Welcome to Milestone Moments, the show where we explore the journeys that lead to success.
I'm Sheila Slick, your host and founder of Five Milestones. In every episode, we will bring you
insights from the minds of entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts who will share not just their expertise
but the milestone moments that have reshaped their journeys and led to significant achievements.
So if you're looking for motivation, you're in the right place. Subscribe now and discover the
milestones that mark the path to success. Hi, today we have Adrienne Barker, a dedicated
business consultant with over 35 years of experience in the promotional products industry.
Welcome Adrienne. Thank you, Sheila, for having me on the show. Thank you. So tell me a bit about
how you got into the promotional products industry, what it is in case someone doesn't know what that
industry is and what you do today. So my beautiful parents, Gloria and Herb Barker, in 1955 started
Barker Specialty Company in Cheshire, Connecticut. Promotional products, logo merchandise, think of
all the pens that have passed your hands that have had a logo on it. Now picture there's a million
products. So my parents had me in every part of the business. Actually, the first six months I
filed catalogs. And so I, after 35 years, know the promotional products industry like my back of my
hand, served on plenty of boards. My really fun, one of my love was the Premier Group, which is
suppliers and distributors together. So fantastic group. I'm a PPAI fellow. I've got my lifetime
certification with my MAS, as you see at the end of my name, Masters of Advertising Specialists.
And all of that combined has really given me, I'm one of the seasoned experts in the promotional
products industry recognized and well known and let's hope I'm well liked. I think you're well
like that energy. I can just feel it through the podcast, right? So that's from a family business
and you're still continuing almost like a legacy, right? And I know that's one of different business,
you know, that you do today. Apart from your parents being in the business, what's that one
milestone that redefined your path to success in this industry? So I want to be clear, I do not
sell promotional products and have not sold promotional products since 2015 when I started
professional global etiquette and went to the Protocol School of Washington. I also want to,
you know, I also enjoyed being helping suppliers out. So I did a trade show in Dallas one year and
loved that. That was pivotal. Just like, wow, I could actually stand and do a booth. I worked with
Brian with Latour Despise. I did the ASI show a couple years ago. That really defined me,
people seeing a distributor, former distributor on the floor as a supplier selling spices. So that
was amazing. And that allowed me the opportunity to meet a lot of the distributors and just be on
the other side. But one of the pivotal, pivotal moments for me was when I got a call from a lovely
woman who said, Aja, would you speak to our women in business promo group? What do you want? What is
this? So it's a group of over 20 women in a variety of different states that met once a month, and
they review products, logo merchandise, talk about the suppliers and what they love and how to order
it and all that good stuff, who to sell it to. And they had me on. This had to be about, about three
years ago. And from there, I immediately got some great business. And that really got me into doing
my LinkedIn and my optimization, my profiles, my LinkedIn lifts, all of that. And that's kind of
where it propelled me to move forward. I got my first supplier as a client. That's amazing. Now
I'm working with another supplier. You got to take these things slowly. You got to have proof of
performance. You've got to be, at least have some energy, right? To consulting, which is what I
do. And you have to know your work, which is something that I really do. So often, you know,
I'm always available to mentor. I've eight years, I was a mentor for Score in the promotional products
industry and Score is always looking for more mentors. So I think once people really learn,
okay, Adrienne's out of the industry as a salesperson and back in as an industry leader
and coach and consultant, because I think both of them are a little different, that made a big
difference in my business. It blew me up as a kid say, well, my key takeaway out of that is the power
of networking, right? Sometimes you just need that one connection to be able to motivate you or to
give you that opportunity to open that door. And it really is up to you what you want to do with it,
right? Do I want to take it? What does that look like? So you tried something new. And this was
all a result of, you know, your communication skills and the power of networking. I love that
you're using LinkedIn and the amplifier program that you had told me about before the show.
What does that look like and how does it benefit the promotional products industry?
Okay, thank you for asking that question too. I really appreciate it. We have amazing leaders
and thought leaders and speakers in the promotional products industry. And even if you're not, even if
you're a smaller distributor, and you just want to get business, having a being a guest on a podcast
is really a great way. It's great for your social media. It's great to get you a thought leader.
It's great for your credibility. And the list can go on and on. So what we do is we get your
LinkedIn optimized looking great, using it for your lead generation. So we're growing it and
helping your business. And then on top of that, we book you on podcasts that are relevant, not just
inside the PPAI industry. And there's a lot of great industry podcasts, but I want to book,
I want to book you the suppliers and distributors on podcasts that are outside the industry. So you
can really promote that promotional products work and that you could promote yourself, get that
content that you want. And that's what I do. So it's called, and it's a very fair price,
really for the promotional products industry. And it's your leads, your LinkedIn, your connections
and getting you on a podcast. And right now I'm excited. I have four clients I'm working with
and it's going great. So join me. Let's get your name out there.
I would love to know I was on a podcast about a week ago, Gary helped CPA. And not only was
his follow up seamless, the entire process was seamless. And I have that video, right, but I
actually unboxed, I received a personalized gift. And I'm seeing a lot of that personalization.
And when I thought, or when I think of promo industry, right, with so many products, it's
not just a pin, right? With so many products out there, how can you stand out? How can you use it
to your advantage to stand out? Yeah. So Gary, Gary knows what he's doing.
And it's a, it's a, it's great. We don't want to say what the gift is, but everyone loves,
you know, having something that's personalized. So, you know, a podcast host using promotional
products makes good sense. Well, and it makes you, you know, stay top of mind because I'm going to
be using it. It's a useful promotional product. I know that they're also niching down. So for
example, one of my favorites that I also saw, they focused just on organic materials, right?
And so maybe that's a way to stand out. If you have, you're in the industry, you're promoting
eco, right? You may want to find that kind of company. If you're an influencer I've seen also,
or a brand ambassador, I see that they're focusing on these kits, right? Just like the monthly kits
that you can sign up for and receive. So I see there's a lot of different ways to go about
standing out in the promotional products industry. Exactly. And yes, Deon is my client,
organic T-star, and he is an amazing thought leader. How do I get him on webinars? How do I
get him on podcasts? How do I get him to out the gate, be seen as a speaker? And that's exactly
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
Deon and that's what we're working on. And he's going to be able to see his name around and that's
how you build your brand. That's great. I know he's got a lot of experience in business. So if
someone wants to explore more about the brand amplifier, now do you only serve the promotional
products industry? If someone sees your work and they want to contact you, are you only niche down
or are you open to other industries or professions? So I'm definitely open to other industries and
professionals. Part of when you are a promotional products salesperson for 35 years, I can't even
tell you. Someone could fast shoot bartender, bars, restaurants, civic organizations. I've
worked with them all. I have worked with thousands of different businesses and have learned enough
about that business so that I can create the right marketing program with them. So now take all of
that. So yes, there's so much that I know, not really healthcare. So I wouldn't be that great
promoting healthcare, though I have done it for doctors before. But what I'm really good at
is companies that need brand amplification. So they have a leader, the president of the company
wants to get his name out there and you don't have to be in the promotional products industry.
Let's do this together, but you got to have your LinkedIn looking good because a lot of hosts
and a lot of people look at your LinkedIn. And if your LinkedIn is 333 followers and you're saying,
I'm a thought leader, I'm a speaker, I've appeared on all these shows, then there's a disconnect
there, right? It's all about your credibility, as our good friend Mitchell Levy would say.
So with that in mind, yes, I'm open, but I love promoting to the promotional products industry,
you always have to have a new. Well, thank you so much for your time. Before I let you go,
what advice would you like to give to our audience? And I'd love to go back to that original point of
that milestone, right? Having met someone, having networked, how that opened up doors,
with that and all of your experience, what would be that one piece of advice you'd like to leave
our audience? My parents didn't allow me to say I was, if I said I'm busy, I got too much on my
plate. I would hear Adrienne, the woman staying at home is busy too. It's all relative. So don't
tell people how busy you are, because you may just be turning off your next client. And people
honestly don't really care that you're busy. That's good for you. That's exciting. It's a hard
word. If you say, oh, I'm so busy, you kind of sound like you're bragging. So we always want to
leave our ego at the door. On the other hand, if I hear, if I call Sheila, I'm so busy, I can't,
I've got so much going on. And then, oh, I called you to see if I could give you some business.
Oh, no, no, I could take business. Okay. That's not clicking to me. I'm not going to do business
with you. Have people lost my business because they've said they're too busy? Absolutely. Now,
if you want to be super successful, don't ever tell anyone you're busy. Always be open. Always,
always when you can answer your phone, call the person back. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone,
anticipate that your emails are not being read. They're not going through. And so if you're
sending something so to someone important, send, call them. And then on every email,
every text message, everything you do, you have your phone number there. And that's because I
cannot tell you how many people, when they go to complain about a company, it's always why they
have their cell phone number. I didn't know how to reach them. They never called me back. They were
too busy. All of that. So, hey, there it is all in a nutshell. Don't say you're busy and make sure
that you're available and give everyone your cell phone or your office number, but don't be afraid
to do it. That's a great piece of advice, especially with the generations, you know, going on. We've
got the younger generation that doesn't pick up the phone and make that phone call. And we've got
the other generations that are all about, you know, that pick up the phone rather than text me. They
find that communication to in person. So I think being able, you know, to do both in today's day
and age is really important. So I really do love that piece of advice. Networking, pick up that
phone. Right. You're networking with someone, by the way, you meet someone at an event,
Sheila, it's lovely to meet with you. Are you on LinkedIn? And Sheila says yes. And then I say,
Sheila, you know what? I want to connect with you. Do you mind if I just like press connect and don't
send you a personalized invite? Sheila's always going to say, that's fine, Adrian, I'll remember
you. And, and you, so, you know, make sure, so LinkedIn has always been a big Rolodex for me,
because you may give me your business card, but I'm not great at it. But LinkedIn is how you can
connect. One more thing I just want to say about LinkedIn. You know, if you're reading an article,
you love what the author is saying or the writer, reach out to them and thank them on LinkedIn.
If you see someone winning an award and wow, that's impressed you reach out and congratulate
them. LinkedIn is amazing. People just think sell, sell, sell. No, I built my LinkedIn and just
supporting other people. I love it. So the third one was support other people, which is also
relationship building. But you had also said, don't say you're too busy. And when you were saying that
in my mind, I'm thinking that's an unorganized person that doesn't have good time management
skills. So if I wanted to hire them, how is that delivery going to look like for me? That's just,
you know, what was brewing through my head when you said, I'm too busy. It's just, oh, they're
unorganized, right? Because someone that is too busy needs to also rethink about how they're
delegating some of those tasks that are not allowing them to be open for more clients.
So Adrienne, thank you so much for being here today. What is the best way for my audience to
reach you? Thank you, Sheila. Thank you for hosting me and thank you to your audience for listening.
And ready, everyone. I'm shouting it off the rooftop. 386-631-4577. Call me, test me, try me.
You'll see, I answer the phone. Thank you so much. Thank you.