29 / 102
The Changing Role Of MLRs:
“With the research tools avail-
able today, we must become
proactive and really get to know
our customers. Suppliers want
reps to go out and see distribu-
tors four days a week and then
spend one day in the office. But
distributors are busy and their
customers want to see them too.
It’s getting very congested out
there with everybody competing
for the distributors’ time. We
have to be more proactive on
how we, as reps, ask questions
to get the information from dis-
tributors, and then give them the
creative solutions.”
The Future Of MLRs:
“The
future is consultative selling, so
I’m not just selling products but
presenting solutions. I’ve devel-
oped a form for my distributor
customers to fill out so that I can
be proactive with what they
need, who their top customers
are, what they do and their price
points. When I come into a meet-
ing with all the distributor sales-
people, I can first give the
30,000-foot view of what our
lines provide, and then schedule
one-on-one meetings with each
individual rep with solutions for
their customer.”
The Biggest Issue Affecting
MLRs Today:
“It’s the lack of
having a true partnership with
distributors. The hardest part is
understanding who their cus-
tomers are and their core busi-
ness. That’s a moving target also,
because distributors lose cus-
tomers and gain new customers.”
What He Wants Distributors
And Suppliers To Know:
“I have
always said we are lobbyists; we
are fence sitters. On one side, we
have manufacturers we have to
please, and on the other side, we
have customers to please—and
we have to do both exceptionally
well. My major concern is my cus-
tomer’s customer; if I keep them
happy, I keep my customer
happy. The philosophy is, ‘Let’s
solve the problem now and worry
later on where that problem falls.’
That is going to keep the end
customer happy.”
Help Him Do A Better Job:
“There’s an elephant in the
room—our products are now
being seen as commodity items
to which anybody has access.
They are not seen for what they
really are—marketing tools. I
think PPAI is doing a tremendous
job to educate people that it’s
not just a pen with their name on
it, it’s a marketing message. How
can reps and distributors help to
get that message out to the end
user? How do we join forces
together to go out and educate?
How do we understand why they
are using this product at their
events? It’s not about the price,
it’s about the outcome. If our
products become commodity
items, then we have lost the ability
to make money and execute
properly. And this is what is hap-
pening today.”
APRIL 2016 •
PPB
• 27
Up
Close
With
John
Bennis
products. Bennis relishes this consultative role
because he believes that’s where the rubber hits the
road. He’s fortunate to get to spend time together
with the end buyer (along with the distributor)
about 20 percent of the time. It’s the people, he
says, both on the customer and supplier side that
get him up every morning.
“I’m not your typical rep,” he explains. “My
diverse background allows me to provide solutions
on many levels. For example, if the company is
going to sponsor an event or become a licensee, I
know the questions to ask. And I’ve always loved
the idea of being able to take one product and mar-
ket another product or service by combining the
two,” he says of his experience selling on-pack pro-
motions with RJ Reynolds.
Bennis has also lectured at the University of
Georgia business school in the areas of sports mar-
keting and events, and he holds two patents acquired
in the 1980s for a handheld credit card transcriber
used by Mary Kay, Tupperware and Avon.
“John always has very specific ideas for clients
as he takes the time to get to know you and your
client base,” says nominator Donna Majewski, pro-
motional products specialist with distributor Target
Marketing Group in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “He
has a wealth of knowledge and will do anything he
can to help me secure an order [including] end user
calls, bringing samples for my customer with their
logo and creating flyers with customer logos that
are specific to their needs. He is an outstanding
multi-line rep.”
“My major concern is my
customer’s customer;
if I
keep them happy, I keep
my customer happy.
The
philosophy is, ‘Let’s solve the
problem now and worry later
on where that problem falls.’”