TRSA is expanding the scope of its Sixth Annual Marketing, Sales & Service Summit, which will take place on Nov. 14 at The Peabody in Memphis, TN. For the first time, the summit will include service as a key component of the program, reflecting the importance of customer satisfaction and retention in the linen, uniform and facility services industry. This one-day event is designed to help textile rental professionals enhance their marketing, sales and service skills and strategies, and improve how they work together.

Unitex International Inc., Duluth, GA, recently appointed Mike Justice as vice president of sales, healthcare. Justice brings more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing to healthcare and industrial laundries to his new role, according to a news release.

Five TRSA members recently made the Selling Power “50 Best Companies to Sell For” list for 2023. This is the 23rd consecutive year the list has appeared in Selling Power magazine, which was founded in 1981.

Tingue recently launched its new e-commerce website. The new site offers a comprehensive collection of replacement parts for all major industrial laundry machines including washers, dryers, ironers, feeders and folders, according to a news release.

Gurtler Industries Inc., South Holland, IL, recently held its three-day Global Sales Conference at the Briar Ridge Country Club in Schererville, IN, just outside Chicago. The conference was attended by more than 75 members of the Gurtler sales and service team, headquarters support team and management, according to a news release.

“Social media is not an extension of your brand, it is your brand,” said social media guru Corey Perlman in a keynote address at TRSA’s Fifth Annual Marketing & Sales Summit on Oct. 25-26 in Tampa, FL. Perlman’s presentation, dubbed Social Selling: How Digital Marketing Can Strengthen Your Business, focused on why marketers must make social media a priority, drew more than 50 marketing and sales staff from the linen, uniform and facility services leaders from across North America.

“Be Prepared.” That’s the Boy Scout motto, and I’ve spoken about it before. So many sales are lost not because the customer doesn’t want to buy, but because the salesperson isn’t prepared to sell. Every salesperson THINKS that they’re prepared to sell – but few actually walk through the steps and define what it takes to make a sale happen. Worse, too many salespeople are the first to pump the brakes on the sales process. The customers should always be the first to pump the brakes. Being prepared isn’t applying artificial pressure; it’s simply moving at the customer’s pace.

Chris Durrant, 49, an independent contractor working for Kannegiesser ETECH, died on Aug. 6 while testing a dryer in a new facility under construction in Lawrence, MA, for Unitex Textile Rental Services.

Five TRSA members recently made the Selling Power “50 Best Companies to Sell For” list for 2022. This is the 22nd consecutive year the list has appeared in Selling Power magazine, which was founded in 1981.

Salespeople know what got them to where they are today. Yet salespeople and their leaders often struggle to determine what they should be training their people on when there are an unlimited number of options available. Training has to be relevant and immediately applicable if we’re going to get salespeople engaged, and that’s a challenge in and of itself.