Steve's Story:

My daughter accuses me of trying to find the most expedient way to tackle a project. As my mother watched my actions as an adult, she was reminded of my favorite childhood task of tearing my toys apart to see how they worked.  My mother and daughter rightly observed two dominating forces that drive my actions everyday; Figuring out what makes things tick and making sure the things in my world are ticking efficiently.

Today, I live out these two passions, helping sales managers and business owners learn what makes great salespeople tick and how to use a system to effectively find and choose the best salespeople.  I have a burning desire to help people make as much money as possible by building and coaching strong sales teams.

My first job was a 100% commission job of picking up sweet potatoes for $.25 per basket.  Motivated by my bodily desire to leave the dirt and sweat and the lack of relationship I had with my boss, the cursing farmer, I graduated with a business degree from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN.

Working through college in hourly wage jobs, caused me to be attracted to the “controlling your destiny” opportunity at Northwestern Mutual.  The fifteen years spent in sales and sales management with Northwestern not only provided well for my family, but served as the “refining in the fire” years that set me up for the last 10 years I have spent in my current career as a trainer and consultant with Sales Manage Solutions.

In 1989, I was 27 years old, full on passion and empty on wisdom.  The History Channel of my life after college is divided into 4 episodes.  Episode 1 is the story of a salesperson who became very successful by following a great activity and face-to-face selling model. Episode 2 is the story of a successful salesperson who jumped into a sales management position with no training on recruiting and coaching prior to or during the four year episode. Episode 3 is the story of a recovering, untrained, burned out sales manager. Episode 4 is a decade of bringing the teaching and training to those who are currently in Episode II.

As a ten year partner of the twenty-seven year old consulting firm Sales Manage Solutions, I spend my time working with individuals and companies who want to gain recruiting and coaching wisdom, and who want to become effective and efficient by improving their skill level.

Recruit the Best is a field manual and audio program I have compiled for anyone who wants a best practice way to find and recruit high performing salespeople.

CanTheySell.com is my blog site for those who want a weekly dose of recruiting wisdom.  Customization and delivering training for both large and small organizations across America is where I spend the bulk of my time.

When I throttle back my goal drive, my wife and I team up to mentor our two adult children, a son and daughter.  Escaping to my lodge and wood shop in the Smokey Mountains serves as my time to refuel.

I am driven by the lesson taught by my business partner, Lance Cooper; The definition of success is, “Do your best every day for the benefit of others and to the glory of God!”