Keith J Dowd
860-552-9186 Nashville, TN
Sales & Sales Team Leadership and Management,
Sales Educator, Marketing Strategist, Brand Ambassador
My Successes have always been based on helping others succeed.
I’m passionate about helping people and businesses grow and prosper.
I can help you take your company – to where you want to go.
· Outstanding client relationship and customer service skills.
· Skilled and proficient at solving problems and formulating solutions – so that all parties benefit and want to do business again.
Highly developed selling skills. A strong track record of Sales Team Leadership and Management.
A selling philosophy that selling is serving and teaching.
Always working to help his team members grow individually, develop, and prosper in the service of both their clients and their company.
Started, owned, grew, and sold several successful, profitable businesses.
Increased sales at each company, either as an individual sales person, or leading a sales team.
Greatest turn around: Reversing a major AV manufacturer’s multi-year sales decline, putting the company on a growth path –
and directing a sales team generating $23 M in annual sales (in the US).
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sales Coach/Consultant: Keith Dowd / Integrated
Performance Selling 2020 – present
Helping audio video dealers, primarily custom home integrators and smaller specialty retailers take their businesses to the next level
by improving their selling skills and abilities.
Brand Development: Sutherland
AV Marketing, Portland, OR 2020 – present
Working with Todd Sutherland to grow the Vivid Audio and Ascendo Immersive Audio (AIA Cinema) brands in the eastern half of the US.
Director of US Sales: Paradigm & Anthem, Mississauga, ON, Canada 2010 - 2019
A manufacturer of high-performance consumer electronics and home speaker systems sold via independent AV specialists (retail, custom installation and hybrid dealers) 220 employees. Total Annual revenues of $43M.
· Most successful Regional Manager, 2010 – 2014. Then promoted.
· Grew US Sales by an average of $500k annually over 5 years.
Of the three branches of the sales organization (US Sales, Canadian Sales, and International Sales) US Sales consistently had the highest gross sales and produced the highest profit.
· Assembled, trained and directed the US Sales Team (four Regional Sales Managers)
· Modified and improved the US Independent Rep sales force (16 Territories) as needed
· Created Job Descriptions for the Regional Sales Managers and In-Field Trainers
Beyond just setting goals – instructed how to achieve those goals
· Implemented many successful product launch strategies
· Developed a program with an equipment leasing company to enable A/V dealers to lease their demo gear
· Worked with US Buying Groups to grow market share annually
Created dealer programs to incentivize and reward dealer sales growth, and buying group sales growth
· Created the Beryllium Club to recognize and reward the best dealers
· Drove the implementation of training/education initiatives; Product Training AND Sales Training
· Implemented Factory Training Visit/Trips - growing salespeople’s confidence, loyalty and productivity
· Created Annual Rewards to recognize sales excellence: for US Dealers, for the Independent reps and their office support people
· Guided Marketing’s messages and regularly edited text
National Sales Manager: Tributaries (Gordon J Gow Technologies, Inc), Orlando, FL 2008 - 2010
An audio-video cable, power products and accessories company specializing in serving the custom home installation channel. 16 employees. Total annual revenues of $7M.
Added 73 dealers an 18% increase generating 34% of total sales during 2009 recession
Directed 38 independent sales reps in 14 Manufacturers’ Rep territories
Created sales programs for successful launches of four new products, helping the company grow into new categories
Developed complete product specs and formulated a detailed sales and marketing plan and strategy for launching a completely new product line
Produced sales presentations for use by both manufacturers reps with their dealers and for use by retail/custom installation salespeople with their clients
Creating and implementing sales training /education sessions to improve the selling skills of our customers/dealers
Produced selling-tips articles for bi-weekly newsletter
Regional Sales Manager – Eastern US: AudioQuest, Irvine, CA 2003 – 2008
An audio-video cable and accessories company specializing in high performance products. 55 employees. Total annual revenues in excess of $28M.
Increased the number of dealers by 72% in 5 years
Increased sales every year, from 12-42% - exceeded quota every year
Landed Crutchfield Corporation, their 3rd largest dealer
Personally Trained the entire 130 person Crutchfield sales and support team
Developed sales training materials and presentations to help dealers sell and up-sell
Created and produced monthly dealer “Selling Tips” e-mail communications
Traveled internationally and domestically
Director of North American Sales: Madrigal Audio Labs (Harman International), Middletown, CT 1999 – 2003
At the time - the premier manufacturer of A/V electronics, speakers and video projection products. 180 employees. Total annual revenues of $23M
· Orchestrated North American sales of all Madrigal brands (Mark Levinson, Proceed, Revel, Audio Access, Madrigal Imaging); $16M combined
· Directed a factory-based sales force of 6
· Managed 40 Independent Sales Reps in 15 territories
· Identified and quantified systemic quality problems that caused product failures. Designed and implemented a Quality Management Program to address the quality problems resulting in a 67% reduction in product failures
· Created annual budgets and annual, monthly, and quarterly sales forecasts
· Envisioned, specified, and contributed to the development of 14 new products as a member of the product development team
· Co-authored Selling Luxury Products PPT and developed it into an interactive sales training exercise – helping salespeople sell more
· Created and coordinated factory sales and product education seminars for dealer’s salespeople - for all Madrigal brands.
Owner/President Audioport Ltd., Overland Park, KS 1989 - 1999
High-end audio-video retail and custom-home-installation business.
Created, grew and sold this successful business; for 10 years THE place to go for better products, services and installations in the KC area
Owner: Keith Dowd Audio, Overland Park, KS
Mid to high-end audio-video custom home installation business
Created and grew this successful business …. making enough money to form Audioport
Co-owner: The Movie House, Shawnee, KS
Three-store video tape rental business
Created and grew this successful business. Sold interest to form business above
Sales Manager: Beatty Electronics, Overland Park, KS
Mid to high-end audio-video retail and custom home installation business
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EDUCATION
Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas
Bachelor of Science – Business with an emphasis on Sales and Marketing
Numerous Sales Courses including college level, Dale Carnegie and MANDEV
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SKILLS
Personnel management based upon guiding and encouraging people to analyzing needs and developing solutions to achieve their goals – and hold them accountable for their decisions; success based upon helping others to succeed. Directs Independent Sales Reps to assume the role of “Coach” with their customers as opposed to the role of “Buddy”. Skilled at written and oral presentations.
A skilled writer and editor.
Skilled at presenting and public speaking
Proficient in Microsoft Office suite applications.
Experienced business traveler. Willing to travel safely, when others aren’t.
Note: References and Recommendations – happily provided upon request