Account Executives was originally launched as "Seize the Day Marketing".  Following is the complete text of the feature article on the beginnings of Account Executives.

By Barbara Tomovick
Special to the Journal

Here's the complete text of the article pictured at the right:

Like many small-business owners, Lynn Eyermann wants to spend her time doing what she does best, not looking for clients who need her services.

So Eyermann, who owns a Hill City desktop publishing and organizational management business called The Writers' Assistant, signed on with a cooperative sales prospecting program at STD Enterprises in Rapid City.

After four months, Eyermann had as much business as she wanted and put STD on hold until she's ready to take on more clients.

Hiring independent specialists to do tasks traditionally handled by internal staff -- a practice known as "outsourcing" -- is increasingly common in these days of downsizing, said STD Enterprises owner Kari Gabrielson-Jagodzinski.

What sets STD's program apart, she said, is that as many as four businesses can share the cost of having an outside sales representative personally call on more than 100 prospective customers for them each month. The sales representative does a short presentation for each business and reports back on qualified prospects -- those interested in the services being offered.

It's a great deal for clients who can't afford to have a representative working just for them, Gabrielson-Jagodzinski pointed out. In addition, it's an advantage for business owners in need of services, who deal with fewer salespeople while getting more information.

Independent agents representing multiple lines of goods have employed the cooperative prospecting concept for 150 years. But, applying that concept to the service industry, as Gabrielson-Jagodzinski has done, is somewhat new, according to Joe Miller, president and chief executive officer for the Manufacturers' Agents National Association in Laguna Hills, Calif.

"I think that that's an exciting concept and I expect to see more and more manufacturers' agents doing that in the future as relates to services,~ he said.

He called it a "great idea," as long as agents represent complementary rather than competing businesses.

"It certainly sounds like one of the more innovative uses of out sourcing " said Anne Gilroy, communications director at The Outsourcing Institute in New York.

Institute figures show manufacturers account for nearly two-third's of the nation's outsourcing. By 2000, U.S. companies are expected to spend $30  billion-plus for outside agents.

Val Simpson, who manages the Small Business Administration's Business Information Center in Rapid City, praised Gabrielson-Jagodzinski for applying the trend creatively to suit local needs. "It's a good way for small businesses to combine efforts and get the most bang for their buck, so to speak."

Ron Quinn, Rapid City branch manager for Sioux Falls-based Active Data Systems Inc., said STD's system surprised him, but he found it to be a time-saver. "Kari's approach was very professional. It was informative enough that you knew the background of what services could be offered, and she has the knowledge to give more information or set an appointment."

Quinn didn't need any of the services being offered, but he is considering using STD to prospect for his document imaging business: "Kari did that good a job."

Each client's presentation lasts about five minutes but can go longer if prospects wish, said Gabrielson-Jagodzinski, "I try to be real down to earth when I talk to people instead of giving a sales pitch. Generally you hope they ask questions and you start a conversation about at least one of your clients."

In the weeks after the presentation, an STD representative follows up twice, first with a phone call and then in person. But once a business expresses serious interest, it's up to the client to pursue the lead and make the sale.

"You don't do the follow-up, you're dead," acknowledged Gerald Gackle, who offers bookkeeping and other financial services as an enrolled agent at Padgett Business Services in Deadwood. Padgett has acquired 10 new clients in Rapid City from STD's qualified leads, and Gackle said having STD do the groundwork and call prospects worked efficiently.

Sales and marketing have always been a source of fascination for Gabrielson-Jagodzinski, who was dreaming up commercials even as a little girl. Pursuing what came naturally, she earned an associate degree in tourism marketing from National American University and completed a summer program at Schiller International University in Strasbourg, France. Through 14 years of hands-on experience, her enthusiasm kept growing.

"To me, marketing is what makes people tick, what makes people buy what they buy. So there's the whole psychology of it," she said.

It followed, then, that when she wanted to start her own business it would be a marketing agency. In addition to prospecting for clients, she offers a full range of consulting services to small and mid-size businesses through STD, a name derived from a philosophy Gabrielson-Jagodzinski finds both upbeat and inspiring: "Seize the day."

"To me, that's what business people have to remember: you have to seize the day, you can't waste the day," she said.

As vital as timing is, developing and implementing a workable marketing plan is essential to increasing sales, Gabrielson-Jagodzinski said. "My job is to (help clients) find the most cost-effective way to get and retain customers. A lot of it is just rolling up your sleeves, making the calls, sending the faxes, doing the research. It's just a lot of footwork, not a lot of hype."

STD Enterprises is geared toward helping the nearly 3,000 businesses with 20 or fewer employees that make up 86 percent of the Rapid City business community.  They're the ones most likely to benefit from outside marketing services because they're the least likely to have the budget for a full-time staffer, Gabrielson-Jagodzinski said.

She applies the same principles to her own small business by farming out work to other professionals.  But as STD grows, she has had to hire a part-time sales representative to make prospecting calls so she, like her clients, can focus on other aspects of her business.

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