In this episode of the Titans of Foodservice podcast, host Nick Portillo speaks with Tim Strand, President of RESCO. Tim shares his background and how he got into the food business, growing up in a family-owned company. He discusses RESCO's focus on providing exceptional sales support for food service manufacturers, including lead generation and marketing materials. Tim shares his perspective on listening to customers and focusing on their needs, as well as the value of personalization and experiential marketing in the industry. He also highlights the power of creating memorable connections with customers and the importance of staying focused in a rapidly changing industry.

Quotes

• “​​You have to listen, right? You have to listen in sales calls, in interactions, and at trade shows. You have to really just stop and listen and put your own company's needs and drives aside and say: what is it that Operator XYZ is asking for?” -Tim Strand [10:17]

• “It is a relationship business. You're not going to change that overnight just by making a TikTok video. Relationship has to be part of food service. So I think there's got to be some filtering too. Marketing is different to companies and operators than it is to consumers.” -Tim Strand [11:38]

TIMESTAMPS

|00:41] Tim Strand's leadership and innovation at RESCO

[04:23] Tim's experience working with his family at RESCO 

[08:55] RESCO's services in sales support and marketing 

[10:07] The need for listening to customers in sales interactions 

[14:24] Lead generation process for food service manufacturers 

[20:06] Utilizing trade shows for marketing opportunities 

[23:02] RESCO's role in reducing friction and providing sales support 

[27:23] Learning from others' experiences in the industry 

[36:55] Book recommendation: "Giftology" by John Rulan. 

[38:12] RESCO as an outsource partner for manufacturers

RESOURCES

Portillo Sales

CONTACT 

Nick: nick.portillo@portillosales.com

Tim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tistrand/