2008 Q1 PDF File

Download the PDF file 2008 Q1

Leadership & Vision Equates Success

The respected and lauded former President of the University of Notre Dame Reverend Theodore Hesburgh described leadership as “The very essence of leadership is that you have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you clearly and forcefully articulate on every occasion.” But in today’s world where results count we can’t forget Albert Einstein’s famous statement that “vision without execution is hallucination.” With this being my final article in NARMS Today as the Chair of the NARMS Board of Directors it is my goal to leave you with some pertinent and motivational comments that hopefully will entice you to get more involved in your association and our industry.
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Update on the NARMS Company Accreditation Program

In 2006, the Board of Directors of NARMS began its initiative to develop accreditation standards for companies in the retail marketing services industry. The Board made this decision in order to provide companies with a set of consensus based industry standards indicative of high quality practices of retail marketing services. As the recognized leader in retail marketing services, NARMS believes it is the best entity to develop and administer an accreditation program that will serve as a symbol of quality and commitment to excellence for the industry.

So what is accreditation and why is it important?

Accreditation is a voluntary process of third party or “peer” review that measures a company’s ability to meet established industry standards. The standards reflect the “best practices” required of companies in today’s marketplace in several categories, including: financial management and internal controls; compliance with state and federal laws; insurance coverage; training and evaluation of service providers; contractual requirements; delivery of services; internal company policies; and ethical business practices. The accreditation standards were developed with input from NARMS member companies, stakeholders and experts in the industry. Because companies will need to meet the standards established by the industry in order to achieve accreditation, seeking accreditation will be a big commitment for many companies. While accreditation cannot guarantee the quality or successful performance of services by an accredited company, the rigor of its standards and the integrity of the review process is an indication of quality that is much more than a “stamp of approval.”

Who will serve on the accreditation governing body?

Members of the governing body will be required to meet a strict set of qualifications and must agree to abide by the policies of the accreditation program. The body will collectively represent the breadth, scope, experience and interests of retail marketing services companies. Members of the governing body will have been trained in interpreting the accreditation standards and in measuring a company’s compliance with the standards. This governing body will be the sole entity responsible for making all accreditation status decisions.

How will my company’s application be reviewed?

The review process of a company’s application is two fold. First the application is sent to two reviewers who are trained in the accreditation standards and documentation requirements. The reviewers must meet stringent criteria, demonstrate their qualifications to serve as a reviewer, and uphold all confidentiality and conflict-of-interest requirements. The reviewers will conduct a “desk audit” of the application, reviewing the responses to questions, supporting documentation and will determine the compliance of the applicant company with each accreditation standard and reporting requirements. The reviewers will present their findings to an independent governing body, which will make the final decision on accreditation.

In order to avoid real and perceived conflicts of interest, and in fairness to the intellectual property of companies who have worked hard to succeed in the industry, this independent body while administered under NARMS, will be governed by a set of strict policies designed to safeguard the confidentiality of company information and to prevent competitors from participating in your company’s review. The governing body will also be trained in the application review and decision-making processes to assure consistency and fairness in outcomes. The review system will also have an internal set of checks and balances so that all decisions are fully deliberated and reviewed by different individuals.

Accreditation will only be awarded to companies that meet and maintain compliance with the accreditation standards. Companies who do not continue to meet the accreditation standards may lose their accreditation status. It is important to note that the accreditation process is designed to enhance the practices of companies, so companies that do not meet all accreditation standards at first, will be afforded the opportunity to correct any areas of non-conformity and try again. There will also be due process afforded to companies who are denied accreditation, or who have their accreditation withdrawn.

What will I need to document in the application for accreditation?

A retail marketing services company seeking accreditation must submit an application form and supporting documentation to validate compliance with the accreditation standards. Once the application and supporting documents have been submitted, they will be reviewed by two assigned reviewers who will read the application and supporting documents. The reviewers will contact a company appointed liaison to request further clarification of responses or additional supporting documentation. The reviewers will determine the deadline for the applicant company to submit additional information. To review the accreditation standards and suggested documentation to support compliance with the standards, visit the NARMS website at www.narms.com. The application for accreditation will be available soon.

What are the benefits of accreditation?

Customers have many expectations of their service providers, and accreditation is one means for customers to make an assessment of the services they can expect from an accredited company and a decision about the overall quality of a company. Not only do customers benefit from accreditation, but companies that are awarded accreditation will undergo the valuable process of assessing their own policies, practices and operations against industry standards and will have the opportunity to improve how they do business internally and with customers. Accredited companies will also have the benefit of noting their accreditation status as a measure of best practices and a commitment to quality.

Christine Niero, PhD is vice-president of Professional Certification and Client Development for Professional Testing is a seasoned executive who brings over 20 years in credentialing in both developing and leading accreditation and certification programs. Dr. Niero serves to consult with NARMS in the development of the company accreditation program and led the two Town Hall Meetings at the 2007 NARMS Spring Conference and will present further program developments at the 2008 event in Williamsburg in April. Further, Dr. Niero is a frequent speaker on the topic of credentialing and currently serves on the Personnel Certification Accreditation Committee for ISO 17024 administered by the American National Standards Institute.

Membership Levels Attain All-Time High

Membership numbers in NARMS International exceeded all past levels in late 2007 as the member count rose to 571 member companies. The diverse member roster included some 56 international member companies, with 34 from Canada.
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Search for Work Creates Trend

An early spike in web based activity at www.narms.com is giving NARMS International evidence of exceptional post-holiday job recruitment activity. As you are well aware, NARMS International utilizes a combination of JobBank, The Recruiter and Career Connection as web tools to meet company member and non-member recruitment and individual job seeker needs in the retail services industry.
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NARMS News

Changes to NARMS By-Laws

By action of the NARMS Board of Directors in December, 2007, the NARMS By-Laws were amended, allowing for the extension of a director’s term beyond the former two (2) year terms during any service as Board Vice Chair or Board Chair, with such service restricted to a maximum of two (1) year terms in each position on the board. The action does not change the number (11) of board members but does change the role of nominating committee in such a way as to include the nomination of a slate of officers in their charge.

Accreditation

Actions of the NARMS Board of Directors resulted in:

• Amending the bylaws to establish the Independent Accreditation Committee granting authority to the NARMS Chairman to appoint the first NARMS Independent Accreditation Committee (NIAC) to be comprised for at least seven non-NARMS Board members who meet the qualifications outlined in the Draft Policy Manual for NIAC. Appointments to include the offices of Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary. Additionally the NIAC is to include the category of Public Member.

• Approval of the governance structure of the NARMS Independent Accreditation Committee (NIAC) granting authority over all accreditation decisions and policies as outlined in the Draft Policy Manual for NIAC

• An Appeals Committee to consider Appeals of Adverse Decisions comprised of members of the Cadre of Reviewers as outlined in The Draft Policy Manual

More information about progress with the Accreditation program is available in the preceding article by Chris Niero on pages 8-9.

Call of the annual business meeting

The annual business meeting of NARMS has been called for Tuesday afternoon, April 15, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. at the annual Spring Conference in Williamsburg, VA. The gathered membership will hear comments from NARMS Chair Chuck Latham, a financial report from Treasurer Tom Caddell and State of the Association from NARMS President/CEO Dan Borschke. The membership will vote on Directors (see next news item) and will recognize retiring directors: Chuck Latham, Don Cox and Chip O’Hare.
Board of Director Nominations
Recent action by the Nominating Committee has resulted in the nominations of the following persons to service on the NARMS Board of Directors and the accompanying slate of officers.

Re-nominated to additional two-year terms were Don Koller of Lawrence Merchandising Services and Tom Caddell of AMG-Central. Also nominated (to initial two-year terms) were Jim Hall of Riteway Sales & Marketing; Steve Horowitz of Co-Sales Southern California and Steve Donzelli of Chuck Latham Associates.

Nominees as the slate of officers for the 2008-09 time period effective at the April 15th NARMS Annual Meeting include: Chair: Don Koller, Lawrence Merchandising Services; Vice-Chair: Mary Jo Bastuba, Nintendo of America; Secretary: Ed Martin, The Ready Set Companies; and Treasurer: Ethan Charas, Stratmar Retail Services.

All these nominations will be placed before the membership at the annual meeting in Williamsburg with non-attendees given the option of forwarding their proxy to the NARMS office.

Trend Awareness is Key

Listening and talking to peers, retailers, brokers and manufacturers is the best way to determine the “pulse” of the Event Marketing business. It is encouraging to hear that several of the demonstration/event marketing companies have returned to basics to generate business continuity while others have decided to join forces with larger entities. Without mentioning company names, the following trends have been identified:
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Difficult Economics Produce Efficiency

I hope you’re already looking forward to the 13th Annual NARMS Conference. It is always exciting to attend the conference, but it is especially exciting to be attending the conference in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. It will be interesting to turn back the clock to an earlier time in our history of America. Sometimes people romanticize the colonial era as a simpler time. When I visit areas of the country dedicated to early times, my thoughts tend to go to how tough it must have been just to survive. My son understood some of these thoughts last year during an ice storm that left us without water or electricity for three days. Towards the end of the ordeal he said, “I understand why people used to get up before dawn and go to bed at sunset. You cannot do anything without electricity.” My son is beginning to learn, sometimes surviving requires effort.
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You Can Always Sell More

Welcome to our fourth article in the series “You Can Always Sell More: How To Improve Any Sales Force!”

NARMS International, in partnership with GreatSalesSkills.com is offering this article series to help you improve your sales organization and increase your competitive advantage. Two versions of each article are available. The first is this abridged version published in this magazine. A more complete article including extensive action suggestions is also posted at www.GreatSalesSkills.com/NARMS. Register by entering your e-mail address and ‘NARMS’ as your password.
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Customer Service Starts with our Employees

I recently stopped by a supermarket with my daughter after her track practice to buy her a Gatorade. Normally I’d go to a convenience store closer to our house but this mega-sized store (which I do not shop) was near her high school and she was thirsty. When we walked in I had no clue where the sports drink section would be so instead of doing the “guy thing” and walking aimlessly around the store I asked a young employee at the front of the store stocking shelves. He stopped what he was doing, stood up, looked me in the eye and said “They are located in the middle of aisle four - do you want me to take you to it?”
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