Selling Yourself, Selling DRT: Walter Denard Shares Five Secrets
Coming off a hectic summer of proposal writing, CEO Susan Kidd noted that five of the contract prospects came from one DRTer. “The referrals we receive and the work we win are always the result of teamwork,” Susan says, “Yet all five of these came to us initially from Walter Dennard and his relationships.”
Selling DRT’s capabilities—and your own capabilities—can be intimidating. “I personally had to get over this fear early in my career,” Susan relays. So, we asked Atlanta-based Deputy Director, how does he do it?!
Having spent nine years at DRT developing his CDC contacts, Walter credits his customer acumen to his upbringing and the discipline he acquired, serving in the U.S. Army. Here are his top five secrets:
- Treat people the way you want to be treated. Going out of his way to help people is in Walter’s nature, modeled early in life by his mother. “Contract officers often come and tell me they want to work with me, so I see if there is a vehicle,” Walter explains. Create opportunities for yourself and DRT by serving others exceptionally well.
- Learn on your feet. Thirty years ago as a young Army recruiter, Walter remembers a senior officer told him that mistakes are great teachers. “Speaking to a broad range of people, I was forced out of my comfort zone,” he recalls. With each pitch, there’s a 50-50 chance; only by doing, and failing sometimes, can you improve.
- Ask for a referral every time. Walter turns each interaction into a call to action. If an employee leaves, he asks them if they have someone to refer for the role. When he speaks to customers, he asks if he can give them a capabilities statement. “I always reach out to people to ask for work—to see what else they need.”
- Shrug off rejection. “If I get turned down,” Walter relays, “I ask if they have a friend or another client, they could refer me to.” The same goes for selling yourself. Try asking your manager how else you could be serving, then share your interests and skills. Timing sometimes is a deciding factor but set up future opportunities by speaking up.
- Be invested. “No matter what, our customers know that our team is going to take care of them,” Walter says. The relationship may start with a referral but the CDC team—Walter, Tyler Nicklyn, Tiffany Dozier, and Rick Goodwin—”keeps looking out for their vested interest—the things that are important to the customer.”
DRTers Embark on EOS E-Learning & Manager Training
This fall, DRTers will begin delving into EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, with e-learning opportunities and manager training. Here’s what the roll out will include:
Phase 1: Employees will take e-learning training to learn EOS fundamentals and the importance of DRT’s Vision/Traction Organizer (VTO). The VTO describes DRT’s company values, core focus (our passion), and our company goals (short and long term). The training will also explain:
- Rocks or, in essence, quarterly goals
- L10 meetings (Level 10 meeting structure)
- Scorecard measurables (metrics with the theory that everyone in the company should have a number/measurable that s/he is accountable for).
Phase 2: Managers will engage in a virtual training on Accountability Chart. They will learn how to create an accountability chart as well as define roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines. Managers will employ People Analyzer tools to help them identify prospective employees and get the right people in the right seats.
Stay tuned for more details to come as we introduce the first two phases.
Fall Features Family Festival, DRT Cares with YLF 5K
DRT continues its milestone 20th anniversary year with a Fall Retreat and with our annual 5k fundraiser to show support for our cherished corporate charity, the Youth Leadership Foundation. Here’s the details:
20th Anniversary Fall Festival Retreat: Saturday, October 12, Smokey Glen Farm, Gaithersburg, MD
This family friendly event runs 3 to 6 PM, featuring:
- Barbecue picnic and Oktoberfest style foods
- Moon bounce and face painting
- Field games and team bonding including potato sack races, tug of war, obstacle courses, and more!
RSVP by Sept. 20 with total number attending. Please check your DRT email (or potentially your junk folder) for an invitation. Contact HR@DRTStrategies.com if you haven’t received an emailed invitation. (The email is from Paperless Post).
YLF 5k Race, Saturday, September 14, DC & Atlanta
We want to reach new heights in supporting the Youth Leadership Foundation! There’s still time to make a positive impact on the lives of D.C.-area kids by:
- Registering to run/walk in person. Family, friends and pets are welcome. The cost to register is $45 per adult/$25 youth (in-person/10-16) and $35 youth (12 -16) and funds go directly to YLF.
- Attend & cheer us on. Donate directly and join us in-person on Sept. 14.
- Register to run, jog, or walk “virtually” by Sept 14. Log your results and use the app of your choice and send results to donors@helpingkids.org.
- Donate directly to the YLF website and support their academic programs.
Use the DRT Portal located here. Reach out to your networks and invite friends, family, and neighbors to participate (they can join any DRT team) or donate. ATL registrants can indicate their location in the comments section when they register.
Six teams are competing to raise the most! So join a team or click on a team’s page. Thanks to these DRT Cares captains and teams: Jogging Jaguars (Captain Caprelle Curry); This is Us (Captain Aline Menezes); Code Sprinters (Captain Peter Colella); Dunder Mifflin (Captains Taylor Flieg and Ben Gibbons); Keeping with Next (Captain James Ebersole); and Road Runners (Captain Walter Dennard). Prizes will be awarded to the top fundraiser, fastest person, and more.
DC Location: Bluemont Park, 329 N Manchester Street, Arlington, VA 22203, Registration opens 8 AM & race starts at 9 AM.
ATL Location: Chamblee High School, 3688 Chamblee GA 30341.
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