Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career journey to date.
After college in 2006, I began my professional journey in the finance industry, fully expecting to build a long-term career there. However, the 2008 financial crisis brought a severe economic downturn, prompting me to reconsider my path and ultimately decide it was time for a change. I was on a flight from Arizona back to Iowa where I noticed an old little league baseball coach on my flight. As fate would have it, he was leaving the finance world and starting a new position at GoDaddy. As soon as I got home, I filled out an application and began my role in Sales and Support at GoDaddy in August 2008, working out of the Scottsdale, Arizona office.
Like many colleagues I've met throughout the years, I initially thought GoDaddy would be just a brief stop while the world sorted out its financial challenges. From Sales and Support, I quickly transitioned to our Customer Development team (CDT). My CDT days in the Gilbert office were some of the most memorable - filled with talented salespeople, constant contests, and a fun atmosphere. Following that, we launched a new Hybrid team dedicated to experimenting with different customer segments to pinpoint the best product offerings based on the client’s current product suite.
In 2011, I moved to our Premier Services team. We manage accounts for GoDaddy’s largest portfolio holders, aftermarket investors, and sellers on the Afternic platform. Little did I realize at the time, but this was the moment GoDaddy became my career.
What skills or experiences have been most important in helping you progress throughout your time here at GoDaddy?
The most important skills that have helped me progress at GoDaddy are staying humble, organization and adapting, not taking things personal, and staying self-motivated.
- Staying Humble - Throughout my 17 years at GoDaddy, the one constant has always been change. Staying humble in regard to your role within the company is very important especially around times of change. Instead of feeling like you are too important to adapt to change, you can take a step back and embrace it.
- Organization and Adapting - I compare Premier Services to a quote by Mike Tyson “Everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face.” This is metaphor for our daily routine. I have a plan for what I want to accomplish every day before I login to work and then an urgent phone call or email from a client will come in. Having an organized plan for every day will help keep you on track when you need to adapt to unexpected challenges that arise.
- Not Taking Things Personal - Whether you’re dealing with a challenging client on the phone or being overlooked for a promotion you felt you earned, it’s important not to take these experiences personally. Maintaining this perspective allows you to move forward and be ready for the next opportunity to succeed.
- Staying Self Motivated- While we establish monthly and annual goals at the start of each year, we also create daily and even hourly objectives to maintain our motivation and consistently strive to be our best.
In your experience, what’s the key to successfully building relationships with customers in the aftermarket sector?
It may sound like a cliché, but honesty is truly one of the most essential factors in building strong relationships with our clients. I have worked with some clients for over 14 years, and I know that even a single lapse in honesty could jeopardize the trust we have built together. Since our direct phone lines are always open, it’s crucial to maintain transparency, even when the truth may not be what our clients want to hear.
The other thing that is very important is presenting clients with opportunities to be successful. Almost all of our clients have large portfolios. So, the best way to help them is to curate custom lists of expired auctions, closeouts, and premium domains to send over and discuss with them. It is better to have clients consistently buying and getting the domains listed to sell than oversell the wrong domain to a client and lose their trust. You present the opportunity and let them make the decision.
Are there any resources that you would recommend to others interested in personal development?
I am currently reading an updated version of “A Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Burton Malkiel. With GoDaddy being a publicly traded company, I think it is good to have a general understanding of how the market works and can work for you.
The book I read before that is “Fire In The Hole” by GoDaddy's founder, Bob Parsons. As a GoDaddy employee, I found this book to be an excellent resource for understanding the company's origins and appreciating how much we've grown over the years. It also offers valuable insights into our founder's life, making it a meaningful read for anyone who worked with Mr. Parsons or wants to learn more about the roots of our organization.
A few other books I have read that are excellent for personal development are: “Start with Why" by Simon Sinek, “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, and “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale. I believe most people are familiar with these books, and each one offers valuable insights for anyone interested in personal growth.
What aspects of GoDaddy's company culture do you appreciate the most?
GoDaddy has always been a place where you can be yourself and feel supported.
There are times when work and life can be difficult but for a company our size, GoDaddy does an amazing job of supporting its employees. If you’re finding challenges in your role at GoDaddy, I encourage you to step back and view the company from an outside perspective. You might discover many valuable benefits here that you won’t find elsewhere. A helpful approach is to create a pros and cons list - you may be surprised by the number of positive aspects that often go unnoticed.
What's your motto or personal mantra?
- Outwork everyone.
- Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle.
- Honesty is the best policy.
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