Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM SEPTEMBER 2018 58 B U Y I N G G R O U P N E W S RO B randSource wrapped up the "Heavy Hitters" retail sales academy to recognize and honor hundreds of the best and brightest retail sales people during its annual convention in Las Vegas on August 25-29th, 2018. The revolutionary Heavy Hitters Academy was offered with full scholarships and provided over twenty specialized education sessions, engaging networking opportunities, comprehensive product training, keynote speaker Erik Qualman, and an awards ceremony. Participants had the chance to walk the show floor, providing each person the opportunity to see all that BrandSource has to offer through their vendor partner exhibits. There was a heavy focus on best-in-class educational workshops and product training to give participants the tools to sell more product. "BrandSource is thrilled to be offering the innovative Heavy Hitters Academy to retail sales people! At BrandSource, everything we do is about the members. We want to make sure our member sales teams are equipped with the best training and education possible so they will have the best salesforce in the industry, not just today, but in the future. We are proud of our retail sales academy, as no one else in the industry offers this kind of specialized education for their members," said Jim Ristow, BrandSource chief executive officer. BrandSource provided specialized product training that participants took home to share with their teams. The product training sessions included top-rated brands such as Whirlpool, Serta /Simmons, LG, Electrolux, and GE. All participants attended each product training session to assist in expanding their professional product knowledge. "Serta Simmons Bedding was thrilled to be part of BrandSource's Heavy Hitters product training initiative at the 2018 convention! We are excited to be providing top-of-the-line education to our retailer partners and prospective retailers to ensure they have the knowledge they need to sell smart on their sales floors," said Mike Derro, vice president of sales, buying group at Serta Simmons Bedding. More than 20 high-quality education sessions were offered, to help participants sharpen and improve their professional selling skills. The sessions focused on practical selling tech- niques, quality customer service through employee engagement, along with high-performance attitudes and aspiring leader qualities. BrandSource also conducted a Heavy Hitters best practices roundtable. The discussion included a moderator, and the panel touched on common business obstacles and better ways to market product. It was a good chance for members to come together to network and share business ideas. The first annual Heavy Hitters Academy was a huge success, sponsored by Whirlpool, Serta Simmons, Electrolux, GE, and LG Appliances. If you are interested in becoming part of the 2019 Heavy Hitters program, please contact our BrandSource events team. Visit www.brandsource.com /contacts. BRANDSOURCE REVOLUTIONIZES RETAIL SALES TRAINING

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