"Over
the years, we have built a database of extremely
competent people," Holliday asserts.
"For example, we
have technical consultants who are experts in their fields
who do small database work on a part-time basis. They
might spend 40 hours redesigning an access database or
120 hours redesigning Lotus Notes for a client's department.
By having these experts meet with the client to get
the program specifications and then do the work off-site,
we're delivering the services of top-level consulting companies
at a very significant savings."
If At First You Don't Succeed...
Most entrepreneurs can be described as born salespeople, and
John Holliday is no exception. "Since participating in Junior
Achievement in high school, I have always had the desire to
be in sales," he recalls. "I just had a propensity toward sales
and found it very exciting."
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After college Holliday started his sales career working at
General Tire and Rubber Company at several of its locations,
including the corporate office. He then moved on to a sales
position with Clairol's appliance division. "After gaining
experience there," he relates, "I felt ready to try to start my
own manufacturing representative organization, promoting
industrial products such as private label chemicals, aerosol
sprays and cleaning products."
While getting the new company off the ground, Holliday
supplemented his income by working an afternoon and
evening shift at a cartage company, loading and unloading
boxcars and semi-trailers. After a year and a half, he realized
that the revenues from his sales business were not enough
to sustain it. He decided to return to the consumer
products industry.
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