The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.
They say that traumatic events can completely change your outlook on life. Don Siler is living proof of that. Now able to talk about the heart attack he suffered when he was 40 years old, Don luckily walked away from the experience with a new outlook on life and a better understanding of the importance of work/life balance. Read on to learn more about Don’s experience, how it has helped him better understand what his priorities are, and why you’ll never find him eating lunch at his desk!
Name: Don Siler
Job Title: President, Sales & Marketing
Company: Credence Global Solutions
Length of Time at Current Company: 11 months
Length of Time in Industry: 26+ Years
How did you get your start in the industry?
Now you’re aging me, Mike. I was a computer science major out of college and was hired by Ontario Systems as a developer to help enhance their FACS system due to the sale of the system to Payco American. Remember that company name!
What is your career highlight so far?
On three different occasions, I have led and constructed successful sales teams that ultimately resulted in significant growth and allowed for the company to be sold to private equity firms.
When or how are you most productive?
I have a personal system that breaks down my work and personal to-do’s in a specific type of priority. I have certain time frames throughout the day that I work those categories. But when I can have my morning coffee and enjoy the peace & quiet of a new day, it is then, when I can accomplish the most.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
In 2014, I got to know Karan Negi as he decided to go out and build his own company. Not only build his own company, but build an international one that involved offices stateside and offshore simultaneously. How he built, what he built, and in the time he built it, was staggering. To go from being the first employee to being one of 2,000 worldwide, just in seven years is a true testament to his leadership capabilities. I was fortunate to watch this growth, not being a part of his company, but through a business relationship. I have an inner circle of trusted individuals from various businesses within the industry and he was in that group. I have learned a lot from Karan both personally and in business. He always took time to meet with me and spent time talking shop. He gave great insight and would always provide me with different views. So when he asked me to join his executive team and run his sales and marketing efforts 10 months ago, I was truly humbled. It isn’t every day, that someone that you privately admire asks you to be part of his executive team!
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
I have learned over the years on how to invest in and create successful sales teams. Sales is and will always be a “team effort,” and when you can place the right individuals into the correct roles it creates a synergy and work effort that is second to none.
What do you like most about this industry?
The entrepreneur’s positive outlook in this industry. If you think about all the different levels of regulation thrown at this industry and the entrepreneurs ability to learn, course correct, and apply new strategies, it really is mind-boggling. I have heard so many say over the years “you couldn’t pay me enough to be in that industry,” yet there are those that chose to find their own successful way through it all. It is that mindset of individuals that I love about this industry.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
The presumption of working in a “guilty” or a “bad” industry. When sitting among those you don’t know at a wedding table, I always love the question – “So what is that you do?” We all know if you say “I help lead a collection agency” the topic is changed or the conversation stops immediately. Or you could say “I help lead a BPO or a Receivables Management Company or a Revenue Cycle Management firm” and then the reaction is so much more intriguing. It’s that negative outlook on our industry that is something I work to change everyday!
Describe a typical work day.
I lead the sales and marketing efforts across the Credence Global Solutions family of companies, so I am in a lot of different meetings and initiatives throughout the day and weeks. On a day-to-day basis, my day begins with the prioritization of to-do’s for the day/week and a cup of coffee. I divide those up into different categories and work those at different times of the day. I sometimes have to move those around depending on the number of Zooms or calls that I have throughout the day. (I had to use Zoom, because of how prevalent it has become in today’s world). Having offices span from the EST to PST times and also having an offshore location, my day can range from eight-to-12 hours depending on what needs to be accomplished. I do my best to take a couple of 15-minute breaks to get up and walk the neighborhood (I work from my home) or walk the treadmill or go pick up one my kids from school. This helps me transition from one activity to another and regroup as needed. And I can’t emphasize this enough – get away for lunch. Literally, get away from the office. Go somewhere else! This turns my work brain off and allows me to just relax a bit. So whether it is to workout at lunch or go grab a bite to eat, I really try to get away and not focus on work!
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I was a college athlete and I always wonder what it would have been like to get into coaching – so probably coaching. Building a successful sales team is something I love to do and I would love to apply that to an athletic team.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Being from Indiana, I am very close to the land of bourbon. So, my guilty pleasure is having a nice bourbon at night as the sun sets.
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What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never ever hire family. I love my family dearly, but family clouds one’s judgment in the work world and will ultimately chase good employees away! I have seen it so many times!
What are you currently reading?
It has to be on paper – I can’t get myself to read from a Kindle! I look at a computer long enough each day. For pleasure – any books by Grisham or Patterson. Just finished Grisham’s “A Time For Mercy.” For Business/Personal Growth – “From Impossible to Inevitable.”
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you
I had and survived a heart attack at 40 years old. I used to not talk about it, because I felt it was a sense of weakness. Now I can speak about it from a positive position. Talk about a sobering moment in life walking around the cardiac floor watching 70-year-old guys walking circles around you! I was in good physical shape, not college athlete shape, but good shape nonetheless at the time. It wasn’t from smoking or eating unhealthy or from bad genes. What I came to learn is what stress does to the human body! Yes, I had a stress-induced heart attack. I was always that guy that you could just pile more and more on and I would find the way to get it done and succeed. Well, by God’s grace, he taught me a life lesson – there is a breaking point. So, it is VERY important to have a work/play/life balance!
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Jason Hiland from Attunely.
The “Getting to Know” series is sponsored by Applied Innovation. Applied Innovation is helping to shape the future of accounts receivable management. Product development is driven by customer feedback, agency profitability and compliance and includes platforms addressing client portal access, document management, payment negotiation, Regulation E focused electronic payment authorizations and TCPA communication authorization platforms. Partner with a company who understands your business challenges and evolves to provide cutting edge technology to overcome those challenges and achieve success.