Kelly Perdew Sales Champion Current position: Managing Director, Angel Venture Partners Age: 40 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Kelly Perdew - From "The Long Gray Line" to Donald Trump.

Below is the result of our interview with Kelly.

Sales Overview
How long have you been in sales? Everybody is in sales their whole life! ;) I've been in formal sales since I raised angel and VC money for my first venture in 1995.

How did you get started? I needed to sell the concept of a company and raise investment dollars.

What do you like most about sales? Closing. Every close is a validation of the business concept and enables additional growth in the business.

What sales method do you follow? None. Every type of sale is different, every customer/investor is different, and every business is different.

What is the name of your best sales manager ever? (so far!) Steve Wynne -- the ex-CEO of adidas North America.

What made this manager so good? Empathy and intelligence. He connects with everyone that he speaks to and is incredibly smart so he can quickly understand what they value in any deal.

What made your worst manager so bad? (No comment here.)

How do you prepare for a big meeting? Exhaustive research on the target and 1-2 practice rounds. Plan for contingencies.

Selling Track Record
What is the most you ever sold in a year? I'm in the process of raising a $100M VC fund. That will be the largest sale for me.

How long did it take to book your biggest order? Everyone told us it would take us 2 years to raise a first-time fund. Looks like they were right!

Why did the customer buy from you? Team, product, persistence.

Private Life
What is your favorite movie? A Few Good Men. My military background has numerous business applications and the "lead, follow or get out of the way" mentality needs to be institutionalized in more companies.

Who is a role model to you? Leonardo Da Vinci.

How do you relax? Working out, reading, fly-fishing.

What 3 people would you like have to dinner?

How do you start the day? 30-60 minutes on me. Development, new deals, reading, whatever. But something to make me better. Pay yourself first.

How do you end work each day? Set up the list for tomorrow.

Technology & Strategy
What smartphone - pda do you use? 100% digital workplace.

What PIM/CRM do you use? I've used Salesforce.com but typically fall back to excel.

How do you stay organized? DO NOT PROCRASTINATE.

How do you prevent a slump? Always measure everything. If you're measuring it, you can impact it.

Changes
How do you want to be described in a sentence? An organized and professional leader.

Alternative Universe
If you were not in sales, what would you do instead? My dream has been to be a Venture Capitalist.

Closing Question
How is it to be interviewed by the Sales Whisperer?