Nicole Merkle

Secretary
Co-Owner, Proforma CNR Marketing
Dayton, OH

1) What did you do before entering the promotional industry?
I worked sales and operations for a property management company after college for 7 years and then healthcare sales for 3 years before entering the promotional industry.

2) How did you get started in the promotional industry?
My dad has had his Proforma franchise for 20 years. I grew up with him working in the industry. I always had an interest in the marketing field and was always interested in what he did and how that related. I especially liked it when he came home with all kinds of new stuff from the trade shows. I always wanted to venture out on my own adventures before I got involved in his business, and I am glad I did, as I now have worked on the side of things that I now provide to our clients.

3) What markets/industry does your business flourish in right now?
I would say healthcare, financial and education are our biggest markets.

4) What do you like most about working in this industry? What do you like least?
I love seeing a project from start to finish and working with others to make the end result happen. A lot of times a project just starts as a generic idea and to turn it into a full program with many products that match the company’s marketing vision always feels like an accomplishment.

As true in a lot of things in life, I never like to not have things out of my control. In this industry, it can happen where a shipment doesn’t make it out in time and a deadline is missed. It is never fun to miss a deadline if something has fallen through the cracks. However, being detailed and staying on top of the projects is the best thing you can do to try and prevent that.

5) What do you think the up-and-coming generation of business professionals will bring to this industry?
I don’t think the face-to-face interaction will go away with clients, as the personal relationships in our industry are so important. I do think the way this generation will get to an end result with a project from A to Z might change. With changes in technology from the customer prospecting to idea generation for projects to order entry and billing technology evolving, this will allow for more time to allow for the more personal relationships with the client, which is so important.