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Rising Stars
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FEATURE
R
yan Hanchey was somewhat familiar
with the promotional products industry
before he stopped in at the Dallas offices of
industry technology services company SAGE to
return a book to his cousin, who worked there.
Hanchey had a good job selling technology
staffing and wasn’t looking to make a change.
Once inside, though, his thoughts began to
churn. “I met everyone, exchanged stories and
decided if they ever had an opening, I wanted
to go for it,” says the 33- year-old, who ended
up joining the SAGE team in 2010.
With a degree in emergency management
from the University of North Texas, Hanchey
was trained to keep a cool head while quickly
handling multiple problems. At SAGE, he put that
preparation to good use in assisting distributor
clients to get the most out of SAGE products and
programs. But his biggest challenge wasn’t keeping
up with the work, it was being promoted from
team lead to sales manager. “There is a transition
period there that can go one of two ways and
you’re certainly tested,” says Hanchey. “I had to
quickly ramp up my managerial skills, but luckily I
have amazing mentors who helped me make the
transition and they continue to give me advice.
One important lesson he learned is to listen
more and talk less. “Listen to your customers’
needs, complaints, suggestions, praises, but also
listen to your teammates.” He quotes financial
author and radio host Dave Ramsey who, he
says, talks about having a servant mentality
by putting your team and customers first and
establishing that you are all in this together.
Hanchey truly admires his coworkers and
they admire him. One of his nominators, Bille
Walchek, SAGE’s director of marketing, says
two characteristics that instantly come to mind
when she thinks of Hanchey are commitment
and attitude. “If you expect your team to
work hard and produce, you need to lead by
example and that is exactly what Ryan does,”
she says. “Ryan works alongside everyone else
on his team and there is no greater motivation.
He has proven to his team that he is not only
committed to SAGE but more importantly he is
committed to them. He truly cares about their
success and is willing to do anything to help
them succeed on a day-to-day basis. When
one of his team members succeeds I think
sometimes he is even more excited than they
are. Ryan is one of the most passionate leaders
I know, which is such a hard trait to find. And
with this passion is a strong desire to better
himself personally and professionally.”
SAGE Director of Sales Blake Bozeman,
MAS, who also nominated Hanchey, says
his attitude inspires everyone around him to
elevate to the next level. “He is consistently
positive and excited day after day for what the
next achievement is, or the next great idea.
This positivity keeps his team motivated and
keeps their energy level up. Ryan has quickly
gained a vast understanding of the industry
overall and is a natural behind the camera, and
delivers our messages in videos with precision
and enthusiasm. He is a tremendous asset
to represent our company, our passion and
our professionalism.”
Hanchey says his favorite part of the job is
seeing his team tackle goals and then celebrate
their success. Since he joined SAGE, he has
won a number of awards including Rookie of
the Year during his first year at the company,
Top Sales Producer when he was an account
executive and the All Star Award during his first
year as a manager.
When called on from time to time to share
advice, the words come easy. “If something
makes you miserable and there is no light at the
end of the tunnel, get rid of it,” he says. “It’s not
good for you or anyone around you. However,
if there is a light at the end of the tunnel it’s
probably worth it. My dad always said, ‘You’ve
got to spend time in the gutter, son.’ I don’t know
where that came from, but spending time in a
gutter doesn’t sound fun so I guess it makes
sense. On the other side of the coin, don’t take
for granted the great things you have in your life.
They might not always be there.”
When he needs to relax and recharge,
Hanchey gets energized by spending time
outdoors—sitting on the porch, backpacking
in the woods or cruising around in his old
Bronco. Just the same, he confesses to being a
spreadsheet nerd. “I love looking at numbers.”
Ryan
Hanchey
DISTRIBUTOR SALES MANAGER
SAGE
HIS INSPIRATION
Hanchey admits he’s inspired by a long list
of heroes. “My wife inspires me to be a good
person, appreciate my family, to be caring
for others and to work hard. My mother’s
work ethic inspires me to suck it up on tough
days and work hard. My dad inspired me
to be myself. My sister is the most solid,
grounded person I know and definitely
inspires me to do the right thing. My brother
is a successful entrepreneur who is always
challenging himself physically and mentally.
Many of my team members inspire me with
their work ethic, constant brainstorming and
excitement for their jobs. And, of course,
there’s Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.”
THE INDUSTRY IN FIVE YEARS
I want to see more young entrepreneurs
enter our industry and challenge the status
quo; find new products that I’ve never
seen before; see distributors building entire
marketing campaigns not just fulfilling
orders; and realize the value in information
being shared live across the distribution
channel. I also want to strike ‘trinkets and
trash’ from everyone’s vocabulary.
ON HIS TO-DO LIST NOW
Record how-to videos, implement the SAGE
Web 2.0 rollout strategy and wrap up
The
Speed of Trust
by Stephen M.R. Covey.
2016
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SEPTEMBER 2016
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