Family Matters – The DiFrancescos

At American, we’re proud to have so many family sales teams and have featured several articles sharing their perspective.

Paul and Kathy DiFancesco have a different story. Paul is a sales associate with American Solutions for Business. Kathy is an outside sales manager with our partner supplier, SnugZ USA, where she works with American associates to help educate and promote their line of unique products in the market. This helps us stay connected with what’s trending so that our customers receive the best products to tell their brand story. Technically, Paul and Kathy work on opposite sides of the industry, but together, have created a partnership that reflects how collaborative our industry truly is.

How long have you been married?

Paul: Kathy and I have been married for 8 years on November 26^th.

Kathy: He used to say the day after Thanksgiving because we did get married the day after Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law would say “umm Paul, you know that date changes every year”!

How did you meet?

Paul: Her boss at the time kept threatening to buy advertising from my company (which he never did), which led me to their booth where I found Kathy eating potato chips (very cute), which I noticed but was in work mode so I moved on in search of the order! (the sale always comes first).

Kathy: Not exactly your picturesque romantic first encounter! I was shoving junk food in my mouth and that is what he saw first. I had no idea. EXPO is always a whirlwind. I remember him buzzing around the booth trying to get me to buy advertising. He used to use a Blackberry (remember those?!) and I wondered, “How the heck does his large fingers type on that tiny keypad?” He was and still is a jokester, and that was what I remember the most when we first met – sarcasm and jokes.

Do you work on many projects together?

Paul: I need ideas and pricing ASAP.

Kathy: Yelling from the other side of the office “WHAT?!? – you need more? Just look up pricing on the website!”

What have you learned from each other (work and not work-related)?

Paul: I can’t count the number of things I have learned from this woman…from love to compassion to patience (a work in progress)… I can’t imagine my life without her in it.

Kathy: I count the number of times I tell him to be patient. J.K.! He’s taught me not to sweat the small stuff, and focus on what matters. There will be plenty of circumstances you can’t control. Be mindful of that and move on. Paul has a lot of selling experience and has always emphasized that no matter what, never be or act desperate (even if you feel it!).

What are the pros and cons of being in the same industry?

Paul: It is great working in the same industry and working from home together. We constantly bounce ideas off of each other and finish each other’s sentences and conversations. Also, we both travel a lot and it is nice knowing exactly what the other is doing on the road so there is no need to check in ten times a day just to be secure and we always pick each other up at the airport, no matter what time we land.

Kathy: It’s been awesome working in the same industry. We collaborate, share and I always find a way to nudge myself  into an end user meeting! I love being on the front lines and seeing exactly what buyers’ needs and pain points are. There are married couples that have no idea what their spouse’s industry is like, no matter how many times you explain it. I feel fortunate that we share so much of our lives together and have not killed each other! Ha!

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