There are various measures that can define the depth and quality of a relationship between the dealer and client that go beyond the transactional versus contractual conversation, the number of placements and the degree of recurring revenue derived.
While not all vendor relationships offer the opportunity to forge deep, meaningful relationships, dealers participating in July’s State of the Industry report on vertical business have found opportunities within nonprofit, education and health care, among other spaces, to provide support in terms of backing fundraising and awareness campaigns. Certainly, providing this type of support is bound to have a salutary effect on future business engagements, but the primary driver is the desire to give back to those communities in which dealers do business.
Each of the markets in which Impact Networking, based in Lake Forest, Illinois, does business receives support from the dealer, either independently or in conjunction with other corporate partners. Brad Rozmarynowski, executive account manager and partner, notes these long-term commitments go well beyond financial commitments; they also entail providing volunteer staffing, hosted event space and donor recruitment. Impact Network assists with marketing and outreach activities, and promotes these organizations’ missions and benefits through its respective networks.
In an effort to bolster these organizational efforts, Impact Networking donates professional services to produce promotional videos. The dealer also develops collateral such as mailers and digital outreach through social media.
“Associations and advocacy groups that exist to benefit specific industries have relied on Impact to help build awareness and generate funds to support their efforts as well,” Rozmarynowski said. “All of this is primarily focused on community involvement and social responsibility, but it also has a very tangible side benefit of opening a lot of doors for client partnership opportunities.”
The dealer also hired a chief diversity officer and formed a committee of community leaders, celebrities, actors, politicians and sports personalities to aggressively push the diversity, equity and inclusion platform both internally and within the communities Impact Networking operates.
Lending Hands
Cincinnati-based Prosource backs a number of non-profit organizations within key verticals including education and children’s health care. One such organization is The Dragonfly Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer patients and their families, who are often patients at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a Prosource customer. In addition to participating in Dragonfly fundraising efforts, the dealer purchased and helped distribute Christmas gifts for all the Dragonfly families this past December.
In addition, Prosource raised more than $5,000 for CancerFree KIDS during No Shave November and is a longtime classroom volunteer participant with Adopt-A-Class, a mentorship program that connects business and civic groups with students in economically challenged schools within Cincinnati Public Schools and other local districts.
“At Prosource, our purpose is to make an impact every day for our customers, our communities, and our team,” noted President and CEO Brad Cates. “This commitment to making an impact is our “why” and it drives the work we do both inside and outside the walls of our offices.”
One of the key beyond-the-office partnerships that Advanced Imaging Solutions of Las Vegas has forged is with a Catholic-based learning organization for low-income students. The dealer and other local businesses support the mission to provide students with real-world experiences and development, according to Jeff Miller, vice president of sales.
“We have taken it to a much deeper and individual level with providing employees 24 paid work hours off annually to give in their own individual manner,” he noted. “This, in turn, amplifies the diversity and overall value we can bring as an entire organization.”
Varied Support
The owners of Offix in Gainesville, Virginia—Steve and Kim Valenta—are personally involved in a number of charitable organizations within the region, including a women’s shelter, and the company orchestrates a holiday gift drive for disadvantaged families. On a business level, the dealership developed a certified pre-owned program where machines are donated to non-profit organizations. According to Marketing Director Matteo Recanatini, Offix provides maintenance services to recipients free of charge.
“We also allow employees time off to perform non-profit activities—some are directly led by Kim and Steve, others are more corporate in nature,” he said.
