Situation

I have worked for some of the best agencies, specifically, Shumsky and Wood Associates (currently Brandvia), where I built a portfolio of clients for international recognized market leaders in made-to-order promotional products.

Shumsky Inc. in Dayton, OH offered me a position as a Sales Representative.  The opportunity seemed limitless and it was the chance to work on the advertising needs of any brand and not be confined to a certain industry.  After three months on the job I requested to be put on 100% commission recognizing the unlimited earning potential.

Wood Associates (now called Brandvia) based out of San Jose, CA was a larger firm with 17 offices in the U.S.  I was responsible for opening the new Cincinnati market and distribution center.  I benefited from a team sales approach and was surrounded by the most creative people in the promotional marketing industry.  This is where I learned about the benefits of building corporate culture.

Marketing

Marketing campaigns are the main method I use to communicate, reinforce positioning, and for customer acquisition.  Good campaigns follow a theme and include a series of touches with the market. It’s noisy in the marketplace, and a message delivered once through a single medium rarely makes a difference.   Many marketing campaigns contain an overarching theme, which can be leveraged over extended periods of time with multiple variations, or different elements, to tell an entire story.

Please ask me about the background behind some of these marketing campaigns that resulted in some extraordinary results.

Sales & Results

At Shumsky, I was ranked number one in sales for seven straight years and much of my success was due to my work-hard approach but I also recognized that I had great mentoring and leadership at this organization.  I credit the people I worked at Shumsky for developing my skills as a sales professional.

At Wood Associates, I increased my sales revenue 25% or more every year for five consecutive years.  I accepted a leadership position within the sales organization and helped the company grow from $20MM to $87MM and go public on the NASDAQ.