Working directly with customers curates a relationship like no other. You are their first point of contact and the person that sees them on their best and worst days. Recent PPAI Rising Star recipient, Katie Kahler, with support from Regional VP of SOS, Wayne Martin, became very familiar with the dynamics of a working customer relationship. Through Katie’s years working hand-in-hand with Finance of America, she has developed and expanded their team through branded merchandise and unique ideas to help make their conferences more successful and memorable. Continue reading to learn about their experiences so far.
Katie: They call us their “swag team”! We have a standing meeting with them every week to go over customer information, reviews, new items for their ACES site, new events and so much more. It’s a really unique relationship to be able to collaborate directly with their marketing team.
Wayne: Katie is really an extension of their team. People have come up to us after events and were genuinely surprised that Katie wasn’t directly under FAM’s payroll! People know Katie and they know her work.
Katie: My favorite part about being involved with their events is being able to showcase what we can do with the resources they give us. We provided swag bags at our table rather than right away at registration, so we get a chance to meet everyone, and they have something to look forward to. Additionally, we integrate discount codes and gift cards throughout the event so they shop with us onsite while checking out samples. Those items, everything from shirts, hoodies and even shoes, get shipped straight to their homes.
Wayne: I’m so proud of her. She’s taken the ideas they’ve given her and ran with it, and has had the opportunity to work with multiple divisions within the company, just in the last 2 years!
Katie: That’s true! We started out with their mortgage division and now have 6 additional teams that we create branded items for. We continue to research new ways to assist them and their marketing efforts, employee engagement, events, and give back campaigns. In short, it’s just been a very cool experience.
Wayne: We have to give a special shoutout to Cindy Carlson and Brodie Running on our SOS team, for getting the sites to where they are today. They truly keep everything going and are nothing short of amazing. Also, Aldina Nasic is an integral part of the team and we look forward to continuing to grow with her. It really takes a village and Katie is the leader of that village. To make the magic happen, she pulls in different resources and people that thrive in various areas.
To learn more about American Solutions for Business, visit http://www.americanbus.com.
American Solutions for Business Blog 
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