It’s been a pleasure to be on the Leadership Team at my current employer. I was hired to develop the salespeople, processes, and technology with the obvious goal of increasing revenue. Having success in all three of those areas is very rewarding.

We have three Sales Teams: Outside, Phone, and Store. Each Team offered distinct challenges and opportunities like performance dashboards, CRM, KPIs, incentive programs, and sales training.

An example of success is the implementation of a CRM. Those who utilize the CRM and defined processes around CRM usage far outperformed those who didn’t. I explain in the blog: CRM – Nature or Nurture?

Another is proper incentive plans. Rather than incent activities, incentive plans should focus on paying for sales performance. That change was made on our Phone Sales Team, and the results are explained in Best Opportunity to Win.

Finally, effective, and focused sales training. Sales training should contain a process to follow. Those who follow the process win. Phone Sales needed a process and how-to-sell training. Outside Sales required a process to increase prospecting for new customers: Focused Sales Training

These changes and training can be replicated across most companies/industries. I hope to talk to you about how I can help your company.

I’m Mike Kephart, a Sales Leader living in Perry, GA. My passion, plan, and purpose are tied to three areas: turf-grass, diagnostic repair and speaking. These are three areas of my life where my passions have met my purpose. Some might ask for proof.

•For proof that I have a passion for turf-grass, take a look at the industry I work in and my yard….I also took a sabbatical to work on a golf course grounds crew while getting a certification in turf-grass management from UGA.

•When it comes to diagnostic repair, for me there’s nothing better than breaking a problem down and then bringing a complex instrument back to full working order. Also, that internal satisfaction when you exceed a customer's expectation. While at Abbott Labs, I won many awards as a Field Service Rep, including National Field Service Rep of the Year.  

•The essence of being an effective speaker is in your ability to move others in the directions you want them to go. I have two facts that demonstrate this: Top Sales Rep with multiple President’s Club awards and my first promotion into Leadership. Regarding the promotion, I had the opportunity to present a new program to encourage the Sales Team to take over a function that would save the company money. Most believed that the Sales Reps would not come onboard. My boss’s boss was the sponsor so was there when I presented the new program. When she later promoted me, she said that she had no idea that I had the ability to move people the way I did during the training session, ultimately moving them to do something they had predetermined not to do.

Here on my website, you can learn more about my background and ways we can work together. If you have any questions, drop me a note at mike.kephart@gmail.com or complete the quick contact form. I’d love to hear from you.

As I grow, I've been very fortunate to have experienced many different walks in life. Super-Sod is an organization that saw my full potential as someone who will use these life experiences to plan ahead for success, do the hard work, and effectively lead others.