunderthisprovisionandspecificallymentionedinthepreambletothelawareplumbers,paintersandaccountants.Thelawallowssomeexceptiontofilingfor“minimalrentals”-theamounttobedecidedbytheSecretaryoftheTreasury. 2) PENALTIES-It’seasytoraisepenalties.Congressdoubledthepenaltyforfailuretofile1099s.Consideringthenewrulesmayrequirethou-sands,ifnottenofthousands,of1099sbyacompany,itshouldbeeasypickingsfortheIRStofindfilingerrorsandomissions.Otherpenaltieswere also increased. Afinalnoteonthe1099situation:Ifthislawisnotrepealed,everyoneowningoroperatingabusinessmustplanonissuing1099sasindicatedabove in January 2012. You can’t wait until late in 2011 to think about a system to accumulate that information. You have to obtain the employer identificationnumberofeverysupplierofeverytransaction.The$600iscumulativeforthecalendaryear,soevenifthesupplier’sbillis$55permonthforofficecoffee,youwillneedtoproducea1099.Attheendoftheyear,youwillwanttobeabletopushabuttonandgetalistofallsuppli-ers and the total paid to them. Payments to credit card companies are excepted. Start thinking about it now. Stanton B. Herzog is a principal in the firm of Applebaum, Herzog & Associates, P.C., Northbrook, Ill. Stan serves as IHRA’s accountant and is a regular contributor to The REPorter. He is available to speak at group meetings on a variety of financial and tax-related topics. He also participates in Expert Access, the program that offers telephone consultations to IHRA members. You can call Stan Herzog at 847-564-1040, fax him at 847-564-1041,or e-mail him at [email protected].

Herzog (continued from page 1)

Grossman (continued from page 1)The consumer has changed habits: penny pinching, cutting back, shift-ed channels, traded down and changed habits. 5.) To succeed in Private Label, you need to research what the con-sumer wants and needs. Pick your spots verses be all things to all peo-ple. 6.) Also, learn and use technology to market brand, store and to move product from factory to store. The easier one makes it for the retailer and consumer the greater the win/win will be.Stuff:If you have not found www.wimp.com yet, it is a most interesting, learn-ing, entertaining and enjoyable web site . . . and at times wasteful. A fellow rep shared this joke with me: A buyer and rep are at the pearly gates, and being a good rep strikes up a conversation to pass the time. The buyer shares the feeling that he, the buyer, should have no prob-lem getting into heaven since he has been a good person. And the rep shares the same feeling. TherepisaheadofthebuyerandwhenhegetstotheGatekeeperheoffersuphislifeandgooddeeds.TheGKsays:“Youhavebeenagoodperson and very patient in life and your business dealings, so go directly to heaven.” It is now the buyer’s turn at the entrance and shares his good deeds withtheGatekeeper.TheGKlistensattentivelyandthensendshimtowait in purgatory. Confused, the buyer asks: “Why?” TheGKanswers:“Yes,youhavelivedagoodlife,butyourfavoritemessage was: “Your call is important to me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.” And we believe what goes around comes around. Have a joyous holiday season. Steve Grossman, IHRA and Member Member, CPMR [email protected]

They just don’t get it!An editorial

by IHRA Executive Director, Bill Weiner

It’s not often I take “pen-in-hand” to comment about things, but it’s time I had my say. After 23 years as a rep of consumer electronics products and almost 28 years in management of trade associations devoted to serving multiple-

line,fieldsalesprofessionals,IguessI’mgettingoldandcrotchetyabouthavingtofightthesameoldbattles. Oh,Idon’tmeantheoneswithprincipalsaboutreducedcommissions,orhav-ing to write reports, or having to do more non-commissionable things for the principal. Somehow, good negotiations can sometimes bring about satisfactory solutions.No-thebattleIfindmostfrustratingistheonewhereyourcustomer,the retailer or wholesaler you have nourished and helped grow bigger and more profitable,wantstobypassyoutohave“amoredirectlineofcommunications”with the factories you represent. In the past it was Walmart, Fingerhut and Rite-Aid, to name three. Now it’s ALDI. (I’m sure there are others, but we have focused in on ALDI because of the recent impact on some of our members.) Someone at ALDI suddenly real-ized that reps earn money when they sell things to them. That must mean: if the factory doesn’t have to pay the rep, they can buy for less. Ofcourse,theydon’texplainitthatway.Theysayitwillgivethem“bettercom-munications” if an executive from the factory serviced them. What they don’t seem to understand is the increased cost to the supplier if factory executives have to start performing all of the services now provided by reps. Theyjustdon’tgetit!Multiple-line,fieldsalesprofessionalsprovidesuppliersthemosteffectiveandcost-efficientwaystobringtheirproductsandprogramstomarket. Repsarenotover-head. Theydonotreceiveemployeebenefits,salaries or expense accounts . . . whether they sell something or not. They re-ceive commissions on what they sell - AND - only after they sell it. More than 75% of suppliers use reps BECAUSE they can’t afford to go to market any other way. And 5-10% that can afford to have their own direct sales force, use reps because they produce more sales at less cost and with less sales management expense at the factory level. So, what to do about ALDI? Try to convince them that their course of action will lead them to higher costs. Explain to them the opportunities they will miss by not having reps with synergistic lines and the knowledge of ALDI’s needs and the local competition, calling on them. And,amostimportantthingistoconvinceyourprincipalsto“stayfirm”intheirmarketing and business plans of using reps to go to market. Last resort: Print business cards for each of your lines with you as “Vice President, Regional Sales, XYZ Company.” Not a great solution, but it usually works.

From: Jay Cohen

Dear Friends,

As you may have heard, as of November 1 I will be retiring from Dworkin-Rill Co after 43 years.

As I look back over my past career, I have many memories, starting in 1967 whenIwastoattendmyfirstofmanyHousewaresShowsinChicagoatMc-CormickPlace.Ifyoucanrememberbackthatfar,afirebrokeoutthenightbefore the show was to open, the building was destroyed, and many vendors lost one-of-a-kind samples.

I have seen the rise and fall of trading stamp businesses, catalog showrooms, departmentstores,drugchains[KinneyDrugsisstillemployeeownedandgrowing], hardware distributors, housewares distributors, rack jobbers, lawn and garden distributors and home centers; but Dworkin-Rill survived.

Ihavehadtheprivilegeofrepresentingmanyfinecompanies,bothlargeandsmall.

I have made many friends in the business world from owners, to executives, to customer service personnel and I will miss working with them all. I have had the privilege of attending many Rep Council meetings and assisting ven-dors with their future directions.

I have been a member [and past Chairman] of the International Housewares Representative Association since it’s inception.

I am certain Dworkin-Rill Co, under the leadership of Ted Brush, and assisted by Mark Levy and Phil Paris will continue to carry on the tradition of great service to our customers and vendors. Dworkin-Rill was founded in 1960 and Iamconfidentitwillgrowandflourishformanydecades.

In closing, even though I am retiring to spend more time with my wife travel-ing, visiting our children and grandchildren and doing volunteer work, I will be an email [[email protected]] or a cell phone [585-746-5000] away, or write me at 57 Tobey Court, Pittsford, NY 14534. I look forward to hearing from you.

Again- thank you for the past 43 years; it was a great ride.

Cordially,

Jay

Editor’s Note: Jay has served on the IHRA’s Past Chairs Advisory Council for almost two decades. His sage advice will be sorely missed.

I wish to inform you that after nearly 40 years in the business I have decided to retire from the rep business and will not be renewing my membership. I recently received my dues invoice for 2011 and will not be requiring my IHRA membership any longer. Thank you for permitting me to be part of your orga-nization these past several years and I wish the IHRA and the Housewares Industry my best wishes, for the future. Sincerely Steve RozenskyChampion Marketing

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Tech Bit 58 - My Ideal Notebook Would Be a SlateI’ve been thinking about what my ideal portable computer would look like since attending the Defrag 2009 confer-ence last fall. I was sitting in a session I couldn’t engage in, looking at all the open computers around me. There were PC’s, Mac’s, and tablets, large and small. None seemed quite right. I loved the tablet I had a couple of years ago, but it was thick and heavy with limited battery life. Then the iPad rumors started and I got interested. Now that I’ve seen the announcement, I’m back to designing myownidealcomputer.Allmyspecificationsexist,justnotalltogetherinasinglecomputer. AfteralotofthoughtIwantamodularapproachtolife,whichinfluencedalotofdecisions. My ideal portable computer would be a slate, pad, whatever you want to call it. It should have a 12” to 15” LED LCD screen, with about a _” bezel around the edges and be in the _” to _” thick range. Weight should be between 2to3pounds.IwashopingtogoOLED,buttheyarestillcrazyexpensiveatthatsize. It would not have a physical keyboard. It would have an on-screen keyboard like my Android phone. In addition, inatributetothe1997brillianceofJeffHawkins,itwouldalsosupportGraffiti,theconstrainedwritinginputsosuccessful in the Palm Pilot. It would also let me attach a folding keyboard via Bluetooth or its USB connector. I’vegotagreatfoldingiGoStowawaykeyboardthatissmall,lightandtypeswellthatusesBluetooth. There has been a lot said negatively about Windows 7 on a tablet requiring a stylus to work well. Actually that’s finebyme;Iwanttheabilitytouseastylus,somethingsometouchscreencomputersgiveup.Holdingastylus,orapen,isverynaturalformetodraw,pointandwrite.OthertimesImightjustuseafinger.Butitshouldbemychoice, not a hardware constraint. Myidealcomputerwillhaveabuiltinwebcam,WiFi,Bluetooth,andWirelessUSB.Iwouldn’tput3Gor4Ginitsincethenitwouldbelockedtoasinglecarrierortechnology.Thesmallportable3G/4GhotspotsliketheMiFiwouldgiveme3G/4Gandmoreflexibility(plusmorebatterylife).ItwouldalsohaveaUSBport(Icanlivewithone since I have a drawer full of tiny 4 port hubs), an SD card slot and 3.5 mm microphone and stereo headphone jacks. I’ve decided to give up a wired RJ-45 Ethernet port to keep the ports to a minimum, I can use a $10 USB Ethernetadapter.MuchasIhatetosaythis,I’malsogivingupmyVGAconnector,usingaDisplayLinkadapterinstead.VGAconnectorsarejusttoobig. Before specifying processor or operating system, let me outline an absolute software requirement. I want to be able to seamlessly take control of my “home” computer, running Windows 7 Professional on a quad core processor with gobs of memory and terabyte hard drives. There are programs like Logmein and Mi-crosoft Mesh that approximate what I want, but I want the capability cooked into the system of my slate. I also want my slate storage to appear all the time as a drive on the desktop and my desktop drives to appear on my slate. My recent experience with my PogoPlug shows that storage can appear as a drive regardless of where you are. Giventhatrequirement,Ifranklydon’tcareifmyslaterunsWindows7,Linux,orAndroid(IamprettysureChromeOSwon’thavethefeaturesI’mlookingfor).IdowantsupportforbeingabletowriteanddospreadsheetsofflineinOfficecompatibleformats.IalsowantFlashsupport. Another application I want is an electronic note pad that I could write on and have it capture not only the ink, but the strokes, allowing better handwriting to text conversionliketheIOGEARDigitalScribe(http://www.iogear.com/product/GPEN200N/). Theoperatingsystemwilldefinetheprocessorandothercomputercomponents.Ifit’sWindows7,I’dgowithaCULVdualcoreprocessor.ForAndroidorChromeOS,I’dgotheNextGenerationTegraprocessor.Anychoiceprobablymeansbetween2and4GBRAMmemory. Iwouldbehappywitha32GBsolidstate“harddrive”giventhatappearstobethesweetspotinpriceandcapacity(andthefactIhavevirtualaccesstomyterabytes at home). I really don’t need an optical drive built-in (I have a tiny USB optical drive to use if I need it). Finally I want a battery that lasts for about 6 hours when I’m using the computer and another 20 hours in standby mode. That will let me attend a conference or meeting all day, be productive when I need to and not have to power down or hibernate when I’m not using the computer. I am willing to take screws out to change batteries, I don’t do swaps to keep running, but batteries do wear down so it has to be replaceable. Based on comparable costs of components, etc, the base slate should have a cost of goods in the $200-300 range, meaning it could sell for $400-500. All my modularadd-onswouldaddanother$150-200,dependingonthe3G/4Gmodule. With my ideal computer, I can sit on the couch using it as a simple web browser. If I’m in a meeting I might use the stylus and write notes like it was an electronic legal pad. For presentations, I add the DisplayLink and my Logitech wireless presenter and I’m set. For serious writing I can pair a folding keyboard. When I’m home, the wireless USB would dock with my monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. All the time I have access to all my Windows programs (and I have a lot) on my powerful desktop. I can hardly wait. I suspect we may see a lot of my needs met before the end of 2010, maybe even that HP slate I am hearing rumors about.

Here’s a continuing feature in The REPorter

“Tech Bits”

Gregg Marshall, CPMR, CSP, is a speaker, author and consultant. He can be reached by e-mail at

[email protected], or visit his website at

http://www.repconnection.com.

Manufacturers Seeking IHRA Field Sales Professionals

The listing of a manufacturer is not an endorsement by IHRA, it being the obligation of each member to make their own evaluation.

Products:TheZIPIT-TheWorld’s1st&OnlyBat-teryOperatedBlisterPackOpener.The ZIPIT has been on QVC several times and has done very wellView our product at www.WrapRageRelief

C.S.B. COMMODITIES INC14000 Military Trail, Suite 204BDelray Beach FL 33071(800) 471-1367

Contact: Robert Schmeizer, PresidenteMail: [email protected]

Territories: Seeking reps with track record of selling to majors such as Wal-Mart, etc. Nat’l Sales: $10,000,000

Commission Rate: 5% Years in Business: 36

Channels currently sold: Retail / E-Tailers / Cata-log Companies / Premium Companies

Seeking Sales Through: Mass Merchandisers

Products: Pet Leashes & Collars, Grooming Tools,Training Pads & Wipes. We now have “green” products that are extremely hot in the marketplace!! This line includes organic cotton and recycled polyester leashes andcollars.Ourpricingisextremelylowforthemassmerchandisers, etc. since we are a partner in a joint ven-ture, vertical plant in China where we also manufacture our own webbing!

JELLY GEAR COMPANYP.O.Box37West Hempstead NY 11552(516) 575-4272 Fax: (516) 575-4739www.jellygear.com

Contact: Kathy Pancila, VP SaleseMail: [email protected]: U.S.A., Canada, Mexico Commission Rate: TBD Years in Business: 60

Channels currently sold: Through direct factory sales to wholesalers and/or other manufacturers

Seeking Sales Through: Reps selling to Retailers

Products: New and innovative Erasable Ink “Puzzle Pen”

THE ROME GROUPP.O.Box1000KillingtonVT05751802.422.4466•Fax:802.422.4467

Contact: Bernard RomeeMail: [email protected]

Territories: All USA Nat’l Sales: N/A

Commission Rate: 7% Years in Business: 3Channels currently sold: DirecttoGiftShops,AirportNews&GiftShops

Seeking Sales Through: Wholesalers, Catalogs, Housewares, Bookstores, Stationers, Supermarkets

Products: Mega-Catch™ Mosquito Traps and accessory items

EnviroSafe Technologies International LimitedUnit10,6OmegaSt.,AlbanyAuckland New Zealand 0632 +649 441 7574 Fax: +649 441 7573www.megacatch.com

Contact: Nicky Stockman, Sales ManagereMail: [email protected]

Territories:TX,LA,AL,FL,VA,NY,NJ,WI,GA,MI,MD,CO,MN

Commission Rate: 5% Years in Business: 10 Gross Sales: $5,000.000+

CURRENTLY DOING BUSINESS IN THE USA: Direct. Not currently using reps.

CHANNELS INTO WHICH CURRENTLY SELL: OnlineStore (www.megacatch.com), drop shipping includ-ing www.homedepot.com, www.costco.com, www.front-gate.com.UsingfulfillmenthouseinDenver,CO.

CHANNELS INTO WHICH WANT TO SELL: Drop ship dealers

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Products: High quality toilet seats in wood, stainedoak&mahoganyfinish,soft,embroi-dered soft, and high gloss solid plastic.

CENTOCO PLASTICS LIMITED2450 CENTRAL AVENUEWINDSOR,ONN8W4J3519.945.7281www.centoco.com

Contact: Cindy Burns, Account ManagereMail: [email protected]

Territories: Lowes & Home Depot, Canada

Nat’l Sales: $30MM Commission Rate: Varies Years in Business: 30 years

Channels currently sold: Wholesale & Retail






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Bang-KnudsenBang-KnudsenRepresenting gourmet

housewares to leading retailers in the Pacific Northwest for over three decades.We know the territory.

Permanent showroom:Suite 453 Pacific Market Center

6100 4th Ave., S.Seattle, WA 98108

206-767-6970

www.bang-knudsen.com__________________________

Contact:[email protected]

Manufacturers: Contact These Performance-Proven, Multiple-Line, Field Sales Professionals to learn how they can profitably bring your products and programs to market.

Serving theMetro New York Area

Since 1984

Housewares, Tabletop,Storage/Closet

Specialists at:Bed, Bath & Beyond

Macys

49 Park StreetMontclair, NJ 07042

Phone: 973.783.3338Fax: 973.783.3148

www.goldenmarketinggroup.com [email protected]

& International Trade, Inc.

P. O. Box 576 Princeton, NJ 08542, USA

Phone: (917) 592-5498Italian Cellphone: +39-335-708-0481

Skype Phone: mavericknyusa

[email protected]

Since 1986 specializing in the Sales Promotion of Housewares (cookware, small appliances) Home Complements (bath & kitchen furniture, faucets)

and Gourmet Foods Sales.

Also assisting manufacturers in the establishment of their company in the United States with local

domicile and all related logistics.

Fluency in English, Italian, French

Augusto De Feo, Managing DirectorERRECINET SRL

Corso Lodi, 34I-20135 Milano

Tel: 02-9738-4411 • Cell: +39-345-938-9679 [email protected]

AMERICONSULTAMERICONSULT

Specializing in Housewares, Homestore

&Giftware Industries

Since 1973 Representing Vendors in the

Six New England States&

Upstate New York 51-13 Morgan Drive, Norwood, MA 02062781-352-1400 (phone) 781-352-1450 (fax)

www.northeastgroup.com

Representing Housewares, TabletopandGiftwaretoall

Major and Independent retailers in New England and Upstate NY

for 20 years

Contact: [email protected]

440 Totten Pond Road Suite 100Waltham, MA 02451Phone 781-890-0111

Tel: 781-806-5129 Fax: 781-806-5131

Building Sales Professionalism Through Certification MRERF is your solution to creating a better salesperson, a better Independent Manufacturer’sRepresentativefirm,andevenabetterManufacturer.Whenyouparticipate in our programming, you are building sales professionalism through certification.

Certified Professional Manufacturers Representative (CPMR) TheCPMRprogramisexecutiveeducationforfirmownersormanagers,cur-rentorfuture.ParticipantsspendfivedaysinJanuaryatArizonaStateUniver-sity for three successive years. The curriculum delves into managing multiple generations,principalrelationships,lineprofitability,successionplanning,andmuchmore.Ofequalvalueisthecross-industrynetworkingthathelpsidentifytrends in other sectors that may soon be headed to your industry. MoneybackguaranteeifyouleaveCPMR101withoutvalueforyourfirmorideas for business.

Certified Sales Professional (CSP) CSP is a program your salespeople will be glad they attended! Anyone calling oncustomerswillfindgreatvalueintheprogram.Threedaysofinstruction,interaction and role-play will energize attendees and increase their productivity andprofitability.Afterthewrittenandverbalexams,successfulgraduateswillthoroughly understand the consultative selling process. The cost of the pro-gramandtimeawayfromtheofficewillquicklyberecoupedwhengraduatesput the program tenets into practice. The CSP designation stands alone, or complements the CPMR designation nicely. Business creation, effective goal setting, time and territory management, and much more are covered in this intense, interactive program. Money back guaranteeifyouarenotsatisfied! If you are in sales, you want this course!

CPMR and CSP Certification Headquarters is the alter ego of MRERF. A charitable education Foundation is what we ARE. CPMR and CSP are what we DO.Wecertifythatourgraduatesareprofessionalsalespeopleandprofes-sionalmanufacturersRepresentatives.TheyEARNtheirdesignations.Gradu-ates prove they can employ the techniques they are taught in our programs. Their personal designation tells the world that they have gone the extra mile to be a reliable business partner. Ifyouarenotsurethatourprogramisrightforyourfirm,asktoauditaclass.We know that once you have seen what CPMR and CSP offer, you will want everyone you know to participate. WearesoconfidentofbothCPMRandCSPthatweofferMoneyBackGuar-antees on both programs. No one has ever asked. Telluswhatyouneed.Andwewillhelpyoufindasolution.

For Manufacturers - Next Session: January 10-11. 2011 (arrive Jan. 9) Manufacturers gather at ASU for the Best Practices program and leave with good ideas to improve their relationships with their reps. Two days. Dozens of ideas. Gooddecisionsdonot,bythemselves,yieldgreatresults.Goingtomarketthrough independent manufacturers representatives is a good decision. But it is the relationship that will create great results. Relationships between principals andrepsneedattention.Attentiontothebigpicture.Attentiontothefinerpoints.

The Manufacturer’s Best Practices program from MRERF meets the needs of both top and middle management and sales/marketing personnel at the fac-tory level. Its goal is to enhance understanding of how to select, manage, evalu-ate,andprofitfromyourRepnetwork.Yourrepsarethefaceofyourcompanyinthefield.YouwantyourfirmtobewellRepresented. Through lectures and interactive dialog, you will gain a better understanding of: 4 What the rep function is 4 Howrepfirmsoperate 4 How to select, train and manage reps 4 Finding synergistic partners 4 Interviewing 4 Hiring 4 Creating fair contracts 4 Evaluating 4 How to manage and motivate your rep network 4 Understandingthecultureofeachrepfirm 4 Optimizingthereprelationship4 Communicating with your reps 4 Eliminating barriers to sales 4 Doing business ethically with reps 4 Becoming the emotional favorite 4 What Manufacturers need to do, internally, to get the best results from repsBy the end of the Manufacturer’s Best Practices program, you will be better able to: 4 Develop realistic and appropriate expectations 4 Manage and communicate more effectively with your reps 4 Createcustompoliciestobestfityourorganization Who attends? CEO-Howdorepsenhanceyourbottomline? CFO-Whyareyouwritingcommissionchecks? RSM - What is your biggest challenge? Sales support at factory - How to support the rep network? Logistics and costs...Manufacturer’s Best Practices Program will be held at the W.P.Carey School of Business at ASU in Tempe, AZ, January 10-11, 2011. The cost is $995.00

For complete information on all MRERF programs for Representatives and Manufacturers, go to: http://www.mrerf.org/

News from IHRA’s Educational & Research Foundation - MRERF

2011 CALENDAR OF EVENTSJanuary6 - 9International Consumer Electronics Show Las Vegas, NV

8 - 11San Francisco International Gift Fair San Francisco, CA

8 - 11Philadelphia Gift Show Oaks,PA

16 - 18NASFT Fancy Food Show San Francisco, CA

12 - 19Atlanta Int’l Gift & Home Furnishings Market Atlanta,GA

18 - 24California Gift Show Los Angeles, CA

19 - 25Total Home & Gift Market Dallas, TX

20 - 26Chicago Market Chicago, IL

22 - 24Orlando Gift Show Orlando,FL

24 - 28Las Vegas Market Las Vegas, NV

29 - 2/3New York International Gift Fair New York, NY

February5 - 8Seattle Gift Show Seattle, WA

11 - 15Ambiente Messe FrankfurtFrankfurt,Germany

March3 - 6Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo Salt Lake City, UT 6 - 8International Home + Housewares Show Chicago, IL

7IHRA Annual Membership Breakfast & Program7 - 8:45 AMMcCormick Place, Chicago, IL

24 - 27Total Home & Gift Market Dallas, TX

April2 - 7 International Home Furnishings Market High Point, NC

12 - 15 New York Spring Tabletop Market New York, NY

20 - 23 Hong Kong Houseware Fair HongKong,China

26 - 28 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show KBIS Las Vegas, NV

May10 - 12 National Hardware Show Las Vegas, NV

15 - 18 National Stationery Show, Surtex, ICFF New York, NY

27 - 30 Boston Gift Show Boston, MA

The IHRA InternatIonal Housewares representatIves assocIatIon

Home • Housewares • Gourmet • Hardware Multiple-Line, Field Sales Professional:

If you’re not a member of IHRA, you owe it to yourself to join the organization that is your voice in the industry and the manufacturers’ resource for finding

Well-Qualified, Performance-Proven, Field Sales Professionals

Forcompleteinformationabout“first-timer”membership and an application, contact us at:

847.748.8269•800.315.7430Fax: 847.748.8273

[email protected]•www.ihra.org

IHRA MEMBERS:Want to know more about RepCare group insurance? Just find your business home state and call Pat Brown or John Doyle.Call PAT BROWN at 847-559-1331 if your business is in:

ArizonaArkansasCaliforniaIdahoIllinoisIowa

KansasLouisianaMinnesotaMissouriMontanaNebraska

NevadaNew MexicoNorth DakotaOklahomaOregonSouth Dakota

TexasUtahWashingtonWisconsinWyoming

Call JOHN DOYLE at 888-243-0174 if your business is in:

AlabamaConnecticutColoradoDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIndiana

KentuckyMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMississippiMissouri

New HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNorth CarolinaOhioPennsylvaniaRhode Island

South CarolinaTennesseeVirginiaVermontWest Virginia

2010 IHRA Officers, Directors & Staff

OfficersChairman: Kent KulovitzPresident: Mark GlotterFounding President: Steve Grossman, CPMRExecutive Director: Bill Weiner

Directors Robert Bachner Jacob Bang-Knudsen, CPMR John Grob Linda Krol Seth Lapine Morey McFarren

Past Chairs John M. Clampitt Donna Peake Steve Grossman, CPMR Jim Adams Jay L. Cohen James Ayotte Tom Rooney David Silberstein Peter Bang-Knudsen

StaffAdministrative Assistant: Stephanie Baron Financial Director: Myra Weiner

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