Ed Monte on How to be Successful in Sales
Ed Monte,
39 Years Old
Director of Sales - MSD Ignition; YEN Member
About
Ed
The consummate
"nice guy," Ed Monte has a reputation in the automotive aftermarket as one of
the friendliest, most outgoing and positive people you'll ever have the
pleasure of meeting. Having worked his way up from taking customer service
calls on the phone to Director of Sales at one of the most prominent brands in
our industry, Monte firmly believes in the value of hard work, maintaining a
positive attitude and building relationships.
Monte grew up in the Southwest and began riding Honda XR dirt bikes as a kid, exploring the desert and learning the terrain - a good primer for a budding desert racer. It also taught him to respect machinery. From there he became interested in off-road racing, but focused on business in school knowing he'd need a real "day job" to support his passion for racing. After earning his business degree and working for a speed shop that specialized in desert racing, the Texas native got his first job out of college with MSD Ignition. Monte was hired as a jack-of-all-trades, a Sales & Marketing Clerk, when he realized he was able to make a living talking about his passion - cars and trucks. Monte began making friends and building relationships, which grew into sales accounts and long-term partnerships. He worked his way up to Director of Sales, a position he still holds at MSD. We spent some time with Ed to learn more about his business philosophy - one we believe would benefit SEMA members of all ages.
When
did you first become interested in cars/trucks?
When I was in
school, I worked for a fellow that ran a paint and body shop by day, but went
desert racing on the weekends. I'd spend
my afternoons at the shop tearing down off-road cars and prepping them for the
next trip. I had a limited amount of
knowledge, but had a great mentor in the shop owner who showed me how to set
the welder up, pull a motor out of a VW Bug in 30 minutes and instructed me
that a $500 Mac 4' Torque Wrench isn't to be used as a breaker bar! I enjoyed the nitty gritty work because at
the end of the day, getting behind the wheel and shaking down our Class 1 car
was a treat after doing all the work on it - and I looked forward to doing it
the next weekend!
What
was your first project vehicle? What project vehicles do you own now?
My first "real"
project vehicle (not just a driver I fixed to go to class) was an early ‘90s
version of a Sand Cars Unlimited 4-Seat Buggy.
Before long travel A-Arm suspension cars came onto the scene, this was
your traditional 112" beam axle car with a whopping 1835cc Type 1 VW
motor. A small car by today's standards,
it was my next evolution in keeping the dust and dirt flying in my face - and I
loved it. I currently drive a 1999 BFG Project Suburban, plus I have a 4-seater
play buggy, two XR 600's, a CRF450X, and a '72 El Camino loaded with MSD gear I
use for car shows and cruises. I also
have an F-150 Raptor that's been to Barstow for the M.O.R.E. Powder Puff.
You've
been with MSD a long time. Why stay with one company so long rather than
jumping around?
At MSD, it's a
pleasure to work with a team of people that enjoy doing what we all do. A majority of our staff have been with the
company for a number of years. We
represent a company that is well known in the industry by providing quality
parts. That makes it easy for me to take
the time to travel on the weekends for shows and the races. When you work with neat people, it's a good
thing! You spend more hours at work then you do at home in most cases, so you
should really find a job that makes you happy and co-workers you like to spend
time with. It makes it that much easier to do a good job if you love your work.
You
worked your way up from Sales/Marketing Admin to Sales Director. How did you
get there?
When I was first
hired my initial tasks were to fax (yup, remember faxing everyday?) and call
our reps with the information we wanted to get out. We were shorthanded in S&M so basically I
helped coordinate everything from inbound purchase orders, to grabbing that one
last part from shipping to get it out on a Red Label for a race team. Through the years knowing how to get things
handled internally helped when I started working more with the reps and
accounts building account relationships.
When things needed to be handled, I was the go to guy. We pride ourselves on not letting things
sit. I always try to help move things
along. After a couple years I started
travelling on the show circuit in addition to working some of the off-road
events. Once that started I've had the
privilege to become the person that our accounts and reps can call on - and I
try to always deliver. All you have in business is your word.
What
has been your biggest on-the-job challenge, and how did you deal with it?
Certainly there
are several, but I'd say the very first challenge was when I started doing the
Jobber Shows. While I was excited to
travel, I was a little apprehensive about how to interact with the
accounts. Not so much the public in
general, I knew I could answer the consumer questions and learn too. I had freaked myself out by listening to the guys
who had been on the road a lot, especially NHRA events where the customers are
only comfortable talking with their "one guy".
I thought the same when I started to do visits with our customers. Luckily I figured out that all you can do is
put your best foot forward and find out "what can I do for you?" You end up proving yourself, as yourself.
What
is your proudest on-the-job moment?
I'd hate to sound
too simplistic, but I'm pretty happy when I'm flying home from SEMA, PRI, any
show or race where I've been able to be productive. It's satisfying knowing you've given 100% and
a great feeling when that last customer of the day thanks you for a job well
done, or appreciates the help!
Ed Monte's Top 10 Rules for Success in Sales:
10. Maintaining relationships is priority #1 - try to be friendly with everyone you meet.
9. Always be honest and straightforward - with customers, co-workers and yourself
8. Know what you're talking about
7. Keep things in perspective - take every problem one step at a time
6. Put yourself in your customer's shoes - "how can I help you?"
5. Go into every situation with an open mind. Avoid pre-conceived notions.
4. Don't be negative, always look forward.
3. Listen to people, and be genuine. Don't just wait for a turn to talk.
2. In our market, people don't "need" our parts, they want them. Explain what you can do for them.
1. Don't be afraid to ask questions. "Customers can tell when someone knows their stuff and when they don't. Whether setting up a booth or talking to a customer, don't b.s. people if you don't know what to do. Ask. Learn."