Notable Distributors and Suppliers Lead by Example at Facilisgroup Event

Facilisgroup hosted its second Top Executive event of 2021.

Facilisgroup continued its dedication to industry innovation and community with its second Top Executive event of 2021, showcasing the knowledge and experience of some of their most respected partners.

On April 28-29, the stage was set as Facilisgroup brought eight prominent leaders in the industry to its St. Louis-area headquarters for a strategic workshop, where they each served as “teacher” to a classroom of their peers. Drawing on their many years of experience, each presented a topic based on obstacles encountered and accomplishments achieved, so those in attendance can learn from each other’s mistakes and be motivated by each other’s successes.

For Jill Haspert, CEO of Minneapolis-based Foxtrot Marketing Group, the topic of "Reimagining Your Business" was one she could speak to with tremendous relevant experience. Upon joining the then-named 20/20 Brand Solutions, Haspert discovered that despite the business being in operation for 45 years, there was a distinct lack of brand equity.

“We had been so focused on helping our customers build brand awareness and loyalty that our own brand had taken a back seat,” Haspert explained to the audience. “We needed to really align on what value we specifically bring to the supply chain, and how we want to be seen by customers and within our community.”

Additionally, an obvious lack of structure within its sales department confirmed that more than just the brand was in dire need of reimagination. This required a complete dismantling and rebuilding of the sales department, including redefining job descriptions, compensation structure, benchmarking and launching a new vertical market approach for its salespeople.

Attendees learned from Haspert’s experience that just “tolerating” pain points within a business, out of convenience, is often a dangerous path to take, and that a strong bias for action is often the remedy. In Jill’s case, it meant partnering with an outside branding agency and sales-focused accounting firm to most effectively solve issues that required a level of expertise beyond what she alone could provide. With a “happy ending” of effective solutions in place—a new brand identity and a fortified sales department—Haspert’s message of reimagining her business proved to resonate with the others in the group. She concluded her session with a question and challenge to the others:

“If you had $1 million of fun money given to you to reimagine any aspect of your business, what would it be?” Haspert asked. “You’ll find, as you work through the answer, that these are the things we are tolerating. These are often the frustrating areas we let happen because that’s how it’s always been done.”

Haspert's presentation was one of 12 that the attending leaders were able to participate in, with other topics including "Improving Profitability," "Simplifying and Focusing Your Business" and "Driving Organizational Change," among several others. The event was facilitated by Matthew Lamb, executive vice president of research and development of Facilisgroup, and also included sessions led by Facilisgroup president Ashley McCune.

In addition to Haspert, attendees of the event included Joe McEuen, owner, MyBrandPromo Inc.; James Greaves, CEO, Brand Makers; Brian Porter, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Starline; Enrique Perez, president, Hitex Marketing Group; Karlyne Eygendaal, COO, Gorilla Marketing; Steve DeBoer, CFO, Midwest Promotional Group; and Brian Katers, president, Promotional Designs.

For more information on Facilisgroup, visit www.facilisgroup.com.