The Sales Advantage Podcast

Calling all sales reps!! You have shared with me the challenges you face, and I understand the frustration you express. These last few years your customer's preferences have changed, and your vendors' needs and expectations challenge you. You want to do the best job you can, but it seems like you can't do enough. You don't need to be stuck here; there is a better way. In this week&...

Tired of trying so hard, and doing everything but still not achieving your goals? Especially when in the past achieving sales goals seemed so much easier? Well, now is the time you have to work harder and be more strategic to achieve your goals. So have you thought about breaking down your goals and then using activity to build up to your goals? In this week's episode, I am sharing 6 steps to...

Do you know the best way to work with your sales reps? We know how valuable they are to many retailers and wholesale vendors, and as the industry changes, how do you support your sales reps?  Get ready to uncover the inner workings of sales teams, by learning how to leverage your relationship with your sales reps. In this episode of Inside Gift & Home, I have a great conversation exploring wha...

In this episode of Inside Gift & Home, we delve into the often underestimated but crucial aspect of effective communication – follow-up. Have you ever experienced someone remembering and asking about a significant aspect of your life that you shared with them earlier? That's the power of follow-up, and it's a gesture that conveys care and consideration. I'm sharing insights into wh...

If 1 + 1 = 2, then what formula would you use to generate sales? There are so many calculations and formulas you can use to calculate increase and decrease of sales, forecasting and commissions, but what about a formula to use to generate sales?  Well, in this week's episode of Inside Gift & Home, I am sharing with you my formula to generate sales and more about each of the components incl...

It's January show time! Does that make you excited and are you ready to maximize your time and efforts at trade shows? The focus on trade shows tends to be conducting a lot of business and connecting with customers, and that should be the primary focus. In this week's episode of Inside Gift & Home, I want to share 3 important trade show topics that will help your professional career, n...

In the Gift & Home Industry, how do you get connected, get educated, and find resources specific to the industry? Well, did you know that is the goal for the Gift & Home Trade Association (GHTA). As a member of GHTA, you can network with other industry professionals, participate in educational webinars and gain resources and information to facilitate growth in your profession. In this week...

One of the oldest and most profitable sales channels in our industry is sales reps. Brands with the most longevity in the industry will tell you that. But as new brands enter the industry and other sales channels emerge, vendors are left asking do I need sales reps? In this week's episode we explore what sales reps bring to the industry, and how they can be the uniting factor between retailers...

Do you have a missing piece of the sales puzzle? If you have one or many sales channels and still missing the right piece of the puzzle, inside sales compliments all your other sales channels. But are you wondering how inside sales fits right in? In this week's episode of Inside Gift & Home, we are talking about how inside sales works with wholesale vendors, sales reps and retailers. After...

Browsing, clicking, and shopping! Most of us do it! Maybe it's on our favorite boutique website or it's ordering groceries because we simply don't have time to grocery shop. So we browse the websites, click the "add to cart" button, and then checkout. So, if we are doing that on the consumer side, retailers should be able to do the same thing when they are placing orders with...

Agree or not agree, but is Faire fair? This seems to be a topic on everyone's mind at all times. Faire! And you love it or you don't. I have seen Faire transform business in good ways and also in not so good ways as well. If you are a vendor and your brand is on Faire, it can be a really good and powerful sales channel. If you are a sales rep and you are competing with Faire for orders, th...

Do you think life would be easier if you only had 1 or 2 sales channels to manage in your business? Are you saying to yourself, "let's focus on 1 or 2 sales channels, and forget the rest, especially trade shows." If that's the case , then let this week's episode serve as a caution on why NOT to do that. Trade shows have been around for decades and are still one of the best wa...

What happens to you when you are dealing with upset customers? Do your hands sweat? Does your face turn red? Do you lose your confidence and just want to crawl in a hole? Well, I hear you! It is not easy or fun to deal with upset customers, especially when all you want to do is make them happy. In this week's episode I am sharing a story of my most upset customer ever, and you probably won&#39...

Gift giving is just around the corner, but I want to give my gift to you a little early. You may be wondering why are you giving me a gift early, when I want you to use these gifts right away to finish out your year strong and be ready to start 2024 with a solid foundation.  My gift to you is an app, a book and a practice that has really made a difference in my business. And in this week's epi...

When you hear the word strength or strong, what do you think about first? Does your mind go to a body builder or someone physically strong? I will be honest, my mind goes to that. But there are so many areas where you can be strong that do not have to do with physical strength. In this week's episode I share about a time in my life when I was physically strong but mentally taken out, and what...

Over and over we hear relationships rule. Is that really the case in every situation? Well, I can't guarantee that in every situation, but what I do know is relationship rules more than it doesn't. In this week's episode, I share a story about a phone call I made that changed my philosophy on inside sales and why we put a focus on the relationship. I also breakdown this Indeed article...

Are you a business owner clenching your fists so tightly to hold onto control and power that you are losing salespeople? Are you ready to do things differently because you can't keep going like this? I hear you and the requests from your salespeople too. So in this week's episode I want to share with you why empowering your sales team is so important and ways you can empower your sales tea...

What am I supposed to do next? Where do I start?  How do I manage it all?  It's not easy to manage customers effectively and efficiently if all you are using is your brain. If you have hundreds or thousands of customers at different places in the sales cycle, then you can feel like chaos is closing in on you. But it doesn't have to be this way. In this week's episode, I share one of my...

Where was your business 5 years ago at this time? Are you expecting it to be the same as before the pandemic?  Well here is part 3 of your 4th Quarter Wake Up Call to expand your business.  With so many changes we faced during the pandemic, there is no way we can expect life to go back to the way things used to be. Which means we have to continue to figure out how to expand and grow our businesses...

Welcome to the 4th quarter and part two of 4th quarter Wake Up Call and turn your slow time into grow time. One way to ensure you are utilizing your slow time is to learn new skills. There is so much changing all around us and we have to keep learning and growing to be able to stay in the game. Doing the same things over and over expecting different results will only result in insanity. When you l...

The 4th quarter is just around the corner, and retailers are ramping up their efforts to make the most of this time! But what about vendors and sales reps? Are you hitting snooze because you anticipate a slow time? Well here is your wake-up call to change your mindset from a slow time to a grow time ! As retailers ramp up their selling efforts for their consumers, they can use your help! And by he...

Do you solve problems? Not just think about solving problems, but actually do something about it. Well, in this week's episode, you will hear from Molly Wilson, the owner of Big L Brands which is the parent company to 3 other industry brands. Molly has created brands to solve problems in the industry. Not only does she think about solving problems but she takes action. This episode is filled w...

What characteristics do you think great leaders need to possess? This is not an easy question to answer, and it can be a list of things to do and things not to do. In today's world, it seems like those with money, power and fame, get to lead, but that doesn't make those people great leaders. Have you experienced great leaders? Have you experienced poor leadership as well? I think we all ha...

Being a great leader is not about your title and position or even how big your paycheck is. Being a great leader is much more about serving, teamwork, cheering others on and experiencing true joy when other people succeed. I have been blessed to experience great leadership in the Gift & Home industry, and on this week's episode you get to hear from Lisa Wohlhart. Lisa is a champion for peo...

Don't get stuck in the muck! I know it can be really hard to be optimistic when times are tough, but getting stuck in the muck doesn't help you or your customers. So can you control and what can you do, and then what do you let go of. In this week's episode, I share with you how to serve your customers when times are tough. Retailers, sales reps and wholesale vendors can take these ide...