Strategic Accounts Manager, Lawson Products; and Ashley Lucenti, Regional Sales Director, Lawson Products.
There has been a lot of active conversation around women in the workplace with topics ranging from diversity in specific professions, equal pay, and career advancement. Over the years, several organizations have worked to get more women into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). While we don’t hear about it as much, women are also underrepresented in the sales field, especially in management and leadership roles. According to several sources, women represent about 39 percent of the workforce in sales. This number has only increased by 3 percent over the past decade.
When young women are planning for their future, it’s a pretty safe bet that a sales role in the multi-billion U.S. industrial distribution industry is not on their radar. As a matter of fact, the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries have the highest percent of women working in sales. Industrial distribution has traditionally been a male-dominated business-to-business enterprise, but many women that choose to work in the field are experiencing success and more are discovering the hidden gem every day.
Lawson Products is fortunate to have three women leading the way in industrial distribution sales and paving the path for the next generation of women sales leaders. Strategic accounts manager Marti Wenzler, government sales & operations director Christina Nielsen, and regional sales director Ashley Lucenti have defined success in the industry with their strategic planning, problem solving, inventory management skills, product knowledge and training/mentorship abilities.
Each of the women interviewed for this story noted their unintentional landings in the industry and the variety of experiences and people they get to work with every day. Words and phrases like “rewarding, continuous learning, dynamic, and unlimited growth” came through over and over.
Marti Wenzler, Strategic Accounts Manager, Lawson Products
Marti found her way into the industry after leading human resources and marketing at a banking institution and relocating back to her home town as a single mom in need of a job. She was referred by a friend who was already working in the industry. A consistent volume leader, Marti is the first woman to sell over $1M in a year at Lawson. She now manages an $18M portfolio with year-over-year double digit growth.
Christina Nielsen, Government Sales & Operations Director, Lawson Products
Christina found her way into the industry from manufacturing with a strong desire to stay in B2B. She served in several marketing roles first and, with a goal to grow via sales and operations, now leads an outside team of sales professionals and an inside team of operations professionals. Within the first 18 months of her sales leadership role, she has turned public sector sales into the fastest growing segment in the company, growing at a rate of nearly 30 percent year-over-year.
Ashley Lucenti, Regional Sales Director, Lawson Products
Ashley found her way into the industry from a Lexus showroom floor. A Lawson regional sales director learned of her selling skills while golfing with a colleague. Ashley talked to 15 sales reps before deciding to join the company. Her entrepreneurial spirit and understanding of unlimited potential resulted in first year earnings that were 33 percent more than the goal she set for herself. Ashley’s success has continued to snowball year after year. She now leads 13 sales managers, and 146 sales representatives in the Rocky Mountain region and an $55M account portfolio. She earned Lawson’s Founder’s Cup Award two years in a row. The award, named in honor of the company’s founder, is presented to the year’s top-ranking regional sales director.
From left to right, Christina Nielsen, Government Sales & Operations Director, Lawson Products; Marti Wenzler
Strategic Accounts Manager, Lawson Products; and Ashley Lucenti, Regional Sales Director, Lawson Products.Lawson Products
What’s most rewarding about working in industrial distribution?
Marti – The most rewarding aspect of what I do is seeing how much the service we deliver impacts our customers’ operations. We really make a difference in helping them efficiently keep equipment running, reduce cost and minimize risk.
Christina - I like the unassuming nature of the industry yet how critical it is to the operation of so many businesses and government entities. The sheer size of the industry represents virtually unlimited demand for Lawson’s value-added product and service offering, and tremendous career growth potential.
Ashley – The fast-paced, problem solving nature of the industry constantly delivers different opportunities. As a director now, I’m rewarded by helping my district sales managers and reps build the problem-solving muscle needed to win customers and grow sales. As I mentor my managers, I’m impacting their efficiency and effectiveness which in turn impacts how they coach their teams.
How has persistence helped you succeed in industrial distribution?
Marti – I had a couple of battalions at Fort Campbell Army Base as customers and wanted to grow the account by gaining the 5th Special Forces Group as a customer. During my first call, they let me know they had no interest in buying from me. I recognized the need to earn their trust and stopped to see them every time I was calling on my other customers at the Base. I slowly built a relationship by asking them questions about what they were repairing and showing them products that might work well for them. After a year, they started buying from me and soon became my largest customer at the time.
Christina – Persistently and consistently leading with ideas supported by data and action has helped me propel my career at Lawson Products. Years ago, I saw the opportunity for Lawson to move from decentralized communications and brand management to centralized marketing communications and brand management. I presented how the company, our customers and our internal stakeholders would benefit from this new alignment of the marketing department. After a few months of selling the concept, persistence paid off with my being promoted to lead the new team. It’s especially important for women to take the lead and persist when it comes to driving the trajectory of their career.
Ashley – Never giving up on my team members results in a win-win. For example, persistence and extra planning to realign my region so one of my district managers could move his family back home to San Antonio resulted in increased engagement and respect from the entire team. It’s important to partner with your reps on both professional and personal matters.
What does it take to be successful in distribution sales?
Marti – You have to have the confidence to admit not knowing everything and understand that success also comes from learning from the customer. For example, sharing a new product with a customer, demonstrating it for him or her, and then asking them how they could use it drives success for both of you. Peer to peer learning is also important. Lawson’s investment in tools like Microsoft Teams enables our sales force to share ideas, pose questions, and offer solutions in real time for everyone’s benefit. This rapid-fire access to answers gives us a competitive edge and allows us to be successful together.
Christina – Industrial sales professionals are only as strong as the operational team supporting the product and service delivery needs of their customers. Make sure your operations team is aligned with the needs of your customer base and pipeline, and you’ll be far more successful. At Lawson, this alignment and shared accountability to the customer is a major competitive advantage. Mentorship is also key. One within your company for guidance with day-to-day challenges. One outside your industry for guidance with career planning and cross-industry perspective. Both male and female perspectives are important as well.
Ashley – The same tenacity, trust building, and motivation to learn that’s required of selling in any other industry. I gained a lot of my product knowledge from formal Lawson training, my peers, and Lawson partner suppliers. But the majority of my product knowledge came from my customers while working in the field.
