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compiled by Danielle Renda You chase rabbits or elephants, but you can’t do both at the same time. One wastes your time and the other pays the bills. You can make peanuts or get paychecks. Choose carefully. And I would add that you have to evaluate potential carefully. There is a difference between taking a small order for a solid account and spinning wheels on something that “could maybe turn into something.” You can’t take that “maybe” to the bank. Do your homework. Know who you are working with and for what reason. Think long term, past the order, for the relationship. If you’re not set up for ecommerce, small orders can end up costing you time in a year or five years. It’s probably not worth your time now. CHARITY GIBSON National Account Coordinator Peerless Umbrella Co. Phoenix, Arizona PPAI 112666, S10 Our thoughts on pursuing large-volume orders: it is a challenging task for a creative thinker to help their clients, not just sell to their clients. Finding the right client with the right budget with the right attitude with the right courage is the challenge. With those elements in place, the task is relatively easy to help your brand get their message out with items that have lasting appeal; things that are “off-the-shelf,” custom-made designs to the brand’s image, style, culture. Be different! JUDITH FRIEDMAN CEO Sonoma Promotional Solutions Sonoma, California PPAI 204856, S7 Our industry has been observed as having a tiered system; smaller distributors deal with smaller clients, medium-sized distributors with more value-adds lend themselves well to a medium-sized business and full-service distributors with warehousing or multiple branch capabilities handle the big guys. Having said that, an independent distributor that focuses on solving problems for their clients asks probing questions and never takes an order without looking for the fit, is welcome at any level. When you move from selling being an order that you get, to salesmanship being an outcome you deliver on, even small-order clients can prove to be goldmines, but your big- picture skillset will land you a seat at the big table. JAE M. RANG, MAS Owner JAE associates Ltd. Oakville, Ontario PPAI 561178, D4 Small fish lead to bigger fish. JUSTIN BRUBAKER Account Executive Apex Advertising Inc. Lancaster, Pennsylvania PPAI 109458, D8 Thinking ‘Big’ We’d like to work on getting larger orders. Any advice on how to make the jump? Q A DISTRIBUTOR ASKS: If you had to give one piece of advice to a relatively new sales team about how to get away from small orders and start landing higher- volume clients, what would it be? 12 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | INNOVATE