A Business Approach to Marketing

OUTdrive Episode 125 with Darren Grove

At Callis, we take pride in putting together a great marketing team to develop and execute the best insights and strategies for our clients. Part of that comes from finding people with all types of business-related backgrounds, like sales, finance, or communications. Darren Grove, one of our account executives, is a prime example of that philosophy. Darren brings years of sales experience and high-level business education to our team. In this episode, Cliff and Darren cover a lot of ground on what makes a great sales, business, and marketing professional.

As our newest account executive, Darren has a passion for problem-solving through collaboration. Darren began his career selling wholesale printing in the Southwest and became a Sales Manager for New Mexico and Western Texas. He continued his sales career moving into pharmaceutical sales and ultimately sold medical implants used in spinal fusion surgery. Darren received his undergraduate degree in Aviation from the University of North Dakota and his MBA from the University of Oklahoma. Growing up between Climax, Minnesota, and Soldotna, Alaska, Darren has lived the definition of the rural American lifestyle.

Tune into this episode to hear his insights on communicating with a highly educated audience, and what business schools are teaching future entrepreneurs and business leaders.

SHOW NOTES

• 2:00 – Darren outlines his rural American background, growing up in both Minnesota and Alaska, and how that exposure led him to pursue a degree in aeronautics
• 4:30 – Darren’s enjoyment of flying drones and some recent examples of where he has been able to utilize his aviation skills and knowledge
• 6:30 – The strategies and paradigm shifts Darren saw throughout the course of his sales career
• 9:00 – Why it’s important that marketers have a knowledge of business to be successful
• 10:45 – Darren describes his experience in the medical sales arena and learning how to deliver your pitch to highly educated medical personnel
• 13:30 – Darren shares how his sales and B2B experience has transferred to marketing
• 16:10 – Darren shares his favorite part of his job as an account executive and insights from his entrepreneurial education
• 19:45 – Darren outlines his key takeaways from earning his MBA – primarily collaboration
• 22:15 – What Darren enjoys doing outside of work and some of the community boards he is involved with
• 25:10 – How Darren would describe rural America
• 27:00 – Darren shares his closing thoughts on marketing and highlights the research and care that goes behind each strategy