Have you heard the expression “too many cooks in the kitchen?” Well, in this case, lots of cooks are welcome. We’re talking about the marketing talents showcased through PromoKitchen—a volunteer-driven group of promotional products professionals who share their knowledge through blogs, podcasts, live events and more.
Promotional Consultant Today features this PromoKitchen post shared by chef Patrick Black, owner of Perfect Imprints.
Hate is a strong word that I rarely use. With that being said … I hate when salesmen with no passion approach or call me out of the blue. I hate being cold-called by people who are reading a generic script. Even if you ask a question, you get a word-for-word scripted answer that doesn’t even begin to address your question. I hate dealing with salespeople who hate their job. I hate dealing with employees at stores who are grumpy and generally miserable.
However, the sales calls or visits that do sell me are those salespeople with passion. It’s easy to tell when someone loves what they do and believes in the product or service they represent. They no longer are salespeople; they are brand advocates. They completely have faith in what they are promoting. It makes me excited to try their product or service.
Does your company as a whole have passion? It starts with the top management and trickles down. If your principals and management team aren’t advocates, expect that the rest of your staff will have the same lousy attitudes.
As the CEO of Perfect Imprints, I am passionate about promotional products. I am a promotional products nerd. I am constantly learning. I believe in the products. I believe in the process of using them in creative ways to increase branding and to strengthen marketing campaigns. I believe in my employees.
My employees have passion. They are delighted when clients are happy. They are truly upset if an order happens to go awry. They go above and beyond to accommodate the sometimes unreasonable requests by clients. They find joy in performing the “impossible.” Their passion shows and their clients don’t just notice it, they feel it!
Do you have passion for your products? Do you love what you do? If not, maybe you need to re-evaluate what you are selling. Or a better question is, “What are you advocating?” If you are haphazardly “selling” a product, are you advocating an “average” or “sub-par” product?
Catch all that’s cooking at The PPAI Expo this week in Las Vegas, including a paid workshop on business modeling at 1:45 – 2:45 pm today in Breakers B at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center taught by PromoKitchen chefs Mark Graham, Joe Scott, MAS, and Bobby Lehew, CAS. Check on ticket availability at the registration booth. PPAI members: $60 / Nonmembers $120
Source: PromoKitchen is an all-volunteer, 501c3 non-profit organization led by professionals in the $20 billion dollar promotional products industry. What started out as a casual email list has now blossomed into a blog that represents myriad views and questions for the future of the industry.
