Charles Kline
Appliance Sales Professional at Famous Tate Appliance & Bedding Centers at Famous Tate Appliance & Bedding Centers- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Bill Blitman LUTCF, NSSA
I have known Charles for many, many years. He is very passionate about his work and the consummate professional. He is a breath of fresh air when it comes to providing service and always going the extra mile which has become a lost art. Charles has the skill set and experience to make a difference in any endeavor regardless of the challenges it may bring. Honored to work with him and humbled to consider him a friend.
Eric Riback
Charles "Mike" Kline is a long-time acquaintance. We've both been president of our industry's trade association, and he was kind enough to introduce me to Franko Maps Ltd. in 2012. Mike has several qualities which speak to his success in sales and account management: He's super personable and can talk to anybody in any setting. This is not only a pleasant quality, but I've seen unanticipated sales opportunities develop from his ability to open conversations with prospective customers and business partners at trade shows and meetings. He sees possibilities where others do not, is fearless, and, when appropriate, relentless in following up opportunities. Mike is a team player, working to create wins for the organization. At Franko, while his official role was head of sales, he contributed significantly to developing product concepts and growing our supply chain with new vendors and methods.
Bill Blitman LUTCF, NSSA
I have known Charles for many, many years. He is very passionate about his work and the consummate professional. He is a breath of fresh air when it comes to providing service and always going the extra mile which has become a lost art. Charles has the skill set and experience to make a difference in any endeavor regardless of the challenges it may bring. Honored to work with him and humbled to consider him a friend.
Eric Riback
Charles "Mike" Kline is a long-time acquaintance. We've both been president of our industry's trade association, and he was kind enough to introduce me to Franko Maps Ltd. in 2012. Mike has several qualities which speak to his success in sales and account management: He's super personable and can talk to anybody in any setting. This is not only a pleasant quality, but I've seen unanticipated sales opportunities develop from his ability to open conversations with prospective customers and business partners at trade shows and meetings. He sees possibilities where others do not, is fearless, and, when appropriate, relentless in following up opportunities. Mike is a team player, working to create wins for the organization. At Franko, while his official role was head of sales, he contributed significantly to developing product concepts and growing our supply chain with new vendors and methods.
Bill Blitman LUTCF, NSSA
I have known Charles for many, many years. He is very passionate about his work and the consummate professional. He is a breath of fresh air when it comes to providing service and always going the extra mile which has become a lost art. Charles has the skill set and experience to make a difference in any endeavor regardless of the challenges it may bring. Honored to work with him and humbled to consider him a friend.
Eric Riback
Charles "Mike" Kline is a long-time acquaintance. We've both been president of our industry's trade association, and he was kind enough to introduce me to Franko Maps Ltd. in 2012. Mike has several qualities which speak to his success in sales and account management: He's super personable and can talk to anybody in any setting. This is not only a pleasant quality, but I've seen unanticipated sales opportunities develop from his ability to open conversations with prospective customers and business partners at trade shows and meetings. He sees possibilities where others do not, is fearless, and, when appropriate, relentless in following up opportunities. Mike is a team player, working to create wins for the organization. At Franko, while his official role was head of sales, he contributed significantly to developing product concepts and growing our supply chain with new vendors and methods.
Bill Blitman LUTCF, NSSA
I have known Charles for many, many years. He is very passionate about his work and the consummate professional. He is a breath of fresh air when it comes to providing service and always going the extra mile which has become a lost art. Charles has the skill set and experience to make a difference in any endeavor regardless of the challenges it may bring. Honored to work with him and humbled to consider him a friend.
Eric Riback
Charles "Mike" Kline is a long-time acquaintance. We've both been president of our industry's trade association, and he was kind enough to introduce me to Franko Maps Ltd. in 2012. Mike has several qualities which speak to his success in sales and account management: He's super personable and can talk to anybody in any setting. This is not only a pleasant quality, but I've seen unanticipated sales opportunities develop from his ability to open conversations with prospective customers and business partners at trade shows and meetings. He sees possibilities where others do not, is fearless, and, when appropriate, relentless in following up opportunities. Mike is a team player, working to create wins for the organization. At Franko, while his official role was head of sales, he contributed significantly to developing product concepts and growing our supply chain with new vendors and methods.
Experience
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Famous Tate Appliance & Bedding Centers
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United States
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Retail
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1 - 100 Employee
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Appliance Sales Professional at Famous Tate Appliance & Bedding Centers
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Jan 2021 - Present
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Mapszu
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United States
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Technology, Information and Internet
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1 - 100 Employee
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Director / Senior Account Manager for Acqir Division / B2B
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Jun 2018 - May 2020
Recruited to oversee key account acquisition, maintenance, and expansion of national media clients, to include Tampa Bay Times, Sacramento Bee, Sarasota Herald, Pittsburgh Tribune, Tennessee Valley Media, Napa Valley Register, Gatehouse Media LLC and The Hearst Media Group for company partnering with national media companies to deliver multimedia mapping and advertising solutions.. Market interactive print, mobile app, directory, and online mapping products and solutions for real estate, community, and automotive markets; generate up to $35K to $55K in monthly revenues. Conduct client needs assessment, identify sales opportunities, develop solutions, negotiate/execute contracts, and deliver/implement products. Analyze specialty project reports, customer analysis, and ROI; verify all client invoices to ensure accuracy. Collaborate with internal Custom, Cryptography, Maps 101, and E-commerce divisions, as well as IT, Graphics, Accounting, Photographers, and Marketing departments. ✔ Increased annual revenue 12%; able to secure new or upsell multiple current accounts within first 6 months. ✔ Projected $50K-$75K sales pipeline of new business for 2018 – 2019; projected new sales $100K - $195K. ✔ Trade show management; establish budgets, select key trade shows, analyze ROI, develop marketing initiatives, coordinate travel, and manage event booth. Increased annual participation from 1 event to 6; effectively built brand, captured new business opportunities, and drove sales. ✔ Redesigned trade show contact lists and improved prospecting tools; achieved 15% increase of key client information/data gathered for CRM database. ✔ Created 30 qualified leads and 10 firm opportunities from 1 trade show, which only had 100 attendees. Show less
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Intelligent Direct Inc. - Market Maps
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Wellsboro, PA
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Director of Account Management / B2B
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Nov 2017 - Jun 2018
Directed day-to-day B2B operations and created/implemented new CRM prospecting platform. Developed program benchmarks, defined data requirements, analyzed and updated customer information within existing 400K account database, and identified/targeted inactive key accounts for resurrection for America’s leading source of custom business maps, providing demographic, sales, and census data, as well as location and geography. Produce visually effective custom maps, web applications, reports, and databases, to include location, geography, data, and demographics; operate 6 offices in the US and 1 in Argentina. Concurrently prospected for new sales; conducted market research to identify and capture new business opportunities, responded to customer inquiries, and generated bid proposals. ✔ Successfully closed $23K sale within the first day of employment. ✔ Resurrected inactive accounts and created new business opportunities within existing national accounts (UPS, Costco, and BlueLine). Show less
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VP - Direct Sales & Marketing / B2B
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Feb 2010 - Nov 2017
Marked stock and premium product line to 2,500+ global buying accounts (wholesalers, distribution and resellers), generating $1.2M in annual revenues for company that creates/distributes maps printed on waterproof and tear proof paper, to include guide, dive, fish, and surf maps. Accountable for sales and marketing programs/campaigns, website management, trade shows, brand development, and vendor relationships. Supervised and trained sales/support staff of 12+. Collaborated with Dive, Surf, Custom, E-commerce, and Bike/Trails divisions to develop custom product solutions (advertising, logo, and enlargements). Managed logistics and trade show operations, up to 5 annually (DEMA Dive, Gatlinburg Gift, and Orlando Surf). ✔ Created and implemented new Salesforce CRM platform; expanded client database from 250 accounts to 4,500+, with 80% generating active revenue. ✔ Increased sales 20-25% year-over-year; grew customer base 22%+ within the first two months. ✔ Developed and launched 60+ new mapping products, as well as custom solutions from stock items. Key clients included Beaches, Sandals Resorts, Corn Island, St. Regis, and City of Marathon. ✔ Co-developed/marketed products on Amazon and ebay; generated $6K-$9K month for E-commerce. ✔ Authored new SOPs for Accounting, Marketing and Sales departments; streamlined processes and increased revenue 15%. ✔ Negotiated favorable bulk printing and shipping costs to improve profitability; captured 17% decrease in printing cost through new vendor selection. Show less
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National Geographic Maps
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Evergreen, CO
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Sales Division Manager - Special/Premium / B2B
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Jan 2009 - Feb 2010
Managed 500+ B2B global retail accounts and small/medium distributors/wholesalers, generated up to $750K in annual sales. Developed custom products from stock images to create additional revenue channel. Managed 500+ B2B global retail accounts and small/medium distributors/wholesalers, generated up to $750K in annual sales. Developed custom products from stock images to create additional revenue channel for company that creates the world’s best outdoor recreation, wall, and travel maps, as well as books, atlases, and globes. ✔ Updated and re-organized CRM-B2B customer database; produced $500K in sales within nine months. ✔ Collaborated with Fortune 500 clients to promote cross-branding and premium sale programs. ✔ Led holiday promotional sales and marketing campaign, while increasing digital topo product sales by 35% in three months (2009). ✔ Secured over 50 new accounts within first four months employment. Show less
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Kappa Media Group Inc. - Mapsco Inc. Division
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Addison, TX
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GM Direct Sales Division / Operations / Marketing / B2B
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May 2007 - Apr 2009
SC USA largest publisher of wall maps and street atlases – printed and digital; affiliate of Kappa Media Group. ✔ Led the development and implementation of an automated CRM system and facilitated E-commerce expansion. Direct oversight of key account acquisition, maintenance, and retention related to this task. ✔ Promoted to lead integration process of Mapsco / Universal Maps acquisition operations project. ✔ Oversaw all daily retail operational and managerial functions for the company’s seven retail map and travel centers. This part of the company generated well over 40% of the bottom line profit of this $13.8M business. ✔ Successfully guided, trained and motivated a sales force of 30 people, sales support staff of five and a telemarketing staff in B2B – B2C areas, totaling six. ✔ Consistently maintained monthly sales revenue levels of over $300,000 per store; sales increased in some locations by as much as 50%. ✔ Played a major role in the development, marketing and implementation of the most successful sales campaign in the company’s 60 plus year history. The map exchange program averaged a 70% or better sales increase (MTD vs MTD sales totals) over a 6 month period. ✔ Implemented a highly successfully marketing plan that increased the company client base by more than 2K a year for 3 straight years. Show less
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Mapsource Inc
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Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida Area
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GM - Operations / Sales & Marketing / B2B
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Mar 2000 - Apr 2007
SE USA largest publisher & distributor of quality wall maps / street atlases plus a wide variety of custom maps. ✔ Directed operations for five retail map and travel centers, generating $6.3M+ in annual revenues. Supervised and trained 30+ sales, sales support, and telemarketing staff of 5 individuals. ✔ Developed and managed a highly successfully internet marketing plan /website redesign; increased sales $375K within 16 months. ✔ Redesigned entire marketing and advertising departments; utilized radio & billboard campaign. Show less
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A World of Maps Inc.
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Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida Area
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VP of Sales / Marketing /Operations / B2B / Co-Owner
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Mar 1994 - Sep 2000
Co-Owner: Directed operations, sales, marketing, B2B, customer service, website, financial reporting, accounting, and production. ✔ Effectively built a business plan that guided this start-up company to gross sales of well over $850,000 in only 12 months. Sales grew at a rate of over 30% a year for four straight years, with sales reaching $4.5M in 1998. ✔Successfully managed, organized and maintained control over a sales staff of seven people and all key departments (i.e., accounting, marketing, production sales and sales support). ✔Supervised and managed all the marketing, B2B, and customer service issues surrounding our start up website (which generated sales over $300,000 in its first 9 months of service). Show less
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Education
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1977 - 1981
Wesley College, Delaware
Bachelor of Arts - BA, Business Administration and Management
Community
