Old School Never Gets Old: Why We’re Bringing Back Quill
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There’s a moment in every business’s story where you look back at something that worked, and you ask: why did we ever stop doing that?
That’s exactly where we found ourselves with Quill.
We sat down with our CEO and Founder, Adam Dorfman, to talk about why DMC Atlanta is relaunching our B2B sales campaign with Quill, what’s changed (and what hasn’t) since we first worked together, and why he thinks the fundamentals of great sales will never go out of style.
Quill isn’t a new name around here. The company has been around for 70 years, started by three brothers running a door-to-door sales operation out of the back of a chicken farm — which is actually where the name comes from (think: feather quill). Classic hustle, straight from day one.
DMC worked with Quill from 2003 to 2011, bringing in thousands of new customers during that stretch. It was a great run. But as one massive online retailer grew from a small bookseller into a company that sells nearly everything, a lot of direct-ship businesses — Quill included — had to pump the brakes and figure out how to compete in a market suddenly dominated by one player. That’s when the partnership paused.
Fast forward to about six months ago: Quill came back to the table, ready to grow again. And honestly? So were we.
“I have loved this company forever. We did a ton of good work for them between 2003 and 2011, and they’ve got a lot of things in line and they were ready to go, and we were ready to grow with them.”
Adam started his career in B2B sales at 24 years old — it’s where his roots are. And while DMC has found a ton of success in retail staffing, the timing felt right to diversify and get back to what built the foundation.
“We just want to diversify. We’ve had a ton of success with retail… but we wanted to expand back into B2B, and also I think there are certain people who prefer the B2B environment over the B2C retail environment. So we wanted to be able to grow our business with all different types of people.”
The core of the approach hasn’t changed much, but the tools behind it have.
Two decades ago, territory management meant literally cutting up paper maps and photocopying them. Now the team has custom-built territory programs and CRM systems, plus a client in Quill that’s genuinely willing to collaborate on pricing and scalability.
The ideal Quill customer is a small to mid-sized business that’s too small to lock into big manufacturer contracts, but too busy to run to the store every time they’re out of paper or toner.
“The most important thing for me is that when I go look for something, it’s here. I do not ever want to have to stop what we’re doing to go get something we need for our business to run.”
Free next-day delivery. Live customer service in under 60 seconds. A dedicated rep. It’s built for businesses that value their time and want to always be prepared.
There’s no fancy funnel here. This campaign runs on the most basic form of B2B sales there is: walking in the front door and introducing yourself. The first product any prospect actually buys is you.
“There is no AI that can make somebody feel the way that one of our sales reps can… Everything we do can be enhanced by AI but can’t be replaced by it.”
The pitch isn’t really about pens and paper, it’s about people wanting to do business with people. Adam compared it to choosing a local butcher over a big-box grocery store — paying a little more to support someone local who actually knows you and cares about getting it right.
“Sure, Quill is a big national corporation, but our sales office is locally owned. Every single person representing this brand in Atlanta lives in Atlanta.”
Six weeks in and the biggest takeaway isn’t a surprise, it’s a confirmation.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same. What works right now in terms of walking in the front door of a company — the words, the attitude, the smile, the energy — is the exact same thing that worked in 2003.”
Companies that claim to be fully digital still use paper. People still need snacks, tissues, pens, etc. The human skills that built this business two decades ago — starting a cold conversation, handling objections, hearing “no” and moving forward anyway — are, if anything, more valuable now than ever.
“We talk a lot about generative AI. We’re generative humans.”
This campaign started with three people six weeks ago and has rapidly grown to a team of ten. The goal? 500 people across the country by September 2027, and roughly 1,200 nationally within three years. For context, it took a year and a half to hit similar numbers when DMC launched retail back in 2010 — a sign of just how much momentum this team already has.
Early success is measured simply: effort, attitude, product knowledge, and conversion. The benchmark is speaking with 8 to 12 decision-makers to convert 3 into sales, and the team has already produced four leadership promotions in the last three weeks alone.
“Everybody is really committed to just improving themselves every day.”
Adam’s advice for any leader thinking about building a direct sales platform from scratch is simple: be ready to work.
“There’s nobody who’s gonna come in and do this for you. There’s nobody who’s gonna train you in this… I’ve been out in the field side by side with our reps every week, training them from the ground up because nobody else knew how to do it. If you want to build something, you’ve got to be prepared to put in the sweat equity to build it.”
At the end of the day, this isn’t really a campaign about office supplies. It’s about giving small and mid-sized businesses across Atlanta (and eventually the country) the chance to work with people who show up, care, and want to earn their business the old-fashioned way.
“I hope people come in with an open mind. I’m excited to help change people’s buying habits to do something that will benefit the local community here in Atlanta.”
Sometimes, old school just works.
Check out the full interview on YouTube!
