Ni ck La t eur The Long Game When Nick Lateur joined the promo industry, he found his passion for life. As director of sales at Massachusettsbased supplier HPG, Lateur uses his personality and creativity to connect with clients and promote the promotional products industry. by Kristina Valdez Nick Lateur isn’t just a morning person – he’s a Monday morning person. His TikTok page (@MondayswithNick) is devoted to the special day. EachMonday, Lateur posts a fun and silly video of himself either dressing up as a character or cracking a joke. “I’ve always had a positive outlook on life,” Lateur says. “But I was at a point inmy career, before I came to this industry, where I didn’t want to go to work. However, as soon as I got into this industry, the first event I did was a large trade show for a large distributor. I remember getting there on aMondaymorning, being so excited. After that trade show, literally the next Monday morning, I was so excited to get up and domore.” While somemay detest a Mondaymorning, Lateur says this industry gave him the opposite effect. “Mondays with Nick was also helpingme create a personal marketing campaign,” he says. “I was the only sales rep at the company when I first started. It was just me. How can someone remember me? I thought, ‘What do I like?’ Well, I likeMondays now, so everyMonday let’s do something funny, dumb or weird. That’s howmy social media page started.” Lateur joined the industry seven years ago. “Likemost people who end up in promo, I found it by accident,” Lateur says. “I’ve always been in sales or people-facing positions. I worked in a completely different industry, and one of the owners of that company also owned a promotional products business. One day, he calledme and offered a job. I was like, ‘Selling pens?’” After Lateur visited the factory and watched products being printed with logos, he decided to give the industry a chance. It wasn’t until he joined this industry that Lateur realized he canmake a living doing what he loves. “It was a huge light bulb moment,” he says. “I was not comfortable inmy own skin. I knew I liked a few things. I liked people andmaking sure people are taken care of. But I never had a specific drive to do a certain thing until mymid-30s, when I discovered there is a way to funnel my energy andmake a living from it.” In this industry, Lateur says you’re not just selling a product. “It’s almost not about the product sometimes. The way people view a brand or a logo is all emotional. A powerbank or Bluetooth speaker isn’t the game-changer. It’s more about your relationship between the consumer and what that brandmeans,” he says. “As far as selling promo products, you have to build a relationship and get to knowwho that brand is, almost like it’s a person, so you can solve themarketing problems they might have.” Promo is more about emotions and relationships than about physical goods, Lateur says. “Selling the same product will Lauteur and his daughter, Lily, at a soccer house. 68 | NOVEMBER 2022 | CONNECT
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