Pearson Higher Education

District Manager Candidate Project

Part I - General Questions

1. Why do you want to be a district Manager; what do you bring to the position
and how would you excel? Describe your past experience/record and success.
Why do you think you have been successful?

I want to be a District Manager for Pearson Education because first and

foremost I am committed to our company, to the people, to our customers,
and to our vision. I want to teach, train, educate, inspire, show by example,
and mentor top talent with our company. I look forward to my own growth
but also the growth and development of our team.

I strongly feel my different positions with Pearson have prepared me for what
I hope is my next step with as a District Manager. I believe the learning
curve will be much less and will allow me to hit the ground running and be
prepared for the challenges of the position.

One of my roles, Learning Technology Specialist has prepared me the most.

With this role, I had to understand how to work with each of my reps
individually and understand their territories. Each has their own unique style
and different key accounts. I had to figure this out quickly so I could identify
the best way to work with them and to motivate them. I had to switch gears
of not just thinking for myself and my territory but to think of my team. The
hardest thing was to give up control and go from doing it myself to teaching
how to do certain things. So, I learned that I had to be a coach and not an
individual, one that would help change behavior and motivate reps! I also
had to learn how to analyze multiple territories, work with reps on Strategic
Plan, strategize on winning take away business, bookstore work including
sales scorecard calls and gap reports, pushing Custom and Direct
Integrations, and driving new initiatives such as Employability. Also with this
position I have gone through the hiring/firing process by working with the RM
and DM in a Performance situation to helping interview for a new rep
positions. I realize during this role that one of the most important things a
manager can do is hire and develop talent.
 I look back at what I feel has made me successful and these key attributes
come to mind: agile, optimism, competitiveness, drive and work ethic,
strategic thinking, organization skills, sales aptitude, leader, and tech
skills. I know that these attributes are ones that I will be looking for in a
successful rep!

Here are a few past successes that I want to highlight since I was hired in
2004:

Inaugural Pearson Developing Leaders

Goal Achiever 10-12 years

Pearson Award

Top Performer Awards

Multiple Leadership Council Membership Awards

1 of 5 LTS Advisory Board

Regional Trainer

Socrates Database Champion

Promotion to LTS

Recruited, Interviewed, and Trained new hires

2. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing reps today and what
would you do as a manager to help them overcome those challenges?

The largest challenge facing reps today is that the industry is changing which
means the job is changing. We are in the process of changing our product
delivery model to one of digital to help alleviate substitutions and avoid areas
of open source. With going digital there is much more that needs to be done
for the rep such as changing the conversation with instructor and students,
quicker response times, technology proficiency and training, customer
support, and more solutions based selling.

I believe my different roles and with being with the company since 2004 will
help here. I will make sure the team knows what will impact them as they
 try to make their goal and what is important and not get caught up in the
weeds. I will make sure they are able to act fast, be proficient, and trained
on all digital products and initiatives. I will also challenge them to think big
and future picture such as what will this look like next year, 3 years from
now, and what is changing about school and industry. There will be ongoing
strategy with them and make sure there is a plan in place.

3. What do you do differently today that you didnt do last year? What would
you think a Top Performing District Managers answer would be to that same
question?

So, there is no secret I have gone through my challenges the last few years.
These challenges have put me in a place where I needed to step back from a
leadership position and one I loved doing to focus on what I had going on at
home. These challenges have been hard but I have grown from them also. I
am now in a good place at home which has allowed me to at work. One
where I am more open/flexible, more approachable, and one that I am
willing to be present to help coach, train, and mentor team members.

If same question was asked to a Top Performing DM I believe their answer

would be one of increased coaching to push reps to be more, to be faster,
and to be more agile in their work every day. Our industry is changing and
so do we!

4. Because the quantifiable results of reps efforts are delayed, how would you
determine whether a rep is performing effectively?

Even though Sales results are delayed there are still quantifiable ways to
determine if the rep is performing effectively. Utilization of sales systems
such as Ignite to be able to understand YTD sales with Finance Dashboard,
Sampling, Tracking, Track to Goal, Weekly Sales Comparison, and utilization
of Account Rollup will all be factors in measuring performance.

Also, I would look qualitatively at product knowledge and product

demonstrations, planning/organizing, dependability and responsiveness,
team contributions, initiative, creative thinking, and problem solving.

5. How do you define driving sales?

If you would have asked me this question 5 years ago I would have had a
different answer. As my experience and rolls have evolved I look at driving
sales from a different point of view from when I was only concentrated on
myself. I believe the key to driving sales is to inspire people to do their best
 and establish an environment that allows employees to reach their goals. To
remove obstacles and obtain resources and training to help team members
be more effective. I believe a Sales Driver is one that will act as a coach to
guide and encourage people to do their best, one that will strategize on a
plan, train right processes and use of tools, create an agile team that will be
prepared and be able to change course at any moment. All of this will drive
sales.

6. What atmosphere would you want to create within your team? What would
be your team culture?

The atmosphere I want to create within our team is one of my first priorities.
I want an atmosphere of team collaboration, togetherness, connection,
communication, and trust. One that encourages optimism and where we all
lead by example.

My team culture would BE MORE. This culture of BE MORE is where it is

expected that the team will be their best even during challenging times. We
will BE MORE in all facets of our job and do it together.

7. What motivates you? As your manager, what can I do to ensure that you are
supported and developed?

My main motivation in both work and personal life is to constantly challenge

myself, to build confidence and belief in my own abilities. At home for
example the motivation of challenge is how do I become a better father and
role model each and every day to my daughter. At work is the challenge of
winning a complex sale, the challenge of leading a team, the challenge and
desire to be better each and every day.

I have other motivators as well such as financial gain (money), innovation in

that I like to try new things and approaches, and motivated to achieve sales
goals and targets.

As my manager, you may support me by constantly asking for my best, to

challenge me in all areas which will help me grow each and every day. As
you know I am not afraid of any challenge nor will I hide from it so to
challenge me will bring out the best in me.

8. In your opinion, what are the keys to successful recruiting? What do you
envision are the common mistakes? What would you do that is unique to
attract and retain the top talent?
 The keys to successful recruiting include having a large candidate pool, look
to referrals, look at the competition, searching online network such as
LinkedIn, postings from Pearson Careers, work with key faculty such as those
teaching sales class, and work with school Sales Fraternity.

I envision the common mistakes are making compromises such as skipping

steps in the recruiting process or dismissing poor performance in current or
past jobs. I also envision the need to avoid a fragmented process in the
interview process. Make sure to hire slow to make sure you have hit all
necessary steps in the process and are comfortable the individual has the
unique sales factors of Drive, Competitiveness, Optimism, Intelligence, Sales
Aptitude, Technology Skills, Work Ethic, and Organizational Skills for the job.
Lastly, I would look for past behavior as I believe it is the best predictor of
future behavior. For example, sales record, form of leadership in any point
in life, job stability, etc. I would also look to have top candidates take
SalesDrive assessment as part of the interview process

I would recruit by building my candidate pool before I need it, look to

referrals, talk to the competition, search networking sites, work with sales
professors and sales fraternities on campus. I would work on getting more
PCAs in specific schools that could potentially continue working for Pearson
after graduation and involve them in sourcing candidates. I would also
involve some of my key team members to also be involved by recommending
candidates, assist in reviewing resumes and qualifications, and help interview
to assess a potential fit.

9. What do you feel should be the main focus of training a new sales
rep? Where would you start, what are the top five aspects of the job that
you would initially focus on? What would be the common mistakes?

A successful training program requires careful preparation, planning, and

knowledge about who will be trained. Critical Steps in a successful training
program for Pearson would include set training plan throughout first 90 days.
This would include work trips both with me and others such as product team,
LTS, Regional Trainer/Mentor, and Regional Manager. Also, would include
Daily Plans, systems and report training, technology training, 90-day review,
Ongoing Training, Regional trainers, and Tech certification.

Top 5 aspects of the job to initially focus on:

Getting Started: HR, Learn about Pearson, Territory overview/transition

notes, office supplies, business cards, etc.
 Systems: Dell computers, IPads, OneCrm, Gmail, E-Catalog, Ignite, Oasis,
GHEPM

Insight: Rookie modules, Curriculum Modules, Product/Tech Modules, PASS

training

Planning: Overview, Analyzing Territory, Rollover report, Account Rollup,

Business plan, Itinerary planning, Tracking/Sampling, Daily plan, Work trips

Sales: Sales call, Roll play, Competencies to do job properly, Results, Follow
up, Bookstore, Mylabs/Revel training.

The common mistakes would be to not follow through, use the tools put in
place, to not be prepared and have an organized plan, to not include others
such as LTS, product team, RM, hold accountable, and to not review what
was missed or do ongoing training.

10.What would be your 30-60-90 day plan if you were to take this position now?

I am going to break this down into two areas. First is my start up plan then
the team plan.

Nathan Wilson Start up Plan:

-1 on 1 conversation with Stephanie: Set up time for weekly catch ups,

review district personnel and geography. Set up short term and long-term
goals with myself and team, expectations, accountability. Discuss Recruiting
and any performance issues with team.

-1 on 1 conversation with PSS partners. Discuss targets, territory

coverage, current adoptions, and troubled accounts.

-Go over Ignite and review Account Rollup to do deep dive analysis into
territory

-Ask for former Success and Performance Reviews to get up to speed with
any issues.

-Reach out to DOMs to discuss priorities for district which include takeaway
business and business to maintain. Also get commitment from product team
to work in territory.

-Continued professional development for myself such as reading Agile

Selling, Soup: A recipe to Nourish Your Team, Monday Morning Mentoring,
Culture and Crucial Conversations, No Complaining Rule, and Energy Bus.
-Speak with PSS and CRS managers about tech training and FDOC coverage.

-Create Team document with EverNote to include goals, important dates,

personal info, next steps.

-Recruiting: Look at open positions or any anticipated openings. Start

process to talk with referrals, work with PSS, work with Stephanie, use
LinkedIn to look for top talent. Get job opening published and talk with Jay
Heiney.

-Set up periodic calls with other DM to get additional support, work with
them in a mentoring role, get regional vision so I can bring this into district
conversations.

-Business Plan. Work with Stephanie and PSS to create focused and usable
business plan. Strategize on each priority and set up territory coverage.

The Team Be More Plan:

-District meeting after Back to School to start working on culture and team
building, go over strategy plan which includes priorities, technology, training,
and business plan. Would like to have 3 per year.

-Set up work trip schedule

-1 on 1 conversation with each team member. Start rapport building, listen,

and building trust. Discuss team vision, rep goals both short term and long
term, rep training needs.

-Professional development. Minimum of 2 books a year with detailed

discussion as team. May be part of district meetings or Zoom calls.

-Team collaboration where I will pair reps together to allow for more open
dialogue and talk about what is working and not working. Have them report
back to team.

-Develop mentoring with top leaders on team

-Bi-Weekly team calls. Discuss win of the week, whats working/not working,
any other pertinent information such as going over reports, tracking,
gapping, etc.

-Do Zoom Happy Hour calls for ongoing team collaboration, change it up be
fun!

-Technology Throw Down: Monthly MyLab demos done by rep to the team. I
will give them each a MyLab and present it to the group as if they were a
committee member.

-Have reps lead part of team calls to allow for more team collaboration.
-Have Holiday party with family invited

-Take each rep out for dinner and include family to show appreciation for all
their hard work

-Develop internal team competitions such as Whos Your Data with awards
based on benchmarks such as tracking both qualified and closed, data
analytics and reports

-Contest to be agile and shake it up such as $100 to show skills during work
trip and every time they do not money is taken away

-Throw curveball into the day like calling on areas of OER, DDA, or other
areas such as Culinary. Things they may not be prepared for.

-Sit down with reps to discuss career, achievements, what I can do to be a

better manager, see if they are happy in current role and Pearson. This will
be an ongoing!

Action Items to hold team accountable:

-Top 50 Strategic Adoption plan done. This will include top 50 leading into
100 takeaways and business in base which they can get from account roll up
report to have and start filling in strategy into notes column to keep running
notes/strategy.

-Monthly updated notes around Top 50

-Monthly calls to discuss in detail strategic business plan and

sampling/tracking

-Be on campus a minimum of 4 days a week

-FDOC tracked and entered into OneCRM.

-Clear thought out daily plan each day and be able to send me if asked

-24 hour turnaround time in responding to customers

-Have team take Production Builder test from Sales Drive. This will assess
level of drive and I will use report to establish benchmarks and use as a one
on one coaching tool.
11.You have a seasoned rep who has recently begun to exhibit negative and
toxic behaviors. His numbers are still positive but you know that he is not
working as strategically as he/she could be. On your last team call, at 9am
on Monday morning, he commented that he was still at the gym. How would
you approach this situation?

I would get involved early and often in this case. I would set up meeting to
meet with rep to discuss and identify with them what the problem is, why is
it a problem, and why there is concern. I would listen to rep and discuss
outcomes by making sure they are aware of what is being required of them.
I would assess and analyze the problem to see how severe, how long has it
been going on, how wide is the gap between doing what is expected and
what is being done. A clear plan of action would be developed with
performance expectations, roles and responsibilities, territory coverage from
DM, RM, and LTS, and timeframes for performance. A written record of all
discussions would be maintained and performance monitored such as daily
plan each night, cc on all email correspondence, minimum of biweekly calls,
review of tracking and sampling.

12.You have a rep who made her Q4 number when she was first hired but has
not made her number in the full year after. She lost business and was not
able to secure any significant takeaways. She is positive and you believe she
is working hard but her numbers simply are not reflecting it. You are close
with this rep and everyone loves her, both internally and externally. How
would you handle this situation?

I would get involved early and often. I would talk to them about what they
are doing well and then talk about items to improve. Have a heart to heart
conversation to see what is getting in the way of them being successful. Find
out details of what led to increases and decreases, pin-point how they
approach their business year to year (i.e. not winning enough takeaways, not
going back and monetizing backlist titles, relying too much on rollovers, not
having enough technology usage, not working the entire list, etc.). I would
develop a success plan which includes additional territory coverage from LTS,
RM, custom, product team, regional trainer, and myself. Get additional
product training and support. Set clear performance expectations and
improve communication of goals and strategies.

13.Say you had an opportunity to re-purpose the bonus planhow would you
incentivize your reps to grow sustainable sales?
 I believe we have made great strides to enhance our bonus plan and be
comparable to industry. We however still look at the net price of an item and
how that translates to our yearly number. As we move to more digital
delivery I feel we should not be penalized for selling lessor priced digital
products vs when packaged with print. I also realize our push to other
models like DDA and feel that these items need to be highlighted more and
have higher payout then traditional models like mylab/revel. Sometimes
reps look at the now but need to look at what this will look like next year and
down the road, with extra incentives in these new areas I believe that will
help.

14.What is getting in the way of sales reps being more successful right now?
How would you change that?

I believe there are two main things getting in the way of sales reps right
now.

One is the day to day non-sales tasks like sampling, answering of IRC
requests, emails. I understand that this is part of the job but if we could find
the financial resources to hire and have this part of our job lessoned we
would have more time sell.

The second thing getting in the way is not acting faster and more agile in
sales calls. There is no reason to not be comfortable and in a moments
notice demo and talk about our products and how they are important to our
customers and company initiatives. I believe continued challenges of
preparation and team events around this will help each and every sales
person grow and be more in every call! This will be part of my plan for the
team.

15.What does trust mean to you? Provide examples.

Trust is something that is earned. Trust must be built overtime by

individuals or team by being open and truthful with one another and with
everyone living up to their word. To take a risk on something because you
believe the person and what they say they will do. I believe I have gained
the trust of our team by being a constant with them overtime especially
Delaney, Mick, and Ben. Also going to battle with them in challenging
situations such as Case Study for NSM which has built trust with Melek and
Chelsea. There is also trust built with management and knowing they have
your back in any situation.

Part II Account & Rep Review Sections

Section 1 Review Be The Change Doc for Accounts

1) Do you agree with the rubric? Please explain

I do agree with the rubric. Sales reps are tasked with many things such as
taking on bigger territories, goals, day to day tasks of the job, and customer
interactions. Time is the biggest hurdle to get to every facet of the job. With
accounts that are not providing ROI we do need to have a hard look at our
strategy and how we will work with them.

2) What would you change and why?

There are always what ifs in life. My what if for this account is what happens
if the decision makers change. What if the sales model shifts to more DDA.
If we do not have a level of engagement in the account albeit a small one
how do we know what is going on or have the trust of the decision makers to
work again with Pearson. So, in this case I am saying treat this account with
low priority and more of an inside style account where you handle emails and
reach out to key decision makers a few times a year. The conversation
would be more of a pulse on the situation such has any outcomes changed,
enrollment, new programs, digital solutions, leadership changes.

Also, if we could work into budget have somebody handle email and service
calls to remove this from the sales rep.

3) How would you go about managing this assessment?

I believe this should be handled twice a year and done when business
planning is going on. Set a time to evaluate and go over the Rubric with
Rep, DM, RM and formalize a strategic plan for that time period.

4) Can you give me an example of an account that does not meet the standard
set by the rubric?

We have talked about Wayne County in detail. The other account at this
time is Baker College. Baker is an account that was once one of our largest
accounts and now is one of our lower tier accounts. Enrollment drop and
dropping of programs has significantly reduced revenue at this school. With
that said there is still a great deal of service for this account. This account
should be evaluated with the rubric and a plan of action derived from it
should take place. There is still room for revenue in this account albeit much
lower than what it used to be.
 Section 2 Review Be The Change Doc for Sales Reps

1) Do you agree with the rubric? Please explain

I do agree with the rubric. I am a strong believer in Drive, Competitiveness,

Optimism as key skills every rep must possess. I also believe Operational
Excellence, Strategic Imagination, Provocative Inquiry, and Candor are
separates good reps from great reps. After reading more about Learning
Agility and seeing how this may impact our everyday life I see that is a top
skill as well.

2) What would you change and why?

I would only add to the rubric. I believe a part on Compliance or something

along those lines should be added. When talking compliance this is more
internal on how a rep/manager takes on or handles new
approaches/initiatives. Are they in disagreement, what is their reaction, and
will they adapt to what is being asked.

3) How would you go about managing this assessment?

I believe the Rubric is very straight forward and can be done on every work
call. I will incorporate this into my ongoing rep review and utilize to enhance
coaching. I will also utilize the rubric in recruiting/interview process to
evaluate prospective reps.

4) What do you do when you find reps lacking in some of the areas addressed
by the rubric? How much time should we give reps to develop their skills?

If I find reps lacking in the areas addressed I will get involved early and
often. These are non-negotiables of the job and coaching will need to take
place. If scoring remains low in these areas after coaching then I would
assess and analyze the problem and set up a success plan and hold rep
accountable.

Part III Open District Analysis

Rather than send you data, use any open resources to answer these questions,
keep it clear

1) What do you know about the personnel on each team?

I know a great deal about the 2C team. I am one of them but also was the
LTS for the district. I also was the LTS for the Indiana district so understand
most of the accounts in that area.

Current 2C reps: Chris Delaney Ben Stephen, Chris Mick, Chelsea Retz, Melek
Frey, and myself Nate Wilson
 Chris Delaney: Has been with Pearson almost 12 years. Is married and has a
daughter and son. Chris is current Leadership Council member. He has
obtained goal the past six out of 7 years. Chris is one of the top reps in the
company and has consistently produced. Chris is very self-motivated and
has internal competition to be the best on the team and in the country. He
works non-stop and is both good with customers and bookstore managers.
Ben Stephen: Has been with Pearson 17 years. Is married and has two boys.
Ben is a current Leadership Council member. He has obtained goal the past
seven years. Ben is one of the top reps in district and one of the top reps for
Pearson. Ben is very detailed oriented and is motivated by money but also
by recognition. He has been the Regional Trainer and has done a fantastic
job with this position and just won the Gilman/Haltiwanger award.
Chris Mick: Has been with Pearson for 2 years. Is married and has three
girls. Chris made goal for 2016 and seeing how much that meant to him was
priceless. Chris is motivated by money to support his family which means
the world to him.
Chelsea Retz: Has been with Pearson 3 years and 1 year with district 2C.
She is married and has 1 son. Chelsea has really come into her own and will
be force in her territory. She is optimistic, curious, accountable, and has the
desire to win. Chelsea made goal for 2016.
Melek Frey: Has been with Pearson 9 months. She was just married this
year. Melek is a breath of fresh air and it is contagious how serious she
takes the job. Melek will be a top performer someday and made goal for
2016.
2) What are some of the top accounts and why are they important?

A list of one Top Account in each 2C territory:

Ohio State: Largest revenue school in Ben territory and $1,397,487 net
revenue in 2016
Michigan State: Largest revenue school in Chris D. territory and $1,182,335
net revenue in 2016
Toledo: Largest revenue school in Chelsea territory and $299, 214 net
revenue in 2016
Macomb: Largest revenue school in Chris M territory and $788,124 net
revenue in 2016
WMU: Largest revenue school in 2CE territory and $336,204 net revenue in
2016
Loraine CC: Largest revenue school in Melek territory and $415, 697 net
revenue in 2016

3) What accounts are of most concern and why?

 Baker Declining enrollment and change of curriculum to not provide
Computer Apps courses
Wayne County No direction in school and no revenue from customer
service
Grand Rapids CC Big push for OER. Off campus store closed down.
Bowling Green Closed bookstore
Owens CC Continued declining enrollment
Macomb CC Retirement of long standing rep which has allowed competition
to go in and push lower prices. Off campus bookstore closing after this year.

4) What if you dont get this job?

Is that an option? In all seriousness, I am going through this process to be

the next DM. I am also taking this process on as a learning moment. A time
to reflect on what is important to me personally and also the company. I
know I am a leader and know I am back to be a leader in this company. If I
do not get this position I will learn from the process and be ready for the
next opportunity.

5) Why you? Why are you the best person to lead a district?

I am the best person to lead this district for many reasons. First and
foremost, I am a leader and one that will go into battle and support each and
every rep on my team. I not only want this important job I expect to win it.
I have the TRUST of every rep on the team and the buy in to work hard and
BE MORE to obtain our goals. The one thing the reps will say is that we win
and have fun doing it. I believe to be successful does not mean that I am
doing all the work but one where reps learn from the process and coaching
so they are amazing when I am not there. I will lean on past experiences as
a LTS with working with reps and accounts to jump right in. I understand
systems, reports, and territories. I value a team atmosphere and so does
every one of our reps on the team. I will plan on building our culture so
there is optimism, collaboration, and a true sense of team. When it comes to
recruiting/interviewing I have done this in different capacities of my career.
I have been involved in performance plans and know when the time is right
to get involved and get others involved. I understand the company vision
and I am able to relay that and the strategy from the product team to our
reps.

In summary, I am the best person to lead the district because:

Teambuilding, Collaboration, Fun, Win, Agile, Development of skills,

Coaching, Analytics, Strategy, Communication, and TRUST.