Brandon Kennedy is a realistic optimist.

As the owner of California-based Proforma Progressive Marketing (asi/300094) shares in this new podcast with Counselor Executive Editor Christopher Ruvo, that just might be the best thing to be if you’re a promotional products professional dealing with the business challenges that the coronavirus pandemic has presented.

Podcast Chapters
2:10 – A strong first quarter.
5:27 – The importance of compassionate relationship-building and “staying in the game.”
7:12 – Sales were up in April, too.
12:14 – Now’s the time to proactively reach out to clients with compassion and empathy.
17:14 – An honest assessment on sales for the year ahead, plus plans to hire.
19:02 – So much hinges on the right attitude.
20:58 – When will robust sales activity return for the promo industry?

Brandon Kennedy, Proforma Progressive Marketing

Drawing on positivity and clear forward-looking thinking, Kennedy and his team have developed an energy-driven, proactive strategy for keeping business moving and for deepening client relationships, despite the roadblocks presented by COVID-19.

It’s bearing fruit.

First quarter sales were up more than 40%. The success continued in April 2020 with revenue outpacing sales from the same month in 2019. Especially notable is the fact that Kennedy and his team engineered the successes with only a minimal amount of sales of personal protective equipment, which many promo firms have turned to selling as their traditional ad specialty sales have nosedived. In Kennedy’s case, the year over year gains primarily came from promo products business.

Beyond the near-term wins, Kennedy and his crew are setting themselves up for long-term success through empathetic relationship-building with suppliers and clients, including those that are currently in no position to buy.

In this upbeat discussion, Kennedy provides insights that can help distributors produce similar results for their businesses.