Jolon Martin is a sales consultant for National Distributing Company Inc, a wholesale alcohol distributor. His combination of industry savvy and people skills make Martin uniquely qualified for his role, and it’s one he relishes. “The opportunities in this industry are endless, this industry moves at an extremely fast pace and things change on a daily basis. New brands are launched almost every other week, and as the industry continues to evolve and expand new brands are always looking for different ways to set themselves apart,” Martin says.
Read on for what else he has to say about the industry.
Describe how you selected your career path.
It wasn’t a traditional go to college, pick a major and then work in that field type of plan. I somewhat fell into the wine and spirits industry through marketing, promotions and events. The experience I gained on the marketing side of the business helped my transition into sales and consulting. Not a lot of people plan on working in the wine and spirits industry; it’s something that kind of just happens.
What does an average day look like for you?
Typically there isn’t an “average day,” every day is filled with different situations, challenges and tasks, so there is rarely a dull moment. Generally speaking an average day consists of meeting with business owners and general managers of restaurants, clubs and bars to make presentations to introduce new products, come up with solutions on how to increase profitability and cut costs, conduct staff training and develop marketing campaigns within each account to help move product.
How do you set career goals for yourself?
I look at where I would like to be in the future and figure out the steps I need to make in order to get there and then I work towards that. Career goals have to be broken down into smaller achievable goals that will eventually get you to your final destination. I’d like to say that everyday I make small goals that help me get closer to my bigger goals.
What role has your education played in your career?
Education has played a very important role with my career, from the simplest fundamentals of reading, writing and mathematics to concepts I’ve learned in relation to marketing, psychology and communication, which are all very important when it comes to B2B sales and building relationships. With that being said, there are many skills that I’ve picked up that cannot be learned in a book or classroom, building personal relationships, developing rapport and trust with clients has to come innately.
Describe the future opportunities that exist in your industry.
The opportunities in this industry are endless, this industry moves at an extremely fast pace and things change on a daily basis. New brands are launched almost every other week, and as the industry continues to evolve and expand new brands are always looking for different ways to set themselves apart. New ideas and concepts are sought after, so for the creative ones the opportunities are abundant.
Name three of your career role models.
Reginald Lewis
John Johnson
Shawn Carter
They all made a way for themselves, they created their own path when there wasn’t one.
What skills would you suggest to a young person they acquire to be successful in the future?
Communication, writing and people skills will always go a long way.
What three business books do you recommend to your business colleagues?
Elite Minds
The Four Agreements
The Tipping Point
Finish the sentences:
Business requires that you …
Business requires that you operate at your highest level of integrity, honesty and professionalism at all times and success will follow.
Learning new digital skills is important because …
Learning new digital skill sets is important because it gives you a leg up on the competition and sets you a part from the pack and as the market constantly evolves so must you and everything around it. It’s a little difficult sometimes to adapt to change but its necessary.
I set goals by …
I set goals by challenging myself to go a little further than the month, the week or even the day before. I’m a huge believer in S.M.A.R.T. goals, it truly helps with progression.
What professional organizations do you belong to and why?
I recently created a professional membership organization called ‘Movers and Tasters’ which is a group of like minded individuals who have an appreciation for the education and consumption of distilled spirits. Networking and fellowshipping while learning about new and existing brands is the primary focus. The organization is made up of business professionals, connoisseurs of fine spirits as well as those who are just getting into learning about different types of spirits. The organization conduct tastings with different brands at various venues around the city on a monthly and sometimes bi-weekly basis.
What software do you use?
We use a software that keeps track of sales data, trends, inventory, price changes, everything we need to stay on top of things on a day to day basis. The way we are able to do business has completely changed just in the past three years, technology has really helped make things easier and it allows us to operate more efficiently and effectively.
What apps have made you more productive?
Evernote gives me the ability to take notes, create to-do lists, record voice reminders and save my ideas. Waze saves me a ton of time traveling around the city by giving me the best routes and warnings about accidents, road hazards and police activity. Dropbox helps me share files with co-workers and customers on the go.
Describe three highlights of your career.
Graduating from intern to employee at my first “real” job (that was my start and I will never forget that)
Creating a successful marketing campaign for a brand that was then cloned in other markets nationwide (I should have copyrighted that idea)
Having the highest first year sales increase at my current company by anyone in over 25 years
How important is training in your career development?
Training is very important in my industry and my company requires us to complete various trainings on a very consistent basis. The trainings are all documented and reviewed at the end of each year. Education is the fastest way to get ahead in this business, if you want to advance learning is the key.
How do you remain relevant to the markets and industry?
By keeping my ear to the street, talking to consumers, bartenders, servers, bar managers, promoters and everyone associated with the industry. Social media also keeps me informed with whats going on in the market, competitive activity, new openings, new brands and so on.
Share two important quotes.
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – G.B. Shaw
“By the methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter” – Confucius
