On this live episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, John features the amazing executives and leaders who joined the Level Up Social Networking Event Livestream 2.0 from the Chalet in Chicago. They discuss some of their most impactful experiences and mindsets about everything under the business sun. 

They talk about being different in their industries, building genuine relationships, adapting to change, being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and lots more. And watch out! Our guests go on the Hot Iron with JMo to give candid answers on Chicago events, their favorite comedy movies, and which rockstar they’d like to be.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tony Salvage, Territory Manager at Heartland 
• Katie Mertens, Partner Account Manager at Human Interest
• Shawn Mills, Founder, and CEO at Cloud Source  
• Kristen Petrosky, Mortgage Loan Officer at Neighborhood Loans 
• Conrad Dean, Account Executive at Genuity 
• David Horbenko, Business Performance Advisor at Insperity

Join the Level Up Social Networking Event happening every Wednesday. Click HERE for more details!

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On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we sit down with Rachel Skipworth and Katie Turner, the Program Manager for Bookstore and Licensing, and Marketing Director for Business Services respectively at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 

Today, Rachel and Katie talk all about creating their school's brand in the university space. From adhering to brand guidelines to using social media, our guests pinpoint collaboration as the number 1 requirement for maintaining a brand's integrity. They talk about initiatives like "Dad Jokes with Doug" to introduce the new executive in a fun and engaging way.

They also share their student-driven mascot and how to create brand champions using digital punch cards that incentivize activities with branded kits. Stick around for this episode's Hot Iron with JMo where we learn what makes our guests unique and their brand-building tips for universities!

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Creating engagement with digital punchcards and branded kits - Katie: "We created this incentive structure where if the students participate in 6 activities a semester, they get a punch for each of their activities that they complete, and then at the end they get branded merchandise. We call it the Niner Care Package."

"It's an assortment of items that we ordered through Club Colors. They love them. We've had I think about 10 students out of the 70 get to their 6 punches this semester, and we've actually reduced the amount of product that we were giving away from previous semesters."

Collaborating to sell apparel in Charlotte Airport - Rachel: "Hopefully in the near future we'll be able to put product in the Charlotte Airport. But besides putting product in there, we'll be able to brand different locations in the airport and directed them to that specific location to actually shop. But this is going to be the first for us to ever be able to do anything like that."

Connect with our amazing guests in the links below:

Rachel Skipworth | Katie Turner

If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we speak with Katie Vogel, the Licensing Manager for Creative and Digital Works at the University of New Hampshire. In her role, Katie ensures that she protects the copyrights and trademarks of the University of New Hampshire. She also ensures that the brand is being managed with fidelity and is appealing to a vast group of stakeholders.

With a brand vision to make opportunities accessible to everyone, the school releases marketing materials that embody the journey to becoming a Wildcat. Katie emphasizes the importance of communicating this vision outward to the campus community and alumni, making sure that the brand guidelines are publicly available.

As always, stick around as Katie shares her best advice on seeking mentorship, as well as answers questions on active listening and the top 3 people she would collaborate with on this episode's Hot Iron with JMo!

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Katie's advice on mentorship and active listening - Katie: "Choose your mentor wisely and make sure you're always actively listening. And with the active listening part, people show their colors, they show their true identities if you just spend time actively listening to them. You're able to be able to piece out their values."

The perspective education teaches increases chances of success - Katie: "I think one is exposing you the student to different perspectives and that's what a true education is. It's not supposed to be talking at you. It's supposed to be collaboration and understanding what everybody is bringing, bringing their experiences, and looking at it through different lenses."

Connect with Katie in the links below:

LinkedIn | Website

If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we sit down with Jim Dusbiber and Jared Buzan, VP of Sales in Specialty Markets and Territory Sales Manager at CHAMPRO respectively. We talk about their styles of leadership and how their experience in different sports essentially impacted their growth in sales.

Jim and Jared share the innovations they're both excited about at CHAMPRO regardless of the sport and equipment being covered. They, however, encourage others to think of CHAMPRO beyond just being just an athletics brand. "Our team builds yours" has been a prime motivator and highlights the dynamic within the company and towards their clients.

Of course, best stick around for the Hot Iron with JMo where we touch on the keys to creating business-life harmony, their favorite rock band, and how they each define Bitcoin!

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

What makes a company special and different is the people - Jim: "Understand that teams are just groups of people that are formed around a common bond, identity, and culture and this is just an expression of it. So whether it's a baseball team, church organization, or an event, it's all about building the brand and bringing people together."

Something to keep in mind before jumping in sales - Jared: "One of the biggest pieces of advice I'd give right off the bat is they have to value relationships. When I got into sales and took over the account list I took over, I knew nobody. I had no prior experience in the industry. I was kind of learning as I went but I had great management and huge mentorship."

Connect with our amazing guests in the links below:

Jim Dusbiber | Jared Buzan

If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we feature Chet Lovegren, the Founder of The Sales Doctor, Host of The Sales RX, and The Founder's Formula Podcasts. Today, Chet digs into how leadership styles fundamentally differ between Boomers, Gen X-ers, Millennials, and now Gen Z.

Chet describes the 3 types of employees: Builders, Maintainers, and Departers. Each type plays a role in the company, but the goal is to concentrate 80% on the top 20%, which comprises Builders and Maintainers. As for the Departers, Chet says to either move them up to become a Maintainer or move them out.

Leaders need to engage with each employee type differently. John shares his own Highlighter Method while Chet talks about the environments in which Builders and Maintainers excel. Chet also shares his 5-5-5 Rule that instills good leadership within a culture and gives his insights on better communication, building brand advocates, and helping SaaS companies grow their sales teams.

As always, stick around for the Hot Iron with JMo where we find out about Chet's dream to advertise at SaaStr and his thoughts on what the moon really is! 

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Defining the Builder - Chet: "In any company, there are 3 types of employees. There's Builders, there's Maintainers, and Departers. Builders are your day ones, they're the people that are going to build with you, they're going show up early, they're going to put in the extra effort."

Do NOT punish Builders to deal with Departers - Chet: "Stop spending 80% of your time on the bottom 20% of people because what ends up happening, and I see this all the time is you turn into what's called a reactive leader where somebody at the bottom, it's one of your departers, does something that either ticks you off or hurts your number or gets your boss to talk down to you, or whatever that might be, and then you go implement this wild accountability rule that you're builders are like, dude, I'm doing my job."

Reps who don't perform well are a reflection of their leaders - Chet: "The sad truth is everything about your reps has to do with you as a leader. And so if you have people that are experiencing symptoms that are bringing them down, it's your inability to give them a clear-cut vision. I think leaders do such a bad job of tying things to personal goals. Even if I'm a Maintainer, I have a goal."

Connect with Chet:

LinkedIn | TikTok | Linktree

If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club Podcast with Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we chat with Joel Friedman, the Founder of JSF Solutions, Marketing Strategist for Club Colors, Partner at Axcelora, and Former Chief Merchandising Officer for Barnes & Noble - College.

Joel shares how he handled a lot of moving parts during his time at Barnes & Noble and how he created brand consistency in the delivery of their merchandise. Now with Club Colors, Joel talks about helping college bookstores create credibility within their schools when they offload responsibility to us. 

By listening well and asking the right questions, Joel creates a relationship with partner schools and delivers what they need to become the heroes of their stories. Joel also digs into the business of college bookstores and the opportunity of capturing market share from this massive market.

As always, stick around for the Hot Iron with JMo where we learn about Joel's forgotten career as a sports writer and his tips for young executives.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Create an authentic relationship and business will follow - Joel: "Become a great partner and a great listener, and just asking the right probing questions to learn about not only their business but learn about them as a person. Learn about their family. Learn about what's important to them, not only in their job but in their daily life. Become almost like a confidant and a friend."

Every product your brand puts out has to align with your branding - Joel: "Branding is the perception that you can create around the brand that you have, and that has to be cherished by any organization, whether it's a school, a business, and you can never waiver from whatever are your requirements of that brand."

Connect with Joel:

• LinkedIn  

If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club Podcast with Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we chat with Stacy Cullotta, Marketing Supervisor at LGH North America. Today, she gives listeners an inside look into their brand's marketing, from going digital to integrating sales insights to determine their ICP, to providing top-notch customer service.

Stacy discusses how trade shows become successful by fielding people who aren't afraid to be out there engaging others. She also discusses marketing trends she is noticing now, such as the uptick in video content and the noticeable need for sales to understand what marketing does and get that internal buy-in.

As always, stick around for the Hot Iron with JMo where we learn the light side of Stacy! 

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Make an effort to make sales understand what marketing does - Stacy: "I've seen in marketing so much change and so much growth. The way that our reps are now starting to understand that marketing is necessary... it's not always an easy thing to get them to understand, but once they get it and that lightbulb goes off, it's like see, I told you, it's all worthwhile."

Align sales and marketing and the entire brand benefits - John: "All you folks out there in sales, you have to work with marketing, and when that circle happens, it is such a beautiful thing because now marketing is selling and sales is marketing. And both of them are driving towards the brand, creating revenue, recognition, loyalty, repeat customers, all that stuff."

Connect with Stacy:

LinkedIn

Reach LGH North America:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club with Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we sit down with our very own Chris Jaeger and Giancarlo Amador, Strategic Development Manager and Campus Development Representative Manager at Club Colors respectively.

Giancarlo shares the amazing news of his promotion, as he and Chris discuss how to create scalable business development of new campuses, the transfer of knowledge to up-and-coming reps, and how to strengthen strategic partnerships. 

Chris shares that knowing the why of a client is one of his pillars so that every single product Club Colors puts out is aligned with that greater purpose. They also look back on the culture-driven response Club Colors had despite the difficulties of COVID and share their observations on ongoing trends within campuses today.

And, as always, stick around where we have some fun on the Hot Iron with JMo! 

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Strong leaders know when to hug and push - John: "It's pretty nice when their wins become your wins, but I think the key to really strong leadership that I think that you both do very well is that you hug them when they're down, and you kind of push them when they're up. It's when they're in 3rd place you're trying to push them to 1st, when they're in 10th place, that's when you got to hug them or they'll go to 11th."

Club Colors doesn't add to your plate, we take everything off of it - John: "The philosophy that you have that you're saying there with your team is make sure that we get the message across to our clients, and our job is not to add to their plate, it's to take everything off of their plate. So they can be the strategist, they can be the project manager, they can go this, goes there, this goes there, but they don't have to worry about sourcing all the product and figuring out where it goes."

Connect with our amazing guests in the links below:

Chris | Giancarlo

If you enjoyed this episode of In the Club with Club Colors, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, John goes live on Twitch as he meets the wonderful executives, sales, marketing, and HR leaders who joined the Level Up Social Networking Event at the Gold Coast Social in downtown Chicago.

During this lively event, they share the fine details of who they are and what they do in their respective industries. But it's not all about work—stay tuned as our guests get on The Hot Iron with JMo and answer fun questions on shocking details about themselves that really let their personalities shine!   

HIGHLIGHTS

• David Horbenko, Business Performance Advisor at Insperity
• Michael (Spike) Engelman, Benefits Consultant at 360 Benefits
• Alan Stern, Salesman at McGrath Lexus of Westmont and Owner of Persona Marketing Inc.
• Rob Miller, Photographer 
• Jaidev Jyotis, Founder of [modern dope]
• Holly Sias, CEO and Founder of Socialite Media
• Carolina Romero, Director of Influencer Marketing at Socialite Media 
• Jaymi Block, Managing Broker at REAL
• Jennie Raymer, Home Mortgage Advisor at Wintrust Mortgage
• Stel Valavanis, CEO of onShore Security

Join the Level Up Social Networking Event happening every Wednesday. Click HERE for more details!

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform. We really appreciate it!

On this episode of the In the Club Podcast by Club Colors, we feature KC Smurthwaite, Director of Major Gifts - Western United States at the V Foundation, as well as Chris Jaeger, Strategic Development Manager of Club Colors. So much about sports can be applied directly to business. 

KC talks about the role of taking losses and how a loss does not define a leader. He advises both athletes and his team members to burn the playbook to adapt to the situation on the ground. With V Foundation being a nonprofit, KC talks about how he engages donors with branded packages that elicit emotions. 

KC coaches others to start small when turning around a losing team and starting with 0.01% improvements every single day. In today’s Hot Iron with JMo, KC answers questions on leading a minor league team, exploring space, starting the fictional Smurf City Island, and curing cancer.   

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

Losing teaches more than winning - John: "The only way really to grow is to stretch your comfort level and that means that you're going to lose more often. Losing more often ultimately means that you have more opportunity to learn. I hate to say it but we learn so much more from losing than we do from winning because we're basking in our glory of a win. Losing causes analysis, self-awareness, and a need for agility, and that goes to your last point of burning the playbook." 

Burn the playbook and experiment with fresh initiatives - KC: "Burn the playbook. Do something completely different. Whether you're taking over a Utah state softball program that had 20 straight losing seasons or starting a brand new fund to generate new revenues to help the life of a student-athlete, let's do something completely different." 

"Or even the retro night or the retro project that I did at Southern Utah University, pulling out the world's ugliest colors in uniforms and making 25 to $30,000 on it, and also making it one of our best, if not the best marketing initiatives that we did."

Celebrate and focus on small wins - KC: "Let's focus on 0.01%. Let's get 0.01% better, whether that's making five extra phone calls a day from a sales or fundraising standpoint. Let's make one more post. Let's make one more outreach to a head coach or let's make one more outreach to a cancer survivor and get their stories. You name it. Let's get one point 0.01% better and focus on getting 2.5% better every year."

Connect with KC in the links below:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Email | Website

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform. We really appreciate it!