Gulf war veteran and Executive Vice President of corporate relocation services – Global Mobility Solutions joins us in this mid-week SalesTechStar interview to share key leadership tricks that his time in the defence forces have taught him while also talking about a few interesting corporate business development tips.
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Can you tell us a little about yourself John? What’s a typical day at work like for you at Global Mobility Solutions?
I am a Gulf War Veteran, proud husband, father, and grandfather. I have been in the relocation industry for over 20 years. I serve as Executive Vice President for Global Mobility Solutions and I am accountable for our Global Operations, Marketing, and Sales. What I love about relocation is…there is no typical day. Each day, in some form or fashion, includes strategic to tactical execution across our global organization.
We’d love to especially hear about key leadership tricks / sales development tricks your time in the Defence Forces/ Air Force taught you!
o Lead by Example – by taking on a “Roll up your sleeves” approach. This means getting in the trenches with your teams.
o Have a Roadmap – what is the strategic to tactical plan? How will you prepare? What are the logistical considerations? Do we have the proper resources? Decisions are needed, and how will you empower team members? How will you manage toward the desired outcomes?
o Adapt and Adjust – There will be roadblocks and barriers. It is how you respond that distinguishes you. Are you nimble enough to adapt? What are your “what if” contingencies? What does your decision-making look like? Do you have adjustable processes?
Being in global mobility, what are some of the biggest challenges someone responsible for overall operations/revenue (like you) faces?
o World Events – Although we can plan for many factors in our business, major local to global events impact our business. COVID-19 is the latest example. We are not immune.
o Cost Competitiveness – The competitive space of relocation has decreased margins over time. We are continually improving processes and technology to gain efficiencies that reduce cost and increase quality.
What are some of the top business development strategies/tricks you use or have used to expand your footprint/customer base – that you’d like to talk about?
o Define Your Approach
o Establish a Deployment Process
Something a little off the mobility management niche – What are some of the top 5 sales tricks any sales rep should always include/implement as part of their strategies – despite the industry they may belong to?
- Listen to the needs and voice of your prospective clients
- Ask questions, uncover challenges
- Plan for a winning pursuit, e.g. opportunity road map
- Collaborate more with stakeholders
- Differentiate your solutions and delivery
What are some of the ways in which you’ve driven better alignment between Marketing and Sales in your journey so far?
o Always Operate as one team moving toward the same goals and objectives.
o Leverage topical experts too, those with insightful thought leadership.
o Incorporate multiple platforms to reach your target audience
What would you say or do in your capacity to turn Sales/Technology sales/Business Development into the most exciting or sought-after job of the decade?
We are uniquely qualified to provide real life solutions that helps empower careers, families, and businesses on a global scale. If you are seeking to positively impact the people we serve, work in a nurturing fast-paced environment, while earning a good living…then relocation just might be the industry for you!
What are some of the key insights you’d like to share when it comes choosing/adopting a martech/salestech stack? What kind of sales tech or sales tools do you use to enable your everyday processes?
In our day-to-day process, we utilize a single, integrated technology platform and leverage a wide array of tools for our team.
Your favorite Sales/SalesTech quote and sales leadership books you’d suggest everyone in Sales and Marketing reads
Quote: “We’re all somebody’s prospect; we’re all somebody’s customer.” – Chris Murray, Selling with EASE
Book: “New Sales Simplified” by Mike Weinberg – A proven formula for prospecting, developing, and closing deals
We’d love to know a little about your future plans!
Our immediate plan is to support our employees, clients, customers, and partners around the world through and beyond the current pandemic. Over the next 2 years, we will continue focus on our client retention, smart growth, and continuous improvement plans.
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John oversees global operations, marketing, business development as well as reporting and analytics at GMS.