As a commission only salesman at the time, sometimes Dan didn't get enough new clients in a week and we'd pitch in to help him out. Eventually, Dan settled into an integral part of the customer service team as AdCom8 grew. Dan was happiest when he could help people. I don't think a day went by without hearing Dan talk about how happy he was to just help people.
Anthony Limpert, our founder, had met Dan a bit prior at a former company, BrandRep, where they helped each other out. Dan with transfers from interested prospects, and Anthony with the closing ability he'd honed working on Wall Street in its heyday. Many days they'd share lunch or just talk about life in general.
What We Remember About Dan
Dan was just never down. The exact opposite of a cynic, in fact. He'd bring cheer to your day just to work with. He'll be sorely missed.
Agency life, sales quotas and commission only paychecks can grind people down. Dan stayed steady. He treated coworkers like family. He stayed late to help close someone else's deal. He picked up the phone when a customer was having a rough day, even if it wasn't his account. The kind of person who made every room better just by walking into it.
The Scholarship We Offered
We offered a scholarship in 2018 to students looking to pursue a degree in the marketing field. No extensive application or qualifications were necessary. Applicants sent us just one thing, an essay of 500 words or more on why they wanted to be in the marketing industry and how they felt they could help change the world around them while making an impact in our digital age.
One entry was selected by the management team after reviewing all applications by June 1, 2018. The selected entrant was contacted and the scholarship was awarded in June 2018.
This post has been preserved as a memorial. The 2018 scholarship has been awarded and that application window is closed, but Dan's example is still part of how we try to work. The internet forgets too quickly. Some things deserve to stay.
- BrandRepWhere Dan and Anthony metDan sent transfers, Anthony closed them, and on many days they shared lunch.
- AdCom8From sales to serviceA commission only salesman who became part of the customer service team.
- 2018The scholarshipOne essay of 500 words or more. Reviewed by June 1 and awarded in June 2018.
- TodayKept liveThe application window is closed. The post stays up as a memorial.
What Dan Taught Us About Marketing
Dan never sold anything by being pushy. He sold by caring whether the person on the other end of the call was going to be okay after the call ended. It's the same principle we try to bring to every client conversation here at Clickflame. We're not a slick agency, we're not a hard pitching shop, and we're not going to corner you into a contract you don't want.
If you ever called Clickflame and had a five minute conversation with someone who genuinely wanted to know whether what we offer would actually help your business, that's Dan. He's still working through us, in his own way.
If You Want to Reach Out
We still answer the phone. We still write back to email. Our contact page is open. If you want to tell us about your business, we'll listen. If you have a question about marketing and you don't want to become a client, we'll still try to help.
That's how Dan would have done it.
