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A Conversation With Carmela Wagner
PPB:
What are the most important qualities in a good
business partner?
Wagner:
Can you dream with me? Can you see beyond the
problem or product and see what we can do together? Yes, some-
times we do simple things like a pen with a logo but there still
may be the element of problem solving. Can my vendor partners
lock arms with me through rush situations and help me to the
finish line? Can they help with a design technique to elevate a
brand? Can my partners collaborate with me to create a custom
product beyond what lies in their catalog?
At the end of the day, we sell products, but what so many
don’t see are the problems leading up to the execution and deliv-
ery. I align partners who can help us soar through all areas of
doing business. I love that feeling of team that extends outside of
my JNI walls. I embrace partners who can dream with me.
PPB:
What do you do that sets you apart from other
distributors in terms of working with suppliers?
Wagner:
I like to believe that I have a passion not just for the
product but also for the team involved. That team starts with the
client—I want them to love being part of the creation of their
product, love the experience of working with JNI and my team. It
sounds cliché but we love what we do; I want others to feel that
too … and they do.
The project Dan shared with you is a yearlong delivery of a
meticulously custom piece—it’s gorgeous, but if Dan didn’t dream
with me, we never would have gotten the order. The details of the
custom product were one thing, the collaboration across numerous
suppliers another, then there were the logistics of delivering it. It’s
a complex puzzle, but we approached it as a team with great ideas
from many voices and solutions that got us a million-dollar order.
This business is not a one-man show, it involves a lot of
people, and I thrive from that sense of team and what we can do
when we approach business that way.
PPB:
What advice do you have for other distributors
who want to achieve a true partnership with their
suppliers?
Wagner:
The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately. I
have so many projects where I have lofty, creative ideas and dreams
but I need the right partners to pull it off. They exist; it’s our job
to hustle, find them, partner with them and bring to life a client
experience that leaves an imprint on us all.
Carmela Wagner
Branding Consultant
Jack Nadel International (UPIC: NADELINC)
Palo Alto, California
Nominator and supplier partner: Dan Edge,
national sales manager, Peerless Umbrella Co.
Twelve years ago Carmela Wagner didn’t know the promo-
tional products industry but had a client base and was looking
to spread her wings and drive her sales career to the next
level. Through research, she found Jack Nadel International
and was impressed to learn from a supplier friend that the dis-
tributor treated its vendor partners with the highest respect,
paid them on time and had a strong sales force.
“What sold me was that, in an industry where it’s easy to put
relentless pressure on your vendor partners, JNI took the high
road and truly treated them as just that—partners,” she says.
It was Wagner’s ability to be calm, open-minded and work
with her supplier partners to get around the hurdles that
caught the attention of nominator Dan Edge. “No panic …
just ‘how can we find a solution?’ Carmela has this amazing
passion for her projects and the ability to take a simple prod-
uct and, through creativity and vision, make it a signature
piece.” Edge gives a recent example. “We recently did a proj-
ect for her where we wanted to modify a stock umbrella and
make it a bit more unique for her client. She had us working
hand-in-hand with another supplier to collaborate on getting
the right materials produced for the final product. The end
result was amazing, with Carmela leading the way. Carmela
took a nice umbrella and made it spectacular by adding just
the right finishing pieces (custom zipper pulls, hang tag and
other details) to make it classy and memorable for her client.”
DECEMBER 2015 •
PPB
• 53
Tina Berres Filipski is editor of
PPB
.