Does your buying group deliver the highest financial return with the least cost of belonging? Well the CIS group does and then it goes several steps further by presenting its members with a host of other benefits.
Providing programs and support to its dealer’s purchasing, marketing, training and technology needs.
CIS is an organization where our members come first and their business success is our first priority. Unlike some other organizations, we are not about control or mandates but rather about influence leading to exceptional output by acting collaboratively in a friendly, yet professional environment.
Beyond our mandate to provide best-in-class dealer-net-benefits to our members, our group offers a unique experience of common collaboration and camaraderie that exists among our independent dealers. This sense of belonging is harnessed by our constant interaction, either in live meetings such as our Annual General Meeting or Trade Show Conference, or by regular and active discussions and feedback via traditional communication channels. In essence, our dealer-members benefit from the collective activities of our group, all the while maintaining what makes them leaders in their respective markets.
As we are a co-operative group made up of shareholding members, every member through our Board of Directors, is involved in our strategic operations. CIS’s leadership and senior managers have decades of industry experience; from the independent community of dealers, to the largest multi-national players. Combined with the local expertise of our dealer councils and Board of Directors, CIS senior management has the benefits of leveraging the full intelligence and experience of the competitive landscape to deliver targeted best-in-class solutions to our dealer-members.
CIS employs a team of product and senior managers who provide the necessary focus for strong negotiations on behalf of dealers. These negotiations encompass pricing, volume rebates, pre-paid minimum deliveries, marketing funding, cash rebates and sales support. More generally, our collective volumes allow for improved overall serviceability and responsiveness from the vendor community. Through the CIS national associations with all major office products suppliers, dealers reap the many benefits of strong partnerships, leveraged upon significant combined volumes.
The needs of the market place and the positioning of the independent dealer were carefully researched and assessed in the development of a branding strategy. As a result, the Office Plus brand was designed as a unique identity for the "Office Plus" dealers to take advantage of customers' desire to get more standardized service and expertise both on a commercial and retail level.
CIS offers an extensive and cost-effective marketing program with strong support for the Office Plus brand and identity. Regardless of dealer size and location, a common communication style is woven through monthly flyers, annual catalogues, point-of-sale material, shopping bags and more, in a persuasive and image building fashion. Our collective buying power enables dealers to execute programs that generate more sales at a fraction of the cost for independent individual initiatives. Better yet, CIS acts as a central hub for implementing best practices across the nation.
CIS positions its dealers to better compete in their market by extending the tools and training programs necessary to gain a competitive advantage. Targeted at growing both retail and commercial sales, CIS grows the knowledge-set of individuals and organizations in the crucial areas of sales/margin management, customer service, human resources, merchandising and business promotion. The group’s collective knowledge base is centralized at CIS and disseminated to our dealers, so as to maximize national/local competitive information output, much like the major channel players have done for years.
Well-executed merchandising strategies increase cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. CIS recognizes this to be the most efficient means of growing sales within most dealer-members’ retail settings. Sometimes, dynamic and easy to execute point-of-sale solutions is all that is required to generate excitement and reasons to purchase; or in other cases, a full plan-o-gram, signage, and strategic product/shelf placement is required to maximize sales output and to enhance the shopping experience and loyalty of retail customers. The CIS merchandising team plays and integral role in providing proven tools and intelligence to our dealer-members in order to implement solutions for all sizes and styles of retail.
As customers move from traditional methods of order capture – phone, face and fax – to e-commerce, CIS provides updated websites for dealer use and for promoting online initiatives to customers. Dealers are provided with the tools to develop their own online ordering systems to assist customers with making efficient purchasing decisions.
Diligent and prudent management of funds and allocations ensure fiscal health and responsibility for CIS and our dealer-members. Our performance in finance management is exceptional and the catalyst that enables CIS to extend an efficient business model to our dealer-members.
All billing is centralized through CIS – encompassing our extensive vendor base – alleviating a sizable administration load, enabling our dealer-members to focus on their core competency of selling office products.
CIS ensures full visibility on revenues and expenditures to management and shareholders regularly.
CIS is a relationship based company dedicated to the careful development and success of its business family. Our financial stability augments this collective strength providing advantages that have resulted in industry leadership. As a member of the CIS family your business will grow and prosper. Here is a recap of some of the benefits membership provides:
Benefits
For years, CIS has been enabling independent dealers to thrive within an increasingly competitive marketplace. By safeguarding dealers’ independent approach, while emphasizing collaborative best practices in sales and marketing, as well as international buying power, you too can position your organization to succeed against the competitive challenges that all independents face.
CIS has several membership options, each tuned to provide the best benefits for your organization. Our process begins with our first contact with a potential dealer recruit, leading to a report provided to the respective dealer on its specific projected benefits. We look forward to discussing our services and your specific needs with you in greater detail.