PPB April 2020

KyleMcGovern Regional Sales Manager McGovern Marketing Group Columbus, Ohio After graduating from The Ohio State University in 2009, Kyle McGovern moved to Las Vegas to work as a construction project manager. Then the recession hit and he was laid off, but he knew the executive chef at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant, who got him a job there as a prep cook. After a few years, McGovern moved up through the ranks and became a corporate chef, traveling the country and opening up new restaurants. But even a cheeseburger in paradise gets old after a while and he was ready for a career change. Enter promotional products. He was familiar with the industry through his father, Kurt McGovern (a multi-line rep profiled on p. 56), so he asked his dad about taking on a partner. The younger McGovern took a leave of absence from his job to try his hand at repping promotional products. His dad told him to take a month to try the new job on for size, but it didn’t take long to sell Kyle. “After one week, I went to my dad and told him that I just quit my job and was moving back to Ohio. This was what I wanted to do with my life. I have been selling ever since.” Nominator: Kara Keister, Social Good Promotions What makes him the best: “Kyle checks in regularly, not just to see what projects we have going on or what we need assistance with, but to notify us of new products and specials, and to provide samples and specs we might not even know we needed,” says Kara Keister. “He makes an effort to know our clientele and jumps in with ideas whenever he sees something from his lines that may be a good fit. He really puts the ‘pro’ in being proactive.” His secret to success: The main secret is I love what I do. I love to talk to people and hear their stories and how they got to where they are. It’s more a personal connection that I have with my customers than just business. Some of my best friends are my customers. How distributors can help reps do a better job: Communication is always key. I tell my customers to never feel like they are bothering me. Ask me for virtuals, samples, etc. I am here to help and make life as easy as possible. We are in a partnership in which we can both succeed together. I wish more distributors would take advantage of this and let me do a lot of the work for them. We all win in the end. The biggest issue facing reps today: Time is always an issue. There’s never enough of it, and everyone seems to want everything yesterday. To combat this issue, I try to use my inside reps as often as possible. I bring in the projects and they help to close them. What he wants distributors to know: I wish they knew, or rather remembered, that I cover a bit of everything. With that, I can be a one-stop-shop for all their needs. Again, I like to make life easy for my customers. Alternate career choice: I think I would be in a management position. After being a chef, and now a partner in McGovern Marketing Group, I know I like to be the one taking charge. I have always tried to be a leader rather than a follower. “Themain secret is I love what I do. I love to talk to people and hear their stories and how they got towhere they are.” —KyleMcGovern Best Multi-Line Reps | FEATURE | APRIL 2020 | 57