Jill Oppolo may be a new member of the PPAF board, but she’s a 20-year industry veteran.

And boy has it been a roller coaster ride!  Being in sales and mostly working commission, as some of you know, this has its highs and lows.

Jill’s beginning in the promo world was a talk with her brother in law.  She was looking to do something part time as she had 3 year old twin girls and still wanted to have it all—be home with the kids, yet bring in some dollars to the family.

The Conversation went something like this…

“I have a friend who has a company and you can work from home,” Jill’s brother said, “Selling pens and pencils.“

Jill’s first reaction was, “You have to be kidding me!”  There was no way she was ever going to go door to door selling promotional items!

But in the end, Jill gave it a try, more for the fact that she wanted to be home with the kids.

Jill’s first order was for 10,000 Hallow-Scream buttons to Busch Gardens. Not a bad start!  The part time job turned into full time plus.

Today, those twins are out of college and working in careers of their own.  Jill is now a proud mom now who lives a wonderful life on Harbor Island in Tampa.

As Director of National accounts at Brown and Bigelow she enjoys working with some of her fellow reps at Brown and Bigelow on growing their business. Her goal with PPAF is to share what she has learned over the years.

“The more we share, the more we all learn,” Jill concludes. 

Persistence pays off, remember this was 20 years ago and you could knock on doors which is exactly what I did to get this order…but just like knocking on a door back then. Constantly putting yourself out there, whether by e-mailing, phone calls etc., is what describes a sales person, you cannot give up. Might be an uphill climb some days , but it pays off when you set a goal.