Interview: Jerry Viviano

In addition to being a loving father and husband, Jerry Viviano works at Sysco Foodservices, and has been a first-class salesman for 38 years.  A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Jerry attended Missouri University and graduated with a degree in marketing.  Besides providing his services to Kansas City businesses, Jerry is the founder and chairman of the Viviano Variety Show, an annual benefit show that has raised over $1 million for charities and schools.  Recently, Jerry answered some questions for Joe’s Musings.    

A significant number of our readers are college students.  What made you decide to major in marketing?  At what point did you know you wanted to pursue a career as a salesman?
I have always been fascinated by the way products are invented, grown, manufactured, and promoted.  Born and raised in a family of fresh produce entrepreneurs, I saw first hand how salesmanship is a key component in marketing goods and services.  Long before college, I felt selling would be my profession.

Along those lines, how does a person prepare for a career in sales? How important is landing an internship while in college?
In today’s business environment, a selling career mandates computer and technical skills.  Product and business knowledge is readily available via many sources.  A well-rounded college business education provides the finesse needed to communicate in a selling world.  Getting involved in a business fraternity, going to seminars and spending time with businesses that visit college campuses are extremely important.  Don’t ever underestimate the value of people skills.  Successful sales people always are genuinely interested in helping clients succeed.  A great resource is Dale Carnegie’s book How To Win Friends and Influence People.  The Carnegie sales and human development courses are also excellent.  Internships are wonderful.  If you do land one, ask to ride with the company’s most successful sales people.  You can learn a lot from them.

The US economy has struggled mightily in recent years.  What changes have you noticed in the buying patterns of customers?  How have you adapted your sales strategies in a weaker economy?
Customers are scrutinizing prices closer today than ever before.  Unfortunately, cheaper prices for cheaper products do not translate into a more successful business for the customer.  As an institutional food sales representative, my strategy has been “What can I do to bring more diners into this restaurant?”  What new and different ideas can attract new customers to this restaurant?”  This can be done without sacrificing quality in products.

What is the best part of your job?  The worst part?
The best part of my job is sitting face to face with men and women who are making purchasing decisions.  My job enables me to help the customer find ways to run the business more efficiently.  The worst part of this job is filling out reports.  Much of this is unnecessary.  I would rather spend time in front of the customer.

How would you describe the work/family/life balance?
I start each day with a quiet prayer.  Every gift that I have been blessed with is just that- a gift from God.  This is the focal point in my life.  If I have a relationship with an all loving and merciful God, the work/family/life automatically falls into balance.  Life is all about priorities.  Relatively speaking, we are only on this earth for a very brief time.  As a Christian, I believe our Lord has prepared a beautiful place for us for all of eternity- and that is a long, long time.  All of that is waiting for us.  So my balance in life starts, and end, with a relationship with God.

What advice would you give to young people looking to pursue a career in sales?
If there is any advice I would give to young people who are pursuing a professional career in sales, it would be “Get Out of Yourself”.  If all you are concerned about is how much money you are going to earn selling, then this profession isn’t for you.  If you focus on how successful you can make customers and others, then dollars will be flowing into your backyard.

Do you agree with the saying, “You don’t close a sale.  You open a relationship if you want to build a long-term, successful enterprise”?
I do agree with the saying, “You don’t close a sale.”  Saying that you close a sale sounds like you have won a victory over someone.  Yes, you open a relationship than build and nurture that relationship in a trustworthy fashion.

What’s a life lesson you learned the hard way?
A life lesson I learned the hard way is about my attitude on investing the moeny I have earned.  I made some good and bad investments.  But if I were to do it all over again, I would do my research, put my resources in a safe portfolio early in life, and not worry or fret about it.  I wasted too much time on this.  I could have spent that time with family, friends, or building God’s kingdom.