What Got You Here Won't Get You There in Sales: How Successful Salespeople Take it to the Next Level

John McLean, Director of Sales—NIKE

Although currently with Nike, John has spent the last 15 years living at the top of the sales ranks of TaylorMade–Adidas Golf and Acushnet–Cobra Golf. Setting records in revenue, margin dollars, and margin percentages for his employers, John knows the world of sales.

What Got You Here (WGYH): Okay, first question: Can you give us the Readers Digest version of your career in sales and sales management through the years?

McLEAN: I’ve been extremely fortunate to have spent the last 15 years in the golf industry. In 1996, after six months of pursuit, I left a good-paying job as a project engineer in the construction industry and accepted my first opportunity in sales as a customer service–inside sales rep for TaylorMade ...