on the rise - Ussco.com

. Promote Your BusinessSharperImageDuring times of tight budgetsand renegotiable relationships,projecting confidenceis paramountBrand equity can be hard to come by in a commoditybasedbusiness like office supplies when multiplesources can provide product to a client. The challenge—standing out and delivering a unique, reliable service—can only bemet by resellers that convince customers they have the experience andprofessional abilities to do so.Building and projecting a brand image can be difficult when many businesses arecutting back on media and marketing budgets. But it’s an essential strategy to make yourcompany more than just another purveyor of pens and paper. Many resellers, takinga cue from current market realities, are focusing more on tightly controlled marketingmessages and finding out that, more than ever, actions and practice should be thebedrock of any customer outreach plan.The ProfessionalsIQ Office Products, a 10-person company started by friends Bryan Freund and RyanPuccinelli in January 2008, operates in the Houston and Phoenix markets. The 28-yearoldsdidn’t have any genius ideas or flash of inspiration that led to the name of theirnascent company—four months into the business plan, they decided their name hadgood connotations and went with it. The title has served them well, as it projects the typeof professionalism, service, and smarts they want every customer to recognize.“One thing that separates us, especially from the big box stores, is that we do morethan sell someone a pen,” says Puccinelli. “We show them the proper product. We havean image of being knowledgeable and consultative. Why do people buy from certain34 November/December 2009