Why you can trust me to coach your sales team

I started out as an engineer

After beginning working life as an electrical draughtsman, I joined local electronics manufacturers AuCom, making soft starters for the global market.

Pretty much our first chat, my boss went, “You’re wasted doing drawings mate, we need you out there talking to people, you’d be great at sales.”

My dad disagreed. “You can’t do that son. You’re too honest to be a salesperson.”

But dad was wrong. Turns out honesty is what makes a good salesperson.

Then I sold to agribusiness and engineers for 30 years

After six years cutting my teeth selling soft starters, it was time for a new challenge, and I headed to Danfoss to sell irrigation systems to South Island farmers.

That’s when things really took off.

Their sales strategy sucked, so I convinced national management to let me put in place a new plan and grew their South Island sales 300% over three years. My personal best was the year I made two million in under 12 months.

AuCom head hunted me back to head up international sales. Seven years later, after growing sales in my region 50%, establishing a global network of distributors and winning a new multinational manufacturing agreement, I knew the world of soft starters inside out and was keen to try selling other things.

After a move into selling Shell lubricants, I discovered my skills worked for commodities too and I built up their largest national account. Next, I sold ABB power products to electrical engineers, before getting back to my agribusiness roots selling irrigation again.

Going out on my own to teach people how to sell

By this time, I’d worked in sales for 30 years.

Taking stock, I realised the thing I’d loved best for a long time wasn’t the thrill of the deal, but the satisfaction of coaching my team and teaching others to sell.

I took a bachelor’s degree in applied management, sales, and marketing, and started working as a freelance sales and marketing consultant.

Because of 35 years’ experience working with engineers, and 30 years selling to agribusiness, I found these businesses really valued what I had to share.

Got to the point where it wasn’t so much I wouldn’t work with other businesses, but my whole client list was engineering consultants and rural businesses anyway.

Here’s what I can do for you

I can take the skills I’ve learned cutting international deals, leading teams, establishing distributors, and mentoring more sales reps than I can remember. And I can put them to work, teaching your team to sell.

I’ll show them how easily they can grow your business by focusing on solving your customers’ problems and committing to simple daily activities that fill your pipeline.