Ron Pearl
VP Sales

Q.  What do you do at TMP Direct?

A.  I'm the head of new business development, which is a fancy word for sales.  I look for companies that would be a good fit for TMP Direct. 

Q.  What makes a company a good fit for TMP Direct?

A.  One of the most important things we look for is companies with a corporate culture that demands excellence at every stage of prospect or customer handling. 

Q.  In the 15 years you've been with TMP Direct, what are the biggest changes you've seen?

A.  I've seen three big changes.  There are more off-shore and near-shore call centers now.  The emergence of the Internet and email are obviously big changes.  And the increase in voice recognition and "press 1 for ..." systems are other changes.

Some companies are making the most of these developments and are providing excellent service to customers and prospects.  Many other companies are really irritating people by adopting these new technologies.  Maybe that's why call centers have even become a common topic for comedians.  And there are several websites out there telling people how to "crack the code" of call routing systems so you can get right through to a live human being.

Q.  What changes would you like to see in the call center industry?

A.  I wish more marketers today would embrace that customer and prospect care is really important.  We can demonstrate that good service can improve a company's ROI, but it's just not a sexy business.  Many companies look at call centers as a necessary evil rather than as a great way to keep customers loyal and increase sales. Fortunately, TMP Direct clients know that customer/prospect care is critical to long-term success.

Q.  Ron, what do you do in your spare time?

A.  I like to work with tile.  Sales has many intangibles, but working with tile is precise and linear — and you can see the fruits of your labor quickly.  It's a nice change at the end of the day.

Q.  Tell me something about yourself, like what's your favorite food? 

A.  I don't really have a favorite food.  But I can tell you that I would order whatever the weirdest thing on the menu is ... eel, tongue, rattlesnake, whatever.

Q.  You did something pretty amazing for your 50th birthday ...

A.  Yes, I ran a marathon.  I trained for about 6 months because I wanted to prove to myself that I could.  I'm thinking about doing an Iron Man Triathlon -- that's swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, then running a marathon.  But maybe running one marathon in a lifetime is enough.

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