Sales leaders in the promotional products industry shared what they’ve learned over the years during several educational sessions at The PPAI Expo Conference on Monday.

Joseph Sommer, founder and president of fully remote distributorship Whitestone, tackled the “Three Sins of Sales Management” and revealed the essential elements of a winning sales organization in his session titled “From Strategy to Execution: How to Build a High-Performance Sales Team.” From creating a sales culture that empowers your team to developing systems that drive consistent growth, attendees walked away with proven strategies to transform how they lead.

“Your CEO’s job should not be your sales manager,” Sommer says. “That’s one of the first mistakes that organizations make. Everyone in the organization should know exactly what their role is and how they add value to the organization’s goals.

“The sales manager has to have the one-on-one cadence with individual salespeople to be able to talk to them about anything they need, from strategy to the personal.”

RELATED: Joseph Sommer’s Winning Ways: Prospecting, Uniting And Mentoring

Peerless Umbrella President Dan Edge and Katie Kailik, national account manager at PPAI 100’s No. 36 supplier, brought two unique perspectives on integrating customer-first strategies into every level of sales during their “Mastering the Art of Customer-Centric Sales” session. They shared practical, actionable ideas that you can implement immediately to become a more focused, effective and service-driven sales leader.

In the “Using Advanced Gap Analytics to Propel Your Success in 2025” session, Meg Erber, director of sales at Proforma, PPAI 100’s No. 3 distributor, dug into a GAP analysis, uncovering what’s holding promo pros back and what’s needed to move forward. With a planning resource guide in hand, attendees mapped out a transformative vision for their business and their life – and, more importantly, the steps to get there.

“The number one reason that people do not reach their goals is because of fear of rejection or fear or failure,” Erber says. “The thing holding you back has nothing to do with the business. It’s in your own head.”

The number one reason that people do not reach their goals is because of fear of rejection or fear or failure.”

Meg Erber

Director of Sales, Proforma


Nicole Rhooms, HR director at PPAI, moderated a panel on “Future Ready Sales: Recruiting and Retaining a Killer Sales Team.” Brandon Kennedy, president and CEO of Bakersfield, California-based distributor BrandCo Marketing; Brittany Frase, MAS, vice president of sales at HIRSCH, PPAI 100’s No. 20 supplier; and Mykayla Goodwin, vice president of strategy at business services provider OrderMyGear, unpacked the secrets to recruiting top sales talent, building a high-performing team and retaining the best in the business.

Attendees also had the opportunity to learn what younger buyers think about merch and how to engage with them in the “How to Map the Boldest Merch Trends to a Killer Sales Strategy” session hosted by Bobby Lehew, chief content officer at commonsku, a cloud-based CRM, order management and social collaboration platform tailored to the promotional products industry.

“Every brand is a fan factory,” Lehew says. “Branded merch has a higher impact on the fans that matter, the super fans. Do you know your clients’ super fans? Are you creating super fans?

“Are you showing your work through your stories, email, social and website?”

RELATED: skucon Inspires Promo Pros Ahead Of The PPAI Expo 2025

Tom Goos, MAS, president of Image Source, PPAI 100’s No. 47 distributor, moderated another panel session titled “From Booth to Business: Leverage Client Events in Your Growth Strategy.” Kirby Hasseman, owner of Ohio-based distributor Hasseman Marketing & Communications; Lisa Greyhill, MAS, president of Chicago-based distributor Firebrand Global Marketing; and Malik Hemani, principal and creative director of Houston-based distributor Graphic Stylus, discussed the different kinds of shows that fit your sales plan, where to find them and how to build a strategy that works before, during and after the event.

Stacy Garrett, vice president of sales and marketing at Oregon-based distributor Ideation Creative Brand Management, taught attendees how to create a profile that not only attracts the right prospects, but also starts conversations that matter in the “LinkedIn Workshop: Building Leads and Relationships” session.

“For those of you that are salespeople and not necessarily leaders, this is your chance to be the brand,” says Garrett. “For you as a company, it’s a chance for your employees to find a little niche, and create their own personal brand, because even in one organization, every person is just a little bit different.” 

“There is no right or wrong because it’s your personal brand, and it’s your personal messaging,” says Garrett. 

For those of you that are salespeople and not necessarily leaders, this is your chance to be the brand,”

Stacy Garrett

VP of Sales & Marketing, Ideation Creative Brand Management

In the “New Year, New Wins: The Ultimate Sales Workshop” session, Jenna Quaranta, director of sales at HPG, PPAI 100’s No. 6 supplier, hosted a hands-on workshop that offered actionable strategies designed to engage clients at every touchpoint. “Look for the opportunity that no one else sees,” says Quaranta.

Liz Haesler, global chief merchandising officer at PCNA, and Mary Furto, senior vice president of marketing at PPAI 100’s No. 3 supplier, presented the “2025 Trends To Kick-Start Your Sales” session.

“As we step into 2025, consumer values continue to evolve, reflecting shifting priorities such as sustainability, simplicity, nostalgia and wellness,” Haesler and Furto said. “At PCNA, we’ve identified four key trends set to lead the promotional products industry in the coming year: Optimistic Change, Intelligent Simplicity, Glimmers (micro-moments of joy) and Care-fully (a focus on wellness). These trends are more than ideas—they shape how we design, develop and deliver products that resonate with modern consumers.”

Award-winning podcaster Joelly Goodson, senior sales associate at BAMKO, PPAI 100’s No. 6 distributor, showed attendees of the “Branding Matters: How to Build Your Business by Building Your Brand” session how to build a brand that tells their story and earns them trust with clients and potential clients. 

“We are all superheroes in our own right,” says Goodson. “We all have superpowers, so my tip number one to you is to tap into your badass superpower.”