Fall 2020 – News Beat

ERA THANKS KARIN DERKACZ FOR 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

ERA congratulates Karin Derkacz on her anniversary of 50 years of service.

Karin joined ERA on Sept. 28, 1970. During her five decades at ERA, Karin has been and remains the association’s touchpoint for countless current, former and retired members, including many multi-generation ERA families.

She has held various roles, including executive assistant to the CEO; managing the planning and implementation of all meetings of the national executive committee national board and staff; coordinating the registration process, exhibitor participation and hotel room reservations for all national conferences and assisting with all ERA White Pin events; serving as office manager for the 40+ years of her tenure that ERA maintained an office in downtown Chicago; maintaining the ERA membership and other databases and issuing all related reports; coordinating ERA’s Lines Available service; and many more.

Earlier this year, at the 2020 ERA Conference in Austin, Texas, ERA recognized Karin with the Fourth Annual Tess Hill Award for her longevity of service to ERA, for inspiring volunteerism in its highest form and for her dedication to ERA’s educational mission.

ERA CEO Walter E. Tobin, “We are truly fortunate and grateful to have Karin in our ERA family. Throughout the years, she has been the voice of ERA, connecting with everyone who reaches out to the association for any reason. Her contribution, loyalty and dedication are the foundation of our success and represent the true spirit of ERA.”

2021 ERA CONFERENCE IS GOING VIRTUAL

ERA announced that the 2021 ERA Conference will be a fully virtual event, scheduled March 1-3. The transition of the 2021 ERA Conference from an in-person to a virtual event was necessitated by the pandemic, social distancing regulations and travel restrictions that have made it inadvisable to safely hold a traditional in-person conference. The dedicated volunteer members of the Conference Planning Committee and ERA are working hard to ensure that the 2021 ERA Virtual Conference delivers an exceptional online learning platform that offers attendees an interactive education and networking experience. For more information, visit era.org.

ERA RELEASES NEW WHITE PAPER

ERA has released a new white paper, “An Introduction to Manufacturers’ Sales Reps: Building a Mutually Successful Foundation for Growth,” by Cesare Giammarco, Special Consultant to ERA. The white paper is now available on the ERA website. ERA member login is required to access the document.

U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPPED TO 7.9 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER

he unemployment rate dropped to 7.9 percent in September; however, job creation slowed to 661,000, compared with the 1.5 million jobs created in August.

The decline in the unemployment rate came along with a 0.3 percentage point drop in the labor force participation rate to 61.4 percent, representing a decline of nearly 700,000. A separate, more encompassing measure that counts discouraged workers and those working part-time for economic reasons also saw a notable decline, falling from 14.2 percent to 12.8 percent.

The leisure and hospitality sector led job gains with 318,000 new jobs, while retail added 142,000, and health care and social assistance increased by 108,000.

FOUR WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF VIRTUAL SALES MEETINGS

Virtual sales meetings have become the norm as a result of COVID-19. However, many sales reps may find themselves unsure of how to best lead a meeting with prospects over video.
Given that video interactions will be the norm for a while, now is an ideal time for sales reps to start developing best practices for video interactions. According to Leeatt Rothschild, who has more than 15 years of experience at the intersection of business, sustainability and brand purpose, the four ways sales reps can make their virtual sales meetings more successful and ultimately earn more new business are: 1) Keep your video on during the meeting. 2) Turn the meeting into a conversation. 3) Create additional opportunities for engagement. 4) Follow up with a meaningful gift.