Welcome to a new era in marketing and buying!
Order-Star is the new powerful, yet cost-effective marketing system designed to enable vendors to both increase their exposure to potential new buyers as well as giving them the power to quickly generate new orders at the click of a mouse. By combining the best of digital media, simplified order writing software, and web-based tools, Order-Star can increase your dealer-base, increase sales and ultimately increase your bottom line.
How does it work?
In the summer of 2008, the Order-Star marketing system will be shipped to over 2500 independent hardware, home improvement and lawn and garden dealers free of charge. The package will include a CD loaded with a variety of participating manufacturers' digital brochures, marketing materials, even videos or flash media presentations of their products. Once the software is registered, the users are free to browse through all manufacturers' digital media and when ready, they can activate an account with a vendor and begin writing orders directly in the software. Orders can then be transmitted directly to the vendor via fax or e-mail in a concise purchase order format, complete with the dealer's relevant account information. The best part of Order-Star for manufacturers is that it continues to work for you year-round.
Year-Round Marketing
Unlike more traditional marketing, such as mailing brochures, salespeople calling on a dealers, etc., Order-Star and your product line will remain in front of the dealer's salespeople throughout the year. There is no limit to how many users at a dealer can install the software. Let's face it the printed material sent out to a dealer has a high cost of printing and mailing. It may never reach its intended recipient, or worse, it may end up under a stack of paperwork or in the garbage. We have found, though, that most people can't resist at least putting a CD in their computer to see what it does. Once they do, they will have your information at their fingertips all year long.
Web Interaction
As if having your product and marketing materials delivered to over 2500 potential buyers isn't enough, we have taken the Order-Star Marketing Program a step further with web-based tools on Order-Star.com. As a participating Vendor, the Order-Star.com experience will provide you with administrative access to make announcements of new products, update your product pricing in the local ordering software, post surveys regarding products, and offer the exciting ability for dealers to print their own customized brochures, posters and other printable marketing materials for your product line. Once registered to use the local program, users can login to Order-Star.com and browse through your latest product updates, here about your latest news, and download pricing updates for their local program.
Costs of Participation
As mentioned earlier, the Order-Star program is free for dealer salespeople to install, register, and use. This eliminates any barrier of entry for your target buyers to install the program and begin browsing your marketing materials. And by combining a large number of manufacturers on one disk, we can offer this opportunity to each individual vendor at a very reduced cost. For far less than it costs to invest in exhibiting at a trade show, and significantly less than the cost of printing up brochures and catalogs for blind mailings, we can include your company on the Order-Star Marketing Program and put your company and your complete line of products, ready to order in the hands of over 2500 independent dealers. Please see the attached Pricing Sheet for available packages and options, choose the one that fits your needs best and mail or fax back the enclosed Vendor Participation form to hold your spot in the upcoming Summer, 2008 distribution.
Cost Analysis
Supposing you choose a mid-level package at approx. $2500.00, you can put your product marketing materials, complete order processing system, and amazing online tools in front of over 2500 potential buyers. That is less than $1.00 per potential new buyer. What other marketing method can drive that much in potential sales to your business at such a low cost? The clear answer is 'None'. And the real beauty is that your marketing dollars continue to work for you throughout the year as new dealers activate accounts with you and continue to buy product throughout the year.
Deadline to Participate
As we are targeting Aug. 1 for the distribution of the Order-Star Program, we must have all participating vendors submit their materials and products lists to us prior to June 30. Earlier is better, but this will give us the time necessary to make sure everyone's marketing materials are included, their administrative account is setup properly on Order-Star.com, and their products are properly entered into the ordering software tools. As always, we welcome your questions and you can call or e-mail us at any time.
Sincerely,
The Order-Star Team