"I learned from Coach Tressel's example how to treat other people," says Jeff. "He always treated people with respect."
That influence is still strong two decades later. If you ask Dane Burks why he decided to team up with Jeff, the first thing he will say is that Jeff is really easy to get along with. "I've known Jeff for 10 years and he has always been easy to work with."
Jeff Wilson joined up with Dane this summer to carry out Dane Burks and Company's mission to help fitness centers perform at the top of their game. Jeff provides Dane with a strong sales background and the loyalty of customers across several states. The company now has a sales program to match their reputation for service.
"I had done some sales and a few calls," says Dane, "but what Jeff brings is his experience in structured sales. . . . In the dozen years or so he was with StairMaster and Nautilus, he never missed a quota, which is really saying something."
So what's in it for Jeff to team up with Dane? He says his early years with StairMaster and Nautilus were enjoyable because the companies were relatively small and close-knit. I've always had a good relationship with Dane, and when the opportunity presented itself, it appealed to me. I feel part of a team again to be with Dane and get his sales going. He had a real strong service business going, and what I could bring was the sales side with my experience and customer knowledge."
Adds Deanna, Dane's wife and VP of Dane Burks and Co.,"When the idea came up that Jeff wanted to transition out of the corporate world into something more family-like, it seemed the natural thing to do to team up."
Team sports in the blood
Jeff was born in Kent, Ohio. He played linebacker for a high school 30 miles from the Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Although strong and fast, he wasn't as big as many linebackers, especially at the college level. He overcame this deficit in the weight room and by playing over the top. His hard work and abilities paid off with a full scholarship to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He eventually transferred to Western Kentucky, where he met his future wife, Ellisha Jaggers.
If you're familiar at all with Kentucky football, that name sounds familiar. Elissha’s father, Joe Jaggers, is the winningest high school coach in Kentucky. Her brother, Marty, also has high school championships under his belt.
It was the high school weight room that ignited Jeff's passion for fitness equipment. He headed to college to be a strength coach, but his people skills led him into fitness club management. For a dozen years, he managed fitness clubs, including eight years as manager of the 4000-member E-Town Swim and Fitness Center in Elizabethtown. His years running fitness clubs gave him in insider's view of the headaches of the fitness club owner or operator. Dane and I both came from the operations side of fitness centers. We lived with equipment and the daily issues of running a fitness center. So we take care of the customer the way we wanted to be taken care of when we ran fitness centers.”
He knows how to make fitness centers perform. At each fitness center he managed, Jeff increased profitability. How? By improving the basics: expanding fitness areas, training staff, and improving programming. These steps led to an influx of new members, higher member retention, and a better-run facility.
Fitness as a hobby
He didn't turn into a couch potato once his college football days were over. He still loves to work out nearly every day. And when he's on the road, he likes to visit other fitness centers and try out different pieces of equipment.
"Learning about fitness equipment has been a hobby of mine," he says.
Even today, in his late 40s, Jeff looks fit. But his laid-back ways put everyone at ease.
"He is so laid back, oh my goodness," says Deanna with a laugh.
In fact, Jeff defies the stereotype of the successful salesman. He's not aggressive. He speaks gently. It may surprise some that he was regional sales manager for Nautilus, consistently exceeding his $12 million sales target in his 12-state region. But there's a simple explanation for his success. He treats people like they are all on the same team, pulling in the same direction. It's another lesson he learned from football.
"From football, I learned to work with others as a team member. I work with people for a common good, not competing against them."
Hands-on support
Dane is quick to point out that Jeff's not afraid to get his hands dirty when there's work to be done.
"Jeff can also do service. I didn't need someone who comes in with a white shirt and expects others to do the hard work. I get my hands dirty. I do service, I do installations, and I expect everyone I work with to work the same way, and Jeff's very much willing to do that."
Jeff sees this as the start of a long-term relationship. He says his immediate objective is to develop and increase sales of new and used equipment in Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia. "My long-term vision is to continue to expand the coverage of sales and service into a 12-state regional base, if not further." His motivation is his two daughters in college, and a 12-year-old son who hopes to go one day (Jeff hopes a full scholarship is waiting on him, as well).
But he is motivated by his customers’ needs, too. He wants to help them make their fitness centers successful.
When he was with Nautilus, he came up with a customer referral program which added a half-million dollars in annual sales. That's Jeff's way--rather than increasing sales by berating his sales crew into pushing equipment out the door, he came up with a way that his customers could spread the word about Nautilus' equipment. He knew the sales would come if people talked about how good the equipment is. Jeff doesn't believe in making sales, he believes in getting his customers what they need. That's more than being a good salesman--that's just plain great service.
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For more information about how Jeff and Dane can improve your facility's performance, contact Jeff at 615 681 6983. Or visit us online to have Jeff contact you.
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