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During his senior year of college, Steve Donlin jumped at a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play football for leagues in
Italy and England. He says a year immersed in the sport was
a great experience, but he knew his future was back home in
the promotional products industry. After all, it was the family
business. Donlin had grown up working summers with his father,
Dick Donlin, who opened a multi-line rep firm in 1982. “Dad
hired me when I got back for $500 a month and sent me to parts
of the Midwest that most people would never dare to go to,” he
says with a chuckle. “He handed me samples and catalogs and
told me to get out there and call on people.” Twenty-six years later
Donlin is running the company based in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
What keeps him coming back every day is the enthusiasm he’s
able to bring to his distributor clients. “When you are presenting
products and ideas to distributor salespeople and they light up as
they understand what you are presenting and where it applies, it’s
the coolest thing in the world,” he says. “That’s what I enjoy doing
the most—bringing new and different ideas to people.”
It’s evident that his clients feel the same way about Donlin—
four nominated him for this year’s recognition. Among them is
Dan Livengood, CAS, VP of marketing and business development
at 2020 Brand Solutions, who appreciates Donlin’s genuine
interest in the business. “Steve has always been responsive to
whatever my or my colleagues’ needs are,” he says. “Steve is a
relationship person who not only values the business side when
interacting but, most importantly, the human side. He’s insistent
in connecting the dots and making introductions to strengthen
relationships inside and outside of the industry. In short, Steve
cares about the industry, the people and making sure everyone
has a voice, a place and a chance to prosper.”
Other nominators are Mike McElligott, president of MEM
Advertising Co.; H.A. Gross, sales manager at Plaza Printers; and
Paul Hohenwald, owner of Spartan Promotional Group. “Donlin
is always on top of his game,” says Hohenwald. “Out of all the
multi-line reps out there I feel like a partner with him, not just a
sales number.” McElligott says he also appreciates the training
Donlin provides on his lines. “It’s very educational and packed
with samples and specific ideas.” Gross agrees adding, “Steve
shows me how to sell the lines and products that he represents.
I liked his approach from the beginning. I also like the way he
thinks of me and my company when he talking to the suppliers he
works with—that makes me feel valuable.”
One On One With Steve Donlin
On maintaining the exclusivity of his lines:
I
find suppliers who manufacture or have single-
mindedness in one category because they are
experts at one thing. They aren’t going to add
powerbanks to a glove line. It really is about
finding suppliers who are very focused.
On giving equal attention to all lines:
I’m a heavy project-based guy. If someone
sends me artwork and says there are 1,000
employees, I’ll take that artwork and route it to
all my suppliers and get them involved. Then,
I’ll come back to that distributor with vinyl
graphics for a trade show, recognition products
and a bunch of different things that they’ve
ever thought about showing their client. Over
the years, distributors have learned to lean on
me. They may not have time to [think through
all the creative]—they’ll say, “Let’s throw this
to the multi-line rep.” You can ‘wow’ them with
ideas they’ve never thought of before.
On how reps can remain relevant in a
changing industry:
We’ve all had to change
over the years. I’ve lost more lines to
acquisitions than to anything else. Again, I go
back to working with suppliers who are experts
in categories—they might be smaller suppliers
who need help growing their business. You
need to be looking out for the next company
that needs help. Be willing to understand the
distributor salesperson and the clients. Build
a level of trust. If a distributor trusts you to
handle artwork and work on projects, then
that would keep you relevant. Building those
relationships is something that no acquisition
can ever take away.
Owner
/ Team Donlin
STEVE DONLIN
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Best Multi-Line Reps
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FEATURE