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Making Connections
By: Tama Swan, Associate Editor
Issue: 2010may
Chances are you don’t know what busy is unless you’ve met Dana Zezzo, CAS, vice president of sales for Pittsburg, Pennsylvania-based supplier Pro Towels, Etc. (UPIC: PROTOWEL). Those who have met him use words such as dynamo, and they aren’t kidding. Zezzo spends half the year traveling around the country, documents his every move on Facebook and says he loves—yes, loves—cold calls. Here’s a look at how he makes time for it all.
6:30 am Wake up and head straight to the shower. The new house alarm clock is a Yorkie named Henry. Workouts in Ohio only happen when temperatures rise above 55 degrees.
7 am Since I am traveling this week, which I do an average of 26 weeks a year, I’m off to the airport with a quick stop at Starbucks on the way. I gave up on airport parking long ago because when I would get back into town I could not remember where I parked my car. Week after week it all starts running together. I beat this by parking off-site where, ironically enough, they pick me up at my car when I park and drop me off at my car upon my return. It is the little things. Since I make calls all over the U.S., I quickly check the BlackBerry on the way to the terminal to remember where I am headed this week.
Once on my flight I dive into my favorite paperback series: Lessons Learned by Harvard Business Press. I have never really been a novel-type reader so these short essays are perfect for my travel reading. My wife will call in about an hour to let me know what I forgot to pack.
While in the air, the most important part of accomplishing anything once I arrive is making that magical to-do list. It must be written and reviewed so it can be locked to memory. I also set my personal daily goals at this time.
9 am As I land, I switch the BlackBerry back on and review e-mails, voice mails and social media updates. Once the rental car is picked up and the GPS is programmed, I fire up the computer in the car. I usually have time to stop for another cup of coffee and then the communication starts at a rapid rate. I must review and edit PowerPoint presentations that I will use for the many classes I teach around the industry. Topics include: Social Media for Promotional Products Professionals, Scalability—Selling Good, Better, Best on a 10-point Scale and Why Towels? Communication starts with my marketing team on numerous projects including marketing, advertising, sales tools, budgets and virtuals.
10 am I make my first sales call, the theme of which is “Why Towels?” I have accepted the duties of the towel tour. Good sales time is spent teaching distributors how, why and when to sell the towel category. I explain to them how Pro Towels built its sales and reputation around creating products that fit into a good, better, best selling strategy. From there, the last part of the sales call is spent teaching distributors how to position towels in the world of branding with a better understanding of the decorating methods Pro Towels offers.
11 am Start clearing voice mails from the last two hours—yes, they build up that fast. Then I take a quick view of inbound morning e-mails and address any hot issues that need closure.
12 pm I have lunch with a customer and repeat my sales presentation from my earlier meeting.
1:30 pm Check voice mail and e-mail. I also do a quick overview of our social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Next I check in with field reps on current projects and with Coleen Angel, Pro Towels’ executive secretary, on all upcoming travel and meetings. Thank goodness she keeps me organized.
2 pm I head to another sales call.
3 pm My cell-phone battery dies, so I scramble for an outlet or car charger.
3:30 pm I drop in on an unsuspecting prospect. I love cold calls. I typically drop in on decorators as they are manning their shops. Normally everything goes well because they do not get called on often and tend to be more open-minded on suggestions for growing their business with new categories. If there is time I give them the full towel tour. I love cold calls for the simple fact that most do not. It is very challenging to find a common thread with a stranger so quickly, but if you love what you do the customer can too since it wants to be part of that positive energy. Successful cold calling is a state of mind.
4 pm I once again clear voice mail and e-mail and take another glance at my new favorite customer communication tool—Facebook. Then I check in with Pro Towels owner Kevin Nord to get the pulse of the business.
I also take part in a conference call with Stephanie McClintock, marketing director for Pro Towels, to check and review progress on current projects. Then I check in with the field reps again—we need closure—and call to confirm dinner plans with an area distributor team for tonight. I’m crossing my fingers that the client likes sushi—my favorite travel food.
4:30 pm After checking in at the hotel, I check e-mail, voice mail and social media again. Then I get to work organizing pictures and videos from the sales day and start customer follow-up. Next I make a brief call to the office and check what I need to review this evening for the next business day.
5:30 pm Meet up with a client for dinner or, as I like to call it, the rock star lifestyle of relationship building. As usual, we end up discussing the industry at length.
7:30 pm I wrap up dinner and socializing and check in with the wife—yes, this should have been done earlier.
8 pm I check e-mails, clear voice mails and update social media one more time. I also call field reps once again to recap projects and help where I can.
11 pm Another hotel bed is calling my name. Did I mention this is one of 184 nights on the road? I’m doing my best to turn off the laptop.
11:30 pm I make one last call home to tell my wife I love her and good night.
3 am Wake up thinking about what I forgot to do or wanted to do. Must write down everything!
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Copyright (c) 2005-2010 Promotional Products Association International. All Rights Reserved.
Photographs and illustrations as well as text cannot be used without written permission from PPAI.
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