1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,160 Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where we explore the journeys that lead to success. 2 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:14,000 I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:21,520 insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts who will share not just their expertise 4 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:27,440 but the milestone moments that have reshaped their journeys and led to significant achievements. 5 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:33,120 So if you're looking for motivation, you're in the right place. Subscribe now and discover the 6 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:42,880 milestones that mark the path to success. Hi, today we have Adrienne Barker, a dedicated 7 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:49,920 business consultant with over 35 years of experience in the promotional products industry. 8 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:56,080 Welcome Adrienne. Thank you, Sheila, for having me on the show. Thank you. So tell me a bit about 9 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:02,640 how you got into the promotional products industry, what it is in case someone doesn't know what that 10 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:10,240 industry is and what you do today. So my beautiful parents, Gloria and Herb Barker, in 1955 started 11 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:15,440 Barker Specialty Company in Cheshire, Connecticut. Promotional products, logo merchandise, think of 12 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:20,000 all the pens that have passed your hands that have had a logo on it. Now picture there's a million 13 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:25,440 products. So my parents had me in every part of the business. Actually, the first six months I 14 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:32,480 filed catalogs. And so I, after 35 years, know the promotional products industry like my back of my 15 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:38,160 hand, served on plenty of boards. My really fun, one of my love was the Premier Group, which is 16 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:45,760 suppliers and distributors together. So fantastic group. I'm a PPAI fellow. I've got my lifetime 17 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:51,200 certification with my MAS, as you see at the end of my name, Masters of Advertising Specialists. 18 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:58,160 And all of that combined has really given me, I'm one of the seasoned experts in the promotional 19 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:04,960 products industry recognized and well known and let's hope I'm well liked. I think you're well 20 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:11,680 like that energy. I can just feel it through the podcast, right? So that's from a family business 21 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:17,440 and you're still continuing almost like a legacy, right? And I know that's one of different business, 22 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:22,240 you know, that you do today. Apart from your parents being in the business, what's that one 23 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:28,800 milestone that redefined your path to success in this industry? So I want to be clear, I do not 24 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:35,120 sell promotional products and have not sold promotional products since 2015 when I started 25 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,840 professional global etiquette and went to the Protocol School of Washington. I also want to, 26 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:45,120 you know, I also enjoyed being helping suppliers out. So I did a trade show in Dallas one year and 27 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:50,160 loved that. That was pivotal. Just like, wow, I could actually stand and do a booth. I worked with 28 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:56,960 Brian with Latour Despise. I did the ASI show a couple years ago. That really defined me, 29 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:04,160 people seeing a distributor, former distributor on the floor as a supplier selling spices. So that 30 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,800 was amazing. And that allowed me the opportunity to meet a lot of the distributors and just be on 31 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:15,120 the other side. But one of the pivotal, pivotal moments for me was when I got a call from a lovely 32 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:21,200 woman who said, Aja, would you speak to our women in business promo group? What do you want? What is 33 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:28,240 this? So it's a group of over 20 women in a variety of different states that met once a month, and 34 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:33,200 they review products, logo merchandise, talk about the suppliers and what they love and how to order 35 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:38,720 it and all that good stuff, who to sell it to. And they had me on. This had to be about, about three 36 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:46,560 years ago. And from there, I immediately got some great business. And that really got me into doing 37 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:52,400 my LinkedIn and my optimization, my profiles, my LinkedIn lifts, all of that. And that's kind of 38 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:57,840 where it propelled me to move forward. I got my first supplier as a client. That's amazing. Now 39 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,280 I'm working with another supplier. You got to take these things slowly. You got to have proof of 40 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:08,480 performance. You've got to be, at least have some energy, right? To consulting, which is what I 41 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:14,560 do. And you have to know your work, which is something that I really do. So often, you know, 42 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,800 I'm always available to mentor. I've eight years, I was a mentor for Score in the promotional products 43 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:25,120 industry and Score is always looking for more mentors. So I think once people really learn, 44 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:30,720 okay, Adrienne's out of the industry as a salesperson and back in as an industry leader 45 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:35,920 and coach and consultant, because I think both of them are a little different, that made a big 46 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:42,080 difference in my business. It blew me up as a kid say, well, my key takeaway out of that is the power 47 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:48,640 of networking, right? Sometimes you just need that one connection to be able to motivate you or to 48 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:53,920 give you that opportunity to open that door. And it really is up to you what you want to do with it, 49 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:59,360 right? Do I want to take it? What does that look like? So you tried something new. And this was 50 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:05,600 all a result of, you know, your communication skills and the power of networking. I love that 51 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:12,160 you're using LinkedIn and the amplifier program that you had told me about before the show. 52 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,480 What does that look like and how does it benefit the promotional products industry? 53 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:21,440 Okay, thank you for asking that question too. I really appreciate it. We have amazing leaders 54 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:26,960 and thought leaders and speakers in the promotional products industry. And even if you're not, even if 55 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:33,920 you're a smaller distributor, and you just want to get business, having a being a guest on a podcast 56 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:38,400 is really a great way. It's great for your social media. It's great to get you a thought leader. 57 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:43,200 It's great for your credibility. And the list can go on and on. So what we do is we get your 58 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:48,560 LinkedIn optimized looking great, using it for your lead generation. So we're growing it and 59 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:55,680 helping your business. And then on top of that, we book you on podcasts that are relevant, not just 60 00:05:55,680 --> 00:06:02,240 inside the PPAI industry. And there's a lot of great industry podcasts, but I want to book, 61 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:07,840 I want to book you the suppliers and distributors on podcasts that are outside the industry. So you 62 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:13,360 can really promote that promotional products work and that you could promote yourself, get that 63 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:18,080 content that you want. And that's what I do. So it's called, and it's a very fair price, 64 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:25,280 really for the promotional products industry. And it's your leads, your LinkedIn, your connections 65 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:29,760 and getting you on a podcast. And right now I'm excited. I have four clients I'm working with 66 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:34,080 and it's going great. So join me. Let's get your name out there. 67 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:41,360 I would love to know I was on a podcast about a week ago, Gary helped CPA. And not only was 68 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:47,600 his follow up seamless, the entire process was seamless. And I have that video, right, but I 69 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:56,160 actually unboxed, I received a personalized gift. And I'm seeing a lot of that personalization. 70 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:01,680 And when I thought, or when I think of promo industry, right, with so many products, it's 71 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:08,240 not just a pin, right? With so many products out there, how can you stand out? How can you use it 72 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,400 to your advantage to stand out? Yeah. So Gary, Gary knows what he's doing. 73 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,520 And it's a, it's a, it's great. We don't want to say what the gift is, but everyone loves, 74 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:22,880 you know, having something that's personalized. So, you know, a podcast host using promotional 75 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:27,200 products makes good sense. Well, and it makes you, you know, stay top of mind because I'm going to 76 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:33,840 be using it. It's a useful promotional product. I know that they're also niching down. So for 77 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:40,400 example, one of my favorites that I also saw, they focused just on organic materials, right? 78 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:46,400 And so maybe that's a way to stand out. If you have, you're in the industry, you're promoting 79 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:52,960 eco, right? You may want to find that kind of company. If you're an influencer I've seen also, 80 00:07:53,840 --> 00:08:00,880 or a brand ambassador, I see that they're focusing on these kits, right? Just like the monthly kits 81 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:07,120 that you can sign up for and receive. So I see there's a lot of different ways to go about 82 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:14,160 standing out in the promotional products industry. Exactly. And yes, Deon is my client, 83 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:19,520 organic T-star, and he is an amazing thought leader. How do I get him on webinars? How do I 84 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:26,080 get him on podcasts? How do I get him to out the gate, be seen as a speaker? And that's exactly 85 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:30,800 what I'm doing. I mean, I'm not asking you, I know how to do it. But so for Deon, that's a goal for 86 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:36,240 Deon and that's what we're working on. And he's going to be able to see his name around and that's 87 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:41,200 how you build your brand. That's great. I know he's got a lot of experience in business. So if 88 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:46,800 someone wants to explore more about the brand amplifier, now do you only serve the promotional 89 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:52,720 products industry? If someone sees your work and they want to contact you, are you only niche down 90 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:57,840 or are you open to other industries or professions? So I'm definitely open to other industries and 91 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:03,840 professionals. Part of when you are a promotional products salesperson for 35 years, I can't even 92 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:13,600 tell you. Someone could fast shoot bartender, bars, restaurants, civic organizations. I've 93 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:20,320 worked with them all. I have worked with thousands of different businesses and have learned enough 94 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:25,360 about that business so that I can create the right marketing program with them. So now take all of 95 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:31,200 that. So yes, there's so much that I know, not really healthcare. So I wouldn't be that great 96 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:36,000 promoting healthcare, though I have done it for doctors before. But what I'm really good at 97 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:41,520 is companies that need brand amplification. So they have a leader, the president of the company 98 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:46,320 wants to get his name out there and you don't have to be in the promotional products industry. 99 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:50,960 Let's do this together, but you got to have your LinkedIn looking good because a lot of hosts 100 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:58,800 and a lot of people look at your LinkedIn. And if your LinkedIn is 333 followers and you're saying, 101 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:03,440 I'm a thought leader, I'm a speaker, I've appeared on all these shows, then there's a disconnect 102 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:08,000 there, right? It's all about your credibility, as our good friend Mitchell Levy would say. 103 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:13,520 So with that in mind, yes, I'm open, but I love promoting to the promotional products industry, 104 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:17,440 you always have to have a new. Well, thank you so much for your time. Before I let you go, 105 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:24,640 what advice would you like to give to our audience? And I'd love to go back to that original point of 106 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:29,840 that milestone, right? Having met someone, having networked, how that opened up doors, 107 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:36,400 with that and all of your experience, what would be that one piece of advice you'd like to leave 108 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:42,480 our audience? My parents didn't allow me to say I was, if I said I'm busy, I got too much on my 109 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:51,120 plate. I would hear Adrienne, the woman staying at home is busy too. It's all relative. So don't 110 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:57,520 tell people how busy you are, because you may just be turning off your next client. And people 111 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:03,360 honestly don't really care that you're busy. That's good for you. That's exciting. It's a hard 112 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,600 word. If you say, oh, I'm so busy, you kind of sound like you're bragging. So we always want to 113 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:14,400 leave our ego at the door. On the other hand, if I hear, if I call Sheila, I'm so busy, I can't, 114 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:20,240 I've got so much going on. And then, oh, I called you to see if I could give you some business. 115 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:25,120 Oh, no, no, I could take business. Okay. That's not clicking to me. I'm not going to do business 116 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:30,320 with you. Have people lost my business because they've said they're too busy? Absolutely. Now, 117 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:36,560 if you want to be super successful, don't ever tell anyone you're busy. Always be open. Always, 118 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:42,560 always when you can answer your phone, call the person back. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone, 119 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:47,040 anticipate that your emails are not being read. They're not going through. And so if you're 120 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:52,400 sending something so to someone important, send, call them. And then on every email, 121 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:58,560 every text message, everything you do, you have your phone number there. And that's because I 122 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:02,880 cannot tell you how many people, when they go to complain about a company, it's always why they 123 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,400 have their cell phone number. I didn't know how to reach them. They never called me back. They were 124 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:12,160 too busy. All of that. So, hey, there it is all in a nutshell. Don't say you're busy and make sure 125 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:17,200 that you're available and give everyone your cell phone or your office number, but don't be afraid 126 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:22,720 to do it. That's a great piece of advice, especially with the generations, you know, going on. We've 127 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:26,800 got the younger generation that doesn't pick up the phone and make that phone call. And we've got 128 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:32,960 the other generations that are all about, you know, that pick up the phone rather than text me. They 129 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:39,840 find that communication to in person. So I think being able, you know, to do both in today's day 130 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:46,000 and age is really important. So I really do love that piece of advice. Networking, pick up that 131 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:50,320 phone. Right. You're networking with someone, by the way, you meet someone at an event, 132 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:55,520 Sheila, it's lovely to meet with you. Are you on LinkedIn? And Sheila says yes. And then I say, 133 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:59,360 Sheila, you know what? I want to connect with you. Do you mind if I just like press connect and don't 134 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:03,360 send you a personalized invite? Sheila's always going to say, that's fine, Adrian, I'll remember 135 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:08,480 you. And, and you, so, you know, make sure, so LinkedIn has always been a big Rolodex for me, 136 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:12,400 because you may give me your business card, but I'm not great at it. But LinkedIn is how you can 137 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,400 connect. One more thing I just want to say about LinkedIn. You know, if you're reading an article, 138 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,200 you love what the author is saying or the writer, reach out to them and thank them on LinkedIn. 139 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:26,080 If you see someone winning an award and wow, that's impressed you reach out and congratulate 140 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:32,320 them. LinkedIn is amazing. People just think sell, sell, sell. No, I built my LinkedIn and just 141 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:38,320 supporting other people. I love it. So the third one was support other people, which is also 142 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:43,920 relationship building. But you had also said, don't say you're too busy. And when you were saying that 143 00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:50,720 in my mind, I'm thinking that's an unorganized person that doesn't have good time management 144 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:57,520 skills. So if I wanted to hire them, how is that delivery going to look like for me? That's just, 145 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:02,640 you know, what was brewing through my head when you said, I'm too busy. It's just, oh, they're 146 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:09,760 unorganized, right? Because someone that is too busy needs to also rethink about how they're 147 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:15,680 delegating some of those tasks that are not allowing them to be open for more clients. 148 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:22,000 So Adrienne, thank you so much for being here today. What is the best way for my audience to 149 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:27,440 reach you? Thank you, Sheila. Thank you for hosting me and thank you to your audience for listening. 150 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:38,800 And ready, everyone. I'm shouting it off the rooftop. 386-631-4577. Call me, test me, try me. 151 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:58,640 You'll see, I answer the phone. Thank you so much. Thank you.