131: Tony Stillinger – Building a Sales Team

Guest: Tony Stillinger

 

Guest Bio:

I have been in the seal and gasket business for 37 years. I started off in production and quality, moving into sales in 1997. I quickly learned that to be successful in a sales role you needed to be self-motivated, competitive, reliable, and a great listener (2 ears > 1 mouth). I have had the privilege of working for a multi-billion-dollar giant in the industry to a small distributorship. I have found that sales leadership gives me great satisfaction. I love coaching and talking sales strategy with my team. I get more enjoyment from their success than my own. I guess you could say I view my success is tied to their success. My current position with ESP has been very satisfying because I was tasked with finding acquisitions, building a sales team, and guiding the team toward acquiring new business. I told one of my direct reports this morning that I don't see retirement in my future because I love what I do and the company I work for.

 

Key Points: 

Background, Journey to Sales, and Path to Engineer Seal Products:

· Tony started in production and quality at Southern Rubber in Greensboro, NC, with a family connection and gained valuable product knowledge.

· Attended college at night while working, with the goal of transitioning into sales; found success despite being an introvert by focusing on listening to customers and solving their problems.

· Moved to Engineer Seal Products after helping them explore acquisitions in the Southeast; later, ESP acquired Southern Rubber, Tony's former employer.

 

Cold Calling and Prospecting:

· Cold calling is a primary strategy for new business acquisition, particularly in the Southeast region, where ESP had limited presence before the speaker joined.

· Post-COVID hybrid work schedules have made cold calling more challenging, but it has still led to valuable conversations and new accounts.

· Tony views cold calling as less common today, which gives their team an advantage in reaching decision-makers.

 

Sales Team Development and Coaching:

· Building a sales team from scratch required careful coaching and mentoring, particularly in managing the frustration of cold calling.

· The sales process can be slow and requires persistence. Tony compares sales to a baseball player, where even a 30-40% success rate is considered good.

· Coaching involves encouraging perseverance, trying different strategies, and using personal stories to motivate the team.

 

Hiring and Training Salespeople:

· When hiring, Tony looks for candidates with a "hunter mentality" and technical knowledge of the industry, understanding that the sales cycle is long-term.

· The interview process involves assessing candidates' daily routines, sales plans, and role-playing cold calls.

· Tony values networking to find potential candidates and looks for people willing to hunt for new business rather than manage existing accounts.

 

Mistakes in Hiring:

· Tony shared a past hiring mistake involving a candidate with the right skills but who had personal issues that impacted their work.

· The lesson learned was to inquire more about personal hobbies and interests during the hiring process, which may reveal potential red flags.

 

Overall Philosophy:

· Tony emphasizes the importance of caring for employees and helping them succeed, which adds to the satisfaction of leadership.

· Even though firing employees can be painful, it is sometimes necessary for the benefit of the company.

· Tony’s competitive nature and enjoyment of challenges drive their success in building teams and acquiring new business.

 

Guest Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonystillingermbasalesgrowth/

 

 

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