NEWS & VIEWS

W e created Disruption in Seattle, Washington, at The Westin

Seattle from Oct. 17 – 20th. The 45th

Annual Conference surpassed 430 participants in 2017. Based upon the survey results, the conference content,

networking, and spouse/guest activities more than met expectations.

• 98 percent agreed that the

conference was worth their time and

investment.

• 91 percent ranked their experience

as met expectations or higher.

• 86 percent will apply strategies

learned at the sessions to their

businesses.

Participants shared the following

regarding their conference experience:

The attitude… the members of AIM/R get

it and make the event very positive.

Well done! My hat is off to Rick Root and

his crew for pulling off another great

conference!

For many of you, the content challenged your current thinking and your historical, and perhaps inherited, business practices. You perhaps felt some discomfort as you heard about upcoming trends that will more-than-likely disrupt the perceived unity in your business. We shifted in our seats and even sweated a little, especially when Amazon took the stage. Discomfort is a stimulus to change. Don’t forget what you learned. Do keep an open mind. Rethink.

Reinvent. Reposition. Reimagine your business. And, do echo what you’ve learned at the 45th Annual Conference.

Some of the highlights from the week included the R.A.M. Rep & Manufacturers Roundtable on Wednesday, Oct. 18th, where over 380 manufacturers and reps convened to discuss critical issues facing the industry.

Our keynote presentations taught us about game-winning strategies (Dave Davlin), the future of leadership (Sandra Long), the characteristics of the greatest leaders (Dave Mitchell), and how to be “show ready” for your business and clients (Bill Stainton).

On Wednesday evening at the

Reception, Dinner & Awards, AIM/R

honored several individuals from the

industry. The 2017 AIM/R Golden Eagle

was awarded to Scott Edwards of

Armacell, LLC. The following

individuals were inducted into the AIM/

R Hall of Fame in 2017: John

Clendenning, CPMR, and John

Dwight “Jack” Eversoll. See page 2

for the complete story.

Leaders of Tomorrow… Today (LOT/T)

sponsored two sessions in 2017—

Understanding Your Business Facts

(Rick Banner, Keyline Sales, Inc., and

Kelly Michel, Michel Sales Agency) and

Evolving with e-commerce (Amazon).

LOT/T ended Thursday evening with

the first-ever event for LOT/T Members,

Where Rep Professionals Come to Succeed

ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT MANUFACTURERS ’ REPRESENTATIVES FALL 2017

In This Issue

Award Winners in 2017 2

New Board Members

3

Follow-up & Reps

MANA: The Rep of the Future

4 - 5

MRERF: Plant, Cultivate,

Benefit 6

True Costs of a Sales Call 7

Rockstar, Ballerina… Rep? 8

Digital Transformation 9

Annual Conference Photos 10-12

New Members, and First-timers at The Pike

Pub. More than 75 participants raised their

glasses.

On Friday morning, nearly 300 reps

participated in the RepRoundtable (formerly

RepCafe) where best practices and helpful

operational tips were shared.

In closing, it was an honor to serve as your

conference chair in 2017. Thank you to all

participants, especially our Sponsors,

Manufacturers, and Vendors, who

committed to being with AIM/R. Without

your support we could not deliver an

outstanding conference experience. For a

list of sponsors, please visit www.aimr.net.

Finally, please mark your calendar for the

46th Annual Conference to be held from

Sept. 12 – 15, 2018, at The Meritage

Resort & Spa (Napa, California). Happy

Holidays!

Echoing the Disruption

Rick Root, CEO & COO, Bailey Sales & Associates and

Conference Chairman 2017

Page 2

Announcing Award Winners in 2017

AIM/R honored Scott Edwards of Armacell, LLC as the recipient of the 2017 Golden Eagle Award. The presentation was made before a record crowd at AIM/R’s 45th Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington. The Golden Eagle Award is presented annually to an individual in the Manufacturing sector that demonstrates the highest level of professionalism in his/her interaction with Independent Manufacturers’ Representatives. The award was presented by Charlie Parham, VP of Industry and PR for AIM/R.

Scott Edwards cut his teeth in the Texas Oil and Gas Industry prior to joining IMCOA 27 years ago. Presented with

many challenges as IMCOA worked to transition the plumbing market from the traditional rubber and fiberglass pipe insulation over to a new polyethylene option, he found partnership and a desire for change within IMCOA’s associated Independent Rep Agencies. Over the years, IMCOA went through many transformations—first as part of the Johns Manville group then finally becoming part of the Nomaco group of companies. Scott has fulfilled many leadership roles over the years including President of Nomaco-KFlex and President of Nomaco Insulation. Most recently, the insulation group of Nomaco was acquired by Armacell, LLC. and Scott and his team engaged in the many tasks associated with its integration into the Armacell group of companies. Being recognized for his never-ending thirst for new challenges, Scott has

assumed the role of General Manager for the Component Foams Group within Armacell, LLC. While he is leaving a side of the business which is dear to his heart, he knows that the partnerships are strong and the team in place has a solid vision to elevate the Polyethylene Division to new heights.

Parting comments from Scott at the 45th

AIM/R Annual Conference were as follows: Many thanks for the years that the AIM/R reps have raised the bar in the industry and in the process educated me on total professionalism and continuous improvement. You guys ROCK!

For more information on Armacell, LLC, visit corporate.armacell.com/.

AIM/R announced two new inductees into the AIM/R Hall

of Fame at the 45th

Annual Conference in Seattle, Wash-

ington. The presentations were made in front of a record crowd during the

Reception, Dinner & Awards on Wed., Oct. 18th. The newest inductees include

the late John Dwight “Jack” Eversoll of Cambridge-Lee Sales in Anaheim, Califor-

nia. Among his many contributions, Jack served as AIM/R President from 1980 –

1981. The Association also inducted John Clendenning, CPMR of the J.R.

Clendenning agency in Royersford, Pennsylvania. John served as AIM/R Presi-

dent from 1991 – 1992.

The AIM/R Hall of Fame was established to recognize those past members who have contributed invaluably to AIM/R and the Independent Rep chan-nel. According to Charlie Parham, VP of Industry & PR, AIM/R Hall of Fame mem-

bers are recognized for the passion, leadership, integrity and entrepreneurial spirit they have created and fostered. Because of the dedication of these individuals, AIM/R continues to be the leading organization dedicated to the success, growth and evolution of the independent manufacturers’ representative.

Left Photo: AIM/R Golden Award Winner—Scott Edwards, Armacell, LLC

and Rep Agencies

Below Photo: AIM/R Hall of Fame—Jon Thomas of N.H. Yates & Co.

accepting award for John Clendenning; Charlie Parham, CPMR, Pepco

Sales & Market pictured on right.

Bottom Photo: AIM/R Hall of Fame—Jay Eversoll accepting award for his

father, the late John Dwight “Jack” Eversoll; Charlie Parham pictured on

left.

Photo Credits: Kim Burke, IS Quote/Interep

Page 3

Your AIM/R Board of Directors has harvested the talents of two new Board Members for this upcoming year. Meet Jon Wiggs, CPMR, CSP with Wiggs-Haun & Bohan and Val Galvan, Jr., CPMR of Southwestern Mechanical Sales.

Jon Wiggs is a 2nd generation manufactures representative at Wiggs-Haun & Bohan serving the Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas markets. He joined the company after graduation from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2005. In 2016, Jon graduated from CPMR in Austin, Texas and received his CSP certification. He has a great understanding of the contractor and builder markets, as he also holds a (BC-A and BC-b(sm)) residential and commercial contractors license in Tennessee. Jon was recently elected 2nd Vice

Chair for the 2018 Southern Wholesalers Leadership Development Council and looks forward to serving. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife Jordan and their two boys Mire and Waylon. They are avid sports lovers and enjoy passing time on the water fishing and boating.

Val Galvan, Jr., CPMR was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. Val, his father, and his son were all born in the same hospital. Val has been married to his beautiful wife for 27 years. They have a son, two daughters, and two awesome granddaughters, who all live near by. Val loves to play golf and Triathlon. This year he completed two Olympic distance Triathlons and Ironman Oceanside 70.3. He loves the industry and is extremely grateful for the people with whom he works.

Wiggs & Galvan Join Board of Directors

2017 - 2018 AIM/R Officers &

Directors

Chairman: Tim Morales

President: Michael Hobbs, CPMR President-elect: & Treasurer:

Rick Root

Senior Vice Presidents

Conference 2018 Mike Mullen, CPMR

Membership & Conference 2019

Charlie Parham, CPMR

Education Kathleen M. Dwyer, CPMR

Industry & PR Brian Morgan

Directors

Val Galvan, Jr., CPMR Michael Henderson, CPMR

William Horsman, CPMR, CSP Katie Hubach

Michelle Lewnes-Dadas, CPMR Pete Mayer, CPMR

Mike Powers, CPMR Jon Wiggs, CPMR, CSP

LOT/T Representative Tobi Gibson, CPMR

It is one month earlier in

2018 … Plan ahead!

Registration opens on

March 1st…

Design Credit: Eric Liao

Jon Wiggs, CPMR, CSP

Wiggs-Haurn & Bohan

Val Galvan, Jr.

Southwestern Mechanical Sales

Page 4

Could Being Great at Follow-up Actually Not be So Great?

There is a myth shared by many agency owners: one of the best attributes a salesperson can have is a dogged determination to relentless follow-up after a prospecting call...

Many sales leaders want their reps to go back as long as it takes to get a P.O. or secure a spec. Praise is heaped upon those producers that show the Pitbull mentality to outlast the most reluctant prospects. And for many, the belief is that sales success requires a willingness to endure long sales cycles, which consist of multiple follow-up calls, before a Yes can be expected.

In today’s marketplace, this belief creates another set of challenges. Now manufacturers and principals expect reps to spend more time on demand generation and market intelligence. So how does a rep balance these additional expectations on top of handling all the follow-up calls that are required to close deals? This battle for the rep’s time is now one of the loudest frustrations I hear from agency owners and reps alike.

How do we escape this conundrum? By becoming more efficient and effective in our sales process. To that end, perhaps the single biggest change required creates the most discomfort for many salespeople and sales managers: Give up your belief in the value of follow-up.

Before you take this too literally, let's consider why salespeople find themselves having to follow-up in the first place. As difficult as it might be to read or even consider, the truth is most salespeople do not know how or when to close a business

opportunity. Too often the sales process has devolved into a back-and-forth discussion, without any timeline, where neither party has committed to reaching a decision.

Buyers know the longer they hold off the salesperson, the better the deal gets. Consequently, they suspend urgency when considering making a change to a different product or program. The typical salesperson’s response is to just keep chasing, educating, and hoping one day he will be rewarded for his determined efforts. I’m not saying this doesn’t work from time to time, but there is a better, more consistent way.

An efficient and effective sales professional understands he or she is in the decision collecting business, not the discussion business. How much commission do you make for having discussions with prospects? How much more commission do you earn for taking another month to get a prospect to make a decision? Everyone knows the painful truth to the answers to those questions. So why aren't more sales leaders focused on developing sales teams that are laser-focused on collecting decisions, instead of celebrating the willingness to wear down a prospect with follow up emails and voicemails? Think of the opportunities to reach new prospects as opposed to chasing undecided suspects.

To get out of the follow-up madness, a salesperson must be able to achieve three fundamental outcomes on every call: Get the prospect to agree to make a decision (not just entertain discussions); Determine what is the urgency to buy for the prospect; and Establish a mutually acceptable deadline for the decision to be made, even if it is a No.

Is it possible that being great at follow-up is really just the polite way of

saying someone lacks enough skill or courage to close an opportunity with a sales process that is both efficient and effective? Do you have enough time in your day-to-day business to let sales pursuits take as long as it might take, or would your entire agency benefit from being more focused on decisions, than discussions? I agree that selling requires dogged determination, but if it’s all about chasing non-committal suspects, then I contend that’s wasted time and energy.

About the Author

Charlie Hauck and his Growth Dynamics team have been serving manufacturers’ rep agencies for over 25 years. Growth Dynamics provides business development process training, search and selection services and executive coaching for agencies. Over 25 AIM/R agencies have engaged Growth Dynamics, and they have been regular sponsors of the AIM/R Annual Conference. Growth Dynamics, LLC is also listed in MANA’s 12 Steps To Rep Professionalism as a business development resource.

Charlie Hauck, CPBA, President, Growth Dynamics, LLC

Page 5

Yes, the rep of the future will continue to be a leader in applying productivity tools, but CRM software and mobile devices are wielded skillfully by reps and direct sales forces alike. So those tools by themselves won’t be what guarantee the continued success of the rep profession. (And even if jet packs did become available, the direct salespeople would have them too!)

So, what skill will the rep of the future need to guarantee his or her success, and the continued success of the entire profession? The ability not only to prove that he or she adds value to a transaction, but also to prove that the rep is most cost-efficient of all the possible alternatives manufacturers have to bring their products to market.

In today’s economic environment, everyone involved in a transaction is increasingly called upon not only to prove they add value, but also to prove they are the most cost-effective way to accomplish a task. So, the rep of the future will increasingly be called upon not only to sell products and services, but also to sell the rep business model as the single most efficient way to take products and services to market.

For his or her current and prospective principals, the rep of the future will skillfully sell the advantages of the rep business model as the only system that allows multiple manufacturers to cost-effectively share a sales force with complimentary, non-competing lines.

The successful rep of the future will recognize and capitalize on this unique capability by giving even more attention to line card management, promoting to prospective principals not only the quality of his or her sales efforts and the cost-efficiency of the rep system of selling, but also the pull-through sales benefits of becoming part of a carefully managed, meticulously groomed, synergistic line card.

For his or her current or prospective customers, the rep of the future will sell not only products and services, but also the benefits of conducting business with multiple manufacturers during a single meeting with a single manufacturers’ rep who has longevity in the territory and extensive knowledge of that customer’s technical and commercial requirements.

The rep of the future faces not only a harsh economy, but also tough challenges from principals and customers demanding proof of the

The Rep of the Future (Sorry, Still No Jet Packs!)

Charles Cohon, CEO & President, MANA

Calling all AIM/R Rep Agency Members… Have you visited the Members Login section of

www.manaonline.org? Rep agency membership in AIM/R now includes a complimentary membership to

MANA with all the benefits and privileges entitled therein. For a list of benefits, visit manaonline.org/reps/

benefits-of-membership.

Rep Agencies: You are a Member of MANA!

rep’s value. The rep of the future will not only be savvy about his or her products, but also about the rep busi-ness model, and be able to offer com-pelling proof that any other way of taking a product to market squanders both the principal’s and the custom-er’s time and money.

About the Author

Charles Cohon is CEO and president of the Manufacturers’ Agents National Asso-ciation. Cohon earned an MBA with honors and with concentra-tions in strategic man-agement and entre-preneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Busi-ness. Before becom-ing MANA's CEO, he owned a very suc-cessful manufacturers’ representative company in Chicago.

Page 6

Plant, Cultivate, Benefit

The 2017 AIM/R Conference is complete: DISRUPTIVE LEADERSHIP challenged us to make 2018 bigger, stronger and more profitable than ever before.

However, if you were anticipating the single silver bullet or compact answer key for all your 2018 challenges to be your single take-away, think again. Consider instead that the most valuable take-away is a pervasive ringing in your head...

SO WHAT? or NOW WHAT?

Be careful. That warning won’t last long, and your future depends on it.

PLANT THE SEEDS FOR A 2018 BUMPER CROP AIM/R 2017 provided the opportunity to look at your business from the perspective of Disruption. Dave Davlin and his Game-Winning 3 asked you to look at the development of your team. Robb Best put his book, “Brain App”, in front of you and contended you can pinpoint key factors to impact your customer trust. Dave Mitchell asked you to look at the type of leader you are, and the development of leaders on your team. Which one of these idea(s) resonated with you and will be planted in your 2018 strategy?... and if not now – when?

SO WHAT? As you put your 2018 strategy together, consider consequences as well as potential returns:

• For example, you cannot simultaneously focus on growing sales without keeping an eye on profitability. You might sell more units at a manufacturer’s higher price, but what will the impact be on time, expenses, and

commissions to your bottom line?

• For example, is your 2018 strategy a lone focus to grow territory without keeping that eye on employee and customer wear and tear?

NOW WHAT? Examples of potential strategic initiatives to “plant” for 2018. Be conservative in your choice of direction(s). What can you actually accomplish and take to the bank? (These are just a few examples...)

1. Improve B2B Processes and Tools

2. Cash Flow: Cost cut, maximize current CapEx and OpEx

3. Competition and competitive advantage

4. Customer retention and satisfaction

5. Growth: revenue, customers, territory

6. Legacy accounts analysis and growth opportunities

7. Line profitability analysis

8. New and emerging markets penetration

9. New customer acquisition

10. Succession Planning

CULTIVATE THOSE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES WITH EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT! There is not a farmer, a hunter, or a businessperson alive today who doesn’t cultivate the field to ensure the most profitable returns for the invested time.

James Cameron, Hollywood

Executive Producer and Director, has been quoted Hope is not a Strategy, Luck is not a Factor, Fear is not an Option.

SO WHAT? Your 2018 success won’t just happen. Identify those three or four—no more—initiatives on which you will build your 2018 success. Define the strategic path and investment that will fuel you and your team. Point out the milestones and rest stops to celebrate, evaluate, and course correct.

NOW WHAT? Cultivate, nurture, acquire, develop. C’mon, you know how. Whether you are reading this as an individual salesperson, a manager or a business owner, your future starts when your feet hit the floor in the morning. No one to blame, no one to award – just YOU.

With the strength of an organization like AIM/R behind you, the calendar ticking off the days until the New Year begins, and the opportunity for YOU to use the network, the keynotes, the books, and the ideas acquired in Seattle, it is your turn to PLANT and CULTIVATE.

See you in Napa, California, from September 12 - 15, 2018, with stories of the BENEFITS your Disruptive Strategy and Careful Cultivation delivered!

About the Author

Liz Beerman liz@mrerf.org, is the Executive Director of MRERF – Manufacturers’ Representative Educational Research Foundation — www.mrerf.org. MRERF is dedicated to serving industry associations, like AIM/R, with research and analysis of current challenges, member surveys, and proven, successful classes for manufacturers’ reps and the manufacturers they represent.

Liz Beerman, CSP, Executive Director, MRERF

Page 7

The True Costs of a Sales Call

In today’s excessively busy

world, how much time do we

really spend in front of the

customer?

The answer may be a little scary.

According to trade studies, the

typical outside sales person

spends only 12 hours per week in

front of customers. We call this time

in front of customers “active selling.”

Active selling includes cold calls, cold

emails, in-person meetings to pitch

products, engineering discussions,

negotiations, and closing the deal.

This activity is where we make

money. Nose-to-nose with our OEMs,

contractors, architects and

distributors, we reps were built to do

this!

As commissioned-only reps, we

probably do a little better than 12

hours per week most sales people log

for “TIFOC (Time-in-front-of-

customers).” But could we, and

should we, be doing A LOT better?

Let’s do some simple math: An

outside sales person may be

compensated at $60k per year, plus

$20k for expenses. Add company

overhead, FICA, insurance and the

profit the sales person contributes to

the company. Combine all the

expenses and contribution of income

to the company into one number. This

sales person must generate no less

than $120,000 dollars per year in

commission income for the

company. Does this $120,000 per

year in revenue generated ring true

for your sales person? Many sales

reps are responsible for a lot more

income, and compensated as such.

For those who like formulas:

Sales person’s minimum commission

generation ($120k) = salary ($60k) +

Expenses ($20k) + Overhead ($20k) +

company contribution ($20k)

Now take that sales person’s revenue

and divide it into how much

commission they need to generate for

a single work day.

Revenue of $120k divided by 200

working days equals $600 per day!

Your sales person needs to

generate $600 in commission

revenue every day.

Yup, $600 per day per sales guy.

Wow.

Yet, that sales person is spending

only 12 hours a week in front of

customers. That’s 2.4 hours per day

actively selling.

Now we have zeroed in on the cost

of a sales call as $600 of

commission/2.4 hours = $250

So that a one-hour in-person sales

call costs $250!

Here’s the thing: Your business is

already making these numbers work!

That $600 a day of commission IS

coming in from their efforts today,

with only 2.4 hours of active selling

time. The good news is you are

already doing it!

Now the mission is to maximize TIFOC. Instead of two-and-a-half hours a day actively selling, if you make it four hours per day in front of customer, your business will grow by a third. Your family, manufacturers

and your banker will be thrilled. Who wouldn’t want that?

John Mitchell, Founder, RepFabric

Artis

t Cre

dit: E

ric L

iao

Mark your calendar…

Registration opens on

March 1st!

Page 8

Rock Star, Ballerina… Rep?

Disruptive Leadership only

works if you have people who

need leaders. In a world where

the kids want to be game

developers or pilots…

it is imperative to show today’s youth

some career alternatives their

guidance counselor doesn’t even

know about. There are great career

paths available in the plumbing

industry, but few are aware of them.

No one grows up thinking When I

grow up, I’m going to be a

manufacturers rep… unless you grew

up in a family of reps. Then you sort

of can’t help yourself. You end up

being a rep even if you were going to

be a firefighter or ballerina. I digress.

There are few people currently in the

industry who ever thought about

being a manufacturer, rep, or

wholesaler… much less a plumber.

These career paths were not shown

to us. No one ever described the

Regional Sales Manager lifestyle.

Then again, if they had, perhaps

there would be fewer RSMs. What’s

not to like about traveling 70% of the

time, sleeping in a different bed every

three days, seldom having home

cooked meals, not having all your

shoes available to you at once, or

lounging in those oh-so-comfortable

airport chairs? Again, I digress.

Every industry, not just plumbing,

needs to reach out to the community

where its annual conference takes

place. Call the high schools, VoTech

schools, and Community Colleges

and invite their students to attend the

conference. Encourage young folks to

come explore the industry. Help them

understand what you do. What your

channel partners do. Maybe they’ll

come away wanting to be in Supply

Chain Management. They may even

want to become a rep (gasp!). Or

plumbers.

Your career path is the road less

traveled. Not because it’s bad. But

because no one knows about it. They

know about it in theory. They know

there are manufacturers…they just

think they’re all overseas. They know

that salespeople exist, but… ewww…

who wants to be a salesperson? They

don’t know a thing about

manufacturers reps. Show them.

Show them the autonomy. The passion. Show them the benefit of finding something you love (who doesn’t love pipe fittings… or faucets for that matter?) and building a career, not just a job. Show them the good, the bad, and the ugly (if they stick around long enough). Show them that they can forge a path like no other. They can create a career that lets them build their dream… unless they want to be a rock star… then they’re probably out of luck. Though, if they learn about being a rep, they can become a rock star salesperson.

And, did you see those groupies at AIM/R? Talk about a good time!

Karen L. Jefferson, CPMR, CSP, Orgo

About the Author

Karen L Jefferson CPMR CSP grew up as a

rep in the electronics industry. She was not

going to be a firefighter or a ballerina. She was

always going to work in the world of reps. Now,

as the rock star Director of New Business De-

velopment at Orgo Sales Engine, she talks to

reps and manufacturers in all industries to pro-

vide them tools to be better business partners,

better salespeople, better businesspeople.

Contact her today, she gets you. 866.976.6746

KJefferson@OrgoSales.com

AIM/R 45th Annual Conference

Photos courtesy of The SnapBar—

photo booth (Wed., Oct. 18, 2017)

Page 9

Digital Transformation for Reps

Sure the “cloud” has data

and solutions hosted in large

data centers now, but that doesn’t

really change the operation of any

singular person. We are still all buried in

emails with schedules filled and doing our

best to stay on top of everything. How

can the “cloud” help a sales rep?

Productivity through Minimizing Email Inside sales and outside sales are still

heavily reliant on sending documents,

presentations, proposals, ideas and notes

through email, which can take hours each

week to open, read, and download

attachments. And, while the magnitude

of emails received every day keeps

growing, it’s often difficult to locate

information if it was received beyond the

past couple days.

Stop the email dumping.

The true power of digital transformation

lies within how teams and organizations

are now able to share files, communicate

and collaborate, creating a more efficient

and productive environment.

We are talking about minimizing

everything that gets emailed within your

organization and anything attached to an

email on a daily basis. Beyond organized

access to files through Dropbox or a VPN

server, modern cloud solutions, such as

Microsoft Office 365, now allow you to

search and edit files through web

browsers, or connect through Microsoft

Office desktop and mobile applications.

Current cloud-based solutions can lead users to become more self-reliant by providing more advanced tools than file folders and subfolders, such as: search, custom navigational dashboards, discussion boards and shared company newsfeeds. As sales professionals’ schedules are always 60 seconds away from complete disruption, this also gives them the ability to access or contribute when their schedule permits. * Collaboration The days of emailing late night revisions or filenames ending in “_rev7_10-27-2017” are over. One of the operational benefits

the “cloud” can provide to sales organizations and management is not only the connectivity and access to

documentation, but the Microsoft cloud can allow you to simultaneously work on Word, Excel, PowerPoint & OneNote

documents from anywhere. One document can be hosted in the cloud, and the platform saves all changes and

versions. Everyone can view and edit the latest version without emailing comments

or getting a newer version in your email as you’re working on an old one. For

example, one user can be typing in a paragraph through Microsoft Word desktop, and another user that’s 500

miles away can edit the document in their browser while seeing the edits the other user is making in real-time. **

The cloud solutions available continue to

evolve at a breakneck pace, with a handful dominating the marketplace, but now small businesses have the ability to

afford solutions that formerly cost $100,000’s. These solutions are now available for less than $20 per user, per

month, with no IT hardware and software risk. If the “cloud” can solve one

headache per month, it’s probably worth it. These solutions also allow sales teams to be connected and aligned with

their organization and can personally free up time to focus on their clients.

About the Author—Patrick Knoelks

Managing Director & Founder of Spyre Group, a

sales force focused design and technology firm. He

leads his team in providing rep firms and

manufacturers with web, digital, print and cloud

collaboration solutions.

You can reach Patrick at 913-499-6014, by email at

pknoelke@spyregroup.com or through his website at spyregroup.com/reps.

Patrick Knoelke, Managing Director, Founder, Spyre Group

* Screenshot of Microsoft SharePoint Online Search

**Infographic created by the Spyre Group design team

Where reps come to succeed

Photos from the 45th Annual Conference…

Recognize any of these faces?

Photos courtesy of The SnapBar—photo booth (Wed., Oct. 18, 2017)

Page 10

Where reps come to succeed

Seattle's Disruptive Founding Leaders Perfect Backdrop for AIM/R Conference

While important business conversations were happening in AIM/R sessions, pertinent details of Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market were discovered on the tour. In the end, Seattle was a fitting location for this Annual Conference in multiple ways.

Bad Reps Got the Boot

Thomas P. Revelle, a Seattle city councilman, lawyer, and newspaper editor got the farmer’s market started in 1907 because farmers and consumers had been swindled. From 1906 to 1907 unscrupulous practices made the price of onions go from 10 cents a pound to more than a $1 per pound at a time when a pair of new shoes cost $2. That first week, six vendors showed up to more than 2,000 customers and sold-out. It’s evident by the trainings, certifications, and conversations at AIM/R, this industry has high standards for its reps and keeps fair practices for the best consumer experience, too.

Founded in Humility

In addition to integrity, it’s evident that AIM/R member businesses, like Pike Place Market were founded in humility. The developer of the market, Frank Goodwin, kept his office on the bottom floor next to the restrooms. During the AIM/R Reception, Dinner, & Awards on Wed., Oct. 18th, it was pointed out, and applies to many of the founding members in both AIM/R and Seattle, that they lead by the character traits of The Greatest Generation as labeled by American newsman Tom Brokaw:

Personal Responsibility; Humble Natures; Work Ethic; Prudent Saving and Faithful Commitment

Rising Tide Floats all Boats

Unlike other industry manufacturer reps, plumbing and HVAC territory boundaries has created a similar culture of support like what exists in Pike Place Market. Listening to families who have travelled to this and other conferences together over 25 years, it fits the stories found in the market. There is a co-op child care center on site. Vendors put out left-over food at the end of the night for those in need. In one story, a baker who had worked for another Russian baker for 10 years, finally was able to open his own location. On the night before he opened, he realized he did not save enough from the renovation for butter and flour. The next morning, he planned on using the remaining $50 to make what he could and use the next proceeds to keep going. When he opened the door that morning, an envelope was on the floor. It contained $1,000 cash and a note of best wishes. It had come from his former employer. She wouldn ’t allow a repayment, only encouraging him to pay it forward. Watching business owners and manufacturers be open and honest in their conversations year-after-year equally helps each company and relationship rise to the best of its potential.

Multigenerational

Knowing there are 4th-generation business owners in AIM/R shows the family values, work ethic and traditions being passed down just like the multi-generational businesses still viable at Pike’s Market for more than 100 years.

Here’s to your businesses and industry being legendary for another 100 years!

Submitted with honor to AIM/R members by Nancy Lucas, Director of Customer Success at Repfabric

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Phone: 866.729.0975

Fax: 630.790.309

E-mail: info@aimr.net

www.aimr.net

800 Roosevelt Road

Suite C-312

Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Where reps come to

Photos from the 45th Annual Conference…

Recognize any of these faces?

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