Operating Principles
Core beliefs that guide how I approach strategic account development
Time is the strategic asset; minimizing its waste must be forefront
I ruthlessly protect time, mine and the customer's. Opportunities only enter pipeline with scheduled next steps. Deals without champions, clear ROI, or time commitment get disqualified early. Every system I build exists to eliminate waste and maximize leverage. This includes not wasting time on presentations and slides before understanding customers. You can waste a week (or a month) on making a presentation that will not land when you could have figured that out in a single call with the customer. Understanding comes first.
In practice: If a customer won't schedule a next meeting at the end of our call, it's a signal they're not serious. I don't chase, I set a future check-in date and reallocate time to accounts showing commitment.
Consistency of execution beats over-analysis
Perfect plans don't close deals—consistent action does. My account penetration playbook isn't sophisticated; it's systematic. Calendar invites, webinar follow-ups, periodic check-ins—doing it consistently across every account compounds into results.
In practice: Every webinar attendee gets a follow-up. Every meeting gets documented with action items. Every quarter I review governance structures with customers. The system works because it never stops.
Results always lag efforts, making faith in results important
Enterprise sales cycles run 12-24 months. Actions today won't show up in closed revenue for quarters. At Navistar, 7 months of effort before first growth, another 12 to hit $600K. Impatience kills deals. Trust the process when results lag.
Double down on what works, cut what doesn't
I track what moves deals forward. Cold calls to tier-1 OEMs? Ineffective. Calendar invites with clear agendas? Breakthrough tactic. Webinars where customers select topics? Relationship accelerator. When something works, I systematize and scale it.
In practice: After the calendar invite tactic worked at Navistar, I deployed it across other cold accounts. After webinars proved effective, I built a reusable system: 20 topic options, customer selects 3, document attendees, systematic follow-up.
Every interaction must reduce friction
Engineers don't want sales pitches; they want solutions. Executives don't want complexity; they want clarity. Every email, meeting, and proposal should make it easier to move forward. I position around their efficiency, create governance structures, and document commitments. Reducing friction is competitive advantage.
Customers should feel the momentum
Deals die in silence. I maintain momentum through consistent communication, visible progress on commitments, and proactive problem-solving. Even when deals slow, I keep engagement alive through value-adds: industry insights, webinars, customer connections.
In practice: During Navistar's 18-month growth cycle, momentum came from quarterly webinars, monthly check-ins, and delivering on every commitment. When restructuring paused the $1M expansion, I maintained relationship through strategic updates—so when they were ready, we didn't start from zero.
Document everything, lose nothing
Complex accounts involve dozens of stakeholders and years of history. I maintain OneNote tabs where every meeting is documented with action items. This builds trust, ensures nothing slips, and enables seamless transitions if accounts change hands.
In practice: At every periodic review meeting, I walk through documented action items from our last conversation. Customers see I track commitments. If I transition an account, the next rep inherits complete context, not tribal knowledge.