Awards March 20, 2017
Second Careers in Promo - Bryce Fulton
Four high-profile professionals find success with second careers in the promo industry. Get to know Bryce Fulton, former TV news star.
Lights, Camera, Sell
Before Bryce Fulton was a multitasking maven, balancing the demands of motherhood and a million-dollar promo sales portfolio, she was a TV news star, centered in the spotlight as morning anchor at a station in Florida.
The anchor role marked the pinnacle of a 14-year news career that took Fulton to stations in Texas, Connecticut, Iowa and the Sunshine State – an exciting ride that had her covering nationally significant stories and interviewing everyone from presidents and celebrities to notorious criminals.
While Fulton relished TV news, her desire to continue the career waned after the births of her son and daughter. “The demands, the hours – I was unable to be the kind of mom I wanted to be,” Fulton says. She desired a job with flexibility – a profession that would allow her to earn a good living and spend ample time with her children.
Enter promo sales.
Fortunately, Fulton’s late father, Patrick Dinley, and brother, Brian Dinley, were the owners of a distributorship – West Palm Beach, FL-based Proforma Communications Group (asi/300094). There was an open invitation for Fulton to come aboard whenever she wished. After her second child was born in 2008, she made the switch to promo sales. Things did not start swimmingly.
Fulton admits to having a near panic attack, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of products. Quickly, though, she composed herself and started hustling, putting in the necessary work to become a savvy promo pro. She connected with trusted suppliers, studied ESP to gain in-depth knowledge of products, spent hours creating client-specific presentations, mirrored her brother on sales calls and heeded the sage advice of her business guru father – the former CEO/president of Norelco. Furthermore, she developed an expertise in a particular vertical – healthcare – after a sizable opportunity in the market arose. To capitalize, Fulton had to give herself a crash course in e-commerce, but in the end the fast and furious learning enhanced the value she could provide clients. “After I had that figured out, the rest really kind of fell into place,” Fulton says.
These days, Proforma Communications Group is a multimillion-dollar company. Fulton’s sales are robust, born high by the relationships she’s cultivated with clients who trust her with their brands. Most importantly, Fulton makes an excellent living, doing a job she enjoys, while having the time to be a loving, involved mom. She says: “‘Lights, Camera, Action!’ turned into ‘Let’s Go Get ‘Em!’ Not as catchy, but I like it.”