What I Wish I Knew When I First Started...

Recently, in a LinkedIn group in I belong to, Frank Strauss, national sales director at Pinnacle Promotions, asked this question: "Looking back on your Advertising Specialty Sales career, what is the ONE thing you wished you had learned sooner than later?"

I thought it was a great question. Here's how I answered, plus a few more thoughts that I've added for this blog post:

When I first started in promotional products sales I thought all suppliers were the same, but I soon learned how important the right supplier was to my success. The ONE thing I wish I knew sooner than later was to focus on giving the majority of my business to a core group of high quality, highly rated suppliers in the top selling sectors. Once I did that I was able to build a relationship, make better recommendations, get better service and frequently better pricing.

Choosing the right supplier is crucial to your success as a promotional products distributor. Make a mistake here and you could lose valuable clients and revenue. This doesn't mean you shouldn't be open to working with new suppliers, it just means that your core suppliers are where you will look first when working on an order. The best suppliers are partners in your success. The more wisely you choose, the more money you'll make!

I'd like to hear your response. What's the ONE thing you wished you learned sooner than later in your Advertising Specialty sales career? Please respond below.

Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach, is a promotional products business expert, coach and speaker. Combining her skills and years of experience in promotional sales, she helps her clients sell more at higher profit margins and dramatically increase their incomes! Get a FREE special report: 10 Big Mistakes Promotional Professionals Make and How to Avoid Them and a FREE Skyrocket Your Sales audio download at http://www.promobizcoach.com. Reach her at Rosalie@promobizcoach.com.