Welcome to part two of our Meet the Team series. The most recent addition to our Showcase gang is Lucus - Lucus is commonly known as 'the sales guy' around these parts, and with that super casual title aside, he's made a huge difference to our customers and how they use Showcase for their own Sales presentations.
Sit down with a latte and learn about what makes Lucus tick, and put a face to the name.
1. Hi Lucus! Who the heck are you?
My business cards say I’m the VP of Sales and Business Development. That’s a formal way of saying I talk with people about how easy it is to deliver awesome presentations to their customers.
I never knew how much I needed mountains in my life until I left Chicago for California. Now I hike, run, paddle-board and enjoy BBQ in my current home of North Carolina with my darling wife. In the fall I coach cross country at the local high school and getting 90 teenagers to listen to you is one heck of a sales job too.
2. How long have you worked for Showcase?
The new guy is up to five months now!
3. What does a typical weekend look like in the world of Lucus?
Weekend mornings tend to be dominated by running in the woods for an hour or three. Then I make breakfast for us before heading back out to hike or paddle-board.
4. What is your favourite 'bad' or 'cheesy' movie? I use quotations because I truly love bad and cheesy movies, because they're bad and cheesy.
The Running Man from 1987 based on Stephen King's short story. Stars Governor Schwarzenegger, Governor Jesse Ventura, NFL legend Jim Brown, musician Mick Fleetwood and Family Feud host Richard Dawson. Imagine the Hunger Games with adults dressed in lots of spandex with big hair. It’s so good and so bad at the same time.
Don’t sleep on the book either, it’s really good.
5. What's your favourite thing about your job?
I love hearing from our customers about what they are trying to do and finding ways to help. For example, medical device sales reps use our software to pitch to doctors and nurses. Sometimes they have a private conference room and their full attention. Sometimes they have 20 seconds as they walk between patients. Talk about pressure!
If we do our job well, then we can relieve some of that pressure and not add to it.
6. Why would you personally recommend people use Showcase for their sales presentations?
I love Showcase because it solves a huge problem I had early in my sales career - what do I use for my presentations? You don't have to take my personal recommendation for Showcase, take the word of our customers.
The most consistent feedback I get is, "It's so easy to use and does exactly what I need." Once you start using it, there's no way you're going to take a step back.
7. What is the best sales advice anyone has ever given you?
"People buy from people they like."
First thing to remember is you're always working with people. That big company you're talking to composed of people with hopes, dreams and deadlines like you and me. When you take the time to know and understand your customers, they'll get to know you and great things happen.
Second - Teamwork is necessary because it's hard to deliver for a customer all on your own. It's good when a customer meets Rhiana and thinks, "Wow, she's awesome." Then the customer is helped by Nicky or Millie, now they think, "Wow, they're awesome!" It makes all the difference in the world.
8. What is your favourite feature of Showcase that you feel like more people should use to their advantage?
The sharing function is my favorite because it's a win-win proposition. Customers get the information they're interested in and can consume on their own time. Users can see what customers like and interact with in a way that paper materials never could.
In my last career I would have saved weeks of my working time (and a few grey hairs) if I had Showcase to send files for me.
9. What advice would you give companies that want to encourage and ramp up showcase usage in their team/organisation?
The “Email Users” function is super under utilised. It’s a great opportunity to add a sentence or two about any changes you made to a Showcase or a nice little note to the users.
I’d also make a plug for getting everyone on the team to take the Admin & Viewer training up front. It’s time well spent. It’s an easy way to learn the in’s & out’s of making your presentations shine.