Inside the Mind of a Top Salesman

Who is Scott Vinson? He's I.B.I.S. Inc.'s No. 1 salesman. A 30-something, 10-year veteran, he's made a name for himself for selling more Microsoft CRM and Great Plains Software than virtually anyone. Today, he ranks among the top Microsoft-Certified account executives in the channel. Here's what sets Vinson apart from the rest.

How long have you been in sales? 10 years

How did you get into this line of work? Chose it. Sales provides the opportunity to work in diverse industries while achieving a successful lifestyle.

Is I.B.I.S. Inc. your first job in high tech? No, I have been working in high tech for the last seven years. Most notably with Vantive, a leading CRM provider, Peoplesoft and Evolve, a professional- services automation software company.

What time do you start the day? 7:00, 7:30 a.m.

What's the first routine thing you do? Review my pipeline and forecast. My dashboard, on Microsoft CRM, is in my face every morning. We use everything we sell.

How many e-mails a day do you send? Probably 30.

How many phone calls do you make a day? That varies, too. Some days I may have one call for six hours, and then make another 10. Other days I might make 50 calls.

What do you read to keep up with the industry? Competitors' Web sites, webex demonstrations, their customer testimonials, seminars etc., and always with a focus on my current pipeline and key competitors in that space. I find it to be a great way to find out how they position themselves and why their customers are successful.

Favorite sales book? Solution Selling, Michael Bosworth.

What makes you successful? Listening to clients, identifying their issues so I.B.I.S. Inc. and our partners can provide our clients with solutions that map to those issues.

How have you learned to be successful? Aligning myself with the most successful people at each company I have worked for. Successful people have great habits. I have adopted those habits and personalized them.