Strategy January 09, 2019
2019 Distributor Salesperson of the Year Finalist - Stacy Garrett, Ideation
Get to know Stacy Garrett, a 2019 Distributor Salesperson of the Year Finalist!
Salespeople of the Year: Get the complete list here
Distributor Finalist
Stacy Garrett
Ideation (asi/229699)
Swimming with sharks. Hiking with bears. Hanging with giant octopuses. These are just some of the “fun” things Stacy Garrett does in her spare time. Her out-of-office messages sound more like that of a NatGeo photographer than that of a busy senior account manager, but they fit her vibrant, thrill-seeking personality. “One of my messages said ‘I’m in Thailand in the middle of the ocean, probably riding the back of a whale shark while you’re sending your email,’ ” she says. “The messages create a fun dialogue with my customers.”
Scuba diving is a passion for Garrett. As someone who’s always on the go, she finds her Zen under water. “All I have is the sound of my bubbles,” she says. “It’s a great way to balance out the crazy in the rest of my life.”
Her biggest worry about being off the grid: missing out on the needs of her customers. Her passion for the industry is just as strong as what she feels for diving. “When I sit down with a client, they feel my excitement; it’s contagious,” says the 19-year industry veteran, who joined Tualatin, OR-based Ideation last year after running her own distributorship. “My philosophy is to treat my customer the way I want to be treated as a consumer.”
The evidence of her knockout service is shown by the fact that she still has her first client from 1999, and with the exception of one year during the recession, she’s had growth every year. And Garrett has ample opportunity to impress customers; with an average order size of just over $1,000, she thrives on booking a lot of orders for a diverse base of customers. “She’s seriously one of the best I’ve ever seen at taking care of her customers,” says Ideation President Nathan Bailey, “and works harder than anyone I know.”
She’s just as adamant about helping others, too. She guest lectures at a local university (speaking about the power of promotional products) and provides one-on-one mentoring with individual students. She also readily offers guidance to others at Ideation as well as a network of friends throughout the industry. “I think the world is a better place if we all try and help each other,” she says. “I know it’s hard to ask for guidance sometimes. It takes a lot of courage. If someone is willing to ask for help, then I’m willing to make time to help them.”
Getting to Know You
What industry trend are you most excited about?
One trend we’re seeing more of is people thinking about promotional marketing not just as a big blaring advertisement, but as a lifetime piece. For example, putting statements, quotes or cool artwork on products, and making it not so brand-forward. We did an insulated copper mug and instead of just a logo we added a quote: “It’s the journey, not the destination.” I have clients asking for multiples because it speaks to them. Items like these get me excited because I think they’ll be more successful for customers and the people receiving it will be more excited to get one.
If I wasn’t working in promotional products, I’d be …
A bartender on a remote tropical island. I love that you can do cool things with cocktails, but I’d also get to meet people and hear their stories. It’s not about making money, but meeting people. It’s part of my retirement plan. Plus, I could go scuba diving.
What’s your best advice for other sales reps?
Follow-up is QUEEN! Figure out a great follow-up plan that works for you and do it. I’d say my follow-up is a huge part of my success and it’s something that’s easy to systemize without extra expenses, so anyone can do it.