Dan Norman

Dan Norman graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He began his career in sales with Motorola selling two-way radios to lumberjacks. (Yes, that’s right……lumberjacks! That job is rated the worst in America according to the 'JOBS RATED ALMANAC' by Les Krantz.) In spite of a deep fear of his customers (chainsaw massacre movies and all that…) he loved sales and soon became one of the top sales representatives in his region.

A year later, just when he was beginning to consistently perform in the top 10%, he was promoted to management. In that new position the learning process began all over again. Dan was given little management training and, after six months was told by his team that he was the worst boss they had ever had. Then they told him what he needed to do to be a better manager. What he learned from them would prove to be the most valuable management training that he would ever receive.

Following five very successful years in management at Motorola, Dan was offered a unique opportunity to join a tiny start-up company owned by AT&T called Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS). He accepted the job and joined the Cellular Phone Industry long before it was officially an Industry. His job was to build the sales and distribution network in the Southeast United States. Everything had to be built: sales compensation plans had to be created, sales territories needed to be developed, training programs had to be written, sales representatives needed to be hired and sales offices needed to be opened. It was a small company and Dan was his own staff so he learned a lot and was very busy. Four years later, Dan had built one of the largest sales organizations in the cellular industry with 25 sales managers and almost 300 outside sales representatives.

Dan’s next challenge was to rebuild and grow a cellular company which had been acquired by BellSouth Corporation in the United Kingdom. As Managing Director of Air Call Cellular, he doubled the size of the outside, business to business sales force and negotiated a national retail sales agreement with a major United Kingdom retailer. In addition he created and opened the first 24-hour customer care center in the United Kingdom cellular industry.

Returning from the United Kingdom two years later, Dan was given the opportunity to create a New Product Research & Development (R&D) group for BellSouth. Over the next two years, the R&D group commercialized dozens of new products. The most noteworthy of Dan’s achievements was the negotiation of an exclusive, national distribution agreement with IBM on a jointly developed product called “SIMON.” The product was the first ever touch screen, wireless Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) combining a cellular phone, fax, e-mail, address book and much more. SIMON was recently named one of the top 50 products in the last 50 years by PC World magazine.

Before becoming a Professional Sales Motivational Speaker, Dan served as the Vice President & General Manager over one of Cingular Wireless’ (now at&t Mobility) largest markets. In that position, he was responsible for all operations, as well as sales and distribution channels with more than 1,000 employees.

Throughout his career Dan has hired, developed and motivated thousands of sales representatives and hundreds of sales managers. His experience covers all sales channels, including outside business to business sales, inside sales, major accounts, retail sales and telemarketing sales. Dan has become an expert at what it takes to become a top 10% sales performer and knows from experience the fundamental work that it takes to get there. He knows what the top 10% do to exceed expectations, the mechanics of how they do it and how they stay at that level year after year.

How Sales Professionals in the Top 10% get there…and stay!