PPB April 2018

FIVE MINUTES WITH Johanna Gottlieb Vice president of Midwest sales at Axis Promotions, and PromoKitchen Mentor Program coordinator Whether you’re just cutting your teeth in the promotional products business or you’ve established a legacy of success, chances are you could use a good word of advice now and then. Studies have found that professional mentoring results in positive outcomes such as greater perceived career success, increased connectedness to the organization or business and better job performance. Johanna Gottlieb, vice president of Midwest sales at New York City‑based distributor Axis Promotions (PPAI 159158), also supervises the mentoring program for industry peer group PromoKitchen. Gottlieb spoke with PPB about the importance of mentoring within the industry and the benefits for both mentees and mentors. PPB How does working with a mentor improve one’s business skills in this industry? Gottlieb There are so many benefits to working with a mentor. You can learn a lot about networking directly from that one connection; networking with your mentor or mentee enables you to learn about their colleagues and supplier partners. Refining your networking skills is important to professional growth. You can also use the mentor relationship to tackle your weaknesses. Talking to a mentor can help you learn about how to best use your strengths and overcome weak areas or how to work around them. Additionally, this is a natural way to increase dopamine levels in your body. Dopamine motivates you to work hard so that you can achieve the satisfaction of reaching that goal. It also keeps you mentally alert and helps you focus. Who doesn’t love feeling better? PPB Conversely, how can being a mentor improve a veteran industry member’s approach to selling and consultation? Gottlieb In the PromoKitchen program we are continuously reminding mentors that they can learn so much from their mentees. Our industry has changed so much in the past two decades. A mentor who has been in the industry a long time can absolutely learn from a fresh‑faced mentee. They may have different perspectives on prospecting and client approach, and they can both learn from one another. PPB What is the ideal amount of time to spend on a mentoring relationship? What kinds of issues or questions should a mentor be prepared to address? Gottlieb The amount of time involved is really up to the mentor and mentee. Personally, I feel 30 to 45 minutes at a set time every two weeks is good. We run our program for six months, and when it is over, participants are welcome to continue the relationship as they see fit. Many “alumni” of the program tell us that they met their mentor or mentee at a show or event. It is so rewarding to hear about genuine connections that last. PPB What kinds of issues or questions should a mentor be prepared to address? Gottlieb Many mentees come in with a set list of questions on what they’d like to learn about or improve on. My colleague in the program, Russell Bird, created a blog that has helped guide many people. One key point from that blog: Start mentoring calls by talking about the best and worst things in your life. This will help decide where the mentee wants to go, and how the mentor can help get them there. As an example: Best personal: I have a weeklong vacation coming up next month and I can’t wait to get away! Best business: I closed the biggest deal of my year with a new customer! Best family: I took my kids swimming and my son went off the high dive for the rst time, so proud! Worst personal: I need to nd time to work out more and/or cook healthier meals for myself because I am getting kind of chubby. Worst business: I had a client complain that they don’t like their products and I’m losing sleep trying to decide how to handle it. Worst family: Nothing right now, things are great. Talking points from this example might be that the mentor has a scheduling trick to allow for working out four times a week, or might have experience dealing with upset clients and options for how to deal with them. The partners might also discuss things like the desire to take a week’s vacation, and how to actually disconnect from work while being confident that | APRIL 2018 | 63 THINK