Career
Let’s Start at the Beginning
From automotive sales career, to SaaS customer success leader.
Dealership Background
My career started in automotive retail.
I started selling cars to work my way through college. But, it paired so well with my love of working with people and drive to be the best, that it ended up being my career.
Selling cars turned into leading a dealership group through implementing a business development center (BDC). As manager, I hired, trained, and retained talent, leading the dealership to become #1 in the Southeast (King of the Carolina’s title).
I also helped pioneer automotive video marketing, becoming the most watched person in automotive sales on YouTube and speaking at conferences about video marketing.
Finally, I transitioned into finance management. My impact there saw an increase in F&I gross profit by 635%, boosting sales by 277%, and improving F&I PVR by 288%.
This part of my career is where I developed my drive for performance, skills with people, and sales nature.
8
Years OF RETAIL
#1
in internet sales
Moving from Automotive to Software
My interest in technology took me to software.
In 2011, I was recruited to work for the software vendor I had used in the dealership (EleadCRM). This began with training new users with on-site implementation. In this position, I received the “Overachiever” award and installed more than 300 clients.
In 2015, I went to work with a newly formed Solutions Architect team. In this role, I learned database functions in SQL and programming languages like ASP and XSLT. We combined this knowledge with our experience on-site to assist the toughest dealers through change. That was sometimes retaining heat clients, where we had a 100% success rate, and sometimes consulting with larger clients on custom setups.
Through these experiences in my career, I learned how to train, retain, and build relationships with clients. I also sharpened and built confidence in my presentation skills.
96%
retention rate
300+
sites implemented
Transitioning to Customer Success
Solutions Architect led me to my biggest client.
Our last project was on-boarding one of the largest dealership groups in the country. Through that pre-sales and implementation phase of the project, we built great relationships with the group, and they asked two of us remain dedicated to their account.
Though we didn’t call it customer success at the time, that’s exactly what we did. I became a trusted partner with the group, helping them achieve one objective after another.
This close partnership taught me a lot about retention and expansion. As I helped the account expand, we also held on to the account through some difficult changes. One of those changes was my company, EleadCRM, being bought by CDK Global.
This part of my career taught me how to consult closely with clients to achieve their objectives and make them the hero. I also continually perfected my presentation skills, as I had to present to large groups of their company both in-person and virtually.
But I would be remiss if I didn’t say that what I have carried with me the most are the lessons in retention and expansion.
5+
Years as csm
#1
trusted partner
Individual Contributor to Team Leader
One of the toughest decisions in my career was moving into management.
Leaving my client of six years when I was asked to move into a manager role was not an easy decision. However, I seek continuous growth and took the opportunity to teach others to excel with their clients.
As a Manager of Customer Success, I led and coached a team of over 10 customer success managers, fostering a culture of high performance and engagement. By defining clear performance metrics and inspiring my team through strategic transitions, we achieved over 90% Gross Revenue Retention (GRR), and consistently hit 101%+ Net Revenue Retention (NRR) in a tough environment. I believe that when you take care of your people, they will win for you.
My approach is built on a foundation of strong relationships, data-driven insights, and a “people-first” mentality.
My most recent contribution was a training on hero story telling, keeping your client as the hero of their story to emphasize their wins in realizing value out of our product.
Through this experience, I have developed my coaching skills. Often it can be difficult to motivate others, and through this you learn a lot about yourself and how to communicate with others. I believe I became much more skilled at understanding how to inspire others.
76
$m ARR managed
101%
net revenue retention
Education and Skills
More on my education background and skills developed. Not a complete list but some of my highlights.
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Automotive Dealership Management
Attained Eagle Scout rank in 2001
Rotary Youth Leadership Award
Rotex Germany exchange student 2003-04
Skills
Highlights
Career Timeline
What you might see on my resume, the short story
2004-2009
Started the internet operation from a one-man show to 30% of overall business. Top producer, also assisted the used car manager. Youngest person in the automotive industry to amass more than 1 million views on YouTube in the automotive segment.
2009-2010
#1 dealer in SC/NC “King of the Carolinas,” breaking records and growing in a slump economy. Brought sales from 10 cars per month to 50+ cars per month while maintaining a $200 cost PVR through the department. Responsible for hiring, training and developing a team of BDC/Internet specialists. Involved directly in producing and managing digital marketing (SEM, SEO, microsites, 3rd party vendors, etc).
2010-2011
Held multiple hats including full-time F&I, desk manager; also helped to resuscitate our online presence from completely negative to being one to mimic. Restructured advertising, process training, and compliance for the store to achieve a 277% increase in overall sales. Involved in OEM relationships, audits for compliance, day-to-day sales management and training of 16-20 salespeople, appraising vehicles, etc. Responsible for a 288% increase in F&I PVR and a 635% increase in overall F&I gross profit.
2011-JAN 2015
– National Training and Solutions manager for CRM, desking, BDC solutions, data mining, marketing, and more.
– Consistently retain 96%+ of billable dollars trained.
– 2013 Overachiever Award Winner
– Involved with the top groups’ sales process, advertising, database management, compliance, customer relationship management, other vendor relationships between ELEAD and the dealer, and any other necessary tweaks to make the #1 CRM, Desking, Data Mining tool work for you to sell more cars for more money.
– Worked with training team to install some of the nation’s largest automotive groups
JAN 2015 – DEC 2016
– Data-driven solutions that allowed the dealer to grow their business
– Focus on top billing and enterprise accounts such as Lithia, MileOne, Hendrick, Penske
– Our team organized and led the successful roll-out of Hendrick Automotive onto Elead1One solutions
– Trained other departments throughout the organization
– Learned to troubleshoot issues and provide solutions using Microsoft SQL, XSL, and other code
– Report directly to the owner
DEC 2016 – JAN 2022
– Account Leadership: Successfully managed a large enterprise account for six years, overseeing the entire client lifecycle from initial implementation to ongoing growth and satisfaction.
– Team Management: Directed a team of dedicated field and support associates, ensuring seamless service delivery and client support.
– Data Management: Utilized SQL database expertise to develop custom reporting solutions and establish remote databases, enhancing the team’s data capabilities.
– Training & Consulting: Conducted on-site training and consulting sessions with dealership personnel to optimize the use of company tools, driving significant business growth.
– Relationship Building: Fostered strong relationships with top corporate executives and store-level leadership, positioning the company as a trusted partner.
– Revenue Growth: Led the account management team in achieving consistent upsell success, contributing to substantial monthly recurring revenue (MRR) growth.
JAN 2022 – PRESENT
– Leadership: Directed a team of 15 customer success managers across Eastern U.S., guiding them through the transition to a comprehensive customer success model for CDK DMS and layered applications.
– Revenue Management: Oversaw the retention and growth of approximately $56 million in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).
– Strategic Implementation: Spearheaded key strategies to enhance customer retention and drive MRR growth, including personalized customer engagement plans and proactive issue resolution.
– Team Development: Provided mentorship and development opportunities for the customer success team, fostering a high-performance culture and ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
– Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked closely with product, sales, and support teams to ensure seamless service delivery and continuous improvement in customer experience.
– Performance Metrics: Achieved notable improvements in customer satisfaction and retention rates, contributing to the overall success of the customer success initiative.
– Development: Developed metrics used to guide the CSM team, developed success plays, playbook materials, and process guides for the overall customer success team.
Experiences
Some of the organizations I have been proud to have been a part of over the years.
Ready to Connect?
Reach out and let me know how we can work together!