PPB April 2015

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APRIL 2015 • PPB • 79
How distributors can help him do a better job: “I take
what I do very seriously. I am a professional. I try to respect the
integrity of the product and the industry. The distributors who are
successful are not selling on price but they are selling value. You will
lose at price―you will not lose presenting and applying value. There’s
somebody out there who will beat you at price. There’s somebody out
there who is not mindful of their bottom line—you’ve got to have a
certain margin to succeed in the business. Finding those guys who
appreciate value and presenting to them is really my mindset.”
Jim was nominated by: John Conti, II, CAS, Geiger; James L.
Bloodworth, J&J Specialty Advertising; Hugh Leader, CAS, president,
Leader Marketing Solutions, Inc.; Mark Elliott, Jr., president, Identity
One To One™
What nominators say about Jim: John Conti, II, CAS,
Geiger, says, “Honestly, he takes the time to visit and rep his lines. I
have been in the industry for 20-plus years, and I have always had the
belief that when a rep takes the time to come and show us his lines,
we will take the time to try and put business through those lines. In
all the years of being in this industry, he is the only one who consis-
tently visits us multiple times per year. That is important to us, as we
may not have the time or money to go to shows.” James L.
Bloodworth, J&J Specialty Advertising, says, “Jim has the talent of
making you feel part of his team. At the end of his visit, you want to
present his products. Jim is an excellent example of a coach and team
builder.” Mark Elliott, Jr., president, Identity One To One™, says, “Jim
delivers solutions that put money in my pocket! He’s not just a prod-
uct salesman but a program builder. He made the largest order in our
company's 40-year history a reality. If I could only use one word to
describe Jim―valuable.”
K.C. Fields, President
Company Name: K. C. Fields and Associates, Inc.
Year Company Founded: 1981
Home Base: Columbus, Ohio
Territory: Mid-Atlantic
Miles Traveled Annually: 30,000-35,000
Before he was a multi-line rep (MLR): Fields was a territory
sales rep for Holloway Sportswear.
How he got into the promotional products industry: As
a rep for the apparel supplier he called on distributors in all states east
of the Mississippi and saw the potential of a new business opportunity
to service the industry for a number of companies.
What he likes most about being a multi-line rep: “I enjoy
the friendships I have developed with both the suppliers we represent
and their distributor customers. Every purchase order the distributors
send to our suppliers are important. However, when we receive those
large orders where I have personally helped develop and sell with our
distributors, it’s a great feeling of achievement.”
Biggest difficulty for MLRs: “Traveling and sacrificing your
time away from your family is most difficult. A rep cannot place a
monetary value on this time away from family and friends.”
Top issue affecting MLRs today: “It’s important that I have
the opportunity to represent good suppliers. Distributors do not
schedule vendor meetings with reps who do not bring valuable suppli-
er ideas and products to their salespeople. A multi-line rep who repre-
sents multi-top shelf suppliers can schedule excellent quality distribu-
tor sales meetings. Otherwise, it’s extremely difficult to get face-to-
face time with distributor salespeople.”
What distributors should know about MLRs: “I would like
them to know how much time and effort there is in preparation to
conduct a mutually successful meeting with their salespeople.”
How distributors can help him do a better job: “They
need to trust us and share more information about their customers’
business models, and let us help create ideas for future meetings,
events and programs.”
K.C. was nominated by: Wayne Jenkins, World Wide
Concessions, Inc.; Mike Cleary, J.W. Cleary; Missy Walton, Peter E.
Kleine Co., Inc.; Ron Weaver, Apex Advertising, Inc.; Kelly Chiccitt,
PPB BEST MULTI-LINE REP 2015 | KINGS OF THE ROAD
1If you make an appointment to see a multi-line
rep, keep it. Be mindful of the travel time and per-
sonal expense the rep has spent to visit your
office.
2Allow enough time at the visit for the rep to learn
about your needs, not just show the product lines.
3 Tap into your rep’s idea bank. Bring him or her in
early on projects and share your clients’
objectives and budget. Reps can often pull
together several ideas from their different lines to cre-
ate a complete campaign.
4 Ask your rep for case studies, product applications
and spec samples.
5Ask him or her what products are selling and
who’s buying them to get ideas for product appli-
cations in markets you may not have explored.
6If you have a problem with an order, call the rep
first or at least early in the game and give your rep
a chance to resolve it.
7Consider expanding your stable of suppliers and
see what reps from unfamiliar suppliers have to
offer.
Seven Tips To Amplify
Your Rep Relationship