Drew Doran
- Account Executive
- Total Quality Logistics
School Information
School: Grand Valley State
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2018-2019
Career Information
Working For: Total Quality Logistics
Title: Account Executive
Industry: Logistics
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
Bring in new sales and manage book of business.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?One of my positions I was working at a company called CyberCoders. In the middle of my first year I became a top performer in Q3 throughout the whole company. I made about $50,000 in a 3 month time period. On a personal note, I have completed 75 Hard 3 times since being done at college. How does this correlate? If you are a high caliber INDIVIDUAL that is what’s going to lead to more success than just a normal skill set. Your confidence, self belief, intellectual curiosity, etc. can separate you from everyone else.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
It gave me some of my closest friends and also taught me a lot about the real world.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
It impacted it positively by being able to get a high level Account Executive job right out of school due to the sales experience.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
My favorite client was a gentleman named Robert. I remember vividly because it was the very last house that I completed for the year. Not only was it the last one but it was by far the best project I ever did. The house looked amazing, I made over $3,000 profit, and he tipped me and all the painters $100 bills at the end. He was a great guy. The estimate was only 10 minutes and he had no problem trusting me to do the project for around $8,000.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Never give up. You only “fail” if you stop trying. I believe I only sold 2 houses out of my first 25 estimates (this is really bad). But I kept pushing and then I did $85,000 in revenue that summer, went to Cancun, and became a DM that next year. Adversity is going to come… it is how you deal with that adversity and fight back which determines how things play out for you.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
One of my closest friends to this day was my DM- his name is Ben DeVries. There were others I was great friends with during that time as well. The reason me & Ben are still close to this day is because we are like minded. We want to win, become great, and live a bad ass life. You will develop stronger friendships in this program than normal because a friendship that forms from common views on pursuing success is way more deep than other normal friendships. You develop a more meaningful friendship with people who share a same level of work ethic and excitement for growth.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
Get used to being uncomfortable and ready to grow as a person. I saw many talented peers of mine quit because it was too uncomfortable for them and they were not willing to take on the challenge. The reason it’s worth it is BECAUSE of the challenge. You will not grow without getting uncomfortable and doing the things only a small percentage of people will do. But you know what’s more uncomfortable? Staying average and not pushing yourself.
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
I’m sure there are other good sales internships out there too. However, I highly doubt they will have the same level of growth potential that you will experience as a person. This is because you are thrown into real world situations not only to sell but also to produce and manage the projects. This develops an entrepreneurial mind which will allow you to see the world differently and develop a stronger skill set.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
College Works Painting is one of the best things a college student can do if they are interested in getting into sales. If you have the ability to go door to door and sell in the snow… you will be far more prepared for the business world compared to your other peers. The real world is much harder than college (it can be unforgiving at times) This is not a bad thing, it is just the reality of the world most people will not teach you until you experience it yourself. Sales is metric based so it’s on you to perform! If you get a taste of that with the internship you will be ready to go take on any sales endeavor you have after that.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
Earning the trips to Windsor, Cancun, and Orange County.
Last words of wisdom?
I’m 27 now so it has been quite some years since I was working as an intern with CWP. But writing out some of my experiences here brought me back some great memories and how awesome of a time that was in my life. This program is for people who are truly serious about leveling themselves up before heading out into the business world. In the beginning there will be a voice in your head coming up with excuses on why it may not be a good idea. This is because the program is challenging and will cause a lot of discomfort in the beginning. But what you need to understand is there is no improvement or growth without going through this process. This is true in regards to anything in life. That is why CWP is valuable because you are able to understand that concept at a young age if you follow through with what you set out to do. You will have moments where you feel extremely discouraged and then you will have moments where you feel invincible on what you have been able to do. The money is great if you can make it, but giving you a reality check on how the real world is going to be is very valuable. They do not teach this in college. The truth is the world is merit based which means your performance MATTERS. Your results MATTER. If you can truly understand that at age 20, 21, 22 you will be miles ahead of everyone else.