Frequently Asked Questions

I.  OVERVIEW

  A.  Why was the RepLink System software developed?
  B.  What are the features of the RepLink software?
  C.  How do Suppliers use the RepLink software?
  D.  How do Reps use the RepLink software?
  E.  How secure is the Suppliers' data?
  F.  How is the Suppliers' data kept current?
  G.  How are Suppliers' images stored?

II.  REP STEPS

  A.  What are the general steps a Rep must do to use the RepLink program?
  B.  How do Reps access their Supplier’s product data?
  C.  What are the steps to install RepLink myself?
  D.  What are the steps to download product info from my Supplier?
  E.  What are the steps to create a Sales Presentation?
  F.   What are the steps to download product images from the Image Vault?

III.  SUPPLIER STEPS

  A.  What are the general steps a Supplier must do to use RepLink?
  B.  How does a Supplier make their latest data available to their Reps?
  C.  As a Supplier, how do I create a sale presentation?

I.  OVERVIEW

A.  Why was the RepLink System software developed?

RepLink system software was developed to address the mountainous data management requirements of the Incentive businesses' for Suppliers and Reps.

The system is based on putting all product and sales information into a single place and then using PC software and the Internet to access this information.

The RepLink software was developed jointly by Reps with over 30 years of experience in the Incentive business; various Suppliers, and Microsoft developers and system engineers. The purpose of the RepLink software can be found in our motto: "To allow [Suppliers and Reps] to instantly share everything about a product with anyone, anywhere, anytime whenever they need it and in whatever format they can use it, in order to make a sale."

B.  What are the features of the RepLink software?

· Product Management You enter product data, pricing details and sales policies just once into a central database that is maintained in your office and uploaded to a secure Internet site for distribution. The Data Center component of the RepLink software manages your data entry and retrieval process.

· Communications Data Center contains a number of ways to share the information you've entered. It can be easily networked within your department or your company and it can be uploaded to the RepLink secure web server which provides links to the rest of the incentive industry.

· Sales Presentations Using a program called RepLink Presenter, you and your reps can easily search to find products your customers want to buy. Once selected, these items can be presented using any of four professionally created formats.

· Product and Rep Visibility Sharing product and buying information with customers can be expensive. RepLink can help control your marketing costs by linking your product data directly to the IncentivesAtWork.com industry web site. Promoted by both Incentive and Potentials magazine, the web site is visited by thousands of qualified buyers every week who are looking for suppliers and products. · Image Distribution Providing customers and reps with current product images takes a lot of time and costs a great deal of money in overnight charges. The RepLink system offers a service called Image Vault (www.supplierimages.com) which is available online to customers and reps anytime.

C.  How do Suppliers use the RepLink software?

Suppliers use the RepLink software to enter or import their data and product images for storage into the RepLink databases. Suppliers' authorized Reps can then download this data and images and use it for sales presentations and spec sheets.

D.  How do Reps use the RepLink software?

Reps also have RepLink software installed on their computers. Only Reps authorized by their Suppliers can download the Suppliers' brand information to their local computers.

Reps use the software to create Sales Presentations or spec sheets. Reps whose Suppliers are not yet on RepLink, can also use the RepLink System software to enter their own brand information to easily generate sales presentations and spec sheets.

E.  How secure is the Suppliers' data?

For security purposes, Suppliers use the RepLink software locally from their offices to enter and edit their product data. Suppliers then upload this data to the RepLink servers. The Suppliers' data is stored at a secure, corporate web hosting facility.

Suppliers must explicitly designate those Reps by Territories who are authorized to download the Suppliers data. Once this authorization is obtained, the Reps are then given special User Ids and Passwords by the RepLink System staff to be used when downloading data or images of the Supplier.

F.  How is the Suppliers' data kept current?

As price changes and edits occur on their data, Suppliers periodically upload these changes to the RepLink Servers. Reps are notified by email of these Supplier uploads.

G.  How are Suppliers' images stored?

Upon subscribing to the RepLink System, Suppliers immediately send their high-resolution product images to RepLink to be stored in an area called the "Image Vault".

These images can then be downloaded by Reps and Buyers - but only with explicit permission of the Supplier and User Ids and Passwords.

Because of the large file size of these high-resolution images, RepLink converts the images into two formats: low-res for Internet viewing and high-res for catalog display.

Once the Suppliers' data is in the RepLink databases, Reps and Suppliers can use pre-programmed RepLink templates to create sales presentations that displays the categories of information entered by the Supplier.

The Supplier data is also used to generate spec sheet documents from spec sheet templates jointly developed by RepLink, Suppliers and Reps.

II.  REPSTEPS

A.  What are the general steps a Rep must do to use the RepLink program?

1. Install the RepLink Program.

2. Obtain from RepLink an authorization to access their Suppliers' data (User ID and Password)

3. Use the RepLink Presenter program to download (update data) from the Supplier's database [Updates button-Replink].

4. Use the RepLink Presenter program to click and search for brands to use in a Sales Presentation [Presentations].

5. Use the RepLink Presenter program to click and create a Sales Presentation using a saved search and pre-designed templates [Presentations].

6. Use the RepLink Presenter program to click and create spec sheets using pre-designed, industry-approved templates.

7. If needed, download high-resolution images from the RepLink Image Vault (www.SupplierImages.com).

B.  How do Reps access their Supplier's product data?

A Rep must do the following in order to gain access to their Supplier's data:

1. Obtain and install the RepLink software by calling RepLink at 877-758-6038. A Technical Support person will walk through the installation after receiving the software.
 
2. Obtain a User Id and Password from RepLink Technical Support. q Confirm with RepLink that the Rep's Supplier has authorized his/her access to the Brand information (the Supplier also uses the RepLink software to check whether a Rep can access a brand).
 
3. Use the RepLink software (Presenter component) to then download from the Supplier the latest updated Brand information.

4. Use the RepLink software with the updated Supplier information to create sales presentations and spec sheets.

5. Use their User ID and Password to download product images via the Internet.

C.  What are the steps to install RepLink myself?

1. Double-check your computer to be sure it meets the minimum requirements.

Minimum Requirements Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 or ME Pentium Processor 32 MB of RAM Microsoft Office 97 or 2000 (Word and Excel) Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher Internet connection

2. Insert the CD and wait for the introductory menu to appear. If the menu does not pop up, you can still view the introductory page by navigating to the CD-ROM in Windows Explorer or My Computer, and double clicking on the file called autorun.exe.

3. Take a look at the Overview video. It will provide a full review of the software and can be very useful for those doing data entry or making presentations. If the Overview video or any other video does not start up properly for you, refer to README.TXT on the CD-ROM for more information about getting the videos to run properly.

4. Go into 'Installations' and click on the install link for Data Center and then Presenter. After you install each program, a shortcut will be placed on the desktop and the start menu.

5. When you are ready to upload from Data Center or get Presenter updates, please contact us at 877-758-6038 for your User ID and User password.

D.  What are the steps to download product info from my Supplier?

1. Once you have the Replink software installed, make sure you have obtained the Replink User ID and User Password needed to make your account active and allow you to access your particular Supplier's product information. This is a special ID and Password supplied by Replink Tech Support.  If you do not have or do not remember your information, please call us at 877-758-6038. Your User ID and Password is part of the Replink security to guarantee that only authorized Reps can access or utilize a Supplier's product information.

2.   Start the RepLink Presenter program and click on the UPDATES button from the list at the bottom left corner of the screen. This gray area is called the "Presenter bar". A new list of icons appears in the Presenter Bar once you click the Updates button.

3.  Click the RepLink Online icon on the left. A new screen appears on the right with 2 buttons.

4.  Click the Connect button. Make sure you have a connection to the Internet.

5.  Enter your User ID and Password given to you by the Replink Tech Support. When finished entering, click the Submit button.

6.  You will be shown a list of Brands to which you have access. If you do not see the Brands of your Suppliers, call us at 877-758-6038 and we will notify your Supplier(s) to give you access to the Brand information from within their version of the software.

7.  Click on the Brand(s) you want to download. You can drag the mouse to select multiple brands or you can hold down the CTRL key while you click on various brands. Note: to remove the selections and start again, click on any single brand without holding down the CTRL key.

8.  If you want to include pictures of the products, click the "Include Pictures in Update" checkbox.

9.   When finished, click the Get Update button to begin the download process. Replink will gather the various fields needed for the Brands. q When the white highlight settles on the line "Gathering Data Complete", click the Complete Update button at the top next to the Connect button. You will see a Please Wait message while data is being downloaded and updating your database.

10.   When the Update Complete Message box appears click the OK button, (even if the Please Wait message is going on behind it). The download and update is finished.

11.  A reminder button to check the Supplier notes will appear. Click the Yes button to remove the message and then click the Communications button on the left at the bottom to see any possible Supplier's notes. You are now ready to create a Sales Presentation using the most current Supplier information.

E.  What are the steps to create a Sales Presentation?

Once you have downloaded the most current Supplier product data (see "How do I download product info from my Supplier"), you are ready to create a Sales presentation.

1. Because you want to select from among your Brands, it is necessary to first search for the items you want in the printed presentation. Here are the procedures:

a.  Start the RepLink Presenter program (if not already open on your screen).
b.  Click the 'Main' button in the top left corner of the Presenter bar.
c.  Choose 'Searches' by clicking on the magnifying glass icon also in the upper left corner of the Presenter bar.
d.  On the right side of the screen, jump to step 3 and highlight the <company> name in the 'Brand' section. All your products appear in the search results box in the center.
e.  Click the Search button at the bottom of the screen (not the Presenter bar button). All your products appear in the search results box in the center (Model #, Brand, Price).
f.  Choose three items by double clicking each one. Notice that an item moves from the 'Search' screen to the 'Build' box. You can pause the mouse over the red buttons to see how to delete an item(s).
g.  To help Replink remember your searches, click the 'Save' tab at the top of the screen and enter a name for the search. Then click 'Save Search As'. Click OK.

2. Now, build the presentation.

a.   Click the Presentations icon on the left side of the screen in the Presenter bar.
b.  Click the dropdown box for 'Select A Search' in Step 1A then choose the search you just finished building.

3. Now in Step 1B, give this new Sales presentation a name. This can be a name that is the same or different from the name you gave for the Search.

a.   Click the large, red 'Next' arrow to the right of the Name of the Presentation.
b.  Click on 'Verify Quoted Price' if you want to change the price that will appear on the presentation. Click on 'Verify Recipient Information'. If you want to address the presentation to a specific person, enter data in the space provided and click the 'Add To Presentation' button.
c.  To save the name for future use, check the box 'Save As New Customer'. Make sure you click the Add to Presentation' button before moving to the next tab!
d.  Click on 'Verify Rep Information'. If you want to show your name and contact information on the printed presentation, enter it in the space provided. Click the 'Add To Presentation' button. To save the name for future use, click 'Save As New Default'.
e.   Check your data before you click the large, red 'Next' arrow. q In Step 3, select a presentation format from the options displayed in 'Select Presentation Format'.
f.  Click on the 'Generate Presentation' button. q After a short delay, the products and pricing you selected will appear as a presentation using your Microsoft Word program. It can be saved, edited, or printed just like any Word document.
g.   If you missed some items for this presentation or simply wish to generate another presentation, close Microsoft Word without saving the current presentation and return to the RepLink Presenter program to generate another search and Microsoft Word presentation. There is no limit to the number of presentations you can generate.

Note: The Product images use the low resolution images so that the Microsoft Word document can be easily emailed as a small file.

F.  What are the steps to download product images from the RepLink Image Vault?

1. The RepLink IMAGE VAULT is an Internet application and will require your connection to the Internet in order to view and download images to your computer.

a.   Point your browser to: www.SupplierImages.com.
b.  Click on the link of the name of your Supplier.
c.  Type your User ID and Password and click the Submit button (call us at 877-758-6038 if you don't have or forget ID or password).
d.  Choose a brand from the dropdown list box and click the Get Images button.
e.   When you see the list of images for the products, check the boxes next to the images you wish to download. To see a sample of the image, click the model number to preview the image.
f.  Scroll to the end of the list (if necessary) to view the options for downloading the checked products.

2. Saving the images to your desktop.

a.   If you want the group of images that you have checked to be saved as one large zip file, click the option 'Download as 1 file'. If you want checked images to be saved each to a separate file, click the option 'Download files individually'.
b.  Click the 'download images' button that appears below the options. q Read the message about Zip files and obtain the WinZip software by clicking on the link to the web site, which provides this software (this only needs to be done once).
c.  Once you have the WinZip program which will unzip (uncompress) all the files that were "zipped" into one large file, you can download your big file.
d.   Regardless of whether you are downloading individual files or one big file, the list of these files appears at the top of the screen. Click the Download File or Download Image link beside the name of the file.
e.  A new browser window appears with File Download box. Click the 'Save this file to disk' option (if not already selected) and click OK. 
f.  Navigate to the location on your computer (desktop is an easy location) where you want to save the image and click the Save button.
g.  When the download is complete, click the Close button and close the browser window. You will be returned to the Brand download page for the Supplierimages.com web site. Click on the next image to download or close/minimize this window so that the desktop appears and you can see your downloaded image files.
h.  If you downloaded a zipped file (1 big file), from the desktop double click the downloaded zip image file and the WinZip program will automatically run and unzip the images into individual files on your desktop. You can double click any image and an associated program will open and display the image.

III.  SUPPLIER STEPS

A.  What are the general steps a Supplier must do to use RepLink?

1.  Install the RepLink Program.

2.  Email authorized Rep names to RepLink for inclusion in the database. · Mail high-resolution product images on CD to RepLink for conversion and storage.

3.  Use the Data Center component to enter or edit product information. RepLink can also assess whether data can be imported from existing Supplier's computers.

4.  Assign product pictures to their model numbers.

5.  Click and check those brands to be downloaded by authorized Reps.

6.  Click and check those brands to be viewed by Users on the IncentivesAtWork.com web site.

7.  Assign Rep names to their sales territories.

8.  Use the Data Center component to click and send current data to RepLink servers so that the Supplier's Reps can download the information (the Reps must also have the RepLink software; and assigned IDs and Passwords)

9.  If the Supplier wishes to create a 'Sales Presentations', use the Data Center component to click and package the data for the Presenter program.

10.  Use the Presenter component to click and create a Sales Presentation using pre-designed templates.

11.  Use the Presenter component to click and create spec sheets using pre-designed, industry-approved templates.

B.  How does a Supplier make their data available to their Reps?

Once you have your product information in the Data Center, you must send that data to the Replink computer. Here are the steps:

1. Within the Data Center program, choose File -> Send data to Replink.

2. On the 'Prepare Brands' tab, there is a note that ALL brand information will be uploaded to RepLink; but that you can select brands for which you also want pictures to be sent.
Note: You can select multiple brands by clicking on a brand and holding the CTRL key and clicking various other brand names. Or you can select multiple brands in a row by clicking on the first brand and holding the SHIFT key and clicking the last brand

3. Click the NEXT button at the bottom right of the screen to go to the 'Connect to Replink' tab.

4. Enter your RepLink User ID and Password and click the KEY icon button located below the password text box.

5. Follow messages on the remaining tabs. Once your data is uploaded, your Reps can use their Presenter program to update (download) the data for sales presentations.

C.  As a Supplier, how do I create Sales Presentations?

Once you have the most current product data entered, you will need to "package" that data so that the RepLink Presenter program on your computer can help you create Sales Presentations. It is not necessary to send the data to RepLink first; that step is only necessary when you want your Reps to have data.

1.  Export the Brand information from the Data Center program to the Presenter program.

a.  From the Data Center program, choose File->Package for Local Presenter.
b.  Check mark the boxes next to the Supplier(s) name(s) you wish to package for the Sales Presentations.
c.  Click the Package button.
d.  RepLink will present an Export Complete message. Click the OK button to close this box. Your information has been sent to the Presenter program. You are ready to create a presentation. Here are the procedures:

2.  Import the Brand information.

a.  From the RepLink Presenter program, click the Updates button on the Presenter Tool bar on the left side of the screen at the bottom.
b.  Click the Data Center button to import the data you packaged from your Data Center database. (The RepLink button is for Reps to get data for their Sales Presentations-suppliers use the Data Center button).
c.  Click the Import Data Center Package button in the middle of the screen on the right. You will see the animated "gears" icon.
d.   When the import is complete, click the OK button on the Update Complete message box.

3. Create a Saved Search.

a.  Click the 'Main' button in the top left corner of the gray Presenter bar on the left.
b.  Choose 'Searches' by clicking on the magnifying glass icon also in the upper left corner of the Presenter bar.
c.  On the right side of the screen, jump to step 3 and highlight the <company> name in the 'Brand' section. All your products appear in the search results box in the center. 
d.  Click the Search button at the bottom of the screen (not the Presenter bar button). All your products appear in the search results box in the center (Model #, Brand, Price).
e.  Choose model items by double clicking each one. Notice that a model item moves from the 'Search' screen to the 'Build' box. You can pause the mouse over the red buttons to see how to delete an item(s). 
f.  To help Replink remember your searches, click the 'Save' tab at the top of the screen and enter a name for the search. Then click 'Save Search As'. Click OK.

4.  Now, build the Presentation.

a.  Click the Presentations icon on the left side of the screen in the Presenter bar.
b.  In the 'Create a New Presentation' tab, click the dropdown box for 'Select A Search' in Step 1A then choose the search you just finished building.
c.  Now in Step 1B, give this new Sales presentation a name. This can be a name that is the same or different from the name you gave for the Search.
d.  Click the large, red 'Next' arrow to the right of the Name of the Presentation.
e.  Click on 'Verify Quoted Price' if you want to change the price that will appear on the presentation.
f.  Click on 'Verify Recipient Information'. If you want to address the presentation to a specific person, enter data in the space provided and click the 'Add To Presentation' button.
g.  To save the name for future use, check the box 'Save As New Customer'. Make sure you click the Add to Presentation' button before moving to the next tab!
h.  Click on 'Verify Rep Information'. If you want to show your name and contact information on the printed presentation, enter it in the space provided. Click the 'Add To Presentation' button. To save the name for future use, click 'Save As New Default'.
i.  Check your data before you click the large, red 'Next' arrow.
j.  In Step 3, select a presentation format from the options displayed in 'Select Presentation Format'.
k.  Click on the 'Generate Presentation' button.
l.  After a short delay, the products and pricing you selected will appear as a presentation using your Microsoft Word program. It can be saved, edited, or printed just like any Word document.
m.  If you missed some items for this presentation or simply wish to generate another presentation, close Microsoft Word without saving the current presentation and return to the RepLink Presenter program to generate another search and Microsoft Word presentation. There is no limit to the number of presentations you can generate.

Note: The Product images use the low resolution images so that the Microsoft Word document can be easily emailed as a small file.