The Platform Group Gallery

Factory tour - The Platform Group Gallery

Come and tour The Platform Group Gallery's factory.

Meet Customer Service & Production Staff - and watch us laminate, die-cut, print and assemble galleryboard packaging.

A powerpoint to use when presenting GalleryBoard to your clients

The above video is available in a powerpoint format that can be easily edited to replace our company name with yours. This is a great way to present the ecologically friendly galleryboard packaging line to your clients.

The benefits of the line include being made from 100% recycled content fiberboard, in the USA with employees vs. outsourced overseas labor, quick ship times and four decoration methods. We QC our work as we produce and only ship top-quality and always ship on-time. We ship all major freight methods - prepaid add or 3rd party / collect and we pack the product to arrive safely and on-time with no surprises.

Download the powerpoint here - Download The Platform Group Gallery - ecologically friendly packaging supplier

Net Promoter Score

Have you heard of something called the Net Promoter Score?  It's a measurement developed by some word-of-mouth marketing guru's to help companies measure what customers think of them and their products & services. 

Basically - companies ask customers "How Likely Are You To Recommend Us?" and ask them to rate from 1 to 10 (being best).

The Platform Group Gallery has been measuring NPS (Net Promoter Score) since Feb 2006, and you can look at our results anytime here.

If you haven't been asked yet to take our Net Promoter Score survey - we invite you now.  It is a quick 1 question survey - thank you!

The Platform Group Gallery has joined PromoLeads

PromoLeads is an industry service that helps suppliers match end-user leads to distributors.  The Platform Group Gallery has been using an in-house referral program for years that has delivered thousands of dollars of sales to our listed distributors, and we will extend this match-up program with the PromoLeads service.  Currently there are approximately 300 distributors using PromoLeads and more are joining each day. 

We will work to provide leads to distributors in anyway that they prefer - and by joining PromoLeads we will be supporting the industry's effort to bolster the relationships between suppliers and distributors.

If you are interested in joining PromoLeads - visit www.promoleads.com

You can see a PromoLeads contact us form in action at our client-safe catalog site GREEN Cat.

PromoBiz Coach Supplier Bonanza

9/23: Rosalie Marcus PromoBiz Coach Supplier Bonanza Show  -

About The Platform Group Gallery -

An industry supplier for over a decade, The Platform Group Gallery manufactures galleryboard packaging, an environmentally friendly line of Gift Boxes, Press Kits, Binders, Mailers, Folders and Desk Accessories.  Made from 100% Recycled content fiberboard and ecologically friendly paper-coatings, the line can be decorated in 4 print methods - Offset, Screen, Digitally printed vignettes and Blind Deboss. 

The Platform Group Gallery manufactures 100% in the US with US sourced products and their own employees.

The company offers distributor support tools that are state of the industry - recently being awarded Most Beneficial Marketing & Selling Tools from PPAI.  The tools include -

• Referral Program - we refer all end-user leads to promotional agencies who have joined our referral program (any qualified promotional distributor can join) - matching corporations nation-wide who are ready to buy with promotional agencies who can order from us and supply other promotional items.  This is a very successful program, resulting in lots of orders and follow-up orders.  To join, send an email to CustomerService@theplatformgroupgallery.com

• Blind Page-Turner Catalog, GREEN Cat - we have a totally blind, very informative page-turner catalog that is virtual sample enabled.  It outlines our best-sellers and provides lots of information about the product's material, decoration methods, color choices and accessories.  Visit it online or send it to your email (or a client's email) via your mobile phone  -- text 'platform' to 78247 

• No-charge Self Promotion program for Promotional Distributors, any TriBeCa priced item, with a 1 color screen or digitally printed CMYK vignette. This is a great way to present promotional packaging to your new and existing clients.

Idea for 4th Quarter -
Ecologically friendly gift box for holiday programs.  Every gift box in the galleryboard(R) line is made from 100% recycled content fiberboard and is sustainable as they are designed for re-use in homes and offices.

Case History Examples -

Gift Box Item No. E-15, gift box with a hinge-lid. 

Distributor Prodotto created a gift-program for new and existing clients using a gift box with a 1 color screen.  They included 'green' gifts to illustrate their expertise at sourcing ecologically friendly promotional products.

This box will stay desktop or re-used in the office once the gifts are removed.

Gift Box Item No. E-16, gift box with hinge-lid.  Distributor Gateway CDI created a eco-friendly 'intro-pack' as a leave-behind / door-opener for existing and new customers with the objective of emphasizing their focus on sourcing ecologically friendly promotional products. This box will stay desk-top and be a constant reminder that GatewayCDI is a agency of choice for ecologically friendly promotional items.

Offer -
15% off any gift box in the galleryboard packaging line - find gift boxes by searching on this link, or ask customer service to guide you. (CustomerService@theplatformgroupgallery.com)

No power at The Platform Group Gallery due to Hurricane Ike

UPDATE 9/16:

Late 9/15 we got power and started operations, and just five minutes ago 9/16 we got internet - so we are set. We have very minimal delays - and I think we've communicated with everyone.  But please email us if you are wondering.  For the most part all orders are shipping as had been previously scheduled and confirmed with sales orders.  Our main site www.theplatformgroupgallery.com is still down but will be up within 24 hours (we had to re-route the DNS and it will take some time to propagate again).

WE ARE ALL OK - however....

Our offices are in the heart of Houston - and are without power, along with still 1.8mm people & businesses in Houston.  Our customer service staff is working from a borrowed space at The Upper Hand (thank-you Rachel) - and our operations staff will be at the warehouse and doing what they can.

We will keep you posted as we know re: power / shipment schedules and sample processing.

Our main web-site is down, but visit www.ecofriendlyprintedboxes.com for an online page-turner catalog. Or ASI's ESP online -- all of our products are there.

Please call our central number 888-880-4790 or 713-692-9377 - they are routing to skype numbers in our borrowed space.

Or, email - that is really the best way to get us -

Allison@theplatformgroupgallery.com

Customer Service -
Mencily@theplatformgroupgallery.com
June@theplatformgroupgallery.com
Veronica@theplatformgroupgallery.com
CustomerService@theplatformgroupgallery.com

Operations -
Javier@theplatformgroupgallery.com

Thank you for your support.

ASI 78708 PPAI 216134 Upic Platform

Word of Mouth Marketing - a spectacular way to earn new customers

Welcome Promotional Product Agencies - and a special welcome to those who have found the GalleryBoard Packaging line through Rosalie Marcus, the PromoBiz Coach.

Rosalie asked me to talk to you today about Word of Mouth Marketing and in particular, how you as an agency specializing in promotions can use a successful word of mouth marketing approach to earn more customers (and strengthen relationships with your suppliers).

During our time together this afternoon I will cover the following ground --

• What exactly is Word of Mouth - and how is it defined by the professional marketing community?
• How you can integrate Word of Mouth into your marketing and prospecting campaigns - cost effectively, realistically and successfully. 
• Resources to learn more about Word of Mouth  -- including web-sites and books

WHAT IS WOM?

The word-of-mouth association's define's WOM three-ways --

The act of consumers providing information to other consumers.

Giving people a reason to talk about your products and services, and making it easier for that conversation to take place.  

It is the art and science of building active, mutually beneficial consumer-to-consumer and consumer-to-marketer communications.

Here is how I define WOM -

Make yourself (your products / service) remarkable.  That means, make it worthwhile for someone (a customer, supplier, prospect) to make a REMARK about you.

Give them something to talk about and make it easy for them to do the talking (and spreading of the word).

HOW can YOU integrate WOM into your marketing approach -

• You already have a marketing plan -- you are writing emails, sending thank-you notes, making phone calls, attending networking meetings, going to trade-shows -- HOW IN THE WORLD can you do something else? Who has time for WOM?
• The trick is to integrate it into what you are already doing.  Add value to your successful approaches by adding WOM executional elements.

I'm going to provide examples by showing you how I've integrated WOM throughout my company's marketing startegy --

Website -

• Most of you have a web-site, if you don't, you can easily create one through a blog-tool (like Typepad) or Yahoo Small Business services (they have a new very friendly interface that allows you to create web-sites with a web-interface)
• Put call-to-actions on your web-site.  If someone FINDS you - give them something to do & complete.  Don't make them wait to call you or send you an email (we all assume that we'll get VM or get stuck in spam, and we abandon the cart and move-on)
• Highlights from my-site
  • 24 Hour Challenge
  • Mailing List
  • Request a Sample
  • Request a Virtual Sample
  • Visit our blog
  • Find a distributor

Parnerships & Relationships --

• You are all networkers and are members of various local & national organizations.  You meet and greet all the time.  Add power to this already successful strategy by rewarding those who you are courting. 
• My company created a Referral Program.  We ask qualified promotional agencies to join our program (no-charge), and then send then end-user leads from their geographical area.  We send ALL end-user leads to a promotional agency, and choose those from the referral group - so why not be on it?  We also provide special perks and promotions to those on our referral program.

• What we are doing with the referral program is giving someone a gift (for free).  It's a proactive reward.  Think of how you can do that for your network.  For exampe, when someone passes you a lead, or sends you a referral - thank them by sending a gift-certificate or providing them with a free order. 

Search Marketing --

• Many of you use Google AdWords or the like from Yahoo/MSN to drive traffic to your web-sites. Your ads are displayed (on the right panel of google search for example) when someone searches on your keywords, and you are charged when someone clicks through your ad to your landing page.  This is expensive, but effective and necessary.   If you are hearing about this for the 1st time, visit  Google AdWords site and learn more.

• Leverage the money you spend on search by strengthening your presence in the 'free' search listings (the left panel of the google search page).  Leave keywords throughout your web-pages and on your blogs.  Again - if you have to -- create your own web-pages through Yahoo and/or blog tools and use those as alternate sites for your customers (beyond your corporate page).  These Yahoo and blog interfaces allow you to leave keywords all over the place - which is like leaving bread crumbs for your customers and prospects.

• My company has multiple web-sites -- and I provide those addresses in email signatures, cross-link them between sites, on business cards, etc. It all adds up and creates links and traffic.
  
  • www.theplatformgroupgallery.com
  • www.theplatform.typepad.com
  • www.pggsecure.com
  • http://social.asinetwork.com/profile/AllisonGower
  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/allisongower
  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=667958101

Tools that are useful for your customers & partners --

• We provide our qualified promotional agents with a web-site presenting our full GalleryBoard packaging line by created agent specific URL's.  These URL's display the agent's contact information and allow them to provide their clients with a shopping cart for samples and other requests.

• We provided agent branded hard copy catalogs as well -- no-charge.  These are perfect or leave-behinds or prospecting.

• We offer qualified promotional agencies a no-charge self-promotion program, of 50 items with a 1 color screen or CMYK Vignette.  The 'catch' is that we print a tag-line on these items that directs people to find more spectacular packaging at the agent's GalleryBoard branded web-site.

Invite your customers or partners to become an expert - give up some control --

• In March 2008 we are adding a create your own virtual sample service to our web-site.  This will allow promotional agents and their clients to choose an item or items, upload art, manipulate logo positions, change background colors, etc.  Then save a jpg(s) when done to email to clients or other members of team.  This will help us 'be viral' and spread the news.
• We offer a Welcome Kit that 'gives the key to the door' to our qualified agents.  This outlines all the tools, how to get information, who we are, and all of those basic things that you learn about a company after doing business with them for years.  This is our short-cut strengthen our relationship.

Give it Away and Create Value --

• We offer a no-charge door-opener with a Vignette.  Any qualified distributor can use this to open a door to a new client.  Use your logo or your client's logo.  The item is the 40-60 R-3 and holds our mini catalog perfectly.

• Seth Godin - the GURU of WOM, gives away his books free for a period before publishing.  Although this is counter-intuitive it creates buzz and value and momentum.

Make it easy for them to remember you --

• Email Signatures; include company statement, hyperlinks
• Text-Messaging; text 'allison; to 78247 or text 'platform' to 78247 to get more information

SNEAK OFFERS JUST FOR ROSALIE's Group -

• so secret we can't publish --

RESOURCES for you -

• LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com; create a profile, populate with your professional and personal interests (per your comfort level), and then use your gmail / yahoo / other email program to invite others to your network. 
• Create a BLOG -- there are many tools, TypePad is my favorite.  It is very inexpensive and easy (no web-skills needed and no web-site needed). Once you've setup your blog, you can add your LinkedIn and Google Search widgets to your blog easily on TypePad.  You'd be amazed how much traffic this will generate and so and so telling so and so about you.   Typepad allows you to put technorati (the main search engine for blogs) and keyword tags at the bottom of each posting -- that helps you come up in searches when folks are looking for something on google or yahoo.

• Facebook - it's not just for your teenagers!  This is a legitimate way to create a professional profile and network with customers, suppliers and prospects. See my profile below.
• WOMMA - the word of mouth marketing association; great listing of white-papers, recommended books (read anything by Seth Godin or Andy Sernovitz)
• Seth Godin - the absolute GURU of word-of-mouth
• ASI Social Networking Site  - Forums like Ecologically Friendly Promotional Items and other specialty groups. See The Platform Group Gallery's profile below.

Welcome Proforma!

Hello Proforma & Welcome to The Platform Group Gallery

We are manufacturers of GalleryBoard Packaging, and have been suppliers to the advertising specialty industry since 1998.  [asi 78708 / ppai 216134 / upic: platform]

You may have recently heard Mike Beckman from Proforma BPM speak about our FREE self-promo's and our other support services like Branded Catalogs, Branded Web-sites  (see Mike's here) , free virtual samples, free random samples and referral program.

It's all TRUE -- we have a whole host spectacular support services because we want to help you present & sell promotional packaging.

This link will take you to an overview post that highlights all of the services and how to get started getting samples, your free promos and more!

If you need anything -- email us at CustomerService@ThePlatformGroupGallery.com or call 888-880-4790.  We'll be looking forward to it!

Welcome to The Platform Group Gallery

Hi -  I'm Allison Gower, one of the founders & President of The Platform Group Gallery (asi 78708 / ppai 216134).  Visit our robust catalog site here.

Find us at YouTube as EcoFriendlyBoxes

NEW: For a totally blind page-turner virtual sample enabled catalog - visit GREEN Cat (or to get it via your mobile phone, text 'platform' to 78247)

I and the rest of our team would like to extend a hearty welcome to you (especially readers of Rosalie Marcus' PromoBiz blog), ASI Member Distributors (visit us on ASI Social Networking and on ASI ESP) and PPAI Member Distributors.

We manufacture the galleryboard packaging line which is environmentally friendly and specifically designed for promotional programs.  The galleryboard line features over 300 ready-made Gift Boxes, Press Kits, Binders, Folders, Mailers and Desk Accessories. We offer custom designs as well.

The line is manufactured in the US with our employees, and ships quickly - usually within 7 business days from artwork approval.

Every item in our line is made from 100% recycled content fiberboard and ecologically sound paper-stock.  We recycle in our operations and office and offer telecommute options to our employees. 

You can decorate any item in the line with one (or more than one) of four imprint methods.  Choose Screen Printing (great for pantone colors and moderately tight registration), Offset Printing (for high qty, tight registration and CMYK colors), Vignettes (digitally printed name-plates with no minimums) and Blind Deboss. 

We have been a member of the promotional industry for a decade - winning many awards for customer service, printing, and sales support.  Just this year, ASI name us to their 1st annual HOT LIST, we were named one of Houston's Fastest 100 growing businesses, and PPAI awarded us the Most Beneficial Sales & Marketing Aids.

Here is a quick list of these award winning support tools --

Referral program (all end-user leads go to promotional distributors)

Free Self promotion (for promotional distributors)

Free Actual Samples No-charge samples & free FedEx Ground to your showroom or drop-ship to client

Branded Web sites

Branded Catalogs and new for 2009 Branded Decoration Catalogs

Client-Safe GREEN Cat - on-line page-turner catalog

Virtual Sample Enabled Web-Site (using TechnoLogo Virtual Sample technology)

24 Hour Challenge  - if you need help getting started, we provide ideas & quotes

We are here to help -- contact us anytime --

Email CustomerService@theplatformgroupgallery.com with a request or question or ring us at 888-880-4790
   

galleryboard Promotional Packaging on Facebook

Referrals are Easy!

From Promotional distributor:

We do some work with Lehman so Leslie in our office is going to contact him. Thanks for the referral.  I stopped by the booth in Vegas.  Looked great!

To Promotional distributor from The Platform Group Gallery -

-----Original Message-----
To: Larry Cohen
Subject: End user lead

Dear Larry:

We received an inquiry from the end user below..... If you don't mind, I will tell him that we sell through distributors, and I will ask him to contact you for more information.