Learning from People Smarter Than Us - 5 Books that Helped Shape Ammex

Think and Grow Rich
by Napoleon Hill

One of the most highly regarded and influential best-selling books of all time, Mr. Hill has helped Ammex by teaching us to focus on the desire to be successful and utilize our talents in leadership, vision, and persistence. Acknowledgement of the power of a positive attitude, now a staple in business and personal growth literature, got its start here. After more than 70 years, this book continues to inspire us.

Our Favorite Quote: “Ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes.” -Napoleon Hill



Mastering the Rockefeller Habits
by Verne Harnish

This isn’t just another book of good ideas – Mr. Harnish speaks about mastering concepts. From things as complex as defining our core values to the seemingly easy adaptation of rhythm in our daily meetings – Ammex was able to take ideas and start to implement them in beneficial and strategic ways. This book helped us to define both who we are and where we want to go.

Our Favorite Quote: “Keep everything stupidly simple. If your strategies, plans, decisions, systems, etc. seem complicated, they are probably wrong.” -Verne Harnish



Good to Great
by Jim Collins

Knowing where Ammex wanted to go was the first step. And the next step came from Mr. Collins. Knowing the value of each team member and making sure they are in the best position for them not only helped to increase productivity, but also created a breeding ground of ideas for improvement. And with more inspired and dedicated team members, we could remain more focused on being disciplined enough to adhere to our values. This book painted a clear picture of how we could do our very best.

Our Favorite Quote: “The right people don’t need to be tightly managed or fired up; they will be self-motivated by the inner drive to produce the best results and to be part of creating something great.” -Jim Collins



The Ultimate Sales Machine
by Chet Holmes

Having established values and a great team, Ammex needed to fine tune our processes and practices. Mr. Holmes gave us a fresh perspective in many areas of business. Ideas that helped us to use our time more effectively, such as revising our “to-do” lists, how to give better and more successful presentations, and helping us to understand how to use market data to our advantage. This book took both our sales, and how we look at it, to the next level.

Our Favorite Quote: “ Concentration is like a muscle and it strengthens as you concentrate more.” -Chet Holmes



Little Red Book of Selling
by Jeffrey Gitomer

Sales is what makes everything happen here at Ammex, so at the end of the day if we aren’t selling, we aren’t succeeding. Mr. Gitomer helps us to remember how to keep sales the focus but do it with a positive attitude, sincerely caring about our customers, taking pride and joy in our work, and always giving 110%. This book is one we frequently re-read to remind us of the fundamentals of selling.

Our Favorite Quote: “The sale is yours for the asking; all you gotta do is ask for it in the right way.” -Jeffrey Gitomer

Latex prices increase - what can you do about it?

Sometimes it is hard to think about the weather affecting the prices of products you use everyday. It is especially hard when it’s happening on the other side of the world. Well, due to heavy rains in Southeast Asia, where most rubber is farmed, speculators predict raw latex will only continue to increase through the remainder of the year and into early next year. Already latex has reached an all time high, so it is hard to predict how much higher it is going to get before the prices hopefully start to come back down.

The latex supply naturally decreases in the winter months, due to colder climate making it slower to collect, so weather will always play a role in the production of a natural product. However, prices have continued to rise. Looking back on pricing from October 2009 versus October 2010, there has been over a 58% increase in the price of raw latex. This is due to the demand for other products, such as tires, putting increased supply and pricing pressure on the latex used for disposable gloves.

So how can you compete with a raw material price increase that shows no signs of lowering? Finding alternatives to latex gloves is a great way to do that. Both nitrile and vinyl gloves are man-made, non-latex products. As the price of latex has increased and the use of disposable gloves grows, the alternative glove market has developed more and better options. There are nitrile gloves that outperform latex in durability, and vinyl gloves that can dramatically cut the price of using gloves. Although their prices are directly related to the current price of oil, right now their current price is more stable than that of latex.

Another way to avoid getting hit with these increases is to stock up before the prices soar. When the price of latex at the source is raised, the market will not see those new price increases until about 90 days afterward. It isn’t too often that you are given this amount of time to prepare for price hikes, so why not get product you know you will need at a price you know will be better?

Latex, no matter what the price, will continue to be a staple in the glove world. But with no end in sight of increased pricing, it might be time to see what alternatives you have – and maybe find a product that works for you and saves you money.

Ammex In Fortune Magazine!

5 strategies for global expansion



FORTUNE -- Eric Zuziak reckons that the Chinese middle class saved him from ruin. Before the real estate bust of the past four years, a company in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in China, noticed on Zuziak's website all the design awards his architectural firm, JZMK Partners, had won. It then hired Zuziak to design a residential community in Nanjing. Business from Costa Rica to Qatar soon followed. No worries about the real estate crash, says Zuziak, who now generates 85% of his $4 million in sales overseas. His secret? He and his Irvine, Calif.-based company work with market researchers to target countries such as China, of course, that have lots of consumers with money to burn. Here's what I think you should be doing to ramp up your own global business.


1. Set ambitious goals


Aim to generate 30% to 50% of revenue outside North America within three to five years. At Ammex, which sells disposable gloves, CEO Fred Crosetto recently created a five-year plan to expand in China and beyond. The firm, based in Kent, Wash., now employs 40 people in China, including a sales force. "China, India, and the markets outside of the U.S. are the future," he says.


2. Go multilingual


You can get by in many countries by speaking English, but you'll have an edge if you hire staff who speak the language. For instance, Zuziak of JZMK (see above) employed two Mandarin speakers when he broke into China; later, he hired a Chinese business development and project management consultant with a Ph.D. in architecture to serve as an intermediary for other gigs. "She was a representative of our clients on our first project," says Zuziak.


3. Focus narrow and deep


Instead of diversifying into new products, Crosetto of Ammex stays focused on peddling disposable gloves, aiming to dominate its niche. Beyond just providing his distributors with products, he helps them market aggressively with his "sales acceleration solution," a package of promotional tools, including brochures and a custom display for 24 types of gloves. "We supply it to all of our distributors free of charge," he says. He also offers them advice through a specialized marketing division.


4. Source globally


To keep his prices competitive enough to sell in China, Crosetto spends time looking for the best deals on gloves from factories there -- and in other Asian countries, like Thailand. He keeps personnel costs down by relying on a sales center in the Philippines to serve his U.S. clients. This helped him avoid laying off anyone on his U.S. team during the recession. Zuziak also utilizes a CAD drafting service in Argentina on certain projects to gain a competitive edge.


5. Follow the customer


My own firm made its international move nine years ago, when a customer dragged us to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where we've been active ever since. To map your route overseas, contact your existing customers or partners and ask if they need your support internationally. It greatly reduces the risk of going global if you have revenue flowing on day one.



--Verne Harnish is the CEO of Gazelles Inc., a consulting firm.