A Conversation with John Lester, Our New Sales Director

We recently sat down with John Lester, who has joined us as Sales Director, to hear about his background, what drew him to our organisation, and what we can expect in this exciting new chapter. From Elvis impersonations to ambitious growth plans, John brings a unique mix of personality, experience and clear direction.

Let’s start from the beginning. Can you tell us a bit about your journey and how it led you here?

I’ve been working in a compliance-related field for over 25 years, whether it be environmental, health and safety, quality, cyber supply chain or product testing. This has involved managing the safety and consultancy function at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and 18 years in the Testing, Inspection and Certification industry, working for large organisations such as the British Standards Institute and Bureau Veritas. I have a real passion to develop teams and speak with clients in this area, and I saw huge potential with PIB’s offering, its enviable customer base and ambition to grow in risk management.

What was it about PIB that really caught your attention?

I found PIB’s ambition and expanse and its journey in risk management exciting and resonant with the values of being ambitious, collaborative, and entrepreneurial. This, on top of an exciting and broad range of solutions covering HR, business continuity, software, safety and people development, was incredibly attractive.

You’re stepping into a big role; what are you prioritising in these early days?

I’m firstly really looking forward to getting to know all the team and creating strong networks there and around the risk management and insurance businesses. A top priority for me is to create some structure, cadence and a platform for development and learning, to celebrate success, understand activity and allow all team members to have a clear direction of travel.

Let’s talk leadership. How do you approach leading a sales team?

It’s always collaborative, and ensuring people communicate openly and constructively, sharing best practices and replicating where possible, but most crucially celebrating success together, both little victories and large wins. A key is to ensure every team member has clear direction that’s shared with the wider business to promote collaboration and demonstrate how we can create a sustainable long-term pipeline – and be incredibly successful!

Sales has changed a lot over the years. What trends are you watching, and how do you plan to stay ahead?

Things have certainly evolved already, as sales is now a multimedia profession, covering telephone, e-mail, social media and physical interactions. We will certainly see technological advancements like AI and automation and a stronger emphasis on digital engagement and customer experience, which we are already in part aware of and ahead of with ChatPIB for example, and will work on as time progresses. One thing, however, that will always remain vital is salespeople’s product knowledge, expertise and consultative advice and the ability to create long-lasting relationships with clients and assist buying decisions through knowledge and proactivity.

Is there a sales mantra or philosophy that you always come back to?

I’ve always believed that ‘quality, quantity and direction’ are the most important philosophies in sales teams I’ve had the fortune to work with – quality – about ensuring your knowledge, questioning and interaction with the client are high; quantity – to understand the numbers you need to maintain to be successful; and direction – a clear plan to overachieve!

And when it comes to building a strong team, what do you value most?

I value above all teams collaborating with each other and supporting each other, sharing best practices, coaching each other and achieving successes through this collectively and individually. Providing feedback to me and each other, sharing insight and being open, honest and constructive make for successful and exciting teams to work with.

Sales doesn’t happen in isolation. How do you plan to work with other departments?

I plan to ensure the sales team collaborate on their sales plans, socialising them – as sales is not performed in a vacuum – so all key stakeholders see and agree on the direction, challenging and helping to build it, is one of the areas I want to focus on. Additionally, I plan to really set up time with each key stakeholder over the next few weeks and build regular discussions on how we can continue to improve, whilst also showcasing risk management to insurance colleagues. I’d like to thank everyone so far for how helpful and engaging they’ve been on my first few weeks here!

Now for something a little lighter: any surprising talents we should know about?

I hesitate to admit this – but – I can and do a passable Elvis Presley and have in the past raised money for charity, but as the years have advanced, I may need to invest in a new jumpsuit!

Looking ahead, what are you most excited about?

It’s the vast potential with the suite of products we have here, combined with the enthusiasm colleagues have shown in the sales team and outside of the sales team, giving us a massive potential of solutions we can offer customers.

Finally, any words you’d like to share with the team or our clients?

Again, thank you for the warm welcome I’ve received and the enthusiasm from all – simply looking forward to lots of collaboration, fun and success!