54 / 104
Aftermanaging a college bookstore
and spending 11 years as amulti-line
rep in the golf, resort and college
bookstore industries, Seth Friedman
was offered a jobwith supplier
Cutter andBuckwhen it formed a
promotional products division in 1996.
“I took a chance changing
markets with a company that had
no exposure in this industry,” he
explains. “Twenty-one years later it
was the best move I ever made. This
is a wonderful industry.”
From his home base in Chalfont,
Pennsylvania, he reps Cutter and
Buck, Ahead and Logomark in
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland, Washington, D.C., and
Virginia, logging about 38,000 miles
every year.
Not only does Friedman enjoy
working in the promotional
products industry, he also likes
being an entrepreneur and working
with other entrepreneurs. “I love
to travel and not being tied down
to an office,” he says. “No day is
ever the same and waking up at the
beginning of each month with no
income is highly motivating.”
One of his nominators, Kevin
Mullaney, partner and vice
president at distributor Brandito,
explains why he calls Friedman an
outstanding rep. “I’ve always made
time for Seth because he always
makes time for me,” says Mullaney.
“If I reach out to him via text, phone
or email, he is extremely responsive,
which is extremely important to
me.” He also notes that Friedman
reps a number of different lines, and
doesn’t push any of them. “Instead,
he starts with ‘What’s up, how are
things going?’ He is fantastic at
listening, asking the right questions,
and then listening more. He takes
all these notes in his head, and then
when he starts walking you through
his line, he hits on every pain point
you expressed.”
Mullaney says when he calls
Friedman, he is always willing to
move mountains for him and his
team. “Just recently he worked up a
quote on back-ordered inventory to
meet my end-of-year budget, helping
to close a $30,000 order. Seth just gets
this industry and is pretty much a
part of the Brandito team.”
Nominator Andrea Coffman,
account manager at McClung
Companies, says Friedman is one
of a handful of multi-line reps
who consistently reaches out to
provide samples, catalogs, ideas and
suggestions to grow sales. “He has
a fun sense of humor, is respectful
and professional,” she says, “and he
has always stood out with my clients
who have met him at end-user
shows and events.”
Nominator Bob Lowy, branch
manager at Proforma Spectrum
Graphics, adds, “Just in the past
month and as recently as today,
whenever I’ve asked Seth for most
anything—whether to provide a
clear path to a problem at the home
office, provide a creative selling
solution or even lend a hand in a
client visit—Seth always goes the
extra mile to provide customer and
sales support.”
One On One
With Seth Friedman
On the challenges multi-line
reps face:
Being away from my
home and family is the most
difficult thing. Changes in sales
management at my lines from
time to time have been very
challenging. Traveling in lousy
weather to meet with clients
is no fun at all. The absolute
biggest challenge currently
is getting enough time with
your clients to be effective for
them and your suppliers.
On giving equal time to all
of his lines:
Equal attention
is relatively easy, as your
clients look at you as being a
resource, rather than a rep for a
particular company. I help them
find solutions for their clients
across a very broad spectrum
of products, categories and
companies. I like to equate it
to being a “lending library” of
experience and solutions.
On how distributors can help
him serve them better:
Tell
us what your expectations are
up front, and how you see
us fitting in. Let us know if
we are doing a good job and,
if we aren’t, tell us how we
can better serve your team’s
needs. Realize that we truly are
entrepreneurs just like you.
SETH FRIEDMAN
Owner /
Friedman’s Corporate Apparel
52
|
APRIL 2017
|
FEATURE
|
Best Multi-Line Reps