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we have the best team in the
industry. My peers are amazing
and I have complete confidence
in them. When that is the case,
getting things done is simple. We
care about our three customers
(sales associates, vendors and end
users) and work hard for them.
How does this job
challenge you?
Every day is different and
challenging. As a distributor, we
don’t knowwhat we’re going to
sell at any point in time. Our sales
associates are problem solvers
and they know how take care of
their customers’ pain points. At
the home office, we encourage
that, but sometimes that means
wemust adjust tomake that
happen. We have a culture of
saying “yes” and that can keep
things interesting and challenging,
but it keeps us growing and
changing for the better.
What do you love about
AmericanSolutions
for Business?
The people are what I love
best. The ASB family is amazing.
From the wonderful people at
the home office and other offices
around the country, to the best
sales force in the industry, we
truly care about each other. I
hear from people all the time that
our culture is like nothing else
out there. We love our teammates
like family.
What was the
atmosphere like at
your sales meeting
in Las Vegas?
The atmosphere was fantastic!
The PPAI Expo was the perfect
way to kick off our year and
energize the sales force. Coming
off a record year, the enthusiasm
is up. We had some exciting
learning sessions and a very busy
vendor expo.
What prompted ASB
to bring its sales
meeting back to Expo,
and what benefits did
the relocation provide
your company
and attendees?
For the past three years we
held our show in conjunction
with ASI in Orlando. There was a
very large request from the sales
field and home office staff to
co-locate with PPAI in Las Vegas.
The benefits of being in the same
facility with the largest promo
show in the U.S. are tremendous.
Our sales associates get access
to a large number of suppliers
that they would normally
never see. The sales associates
loved the show in Vegas this
year and are looking forward
to repeating it next January.
What is the goal
of your annual
sales meeting?
The sense of community,
family and camaraderie is
the No. 1 goal of our annual
meetings. We cover the costs
for all of our sales associates to
attend because we know that the
best thing to re-energize your
sales efforts is to spend time with
your peers, hear their stories and
learn about their successes.
We provide two days of
breakout sessions, one with
home office departments and
the other with suppliers. We also
host our own vendor expo for
both print and promo suppliers
to exhibit. This was the largest
ASB national sales conference
ever. We set a goal of 300
attendees and I believe we had
just over 400 at the show.
What was your role
during your time
in Vegas?
I kicked off the general
session for our show and had
numerous meetings with sales
associates and vendors. The
best part for me was networking
with our sales associates and the
vendors that I don’t get to see
during the year.
What makes ASB a
valuable member
of the promotional
products industry?
Our sales associates, 100
percent. We have the best sales
people in the industry. They
are true entrepreneurs that
are tireless in helping their
customers succeed. We couldn’t
ask for anything better.
Little Willow Zavadil keeps
the family’s Great Dane in
good health.
Photo by Alisha Zavadil
|
MARCH 2017
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