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• APRIL 2015
THINK
HDS Marketing; Ken Rapko, Cronmiller-
McCormick Co.
What nominators say about
K.C.:
“He’s been working the industry for
30 years and I’ve personally worked with
him for 24 years now and he's still as
enthusiastic about the industry as the first
day I met him,” says Kelly Chiccitt, HDS
Marketing. “He takes care of his cus-
tomers with that personal touch and never
says no—he always says, ‘How can we get
this done?’ There isn’t a more reputable
multi-line rep in the industry.” Ken
Rapko, owner-manager at Cronmiller-
McCormick Co., praises Fields’ personal
attention. “K.C. not only provides good
service, his creativity helped us to get a
$100,000 order this year.” Missy Walton
at Peter E. Kleine Co., Inc. explains that
Fields doesn’t just try to make a sale, but
to create a partnership. “K.C. always goes
above and beyond whenever there is
something we need. He cares deeply about
what he does and his customers’ best
interests.”
Robert Collins, CAS, President
Company Name:
Collins & Associates, Inc.
Year Company Founded:
1980
Home Base:
Indian Wells, California
Territory:
California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Utah,
Alaska, Idaho, Arizona and Hawaii
Miles Traveled Annually:
More than 25,000 miles (He travels
65-70 percent of the time.)
Before he was a multi-line rep (MLR):
He was a western
regional manager for PaperMate®/Autopoint, a division of Gillette®.
How he got into the promotional products industry:
Years ago, he saw an ad in a newspaper laying in a phone booth. The
ad was for PaperMate and he was interviewed but didn’t get hired.
A year later, the company
sought him out and hired him.
Next, he moved on to Scripto®.
Robert was later hired by Pentel
and promoted to general manager
where he set up operations for its
Special Markets Division by intro-
ducing Pentel into the promotional
products industry. Thirty-five years
later, after starting Collins &
Associates, he still represents
Pentel as a multi-line rep.
What he likes most about
being a multi-line rep:
He likes
working with the distributors and
sales consultants. “Most notable,
I’m working with second and third
generations of family-owned com-
panies. It’s a wonderful thing to see
how the industry has continued to
evolve through the years. It is
rewarding when you are represent-
ing top-quality suppliers as I am. It
is more than a customer and MLR
relationship; it becomes more like
working with family. It’s not just
my livelihood, it’s my life.”
Biggest difficulty for MLRs:
“The newer distributors don’t
understand how to utilize the talents of multi-line reps and can’t
appreciate the value we create to enhance their business just by
contacting us for assistance in their sales efforts. We are just a phone
call away.”
What do you wish all distributors knew about multi-line
reps?
“Distributors need to understand that we are more than just a
liaison to the the companies we represent. We offer different solutions
to distributors using our industry knowledge to best to enhance their
presentations using the lines we represent. For example, we offer dis-
tributors many possible ideas for different industries and small busi-
nesses so they have viable solutions for presentations. I’m believer in
utilizing spec samples (or virtual samples) to close more sales. A spec
sample can sell a prospect and close an order quicker (if not on the
spot) by virtue of the impact that it has. ”
How distributors can help him do a better job:
“We
encourage distributors to contact us for suggestions and ideas for the
clients they need help with. What we welcome most is when a dis-
tributor says: ‘I’ve got a client, here’s the budget and objective. What
can you suggest?’ That’s where we shine with our creative ideas.”
Robert was nominated by:
Laurie Diamant, Marketing Over
Time, Inc.; Wally Rose, Wallace Marketing; Judie Gianturco, Jenmark
Industries; Ronald Udkoff, VersaGraphics; Tom Toutz, Think Tank
Marketing Promotions, Inc.; Ken Tuvman, A.K. Rose, Inc.; Janel
Christ, Vail Dunlap & Associates; Peter Klein, Mission Laser Works;
KINGS OF THE ROAD
|
PPB
BEST MULTI-LINE REP 2015
Presto!
IF SOME OF ROBERT COLLINS’S
customers think he can pull a rabbit out of a hat with his
skills as a multi-line rep—they are right. Collins is a lifelong
performing magician who is a member of The Magic Castle,
a nightclub for magicians and magic enthu-
siasts, and the Academy of Magical Arts
and Sciences. As a nod to his love of magic,
he’s adopted a caricature of a magician that
he uses to brand himself. Most people, he
says, just call him Mr. Magic.
K.C. Fields