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PPB
’s 2014
Powerful Partners
Johanna Gottlieb
Senior Branding Executive
Axis Promotions
Chicago, Illinois
Years At Axis: Almost nine
Nominated by Peter Hiatrides, Peerless Umbrella
How has Johanna won your respect as a partner?
“Johanna is one of the most professional people that I have dealt
with in the industry,” says nominator Peter Hiatrides, regional sales
manager for Peerless Umbrella. “She is a true partner and together we
have benefited from each other. Her dedication to her clients and to
her key suppliers as well patience and persistence make her one of the
top salespeople out there.” He explains that one of his favorite custom
pieces came from a project that Johanna worked on. It was for a televi-
sion station that was promoting one of its cartoons. Johanna
approached him with some colorful and creative artwork and together
they came up with a layout that wowed her client. Gottlieb recently
opened the Chicago office for Axis Promotions, so Hiatrides doesn’t
get to see her as much as he used to but after a recent sales presenta-
tion to the New York office, she called in to speak with him to see
what she missed. “She didn’t want to skip a beat as she wanted to offer
our new products to her clients ASAP,” he adds.
One-On-One With Johanna Gottlieb
How important are partnerships with suppliers and how do
they ultimately benefit you and your company?
Partnerships with my suppliers are the key to my business. I value
loyalty, trust and honesty. I have been fortunate to build strong rela-
tionships with some key suppliers. They have been proactive with me
in helping me find products and solutions for my clients. Axis would
not be where we are today without the suppliers with whom we work.
They have listened to our needs, respected our clientele and under-
stand how Axis operates. Axis really values its employees, and our key
suppliers treat each Axis employee with equal respect and go the extra
mile for all of us.
What do you do that sets you apart from other distributors
in terms of working with suppliers?
I like to talk to my suppliers—a lot. I love email and use it daily
but I pick up the phone and call my key suppliers weekly to catch up.
I like to hear about how projects are going, how they are doing per-
sonally and love hearing about new products. It helps me build our
relationship and has turned work relationships into true friendships. I
also try to thank my suppliers as often as possible. They deserve to
know when a project has been awarded or when a spec sample turned
into an order. They work hard for us and I feel it is important to share
our successes with them. I also let them know when a project has died
or moved in another direction. I know how hard it is to work on a
project and never hear back on it. I like to keep my suppliers looped
into what projects are hot and which are not.
What advice do you have for others who want to achieve a
true partnership with their suppliers?
My advice to anyone who wants to achieve a true partnership with
their suppliers is to be honest and to manage expectations. We all like
to get our quotes, samples and emails a certain way. Let your suppliers
know what works for you and what does not. They can share how they
like to communicate too. It makes the lines of communication much
smoother. I would also suggest you consider them partners and key
suppliers versus vendors. A vendor is an important part of many busi-
nesses but a supplier is a true extension of your organization.
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