Going strong in its 10th year, the IMARK Gateway to Growth (GTG) program is the perfect complement to the powerful GainShare planning program.
The year-long program is designed to focus member attention on key new and important products from IMARK suppliers. Participating IMARK members earn GTG points for every dollar purchased.
IMARK members purchased $475 million worth of GTG products in 2023 from 50 participating suppliers. This figure demonstrates that the products included in the program are relevant to our members and deemed necessary by customers.
These purchases resulted in more than 1.45 billion GTG points, which were redeemed by members on the IMARK website. There is no cost to members who participate in this program and the administrative burden is limited to the member redemption of their GTG points for merchandise, gift cards, etc. Members can also use their points to pay for IMARK meeting-related travel and NAED training resources.
IMARK Electrical Now asked some of our members how they use the GTG points they earn. Here are their responses:
Mike Raygor, marketing director, ECHO Group Inc.:
With regard to the GTG program, we really keep it quite simple. We let the branch managers communicate to their regional purchasing department what GTG products they would like to see brought to their branch. The regional purchasing people communicate that to the other regional/company branches to try and conduct a collective buy in with multiple branches. Also with labor shortages, we are always interested in new products that save time; we have always been that way even before the shortage of labor because, as they say, “time is money.”
I do think the exposure for the manufacturers tying the points program to a product purchase is good. That gives us that much more incentive to buy from them. It also helps manufacturers move new products and products with less exposure by tying them to the program.
As far as the points go, we throw all of them into one bucket and then I divvy them out to all the branches at the end of the year—not by GTG purchases but by all of their IMARK purchases. In other words, if a branch is responsible for purchasing 10% of all IMARK purchases, it receives 10% of the GTG points. This keeps branches focused on IMARK as a whole and not just the GTG products. It also helps with the GainShare and Platinum programs. The branch managers can then use the points however they wish. I will give you a few examples.
One branch has a premier golf outing for which customers must qualify (with purchases) that is held at a premier course, and it uses its points to buy all of the event door prizes—iron sets, drivers, pitching wedges, fairway drivers, putters and GPS watches.
Other branches use their GTG points to obtain gift cards to use for company Christmas parties, whether to pay for the party or give to employees as gifts. Some use all of their points for gift cards to give to customers to thank them for their business or to try to smooth over a situation that may have gone awry.
Some branches have prize vaults that they fill with items to use for donations throughout the year. While other branches use their points to buy things they may need like a TV, kitchen appliances, clocks, etc.