Our Employee Spotlight is on Michael Blink, Regional Director of Sales, and Marketing. Mike (AKA Blink around the office) has been with Steele for seven years. We spoke with Mike to learn more about his background, hobbies, and life highlights.
What kind of career did you lead before Steele?
I worked with Aflac in the sales department. I was introduced to Mike and Wes while collaborating with them on enrollments. After a while, I connected the dots and realized I wanted to be a part of the Steele team.
What was your first role and how has it evolved? I started as a Customer Success Manager. I did that for about two years and then moved to the VP of Customer Success. However, I missed working with our clients and wanted to get back to sales. I was promoted to Regional Director to help the team grow and take Steele to the next level.
How would you describe your role in one sentence? I build new relationships. It is hard to limit it to one sentence. I develop broker relationships, current customers, and new client relationships. Many of the clients we have now, I have a personal relationship with them. It is a fun part of the job, making new friends and lasting relationships.
Describe a typical workday. I send and receive emails and calls. Sometimes I am on the road visiting my clients or meeting prospective customers. I also may be hosting events or doing demos. Most of my day is focused on making our customers are being supported and happy.
Do you have any recent work success you can share? We have been working on a school district for 18 years and we finally secured them as a customer. The timing was finally right! I am also proud of our wonderful client retention. That is a tremendous success.
What is one thing you would like to add to the Steele office? Anyone that knows me is knows that I want to have the most amazing coffee machine. I want it to make everything! I am always at the coffee pot filling up my cup.
Outside of work, what kind of hobbies do you have? I like to golf. I like to hang out with my kids. We like to travel.
What is an interesting fact few people know about you? When I was in high school, I took a baseball to the face and broke my nose and upper jaw area and had a metal wire in my face to hold it together for a while.
If you had a time machine, would you travel to the future or back to the past? I would go to the late 1800s and 1900s. I love the gangster mob era. Also, I would love to visit the wild west when there were not any laws, and you could have some real fun.
What two items would you take with you if you were shipwrecked on a deserted island where all your food, water, and shelter needs were taken care of? Besides my family, of course, I would take my golf clubs and the most glorious coffee pot. I would be set for life.