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For all of the pain and suffering, personally and professionally, we have all gone through this past year-and-a-half, this period has offered a rare opportunity for a new beginning. answer is fairly obvious. This is another instance where the small ship that is the independent team dealer can outmaneuver the big battleship. Learning a Lesson The lesson here is that "selling" is less effective that "advising." While the short-term end result of the two may be the same, advising puts the team dealer in a much different long-term position. Again, we learned during the pandemic that no one wants to be told what they need — we want to make that decision for ourselves based on our belief and trust in the person advising us. Thus, the team dealer becomes an educated consultant for their client, allowing them to make their choice. This is surely something we all learned during the past many months. The approach of educating versus selling allows for the team dealer to approach the potential client more softly. Try this sales pitch on for size: "Coach based on our experience, knowl- edge of the products and recent events, we have some suggestion for you. Let's get together to review these so that you can find the right solution for your needs. We're here to guide you in that process and then we can talk about ordering uniforms." For all of the pain and suffering, per- sonally and professionally, we have all gone through this past year-and-a-half, this period has offered a rare opportunity for a new beginning. There is an entire population of people who want their lives back. And we have hopefully all have learned a better way to go about those lives. Personally, I am more confident now to share my expertise and I also am more confident in knowing whose expertise I can trust. Learn as much as you can about your products and share it. That is the new role for team dealers who are now educators. Looking for a fresh viewpoint on the team business in these challenging times, Team Insight reached out to industr y veteran Jim Hoff for his thoughts on where the team business is today and what it needs to do to get back to business in a post-pandemic world. Hoff has been a sporting good salesper- son, manager and executive for more than 45 years. He has worked in retail and man- ufacturing as well as with corporations such as Spalding, Huffy, DP, Bollinger Industries, Avia, Asics and BSN Sports. He now oper- ates JMH Consulting, teaching best business practices for business operation, sales and marketing. He can be reached at 949-697- 6436; hoff.james19@gmail.com l • TEAM: TRENDS THE PERFECT MIX OF PERFORMANCE, FASHION AND LIFESTYLE. EDITED FOR THE RETAIL COMMUNITIES THAT WE KNOW AND UNDERSTAND. MAY 2021 sportstylemag.com HOW TO BE CLIMATE ACTIVE AND WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW Running Support A Show Of Stars These Shoes Are Made For The Modern Runner Hi-Tech Innovations In Sports Bras Spring Awakening Independent Retailers Plan For A Post-Pandemic Future Back In The Game Female Team Athletes Are Eagerly Resuming Play NATURAL WONDERS CLIMATE CONSCIOUS SHOE BRANDS Movement Goals Designing for the Way We Move Now Fresh For All Spring '22 Sandals Preview It's Football Season Football's Game Plan Consumer Survey What Does Foot Wellness Mean To You? Feeling Good! How Footwear Is The Key To Holistic Wellness NEW YEAR NEW CHOICES TREND INSIGHT SURVEY January 2021 • sportstylemag.com Active Evolution! Keep It Casual HOW TO SELL TEXTILES Without Being Able To Touch And Feel Fabric TRANSFERS OF POWER Sublimation Explained Style, Sustainability and Performance Boots & Sneakers With Attitude PUBLISHED 6X EACH YEAR: JANUARY / MARCH / MAY / JULY / SEPTEMBER / NOVEMBER Learn more: sportstylemag.com / Subscribe: store.formula4media.com 64 • September 2021 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com

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