Pondering Life’s Milestones

The days of the “stuff seller” are moving toward extinction. We need to provide value to buyers. If we don’t offer them value, they have no use for us. That sounds harsh, but I believe it to be true.

Dave Regan, MAS, from The Vernon Company, is the Chairman of the PPAI Education Certification Committee. We recently talked about the importance of investing in yourself. Dave didn’t buy into the idea of education for 15 years, but ultimately realized the benefits. You don’t need to wait as long as Dave did to take advantage of the information that is available. Our discussion on the value of investing in yourself can be found this video interview.

Some of you may know that Joel Schafer, MAS, from Soundline, is passionate about helping you make money. Joel notes that it’s easier than ever to get rich content from the comfort of your home or office. If you are certified, Joel will give you special attention and a discount. More suppliers should start doing that. Learn what this seasoned industry professional has to say in my video interview with him.

I’ve been around for a while and have seen this industry change. We have weathered significant economic downturns. The existing suppler/distributor/end-user distribution channel we are comfortable with is changing. But changes can challenge us to create opportunity. Education offers us the ability to gain an advantage. We may lose some of the commodity business, but can earn quality opportunities that will greatly enhance our bottom line.

Where do you want to take your business? The choice is yours. My encouragement is to take advantage of the education opportunities that are available to you. And consider the benefits, both seen and unseen of industry certification.

Jeff Solomon, MAS, is a distributor affiliated with a top 10 distributor company. The FreePromoTips.com website and e-newsletters he publishes are packed with beneficial information. On the website, you can opt-in to receive these informative twice-a-month e-newsletters! Check out what’s new in the GP2: Good Products—Good Prices section of the site. Take advantage of free end-user safe product videos you can share from the http://yourpromotionsolution.com website. Like the FreePromoTips.com page on Facebook follow it on Twitter and connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.