
Hire a Hero recently caught up
with Ben Shakman, a retired Major in the Active Guard & Reserve program,
who found a career through Orion with Nalco, a the world's leading water treatment and process
improvement company, as a District Representative. Read on to learn
about Shakman’s decision to enter sales, his career since, and his advice for
his fellow veterans.
When
it came time to decide what field to enter, Shakman knew that performance-based
compensation was something he desired, so that ruled out public sector
employment. Because he did not know what
industry would be right for or even what he particularly wanted to do, his job
search was largely unstructured and directionless for the first few
months.
“The
real turning point was linking up with Orion, and attending the October 2012
Hiring Conference in Chicago. It was
during the preparation for the conference that I realized business-to-business
sales were going to be a good fit. Orion
helped me focus my approach and then put me in front of the right people with
the right companies,” explains Shakman.
Shakman
now sells specialty chemicals used in steam and cooling systems to a
wide-ranging customer base, which includes light manufacturing, government,
healthcare, and food & beverage plants. He partners with customers
and prospects to ensure asset preservation and efficient operation,
while providing solutions which reduce their overall impact on the environment
in terms of water and energy consumption. In addition, he works with raw
and wastewater treatment customers to achieve very specific quality goals.
Shakman
candidly tells us that his new career is not even remotely similar to what he
did in the military. He goes on to
explain, though, the ways in which his time in the service has informed his new
career: “My military experience prepared me in more indirect ways for my second
career; things like work ethic, my approach to problem solving, being able to
communicate with people at all levels in an organization, and collaborative
abilities are the biggest help.”
“A
veteran’s work ethic is invaluable in the civilian workforce. I know what
I need to do, apply time management strategies, and prioritize to get it done.
I see a lot of my counterparts wasting significant amounts of time and
energy on low priority initiatives,” continues Shakman, “I wish that I
could coach them to do the first things first, but that is not really my place
as the new guy.”
Shakman’s
customers appreciate this ethic, too. “My customers really appreciate the fact
that I do what I tell them I will do and that I speak honestly to their
issues. I can't fix everything for them
but can usually point them towards a solution.
Also, I gain tons of credibility for telling them when my product or
solution isn't the best fit and recommending someone else's instead,” says
Shakman.
Specifically,
Shakman’s military background is a big benefit, especially with some of his
clients, including a military installation. Shakman understands
"end-of-year money" and how fourth quarter spending works in the
military and was able to leverage that specific knowledge to sell enough
product to them at the end of the fiscal year that they are in great shape,
even with the lack of a FY14 budget and the shutdown that occurred in October.
Shakman
and his new career remind us that while veterans may not always have the
knowledge, skills, and abilities that exactly match the job description, they
have an unbelievable ability to grow and learn if afforded the opportunity and are
properly mentored. “Veterans understand
mission accomplishment like nobody else in the world. We exercise considerable creativity and
initiative to attain our goals,” says Shakman.
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