Adam Farkas

Youngstown District Sales Manager

The old maxim “honesty is always the best policy” is repeated by parents to their children around the globe but it’s also a sound business philosophy. In sales driven industries like ours, misleading customers erodes trust and makes it very difficult to do business in the long run. This is why people who excel at sales like Adam Farkas choose to be honest even if it means helping a competitor.

“There’s definitely been times when a retailer has asked me how a competitor’s product is and I’ve told them that it’s really good,” said Adam. “It’s the best way to demonstrate that you’re being straightforward with them. It might hurt me a little on that day, but it’s going to help me so much more in the long run if they know I really am looking out for their best interest.”

After 11 successful years as a sales professional, Adam was promoted to District Sales Manager in March of 2016. His new role has him overseeing five sales reps who cover Trumbull, Columbiana and Mahoning (the county Youngstown is in) counties. While he may not be out moving product, Adam still makes a point of visiting retailers every day.

“It’s a lot of accounts, but you have to do it; you just have to keep going,” he said. “All of our sales professionals are extremely capable and very knowledgeable so it’s not about babysitting them. It’s more of a big picture thing. How are our brands being represented in the market? How’s the company being represented? What’s working on one route that might work elsewhere too?”

For Adam, the transition to a management role was a smooth one. Not only does he oversee all of the accounts he used to call on as a sales professional, but all the product knowledge and sales experience he accrued over his career have helped him guide his sales professionals in the right direction.

Outside of the office, most of Adam’s free time is consumed by his three children who range in age from six to two. “I used to have a long list of hobbies, but I don’t really have time for any of them now,” Adam said with a laugh. “But hey, that’s more than a fair trade if you ask me.”