This week we have the privilege of giving you a closer look at Sandy Riedel. This is a woman who clearly knows her mind and is not afraid of telling you like it is. As with her responses on the Forum, her interview made me giggle while learning. And, shouldn’t learning be fun?
Read on to learn more about this fascinating member.
Where are you based?
Bellevue, Nebraska, USA
Bellevue, Nebraska is in the center of the United States and about five minutes from Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha hosts the headquarters of five Fortune 500 companies and Bellevue hosts the headquarters of the United States Strategic Command. Omaha ranks eighth among the nation’s 50 largest cities in both per-capita billionaires and Fortune 500 companies. Our most famous Fortune 500 company is Berkshire Hathaway, and thousands of people flock to Omaha each year from around the world to the annual shareholders’ meeting. If anyone is already planning for the 2007 annual Woodstock for Capitalists meeting, please drop me a note.
Our home is nestled in the Fontenelle Forest area, and watching nature and wildlife reminds me of a lot of marketing: Survival of the fittest.
What do you do in real-life?
I am the founder and CEO of my own consulting firm, Riedel and Associates, Inc. Our website is www.sandyriedel.com
Tell us about your company.
The focus of our firm is marketing consulting, retail consulting, and contract negotiations. The strengths of Riedel and Associates are in our experience and our ability to interpret and channel the opportunities which exist within the triangle of Retail Intelligence, Contract Negotiations, and Marketing Intelligence.
We take a unique approach to marketing by also offering supply chain management into the marketing equation to give our clients retail intelligence at its finest. After all, if you do not have the right product and price, nothing else you do will matter. We can further adapt to either one of the following consulting roles based on our clients’ needs: expert role, pair of hands role, or a collaborative role.
The five building blocks of our logo represent our disciplines: retail intelligence, contract negotiations, marketing intelligence, management intelligence, and environment intelligence. The colors are also symbolic; black represents profit, white is data, and pink (as opposed to gray) is the positive energy of transforming data to profit.
Our philosophy is all about Channeling Business Opportunities; each discipline overlaps and further strengthens as they work together. The intersection of each discipline creates a triangle effect as the profit breaks out of synergy. We pride ourselves on being creative, analytical, intelligent, results driven and trustworthy and we take great joy in exceeding our client’s expectations
How did you find KHE?
I saw a listing in Google when conducting some research and it was love at first sight.
Explain your Community Name and why you selected it.
My community name is sriedel; it is simple for me to remember since it is the first initial of my first name and my last name.
What kinds of KHE questions do you enjoy most?
I like them all, but time constraints force me to pick and choose. My favorites are those that are challenging, with an overall need for a strategy. As guests post questions, I enjoy being a marketing ambassador and helping others.
Also, it is very amusing to me how questions are asked and answers are posed to respect the confidential nature of the business. I think we need to have our own marketing game show or comedy show or play. Of course, we would have to decide who is going to play who, and what alias gets posted, but I am sure we can work it out. My first idea for a spin off was the TV show Name That Tune; all the contestants challenge everyone on how fast they know the answer. Here is a link to the show, for those who’ve never heard of it. https://www.curtalliaume.com/ntt.html
Describe a specific KHE discussion you learned something from.
There are so many great questions and responses, and I enjoy reading them all, and I get something out of many of them. My two favorite discussions since I joined in April would have to be the following:
a. Wnelson’s answer to sample size – It was, like . . . wow . . . I didn’t know that.
b. Stevea and Wnelson’s professionalism and kindness in helping another member of our team being chastised from an imposter. I quickly learned from their leadership that this is not only a great marketing forum, but a very civilized and polite forum.
What is your favorite marketing book? Why?
Well there are so many great books and to choose a favorite would be hard. I am an avid reader and read or listen to books for about three hours daily. I am also very much a public library fan and enjoy spending hours at the library reviewing various new books and articles. Nevertheless, the books do have to be special if, after I read them for free, I purchase them. Below are some of my favorites.
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie -- This classic book is priceless, especially if you want your great ideas implemented.
Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout -- This book gives great insights on how your brand can stand out in a crowd.
The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market by Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema -- I love this book and reread it often! It is beyond the basics; it is the strategies of market leaders.
Predatory Marketing by C. Britt Beemer -- I am also a Britt fan and always enjoy taking existing business away from competitors to gain market share and this is a great how-to book.
What networking or professional organizations do you belong to?
I am a member of the following organizations:
Marketing Profs, American Marketing Association, Retail and Advertising Marketing Association, Rotary International (Omaha West Chapter), Toastmasters International (Sarpy County Chapter), Midwest International Trade Association, Open Business Club (Co-Moderator, World’s Best Practices), Springspotters, International Trend Watching Organization, Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, Zeta Delta Alpha Phi Foundation (I’m on the Board of Directors), Iowa State Alumni Association, and an Ambassador for the Omaha Performing Arts Academy
How many years have you been in marketing? How did you get started?
I have been involved in marketing for over 26 years and I still love it!
My first job was selling copiers for Xerox in 1979. My first cold call in March, after being properly trained, was my first sale, too. My manager told me the customer could not tell me “no,” and it established the momentum of my marketing career. My manager wanted me to look older than my age of 22, but finally realized my appearance was not a hindrance after I was in the running for top sales person in the Midwest region in September of 1979. My sales background has served me well as I learned to not only sell products but business productivity improvements and I moved on to Eastman Kodak, selling high volume copiers to major accounts.
In 1983, after the birth of my son, I was looking for a job without of a lot of traveling and I took a managerial position with Nebraska Furniture Mart (a Berkshire Hathaway company). During my twenty-one years with them, a majority of my time was as a Buyer. I was rewarded with more responsibility each year and during my last year I was responsible for $100 million of sales annually. My role involved product and brand development, supply chain management, merchandising, contract negotiations, and retail execution.
The most interesting brand I worked on during my tenure was with the development of the Berkshire collection of mattresses. Our top of the line was the “Warren” and the debut of the line was at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting. In 2003, I was fortunate to have one of my departments be the cover feature story for KIDS Today Magazine, and I was also the cover girl. I now know what instant brand recognition is, since the magazine was distributed for free at an International Furniture Market of over 60,000 attendees, which I attended.
Did you study marketing in college?
Yes, and I graduated with a Degree in Marketing from Iowa State University.
Have you had a mentor? What has he/she has taught you?
Absolutely, there have been so many people who have influenced me that this list certainly will not give credit to all of those who made a memorable impact on me. Nevertheless, there are four people who I am deeply grateful that our paths crossed.
Louie Blumkin –The top merchant in the world; he taught me how to select the best product, how to merchandise product to sell, and trained my mind to remember important facts. Richard Stern and Tim Veitzer taught me how to develop a brand and to create winning marketing strategies, besides being lots of fun to work with. Nancy Camras taught me about the “pay it forward” principle and there is not a kinder or more wonderful human being than her.
Do you have a favorite gadget/tool that helps you do your job?
Of course! Some of my favorite things are as follow:
Treo and Bluetooth for telecommunication needs, Dell Computers networked in my home and office, Wireless Dell laptop, Books on tapes/CD to keep my mind current while I travel, Videoconferencing and/or web meetings
Describe one of your non-marketing hobbies or interests.
My horse is Comet, and it is a good week if I can ride him two or three times. Comet and I have fox hunted, three-day evented, showed at hunter jumper shows, and just hacked in the countryside with friends. I have dabbled in a lot and I’m certainly not an expert in anything with horses. My 23 year old son has asked me how long I am planning to ride in novice. Riding horses is a wonderful hobby and I have made wonderful friends because of it. There is nothing like the thrill of a chase on horseback as well as developing the perfect marketing strategy.
What is the value KHE provides to you personally?
It gives me a place to meet other professionals who have the same passion as I do, as well as to help other businesses.
Do you have any advice for new members of KHE?
It is all about posting your best responses and helping others. Please do not get so concerned with points. It is great to be awarded points, but please note the point system is based on when the person first posted, and some members have two years of postings; they would be very hard to catch up to.
Do you have a favorite quote you want to share?
Absolutely, words can be powerful; here are a couple of my favorites.
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." – Goethe
With a wave of her star wand, the Good Witch has swiftly transferred them to Dorothy's feet: "It's too late. There they are and there they'll stay." The Wicked Witch insists on having them for herself: "Give me back my slippers. I'm the only one that knows how to use them. They're no use to you. Give them back to me. Give them back." Glinda advises Dorothy about the grown-up pair of slippers that she has acquired -- with their awesome power: Keep tight inside of them. Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly. -Wizard of Oz
Is there anything else you would like to say to the community?
Yes, the staff at Marketing Profs is totally first class and I want to express my appreciation to all of you for all of the hard work and expertise you bring to manage Marketing Profs so well.
