Frank R. Davies State Sales Coordinator- AFLAC

Great field leadership is the key to any organizations success. In this spirit, we honor this month’s Titan- Frank R. Davies.
For the past 13 years Frank has been the State Sales Coordinator for AFLAC in the Great State of Texas. When Frank started that role 13 years ago, his region did $2.9M in new business. In 2002, his region wrote $49M+ in new business. He has successfully grown his region by 25.2% annually in new business revenue. When you get a chance to meet him, you realize how he does it.

The first thing you will notice is Frank’s confidence in himself and his product. The next thing you recognize is his enthusiasm and passion when he talks about his product and company. He really believes what he does makes a difference. You know what, he does make a difference! There is absolutely no way he could successfully lead the charge behind the growth described above if he did not believe in his abilities and in the people who work for him. Funny thing is I nearly quit my profession to join his team. The only thing that stopped me was the evangelism I have for what I do.

By the way, when Frank started with AFLAC 26 years ago, he took a risk going from a salaried position to a commission structure. He made a personal commitment to learn from the best and give it a full 12 months to see if he could succeed in this environment. He also was willing to embrace the concept of change; in his career in order to increase his standard of living; and more importantly, his feeling of self-worth by positively impacting the lives of others.

Embracing change, commitment to succeed, self-confidence, passion in what you do and being a life long student These are attributes that Titans live by each and every day in their quest to raise their level of performance.

Congratulations Frank Davies, our Titan Profile of the Month. You certainly have shown us what it takes to succeed in sales and leadership.

Dave Thomas (1939-2002) Founder of Wendy’s

Dave Thomas’s life story proves that anybody can achieve Titan status if they are willing to do whatever is necessary to succeed.

First of all, Dave’s background did not put him on a path to guaranteed success. He was adopted as a baby and lost his adoptive mother at age 5 and two stepmothers before age 10. His was very close with his grandmother, who repeatedly instilled in him the value of not “cutting corners.” Hence, the creation of the square Wendy’s Hamburger.

His successful business track record can be traced to the following attributes:

1. Pro-Activeness— After meeting Col. Harland Sanders in a barbecue restaurant he was working in, he was inspired to buy his own franchise. Six years later, he returned to Columbus and rescued 4 failing KFC restaurants, only to resell them back to the founder in 1968 for $1.5 Million. He was a millionaire at age 35!

2. Salesmanship- After opening Wendy’s, Dave Thomas decided in 1989 to sell the brand himself by starring in his own commercials. The commercials were hugely successful and he has become one of the most recognizable corporate spokesman of all time. He never relinquished the responsibility of sales.

3. Community Service- Dave didn’t just take. He gave and gave and gave back to his community. He is best known for the work he did as a leading champion for the adoption of foster children.

4. Perseverance- If there is one thing Dave regrets, it was not finishing high school, even though he did pass the GED exam in 1993.

Dave Thomas, our Titan Profile of The Month, is a classic example when it comes to the old saying: “It is not what life throws at you that counts; it is what you do with it.” Dave Thomas lived life as a true Titan. His influence will continue to serve us all through his lasting legacy. We will miss you, Dave Thomas.

Cheryl Edwards – Director of Medical Education

Charlie Roth, M.S. Director of Training & Education
Wright Medical Technology, Inc

Remember the last sales meeting you attended? You just had to show up and the event went on without a hitch. Meetings started on time. The accommodations were just right. The audio visual worked. The meals tasted good. The awards were delivered to the deserving winners. The speakers were great and delivered quality programs. And the list keeps going on and on….

The paragraph above sounds mundane at best. Yet it is the Herculean efforts of a few devoted people that turn ordinary meetings into successful and memorable events. As a professional speaker, our success is due in large part to the support of the meeting planner and executives who hire us. They are motivated to do whatever it takes to ensure our presentations are successful. Everything from making sure the room is set up just right to providing us with all of the information we need to successfully customize our presentations.

These individuals often go unnoticed. In some cases, they are professional meeting planners. In others cases, they are executives or support staff saddled with the extra responsibilities of putting on a phenomenal production. In either case, they have tremendous pressure to do whatever it takes to succeed. Sales meetings are a big expense designed for a specific purpose- to create a motivating experience and communicate the goals of the organization and actions required to succeed. These meeting set the tempo for the year. If the meetings themselves fall below their expectations, the success of the campaigns they were intended to support is automatically negatively impacted. In some cases, meetings can make or break a given campaign. There is no room for failure when it comes to producing a meeting.

My hat goes off to Cheryl Edwards and Charlie Roth who did their job phenomenally well in helping stage a recent national sales meeting I was invited to speak at. In no uncertain terms, their efforts helped make my presentation the huge success it was. We congratulate Cheryl and Charlie, our Titan Profiles of the Month. We also congratulate all of you who help produce meetings. Your efforts are felt throughout your organization.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

-Muriel Strode

TRANSLATION: In life, there are followers and leaders. Titans are leaders!

Bernie Mangano N.E. Regional Director Information Mapping Inc.

At this time of year we all look back on what we have achieved. In Bernie Mangano’s case, looking back over the last 4 years, his team has achieved a whopping sales increase of 342% for the region! Bernie accomplished this phenomenal result through both his leadership skills and sales philosophy.

In terms of sales philosophy, Bernie says:

“My team particularly focuses on the companies’ (our customers) key business goals and objectives. If we focus our meetings and our solutions on these key goals and objectives, and partner with them on the solution, there are usually no obstacles. The next logical step is to move forward with Information Mapping.”

Bernie wants his customers to view him as a partner or prime resource rather than a vendor.

Congratulations to Bernie Mangano, our Titan of the Month. Resource positioning and helping customers achieve their goals is what Sales Titans are all about!

The economy’s soft and business is declining, right? Don’t tell that to Douglas McIntosh and Michael Poris, principal’s of one of the hottest architectural firms in Detroit.

In the last year alone their billings have increased by over 40%. In just the past six weeks, they closed 8 new projects with initial billings of over $1 Million dollars. They claim a great deal of their success comes from repeat clients who keep coming back to them with new projects. But, if you look deeper, there is another reason.

The mission of McIntosh Poris Associates is to achieve transformation through dialogue and vision. They carry out this mission by addressing each new client and project as a joint collaboration. Douglas and Michael don’t go into new projects selling their vision. They go into the projects creating a joint vision with the client from scratch. This strategy results in clients feeling like they have ownership of the project and that it is their creation, not some idea forced down their throats by an egotistical architect.

The result from this strategy is a thriving business in difficult times. Let’s take a page from Douglas and Michael’s book. Are you more interested in selling your point of view and products, or are you interested in the client’s point of view? The end result is the same, selling your products and services. The difference is you tend to sell a lot more when the client thinks it’s their idea!

Congratulations to Douglas McIntosh and Michael Poris, our Titan Profile of the month. You truly give your clients what they need the way they want it!

We are looking for Titan Success Stories. If you have one, you are invited to submit it via e-mail to Ron@RonKarr.Com. Please include your phone number.

In case you were wondering if Cindy Roth-Karr is related to me, you better believe it. Besides being a loving wife and wonderful mother who supports my efforts and takes care of family issues during my extensive travels, she is also a sales superstar.

While I am usually hesitant to highlight family members, there is no way I can overlook what happened last week. Cindy and her colleagues put on a phenomenal industry event last week in NYC that drew well over 500 clients. As part of Forbo’s Global 1 World Tour, the event was staged to both thank their clients as well as introduce a new product line.

But how about that turn out? That would never have happened if Cindy, her manager Eric, and fellow sales executives did not have a good handle on their business and territories.

This story gets even better. As the supportive husband, I was recruited to help and check people in. Towards the end of the evening, one of the guests was leaving and came by to shake my hand and thank me for a wonderful time. Informing him that I am ‘just’ a spouse, he asked whom I was married to. When I mentioned Cindy’s name, his eyes beamed with excitement. With incredible passion, this gentleman went on to tell me how Cindy has been such an invaluable resource for all the years he has dealt with her. I could tell from his expression and enthusiasm that Cindy really made a positive impact on his business. This is just one reason why Cindy is so well known and respected in her industry.

Congratulations Cindy Roth-Karr, our Titan of the Month. You are being honored for two reasons; your incredible sales success and as a representative of all supportive spouses and significant others. Every sales Titan knows how much harder it would be to succeed without the support of others, especially our loved ones.

A few days ago I spoke with a long time client and learned that Bud Newton, a top producing sales executive for 20+years, died suddenly from a heart attack on board a plane in route to a customer call.

When something hits home like this, it gives us a chance to look at the life of the individual we are remembering to see if there are any lessons to be learned. In Bud Newton’s case, there are volumes to be spoken of what it means to be a Sales Titan.

John Childers, a colleague of Bud, had this to say in a letter he wrote after hearing the terrible news.

“Working with Bud certainly proves that teamwork can be more than just effective. Bud and I have worked together continuously for 23 1/2 years with a bit of success and a lot of fun along the way. Bud is the best people oriented Salesman that has ever been through our company.”

“His professional abilities included:

1. Representing all that is positive, productive, and valuable to a business with respect to Salesmanship.

2. His tenacious drive to be responsive to the customer and follow-up promptly on requests.

3. His ability to play both with and without the ball… Bud always made those extra sales calls during less than bankers hours even when it didn’t always seem necessary to others. Bud always believed that long term investment in his customers was preferred over the short term dot com route.

In short, Bud invested his heart and soul in his customers and never to my knowledge short changed them or minimized their concerns in any way.”

Pat Bald,Contract Administrator, Agfa Medical Imaging

During a recent tour, I heard sales executives of Agfa Medical Imaging in every city refer to Pat Bald as “Saint Pat”. So, who is Pat Bald?

Pat is an invaluable resource who works tirelessly and unselfishly to support the needs and requirements of the U.S. Sales Teams. She gives them fast turnaround on requests for film agreements that results in customers committing to Agfa as quickly and expeditiously as possible. In doing her work, Pat never complains. She always has a “smile” on her face that can be heard over the phone as she works with the field sales teams. She truly lives by the Titan Principle motto of “Giving the customer what they need, the way they want it”.

Pat’s colleagues in Business Operations for Agfa Medical Imaging are also known for their incredible support. The fact of the matter is Sales Titans are beholden to the people who support their efforts in the field.

Congratulations to Pat Bald,
our Titan Profile of the Month.
You have shown us how sales success is truly a team sport.

Richard Burley, a highly successful Canadian Business Coach, decided to try a new way of selling his services utilizing The Titan Principle®. Of the initial 13 calls he made using The Titan Principle®, he initiated 11 new client interviews. Two of the 13 were already using or had just begun new programs with Richard.

Of those 11, Richard only “closed” 4. The strange thing was that within a week he had the other seven sales managers calling him back to request follow-up interviews that subsequently turned into new business. They spoke to Richard in a way that made him feel like a conduit to the resource, not the resource itself.

Congratulations Richard!
To achieve the next level of success, it starts with the
first step of trying something new. You have obviously done that
and your results are spectacular.