Interview with Gary Mast, Regional Sales Manager

Kent: So you've been on the Wood-Tex team for a year now, feel like one of us? Gary: Yes I feel like a part of the Wood-tex team and a big thanks to all the office staff for being patient with me as I learned the systems and processes.Kent: Growing up a southern boy then spending the winter in NY, what was that like? Gary: Well now that was something a little different then what I was used to, the coldest we are used to seeing in South Carolina would be in the teens and twenties, so the brutal cold was a shock! However we got to go snowboarding and sledding so that was a big plus. :)Kent: Coming from a background in construction and building materials, do you feel that gives you leg up in dealing with your customers and team members in this industry?Gary: I don’t know how much advantage it gives me in making a sale but it does help to have jobsite knowledge and how certain materials are applied and used in the construction process.Kent: You're now on a team with less than 10 members, which is small compared to what you've been used to in the past, what are the challenges as you see them?Gary: The challenges are almost always the same on any team and that is communication. The bigger a team becomes the more defined the roles need to be when it comes to interacting with the customer and there is always the interaction between sales and operations.Kent: If you could speak to all the young, ambitious salespeople out there who might be just starting their careers, what's one piece of advice you would leave with them?Gary: This is a bit of a tough one however the number 1 thing that I would say is return all messages promptly and always remember to LISTEN to the client. Far too often we are trying to run ahead of the customer when we need to just LISTEN! And by listening you often find an opening to either upsell your product or to add on additional options that bring more dollars to the transaction.