The high ticket…
high growth performer
The rapidly emerging search marketer
and original brand champion
 
25 Jul 08
What is it with the State of Minnesota and leading US companies? There are 19 Fortune 500 companies there including retail leaders Best Buy and Target. In the fast growth health sector Medtronic, United Health and Ecolab and financial powerhouses Ameriprise, Travelers and US Bancorp. In OP manufacturing the mighty 3M and Smead. In OP superdealer community S&T Office, Innovative Office Solutions , Bertelsons…and now BuyOnlineNow.

BuyOnlineNow.com (BON) exploded onto the scene this year. Until recently many of the OP industry's leading manufacturers were not aware of the pure internet player from Rochester (MN) that relied primarily on the wholesale services of United Stationers and SPRichards. That is about to change BIG time as they realise what a powerful OEM brand ally they can now partner with…when all the market talk has been about own brand.
 
BON came to my notice this year when I read a profile in Simon De Groot's Independent Dealer ezine. I was impressed with their rapid growth and wanted to find out more. Bob Herman (pic above) is the CEO, an ex-technology professional who started the business back in 2000. His inspiration was the legendary Irwin Helford and he wanted to create a special company with the same degree of marketing prowess he interpreted from Viking's huge success in direct marketing.
 
BON recorded sales of $18M in 2007 and this year is on course to achieve $30m…up a massive 66%. Sales per employee the basic productivity measure (including an add back adjustment for truck drivers) is $578,000…the best we have recorded in the USA. So how do they do it? What makes them different? What are their measures of success?
 
The first thing I was struck by in speaking with Bob over the telephone, was his grasp of the numbers; his strong sense of customer orientation and making it easy for them to 'buy online now'. In other words to make the 'browse and buy' web experience as simple as possible.
 
A power of a specialist
BON has 50,000 active customers with furniture unusually 43%/sales, equipment 14%/sales and office supplies relatively low at 35%. New areas of development include breakroom and jan-san supplies which has risen rapidly to 8%/sales.

This specialist reputation is growing and being rewarded in BON's high average order values (AOV's). The AOV's of most  internet OP resellers is in the region $100-$150. BON' AOV is $200+ reflecting the higher ticket merchandise. Interestingly, a quarter of customers place orders via telephone, and here customers spend an AOV of $500+. Moreover, repeat customers…2 orders plus who represented a third of total sales placed AOV's of $1100.
 
This is a great endorsement for the power of the human touch on high ticket items. Taking a leaf out of the irwin's 'personalisation' playbook, even though you don't meet the customer face-to-face, create the next best thing via an easy 'personal' touch via the experience on the telephone or the web.    

BON partners with some of the great brand names of our industry. These include: HON, 3M, Fellowes, Global, Safco, Acco Brands and Avery. Intersetingly, it also supports innovative manufacturers who may not be getting enough market exposure e,g, Lion Office Products. There are up to 20 manufacturing partners at the moment and this is expected to rise rapidly now that they realise that Bob is indeed an original brand champion.
 
In fact, commodity products, like paper and ink cartridges, are only a small percentage of overall sales with the clear focus on being a specialist office solutions source rather than a regular OP reseller.
 
The business philosophy is simple. Create an easy, simple 'browse and buy' experience that 'you would wish to enjoy yourself'. No distractions, no switch sells, no accessories…just make it easy to find what the shopper is looking for, with the proper supporting information in user friendly language to reassure the shopper…and then speed to the check out. Pricing is positioned competitively.

Technology edge
BON's key market differential is facilitated by a fast and highly functional webstore design. Bob employs a team of 9 IT developers to ensure that he maintains this cutting edge. This is a key advantage which we feel will be progressively realised as they continuously upgrade the user experience going forward.
 
BON has made rapid strides with its highly focused specialist model and plans for this to continue at the same rapid pace. Bob is targetting $100m by 2011…even a supreme optimist like me will be impressed, but not surprised if he pulls it off.

When we discussed key measures of the BON business Average Order Value and customer service reliability were paramount in Bob's mind. They track execution from acknowledgement to dispatch to delivery keeping customer informed at each stage. At the webstore browsers can see straight away the 5 Star Customer Rating Service continuously updated rates BON an impressive 4.8/5.
 
***Manufacturers pay attention…tap into your new brand champion, but make sure your end user marketing message resonates and captures the imagination of users. Too many ads fail to entice, engage or are simply not memorable…the important link from airport poster ad to web browsing.

Article reprinted with permission from Proficiency Post.

Ergonomics is quickly becoming a major movement in the work place and one important aspect of ergonomics is being able to generate a healthy sitting (work) posture.  This requires the proper equipment.   While there are many ergonomic chairs around that help to keep you comfortable throughout the day, many people still keep their keyboards on their desk.  By using a keyboard tray, most people will find that their arms and hands stay more comfortable due to being in a more natural position.

This in turn, helps relieve back and neck discomfort which can result in a higher overall level of productivity and employee moods.  This is especially true when using the proper chair set to the right adjustments with a keyboard tray, and having your computer monitor(s) set to the right height and angle.

Keyboard trays usually have room for a keyboard and mouse pad, and attach to the underside of your desk.  They connect to an arm that allows them to be pulled out, so you can type and click with your arms comfortably on the arm rests.

Keyboard trays are available in a variety of styles to fit any office decorating scheme, and are being produced by some of the top office manufacturers in the world including Fellowes, SAFCO, 3M and more.

  Many people as they start their workday need to have their morning cup of coffee or in Design & Development Manager Nate Ende’s case a pot of coffee.  While enjoying their morning coffee people also run the risk of the dreaded accidental spill on the keyboard.  These spills will ruin your everyday keyboard or at the very least cause some of the keys to stick, turning typing into a nightmare. Kensington has put an end to this problem by developing spill-safe keyboard designed to withstand these accidental spills.

The Kensington spill-safe keyboard consists of a sealed membrane design that allows liquid to run through, without damaging the keyboard electronics.  This keyboard has a sleek design that compliments today’s PCs and the slim profile saves valuable workspace.  The spill-safe keyboard consists of 104 keys and has a sturdy metal back to provide extra strength.  It is both PS/2 and USB compatible and is for use with PCs running Windows 98 or later.

    There is also a demand for the spill-safe keyboard in the restaurant and medical fields where many liquids are near keyboards in areas of high congestion. They are also popular in the janitorial supply area for people who would like to prevent liquid and cleaning solutions from accidentally getting into keyboards.    

    There were numerous accidental spill stories around the office talking about the number of keyboards that have been destroyed from different beverages.  These could have been avoided if people were equipped with the spill safe lifetime keyboard from Kensington.   

Early this year, Fellowes put on their social media hats and created a contest letting users describe their creatives ways they've tried to clear a paper jam. We blogged about the contest at the time and am happy to see that they now have their winners selected.

It sounds like the final decisions were tough, and here are just a couple or the creative ways users have tried to un-jam paper shredders. Or, you can see all five winners plus a few honorable mentions.

GUMMING UP THE WORKS

“Bubble gum, lots of bubble gum, pushed into the underside of the shredder teeth to grab the bits of partially-shredded paper. Then using the CO2 keyboard cleaner spray to freeze the bubble gum, then pry it out with a screwdriver. Had some good results, but sometimes not even this helped.”

 

SHARP THINKING

“Using a diamond-power-edged hacksaw blade, I was able to clear a bad paper jam which had several staples and other stuff layered within it. Of course, I wore a leather glove to directly handle the blade so it could be guided into the shredder’s paper slot. Oh, did I say, I ended up throwing this paper shredder away soon thereafter? :)”

This was definitely creative. At OrderPaperShredders.com, we're happy to sell many different paper shredders, including the PS-79i jam-proof shredder that Fellowes gave away for their contest.

Recently I started using one of the new MX Revolution mice made by Logitech .  Previously, as far as I was concerned, if you’ve seen one mouse, you’ve seen them all.  Now, I find it hard to imagine what it was like before I started using one.  The Logitech MX Revolution cordless mouse is a fully programmable 7-button mouse that will change the way you use your computer.

By using laser technology, even the basic point and click accuracy is improved over any other mouse, which makes it great for browsing the web, but it really shines in programs like photoshop where pinpoint accuracy is so important.  Not only is the mouse precise and fast, but it is also extremely comfortable.  Its ergonomic shape feels very natural in your hand, and in my opinion, minimizes cramping and discomfort.

Another great feature is the brand new Microgear precision scroll wheel, which is the first free spinning scroll wheel.  This works great for scrolling through giant documents and spreadsheets in mere seconds.  Also all seven buttons are programmable so you can have different clicks do different things.  I have my thumb wheel set up with my music player, so I can skip songs and adjust the volume without having to pull the program up on my screen.

On nights and weekends I play in a Rock ‘n’ Roll band.  Although the actual playing part is really fun, the set up and tear down can be exhausting.  One way I’ve found to make this easier is by using hand trucks to haul gear between the vehicle and the stage.

Hand trucks basically give you the advantage of adding wheels to something that doesn’t already have them.  This works great for really heavy items because you can just push or pull them to where you want them instead of carrying them. 

Using a hand truck to roll my heavy amplifiers and equipment on and off the stage helps me save my energy for what’s really important, playing music.

Folding Hand Truck

Hand Truck

Platform Hand Truck