Paul DiVinceno has been a senior business advisor and team leader to Fortune 500 Companies such as Gartner, Dell, and Cintas along with Startup Clients like Humu & Indeed.com utilizing a Business Outcome Focused skill set covering all aspects go to market utilizing best-inbred approaches to leverage: people, process, technology, and culture. Paul is an industry-leading, frequently consulted leader with over two decades of diverse industry experience in fast-paced business-to-business industries, including technology, SaaS, financial services, healthcare, government, aerospace, general manufacturing, life sciences, food processing, and retail.
Today, Scott welcomes Paul back to the show to discuss a bevy of topics, ranging from Paul’s decision to leave Cintas to his professional journey of ‘becoming.’ Paul shares his ‘Five Shifts’ for becoming a better professional, speaks to the technology industry, and shares his thoughts on Sales and Company culture. Paul shares the major lessons he learned from his first real leadership position and why he’s glad leadership came to him later in his career. Scott and Paul dive deep into the humanity of Sales, the concept of ‘strategic community, and why it is critical to unlock your superpower.
What We Covered:
00:24 – Scott thanks today’s sponsor, Vidyard
00:40 – Scott welcomes back to the show, Paul DiVincenzo
01:52 – Paul takes the audience through his decision to leave Cintas
04:14 – Paul’s ‘Five Shifts’ for becoming a better professional and person
09:44 – Paul expounds on the technology industry and what it takes to be a great sales professional
16:28 – Scott takes a moment to thank today’s sponsor, Vidyard
17:06 – ‘What am I becoming here?’
25:25 – Paul reflects on his professional journey of becoming
29:04 – What Paul is trying to intentionally learn
34:46 – Paul’s career post-Cintas
41:44 – What Paul learned from his first real leadership position
51:00 – Paul’s definition of professionalism and how his view of sales was impacted from an unlikely source
59:29 – How ‘Sales Culture’ connects to ‘Company Culture’
1:10:54 – The Humanity of Sales
1:16:17 – Paul speaks to the concept of ‘strategic community’
1:20:26 – The impact mentors have had on Paul’s career
1:24:14 – Paul’s goal of becoming a CEO one day
1:28:26 – What Paul thinks about community
1:34:13 – The importance of unlocking and utilizing your superpower
1:40:01 – Scott thanks Paul for returning to the show to share his story
Read the full transcript & show notes →
Tweetables:
“I had to ‘get real’ is what I call it. So, getting real with myself. I had to identify what I thought was, and then unlock my superpower. I had to tap into what I did not have at that time, which I now call my secret weapon, which is a strategic community.” (04:44)
“What Cintas is selling is so difficult to sell, there is no such thing as an SDR. There is no such thing as ‘pre-sales.’ The salesperson is it, 100%, from start to finish.” (14:05)
“Innovation doesn’t typically happen in the sales department at the tip of the spear.” (36:34)
“I think [leadership] came for me at the perfect time. I think people think they’re ready for leadership, or they might want it, because that’s the next step at their company or whatever. But, I am happy I didn’t take a real deep leadership role earlier in my career, because I was very self-focused and just wanted to perform for myself. Whereas, because my leadership experience came later in my career, I lucked out a little bit in being naturally ready to not be the center of attention. And I hope that’s the right leadership, to be as selfless as possible and focus on the team and their wins.” (42:21)
“Great books are great mentors, if you read them. One book can save you five years if you read it.” (46:54)
“I look at selling as that of solving a problem.” (54:30)
“Numbers rule almost everything. I think that is a harsh reality. And, if you have a great Sales or Business culture, they add in – at least for Sales – the human component.” (1:12:53)
“When I enter into any relationship, the first thing I think about is what am I giving and what value am I bringing.” (1:31:18)
“Unlocking a superpower, to me, is knowing what makes you valuable.” (1:34:41)
“I think it’s not as easy as it sounds. That’s what I will tell you. It may end up being something you wanted it to be, but it is your superpower and it is the most important thing for you to identify, and then to your point, leverage the heck out of it.” (1:39:41)
Links Mentioned:
[email protected]
ALL Enterprise Sales Episodes
ALL Sobriety Inspirational Episodes
ALL SDR Episodes
2023 Sales Success Summit
2023 Base Camp Event
Paul DiVincenzo on LinkedIn