Meet the Founder of Troop Networking and Sales!

Hey Everyone, 

I wanted to start this blog series with my story. That way, you can get to know me and my journey. 

My career in sales started with bikes when I was 18. A shop hired me to build bikes in the back room, but I had an itch when overhearing salespeople with customers. The process of finding the right fit for the customer had me hooked. I bugged the owner until he gave me a shot and moved me to the front room. I loved talking with people to pinpoint their wants and needs and matching them with the proper bikes.  

Later, I served seven years in the Air National Guard, where I met a training manager who was also a project manager at Unisys. Knowing I was studying IT in college, he hired me. I loved the job, but IT was not my legacy. 

While flying to LA to run a project, I sat beside a man who sold nuts and bolts to the US Military. We had a 4-hour conversation about sales (poor guy), and I was ready to return to selling.

My sales mission led me to inbound telephone sales for infomercials, residential real estate, outsourced IT, uniform rentals, payroll, PEO, and my current role as Director of Business Development for outsourced bookkeeping and controller work.

During this sales journey, two roles were pivotal. I identified, applied, and ultimately hired at two specific sales organizations ranked in the top 10 for sales training. These roles are where I honed the skills I use for networking and why I’ve found success.

Meanwhile, I married, and we moved to New York City. Besides my wife Malinda, I did not know a soul there. From the moment I arrived in the city, I launched into networking.

Overcoming initial nervousness, I joined a co-working space with a good community, joined Meetup and Eventbrite, and attended cocktail events, lunch and learns, and evening networking. I visited BNI chapters and leaned hard into the social grind.

This experience helped me build efficient processes and learn to host:

• Impactful Events

• Networking Groups

• Webinars

• Panel Events

• And how to make the most of endless networking situations   

I am 7 years into my role as a Director of Business Development; in this role, I develop sales 100% by referral, leveraging an extensive network that I built from the ground up to generate business. I founded Troop to share my skills across the United States.

We all have different experiences and paths to get where we are today. I can’t wait to hear your stories and merge our journeys. 

Let’s forge your community and build your legacy, 

Michael