Embracing change and CITY’s sales philosophy

Despite COVID-19 changing CITY Sales Manager Chriss Carsello’s daily routine, he believes embracing change and turning the negative into something positive is an essential part of CITY’s culture and philosophy.

“There are a lot of things that make a day either a good day or a bad day. It could be the weather, it could be your night’s sleep or the situation we are in right now,” Chriss said. “It’s what we make of it. It’s all about what’s inside of you, as a person, what’s in your heart, what’s in your head.”

Chriss has been in several management and sales roles for the latter part of two decades. For the past eight years at CITY, Chriss has worked to create an environment fostering relationships with clients all across Iowa and Minnesota and embracing the opportunity to teach new employees the same.

“As a sales organization, every time we put a proposal together, every time we go out and we meet with a prospect, we are putting our very best program together for them,” Chriss said. “If I were the one needing our services, I would want someone to come in and convince me that their product and service are the best for my business.”

While cost is always a factor for Chriss, he never bases his decisions solely on one factor. He believes winning on price means eventually losing on price. This philosophy makes Chriss’s sales approach multifaceted, and he believes so should a prospect’s decision. He wants his sales staff to understand that convincing someone CITY has the best service for them is the first step, after that it’s all about rapport building.

“People buy from those they know, like and trust,” Chriss said. “Sales is like dating. I didn’t ask my wife to marry me the very first time I met her. You have to build a relationship.”

Chriss also says a 100% guarantee never works under any circumstance. No matter how great the product or service is, mistakes are bound to happen, but he believes his sales staff along with the entire team at CITY, mistakes can be fixed responsively and improve overall operation. Chriss is confident in what he calls the people behind the scenes. He knows CITY has the right people whether they are in service, production or in the front office. The CITY culture is all about making sure CITY’s clients are cared for and served the right way.

“I truly feel that the service we are providing is helping people in their day-to-day,” Carsello said. “Whether it’s uniform, facility services, or first aid. I mean, you name it. It’s the little things that we do or the big things that we do, that help others run their business.”