With a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Central Florida, Rob Persiano has since transitioned into the role of acting COO of Seneca Resources in Reston, Virginia. Rob Persiano works with the company’s founding partners to develop, implement, and execute strategic plans that help increase the company’s profits. In his free time, he likes to play tennis, lift weights, and ski at Utah’s Alta Ski Resort.Operating since 1938, Alta Ski Resort is one of the only three “ski only” resorts that do not allow snowboarding. This revelation came to light when Burton Snowboards hosted a contest in late 2007 encouraging its snowboarders to document poaching of the slopes near the resorts. Taos Ski Valley lifted its ban that following spring, whereas Mad River Glen, Deer Valley Resort, and Alta remain true to only strictly allowing skiing.So why doesn’t Alta allow snowboarding? initially, due to the lack of snowboard instructors, many snowboarders were self-taught and out of control on the trails. Nowadays, Alta maintains the reputation of catering to powder hounds and hardcore skiers and does not want to lose its status in the skiing world.
Based in Reston, Virginia, Rob Persiano is an established staffing and HR executive who has extensive experience boosting corporate sales. An executive MBA graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Rob Persiano has completed Center for Creative Leadership coursework, as well as Sandler Training.Sandler Training was developed by CEO Dave Mattson, who is also the author of The Sandler Rules: 49 Timeless Selling Principles and How to Apply Them. His integrity-driven methodology is based on foundational principles such as talking less and asking more questions, with the 70/30 rule defining the proper ratio of listening to talking.This has to do with sales being a process that, even when initiated by the salesperson, involves a self-discovery period before a decision is made as to whether the product or service is needed. With resistance to the sales pitch pre-programmed, an optimal approach is to ask questions that lead to self-discovery and the underlying need that needs to be filled.With the sales process framed as an open, honest conversation, the salesperson should be ready to provide informed advice and recommendations when they are requested. Third-person stories that demonstrate the utility of the product or service can be particularly effective. When the prospect comes to a conclusion on his own, resistance vanishes, as that person now feels that he “owns” it.
