About
Hi, I'm Mark. I love to talk to people. It's my gift. My brothers say that no matter where we are, I either know someone there or else I am about to make a new friend.
As a college student at the University of Utah, I was invited by a friend to apply with him for a sales job at Gateway Computers. He did not show up for the job interview. I did. They gave me a job answering phone calls from the public. In my first 3 months I made more money than my college professors who had PHD’s. I was hooked.
I have lived in Australia, Canada, Hungary, and currently live in a suburb of Arizona where my wife and I take care of her mom and special needs brother. I have worked in close to 40 countries and still speak pretty good Hungarian. But my favorite language is that of business and the interactions of people.
I have sold close to a billion dollars of software, hardware, SaaS products, and oilfield services gear. Some with great success--some not so much. But each gave me a new view into how organizations work, move, and make decisions. My most recent job in Cyber Security sales, taught me about LinkedIn. In 4 months, I added 1700 contacts, had 92,000 touches on my posts, and booked 240 meetings. Not bad for a 50+ year old learning a new skill. I wish I would have known this 20 years ago; it would have made my selling career much more exciting.
These same principles at LinkedIn are true if you are looking for a job, trying to grow the job you are in, planning your first job, or just wanting to add another skill to your portfolio. Anyone can follow this plan and see the same success I have found. (I like people, and I’ve found that everyone can become the hero of their own story!)
I also like stories. I find that people can relate to the outcomes of stories. Here’s part of mine: I have five children and one semi-adopted one who joined our family later in life. I have two grandchildren and two on the way. Trust me--grandkids are the payoff for all the work and sacrifice in life. I named my oldest son Luke, so I can always say: Luke, I am your father. I am average mountain biker, but that is my current health drug of choice. I am also an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where you can find me most Sundays learning more about people. Oh, I almost forgot, I am a self-proclaimed Slurpologist--lover of all things Slurpee.
Besides my own story, my all-time favorite story is the parable of the talents. What we do with our time, skills, energy, and investments makes a great deal of difference in our lives and our relationships. How you can multiply these areas in the story of the talents always amazes me. Come along with me on this journey and let us see what new chapters we can write together.