Available

Another successful order was on the books. Rachel Leone, president of Leone Marketing (asi/251966), a sole proprietorship in Hingham, MA, had shipped everything – journals, stress balls, backpacks, vests and eco-friendly bags – to a loyal telecommunications client’s employee appreciation event in North Carolina. But then, she received an after hours text from her contact at the telecom firm, asking for 10 more embroidered vests to be shipped to the venue, stat.

Leone jumped into action, promptly having the vests delivered from the supplier to her trusted decorator the next day, who embroidered them immediately and shipped them out a few hours later. Once she had received them at the event, the client texted Leone three little words: “I love you!”

“That says it all,” says Leone. “Going above and beyond is how we compete against the larger e-commerce distributors. It’s why we’re surviving.”

There was once a time when the client would have had to move forward without the vests. But now – with phones in-hand and quick shipment options widely available – virtually anything’s possible.

Clients know this and aren’t settling for anything less, resulting in a quickening pace of business across the entire industry. Data from ASI’s 2019 Supplier State of the Industry report shows that the percentage of orders requiring a five-day turnaround grew from 31% in 2016 to 36% in 2018. Large distributors (over $5 million in revenue) with technology and supply chain advantages are pushing the pace with an average seven-day turnaround on all orders, compared to 14 days for distributors under $1 million.

“People now think, ‘Of course I can get it in two days.’” Dominique Volker, Whitestone Branding

Why are turnarounds shortening? You can thank e-commerce sites, particularly Amazon; its Prime service guarantees two-day shipping all over the U.S. Now, what was once a nice-to-have has completely transformed our psyches and expectations of what the customer experience should look like when buying, well, anything. A September 2019 survey from Deloitte found that when consumers opt for fast shipping online, 68% expect delivery in two days or less. And according to BRP Consulting, half of e-commerce brands offer same-day delivery, compared to 16% in 2017.

To meet those expectations, distributors need to be available practically 24/7, and turn the miraculous into the routine. “Amazon is the elephant in the room,” says Jordy Gamson, CEO of The Ice Box (asi/229395) in Atlanta. “They created a benchmark that companies are imitating as best they can.”

How can a sales rep offer comparable service? What distributors don’t have in vast financial and infrastructural resources or teams of employees, they’re compelled to offer in time and energy: taking calls after hours, texting clients on weekends and closing deals during vacations. The hope is the extra effort will build relationships that will be worth more than the impersonal e-commerce experiences consumers have come to expect.

Perhaps that constant accessibility comes with a cost of stress, and the current competitive environment in promo may not be for everyone. But those who are eager to grow their business say they know how to manage the risk of burnout and are happy to be accessible. “It’s a give-and-take,” says Leone. “I’m fine with receiving a text after hours. And I’ll stop work a little early on Friday knowing I’ll be working Saturday. I just feel so lucky and blessed to be able to do this.”

No matter the attitude, one thing feels certain: to be successful in promo, reps always need to be available.

Gamson recalls a time when he kept a roll of quarters in his car in case he had to call a vendor or client. “The pace of how we work is directly related to advancements in technology,” he says. “Tech can do great things – business can be done more quickly, we can communicate globally. Business is happening everywhere, and we’re always on our phones. It used to be that a quick response time was a competitive advantage; now it’s a non-negotiable.”

Just eight years ago, Kevin Johnstone, director of marketing at FPS Apparel (asi/53475), had very structured, conventional work hours and didn’t even have email on his phone. Now, his company fields requests 24 hours a day because of increased customer demand combined with a huge time difference with overseas factories. (Beijing, for example, is 12 hours ahead of New York, where FPS is based.) In fact, the supplier is currently looking to hire a production manager for after-hours, who would handle late client requests and communications with factories.

“It’s the culture of immediate gratification we live in,” says Johnstone. “We’re connected 24/7. We can ask Alexa a question and get an answer in seconds without moving a muscle. We’re conditioned to expect that everything must happen instantly, and that includes work.”

Clients not only expect that a rep will respond right away, but also that they can make magic happen in the form of super-speedy turns. They’ve become accustomed to frictionless, easy, quick e-commerce transactions in the consumer marketplace and want everything to follow suit.

“Amazon really created this shift,” says Dominique Volker, senior project manager at Whitestone Branding. “People now think, ‘Of course I can get it in two days, why not?’ Distributors are wary of this, especially because e-commerce sites can ship out pens in 24 hours that are cheaper than ours. I focus on selling myself and my service, not the product. And I make sure I get them whatever they want, whenever they want it.”

That same philosophy compels Leone to deliver on those last-minute requests from her clients. “They might ask for something tomorrow, and I’ll call suppliers to see what they can do,” she says. “The client will have to pay for it, but they’re usually understanding.”

Since Amazon’s speed is quickly becoming the new standard of service, the growing wisdom for distributor sales reps is this: those who respond quickly, in real-time, are more likely to win and keep the business. Jim Nistico, president of Proforma Infinity (asi/300094), thinks it’s especially true in a commoditized industry. “To be competitive, you have to answer questions and place orders,” he says. “I’m as accessible as they want me to be. It helps build relationships so they’re so comfortable ordering from me that I can worry less about competitors and bidding for contracts.”

Volker treats her clients the same way – as friends. She fields texts, emails and calls whenever necessary, and they in turn understand and respect any boundaries she draws. “It’s relationship selling versus faceless e-commerce,” she explains. “You’re important to each other. Those relationships are better and longer-lasting. But 24/7 customer service is definitely a differentiator. This line of work isn’t the best option for people who want a 9-5 job.”

Everyone has a different threshold for stress and burnout, says Gamson, who believes his is pretty high. When there’s a group text among Ice Box sales reps after hours, he admits he’s usually one of the people responding. “Some reps check their phones constantly,” he says. “They don’t want anything left unanswered or unresolved. It doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night or the weekend. It’s healthier to draw boundaries, but it does make you less competitive.”

Leone says management of her clients’ projects is on her, which is challenging as a sole proprietor. But that’s her value proposition, that she’ll service her accounts – and manage challenges – so they don’t have to. “E-commerce companies won’t do that,” she says. “If distributors service clients this way, we’ll stay competitive. I personally love being always on. It motivates me.”

Since accessibility is key to competitiveness, it means work-free vacations aren’t always attainable for many reps. “It used to be that you had so much vacation time a year,” says Gamson. “Now it’s pretty much unlimited, but it usually implies that you’ll take work with you. However, you have to find balance.”

Volker says she always brings her laptop with her when she’s away; it’s actually less stressful, she says, to know she can address something that comes up before it becomes a bigger problem, answer clients’ questions and take advantage of business opportunities that come her way.

But Volker also makes sure she’s checking in with herself to make sure her needs are met. It helps to have time flexibility during the week. “If it’s slow on a Friday, I’ll end an hour early, knowing that I’ll be working on Sunday afternoon,” she says. “It’s about self-agency. Self-care is up to you. If you don’t address burnout, you’ll feel resentful. When you take care of yourself, everything is in better alignment.”

“Going above and beyond is how we compete against the larger e-commerce distributors. It’s why we’re surviving.”Rachel Leone, Leone Marketing

Leone makes it a rule to unwind with one activity a day that’s just for her. She might catch a workout class in the morning or evening, depending on her to-do list. This particular day, she had plans to go to dinner with friends. “You have to be your own advocate,” she says. “Plus, taking the time for you helps you come up with fresh new ideas for your clients.”

While Nistico is rarely, if ever, totally off, he says he tries to put the phone down once in a while. “Go out to dinner, take a walk and don’t look at your phone for 20 minutes,” he says. “Take the time to decompress. Then you can go back and handle the challenges that have come up. I do breathe a sigh of relief after 5 p.m. because usually things quiet down.”

The beauty of phones and laptops, though, says Nistico, is that he can do business whenever he needs to, even in line for rides at Disney World. He’ll also use a virtual assistant that helps with data entry while he’s away. The only days he can (usually) expect to be truly off are Thanksgiving and Christmas, when his clients are too. “I do find I have the urge to close business even on those days,” he says. “But this line of work really helps you enjoy the times when you can get re-aligned.”

Fortunately, clients, especially those with whom reps have built a relationship of trust and reliability, are often supportive of their promo professionals getting out of the office. “I’ve already told my key clients I’ll be going on a ski vacation soon,” says Leone. “I tell them I’ll respond, but mostly in the evenings when I get back to my hotel room. They understand 100%. Usually they say, ‘Good for you!’”

Distributor reps, it seems, are accepting of being accessible at all hours for customers. But the same doesn’t always ring true for their in-house support and supplier partners.

“The [distributor] back-end works on a more conventional timetable. And suppliers aren’t usually open at 2 a.m.” says Gamson. “It does sometimes cause conflict, because [support staff] have to work within business hours while sales reps are managed based on results.”

It’s the same at Whitestone. Volker may be fielding requests late into the night, but the company’s other departments aren’t. “It’s a balancing act,” she says. “Do what you can but know your limitations. Sometimes I send an email confirming receipt, telling them it’ll just take 12 hours until the art department opens. It shows you’re on it.”

“It used to be that a quick response time was a competitive advantage. Now it’s a non-negotiable.”Jordy Gamson, The Ice Box

Megan Erber, sales manager at S&S Activewear (asi/84358), also works after hours and on weekends to make sure distributor clients’ orders are taken care of. But she’s learned (sometimes the hard way) to prioritize to determine what absolutely needs immediate addressing and what can wait until the next morning. “Trust me, I’ll take care of it. I’m always available because I’m your friend,” she says. “But I don’t have access to our systems all the time. If I get a message that can wait, I’ll email distributors back during normal business hours and explain to them how it all works and set expectations.”

At Clearmount (asi/45440), normal production time is seven to 10 days, which Kate Plummer, vice president of sales & marketing for the supplier, considers quick for the custom handcrafted awards it produces. “When distributors say they need it the same week, there’s no time to address errors and mistakes,” she says. “Distributors will ask if there’s any way we can do it, and I’m not going to turn down an order. But there’s no recovery time. Then because this order was a rush it bumped another order that wasn’t originally a rush, and then that one becomes a rush. It has effects down the line.”

Setting end-buyer expectations needs to start with distributors letting clients know what’s viable and what isn’t. Both suppliers and distributors can agree on that point. “They want the moon and we can only offer them so much,” says Volker. “It’s about educating them, and you can do that when you’re creating a partnership. When I was new, I was nervous to say something wasn’t going to work. But I’ve learned that being honest avoids issues later.”

Plummer cautions that end-buyers need to know what’s realistic for suppliers and encourages distributors to avoid being in a permanent state of hurry. “We feel like we have to do everything fast,” she says. “Distributors in particular feel like if they’re not immediately responding to their client, they’ve lost out. But if you’re just going for the quick hits and working fast, you’re only an access point for clients, and bigger distributors are access points too.”

The entire distributor sales rep experience is now a combination of addressing clients’ requests and concerns at all hours, educating them on how the process works, handling true emergencies as they arise and marshalling the back-end to see what can be done, not to mention taking personal time when necessary to stay productive. It’s a tall order, but it’s how competitive distributors are differentiating themselves in a quick-paced, crowded industry.

“We have to be accessible,” says Nistico, “because the next guy will be.”

Five questions that will help your suppliers

In this speedy industry, suppliers are relying on the information distributors provide to make each order a success. Before you hit them up with a request that puts everyone on red alert, ask yourself:

1. “IS THIS AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY?”
   Before a knee-jerk response to every text, take an extra minute to process the request from the end-buyer and determine if it’s an actual emergency that requires both the distributor and supplier to be mobilized, particularly if it’s after hours or the weekend. Did something not arrive at an event as promised? That’s solidly in “priority” territory. Has an end-buyer noticed a price discrepancy on a product that they’re considering ordering? That can likely wait until Monday morning, and distributors can relay that.
2. “IS THIS A REASONABLE REQUEST?”
   Is an end-buyer asking about custom drinkware in a day? It sounds like an extreme example, but with Amazon setting the pace, it’s likely these requests will be coming in more and more. While distributors should reach out to their suppliers to see what can be done, setting expectations from the beginning and being familiar with how suppliers operate will help distributors come up with creative solutions that work for everyone and are less stressful.
3. “AM I RESPECTING BOUNDARIES?”
   If a supplier rep has established timeframes during which they work, respect them. Don’t reach out late on a Friday night, particularly if the request could have been addressed first thing on Monday. It only sours relationships with your suppliers, who are integral to relationships with end-buyers.
4. “DO I HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION?”
   When distributors need an answer quickly, they don’t always provide enough information to help suppliers provide a better response. Before reaching out to a supplier, even if it takes extra back-and-forth with the client, have more details so the supplier isn’t shooting in the dark with product suggestions, pricing and timelines. That way, the products they can offer will be more targeted to the end-buyer’s needs and don’t risk being a waste of everyone’s time.
5. “IS THE PO CORRECT?”
   It’s imperative that information sent to suppliers is complete and accurate, especially with rush orders. Putting all POs through a quality control process before they’re sent to vendors will lessen the chances of a mistake on the order, which in turn mitigates the chance of a last-minute emergency that distributors (and by extension, their suppliers) are forced to address at midnight the night before the event.