Some of our biggest supporters through the years have been the leadership at Wet & Forget. For over 40 years, Wet & Forget have been bringing people cleaning products that make cleaning easier. They believe in working "smarter not harder," and by listening to their customer needs, and developing the easiest cleaning solutions for everyday problems.
VP of Sales, Adam Smith, is considered one of the world's greatest salesmen. Okay, we might have made that up, BUT Adam has been an exceptional friend to our program. If you follow Make48, you’ve probably seen and interacted with Adam at one of the competitions. He’s been a judge, mentor and recently was a first-time participant at the KSSB-Make48 event as the team captain of Team Intelleggtuals. He worked with students Taylor Bailey, Hashim Syed and Patrick Wilson. Prior to this, Adam never worked with the blind, but all worry quickly vanished after meeting the students. “Within thirty minutes, I realized how completely self-sufficient they were. They may not be able to see, but they can visualize and have ideas.”
The team worked very well together, and Adam made sure each person got ownership of their product. “We were a team with different personalities, and we all came together. I think we had a great item AND if we had a little bit more time… But again, it's 48 hours.” His team didn’t win, but that didn’t matter. Adam was blown away by the Kansas State School for the Blind community. “I was like wow. I love the commitment the state of Kansas has for the KSSB organization and what Make48 is doing with them. The experience was unreal and one of the most satisfying things I've ever done in my life.”
Adam has a lot of experience working with teams. At Wet & Forget, everyday is a bit different for him. With products in stores worldwide, the VP of Sales is going in many directions. With show season back in swing, Adam has been meeting with his customer base and vendors across the country. “I'm extremely happy we're back in person, unmasked. I find that our sales are better when we’re at in-person shows versus virtual ones.” Covid led to a massive shift on how businesses and attendees approached events. While frustrating to all, it was especially challenging for new vendors.“...virtual shows hurt a lot of new vendors that didn’t get that face time with their customer base. I think Make48 represents many of these new companies, who have an invention and who hope to break into the retail industry. It’s been especially challenging for them the last couple of years.”
Wet & Forget relies on their dedicated customer base, who flood their social channels with a variety of cleaning solutions. One of their most popular themes? Headstones. Their brand has been building loyalty with their customers for many years. The Wet & Forget Crew on Facebook has over 30K+ members, who are champions of their products and services. “You don't really find a lot of companies, especially consumer products, who are actually excited about your product.. They just love it. Our motto is ‘work smarter, not harder.’ Don’t believe us. Read the reviews. We’ve built a really loyal group of consumers, but we’ve also put out a great product that works. The exterior product works 100% of the time on organic growth. And our weekly shower cleaning product works like a million bucks. And once you start using these, these are the only products you ever need to buy.”
When Wet & Forget first came to market, Adam wasn’t as confident as their fan base. “I thought nobody’s gonna buy this stuff. It’s a $50 cleaner.” But as he said earlier, they had an intriguing, innovative product that worked. And then it came down to their team. “The key is to have a group of people that are all on the same page, that are dedicated to one purpose. We're a small office. We have twelve or so employees total. But the people we have are all extremely dedicated to growing the Wet & Forget brand. And we do our own in-house marketing, which I think is a benefit for us. Really, once people start using Wet & Forget, they're our champions.”
What’s really unique about the company from New Zealand is that they started with zero. “Wet and Forget was a new concept in cleaning exterior surfaces. Prior to Wet & Forget coming to the U.S. from New Zealand, consumers had to use bleach or power wash to clean the exterior of homes. We brought in a new concept in outdoor cleaning that after you apply, you wait for the product to work over time. There is no scrubbing ,rinsing or power washing needed. We know that everybody wants immediate gratification, but if you give them an option that makes their life easier and works you have a customer for life. So we've really changed exterior cleaning in the US.” Now the little brand from New Zealand can be found perched in any retail location in America.
We hope to have Adam participate at more events this year. I asked what tip he would give to the teams and future competitors. “You need to date that idea, because it's easier to break-up, than get divorced.” And as far as his favorite Make48 memory? “I love every aspect of it. I just like walking around and talking to everyone. My biggest takeaway from over the years is how much I love this whole (48 hour) process for them. I love how Make 48 brings families, friends and the maker community together for 48 hours, and what is created within that time is truly amazing. I love seeing the people bring their families or buddies together. That's the part I really enjoy.”
Thank you to Adam Smith and Wet & Forget for the support throughout the years. And if you’re wondering where to look for those sought out cleaning products check out https://www.wetandforget.com/
Kommentare