President’sMessage

by Deborah Ragsdale, Polymer Industries
IAPD President

y first day at Polymer Industries was January 5, 1989. Back then, I knew nothing about plastics and I had limited knowledge of work outside my family’s business, but I remember how excited I was. I now realize that I did not have any idea of the adventures that were awaiting me in this industry. I could not have known on that day how many friends I would make, and I certainly did not realize that I would have the opportunity to form relationships I would cherish for the rest of my life. I look back on the many jobs and responsibilities I have had over my 34 years at Polymer Industries and realize I did not have an idea of what the term I have used from the beginning and still use now — no job is not my job — would lead me to loving my job and the work I do. Looking back, I realize that of all the many jobs I performed and responsibilities I have had, sales was my true love.

There are two things I pride myself on, the first being that I truly love people. I enjoy getting to know individuals and letting them get to know me. It is a gift to me when I can add one more person to my network of people I know and care about, and it is a gift in the sales industry to truly enjoy learning about the people you work with daily. The second thing I am truly proud of is that I feel I am a problem solver. I have a real desire to find the answer to every problem I am faced with, and not just solve it, but find a solution that is great for all parties involved. Every individual who walks in the shoes of a salesperson must be very good at these two things. They must have an honest desire to grow their network of people, one person at a time, and they must also have the desire to solve the problems their customers are faced with in every segment of the plastics industry. The major goal we all must reach for in the performance plastics industry is to replace glass, wood and metal with plastics. I will always remember our first major success at using the product available to create a win/win situation with a customer.

It’s all in a name

After many years of work and striving to build a lasting relationship, Polymer Industries was invited to attend one of our customer’s manager meetings. All the branch managers, key accounts personnel, outside salespeople and management team would be there. We finally had the opportunity to present our products to all these people in a “trade show” forum. I personally felt it would be key to the growth of our company in the distribution network we desired. We all were coming up with ideas that would be eye-catching, as well as memorable so that each would remember us when the meeting was over. The idea hit us: Every company in the world spends more money on brand recognition and marketing their own logo than any other asset they have. They want their logo to be well represented so that any company will recognize it when they are searching for materials. We realized that whatever we did, it must contain the customer’s logo. We came up with the idea of engraving personalized name plates, with the company logo, for everyone attending.

We became daunted by the fact that we would need at least 40 hours of precious time on the CNC routers (it ended up taking much longer). We had to ask for the name and title of everyone in the company who would be in attendance. Then we had to ask for a file of the key to their kingdom, their company logo. We used a high-density polyolefin coextruded sheet that was relatively new at the time and typically used in the playground industry to make kid-friendly panels. It was a sandwich of two colors, with the same color on the two outside layers and a different color for the inside layer. It was one homogenous sheet that would not delaminate, rust, was graffiti proof and had UV protectant to slow down the fading process. The outside layer was usually around 1/16″ thick and CNC routers could be programmed to cut designs, letters, etc. out of the product.

We designed the plate the name would be engraved on. We agreed on the base and we agreed on the color of the plate, as it would be the main colors of the logo. The next idea was what really hit it out of the park: We engraved Polymer Industries’ toll-free number on the back of the name plate, the side that would always be facing the person. We had many days of trial and error and many sleepless nights praying our idea would work, especially when we realized how much machine time would be needed for the project. Finally, the day of the expo arrived.

We ran to the exhibit hall and set up our products. We asked for an extra table so we could display the name plates. As we set out the name plates, we admired the look of them. Our machine shop had done a great job and we all thought this would be a success. As the hall slowly started to fill, the first people passed our exhibit. I searched for their name plate and stopped them; my team did the same. Soon, the lines in front of our booth were more than we could have dreamed. Each person eagerly waited in line for us to find their personalized name plate. Before we knew what was happening, the president of the company was standing in front of us. We picked up his nameplate and as he held it in his hands, one of the team asked him to turn it around. He saw the 800 number on the back. After examining it for what seemed an eternity, a smile spread across his face and he looked at my boss and said one word, “GENIUS.” I want to say no one can understand the way our sales team felt that day, but I do know, without a doubt, every salesperson in the country has had that feeling when their idea is vetted, adapted and adopted and that sale is made. This sale did not have dollars attached, at least not at that moment. It had something worth a lot more: Recognition.

As soon as I heard this edition of Performance Plastics magazine would be about signage, I knew what the subject of this article had to be. I truly believe that day was the day I fell in love with sales. That feeling has never left me. As I visit my customers, I usually leave them with the feeling of fulfillment. First, of making a new relationship or of deepening an existing one. Secondly, of finding the answer to that problem we have discussed and helping to find a solution. That sign material was, at that time and for the purpose of strengthening that relationship, our greatest solution.