This week on Episode 28 of "Celebrating the Brand Ambassador," I have the pleasure of interviewing Zach Berger then Brand Ambassador for Edrington and Tommy Mauriello, NY Area Manager for Edrington.  Zach shares his incredible story about how he was discovered behind the bar and why he made the leap to become an Ambassador. We discuss why being “on” all the time is so important to building your career. Tommy discusses the differences between a Brand Ambassador and a Market manager and where there is crossover. Tommy discusses what the role of area manager entails.  They discuss the importance of being part of the internal brand conversations and how many Ideas get crushed and why. What an Ambassador can you do to get their ideas accepted We discuss the challenges of switching from bartender to brand ambassador. Why and how to schedule PTO  Why doing your reporting is so important. Tommy discusses best practices of how a  BA should work with the distributor  Tommy discusses what a BA can do to build relationships with sales team and what practices could ruin your relationship. Zach discusses how he helps reps achieve their goal and make them an advocate for your brand. Zach shares best practices of using the cost per ounce to sell in your product.  We discuss how to conduct the casual training across the bar.  Tommy and Zach speak to the challenges of switching from representing known brands to unknown brands and how they overcome it. What hard lessons have they learned and would like to share with others.