From the desk of Ryan Neely (Company CEO):
As the owner and lead pourer here at Leading Edge Baits, I need to “clear the air” on something that’s been on my mind for a few months now. As part of continuing to grow Leading Edge Baits as a recognizable brand on the water and to stay on top of new product development, I’ve decided to put a promotional staff in place. I’m still in the early stages of putting this program together however, word has gotten out and people are interested.
Over the past year, I personally have received hundreds of phone calls, texts, emails and Facebook messages from anglers interested in becoming a part of my team. Most of these emails are from anglers who claim to LOVE our baits, catch a ton of fish on them, and order quite frequently. When I do the research and follow up I find that 9 times out of 10, these same anglers claiming to use and love our products have never even placed an order, let alone, viewed our website! As a business owner that simply tells me they are just interested in free product, which just doesn’t sit well with me. FYI, the analytics option on our brand new website is pretty sweet.
While my rules and qualifications are short for our pro staff team I mainly ask for one thing. I ask for each angler on my staff to be respectful and truthful. When inquiring about staff positions, I ask that anglers have a full knowledge of what we do, have ordered in the past, and truly love the products we make. How can an angler want to promote a product if they don’t even know what the products are like? It’s simply like purchasing your first vehicle. Do you buy it without giving it a test drive? Do you commit to a college without touring or researching it? The answer to both scenarios is most likely NO!
Leading Edge Baits is a family run, small business in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We treat our customers as well as our staff like family. This guarantees for a great, one on one, personable and professional relationship! I take a lot of pride in our promotional staff! So when a staff member tells me he/she would like to see a new design or feels their color combination would be better than what I have concocted, I listen.
For the anglers we unfortunately turn away, if you’re highly interested in our products and want to promote us on the water, put a small order in and fish our baits! Then, reach out to us in a year or whenever you feel you have a good knowledge of our product line. And please….be honest!
Yours in custom baits—
Ryan Neely
