Head of Her Class

A SIGNIFICANT PART of promotional product sales requires instructing, demonstrating and coaching, not to mention frequent bouts with adding and subtracting—all activities generally associated with schooling. From the looks of things, it seems that a teaching degree or equivalent experience would be necessary in order to be successful in the industry. Maybe that’s a bit far-fetch, but it’s not impossible to find people from all walks of life who have pledged their allegiance to the rules of the industry upon relinquishing previous careers. And what better person to fall in line than a former public school teacher? Rosalie Marcus, Promo Biz Coach and founder of Lasting Impressions, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based distributorship, sat down with Promotional Marketing to discuss the A-B-Cs of selling and the role education plays in the promotional products industry.

PM: How did you get started in promotional product sales?

RM: I was a teacher in an inner city school in Philadelphia, my hometown, when a colleague introduced me to the promotional business during our summer break. From the first order I sold, I was hooked. I loved being in the business world, exploring new companies, finding out how they worked and presenting creative ideas.

I kept teaching part-time for several years while I was building my promotional sales. I realized after some serious soul searching that if I was ever going to make the business successful, I had to let the teaching job go and continue full speed ahead with Lasting Impressions Promotional Products. Within three years, my promotional business was cited as one of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies in my region, and although at the time I was a divorced, single parent, I was able to experience financial independence.

PM: What connection is there between the field of education and the promotional products industry?