John King is a sales and marketing executive with proven successes across a wide range of industries.  In early July, John took on his new role as group leader for the loyalty and motivation business unit of Maritz, which specializes in incentive programs for Fortune 500 companies.

How did you first meet Ed Kelleher and Kelleher Associates?

I found out about Ed Kelleher from a childhood friend who is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company.  We were having lunch, and I was discussing the situation at my then-employer, and my friend recommended I get in touch with Ed.  I did a little research, found out about the coaching aspects of Kelleher Associates, and met Ed for the first time while I was still employed.  He and I hit it off, and he told me to “do what you need to do, I’ll see you soon.”  When I was still with my earlier employer, I had seen some inconsistencies at the firm that concerned me.  Soon enough, I was working with Ed, started in early 2009 and really got into it last summer. 

What was the driving force behind your decision to work with Kelleher?

First of all, they are good people and look at you as a friend.  They are all knowledgeable about the marketplace and experienced with many industries.  I didn’t have any outplacement from my previous employer; I invested my own money, and found it was very well spent.  What’s really special about them is that they are “sharpshooters,” in that they could help me look at my past but also identify what I want to do in my future.   Over the last year, so much has changed.  I hired Ed to help me develop a lifelong network, meet new people, reconnect with old friends, really building it up from scratch.  He helped me assess my skills, talents and desires.  I had thought about sports marketing or working with a non-profit, but I had never had the chance to look before.  The driving force is preparation for the rest of my professional life. I worked with Ed one-on-one at least once a week working on tightening up my resume and cover letters, finding right jobs to go after, networking, working with other members of the Kelleher team.  I went into the office several days each week to remain consistent with my past routine, and it helped me realize that I was now the product of my efforts.

What other aspects of working with Kelleher Associates did you find useful?

Obviously the great coaching I received and contacts I was introduced to by Ed and his colleagues, the opportunity to spend a day in the office to get work done on my resume, cover letters, searches, networking.  I spent a lot of time in interview prep, networking and seminars.  I really thought that the Myers-Briggs and other assessment tools gave me a better feel for where I should be looking, what I should be looking for.  Once I had a clear idea, and was open-minded to new areas and started to network properly, it became much easier.  I learned that I was getting very few responses from executive search firms, and I found that websites like Career Builder and others gave me a false sense of accomplishment – “I just applied for a number of jobs today,” but other than the occasional postcard there is rarely any follow-up.  Ed taught me the real importance of networking with my peer group, meeting people who know other people.  I believe that 70-80 percent of all successful job searches and transitions succeed because of networking – it’s probably even higher than that.

What is your new job, and how did you find it?

My new job is with Maritz in Philadelphia, in the loyalty and motivation business unit where we develop strategic alliances with incentive firms, advertising agencies, event specialty firms and others to serve the needs of their clients leveraging our strengths to help somewhat similar, smaller companies that serve the same market.  I started on July 6th.  The process of finding out about Maritz and getting the job actually only took three weeks.  I was networking over lunch with a colleague from a former company, he handles pharmaceutical clients at Maritz, and he casually mentioned, “Have you ever thought of coming to Maritz?”  I actually had not; in fact my last job was with one of their competitors.  My friend suggested he’d throw my hat in the ring, although he didn’t know of any openings.  We went through the HR department, and the next day I had my first interview by telephone, with my eventual new boss.  During that period I was a candidate for two other jobs; the first one was with a non-profit, but even after meeting all the board members and the CEO, they didn’t think they had the budget to hire me at that point but maybe later.  Then I was a finalist for a training software development company, flew down to Atlanta for a two-day round of interviews, they then selected another candidate with more software experience.  That was the day my current boss called me again and offered me the job at Maritz.  I went from disappointment to elation very quickly.  Through this process I learned it’s all about timing and who you meet.  The whole process made me stronger, wiser and more experienced.

Ed and his colleagues at Kelleher Associates taught me about managing the highs and lows, and managing the transition process.  I never had to look outside like this before.  Ed attracts high-performing people, CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and others, people who have gone through this before.  You get to share their thoughts and experience and you begin to realize that this whole process will make you a better person.  Again, I invested in this concept, I invested my own money in Ed and Kelleher Associates, and it was the best money I ever spent.