{"id":50969,"date":"2022-07-28T13:44:59","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T20:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=50969"},"modified":"2022-07-28T14:23:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T21:23:47","slug":"the-vertical-queen-difference-maker-kate-kingston-a-master-of-paving-engagements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2022\/07\/the-vertical-queen-difference-maker-kate-kingston-a-master-of-paving-engagements\/","title":{"rendered":"Difference Maker Kate Kingston a Master of Paving Engagements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Kate Kingston<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How can one best understand just what makes Kate Kingston tick? For the answer to the motivation and the success behind the founder of Kingston Training Group (KTG), we offer a microcosm of the experience from the viewpoint of one of her students, a female sales executive from a former Global Imaging Company satellite in Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This rep, \u201cSarah,\u201d was in her early 20s and was consistently late for the training sessions. Kingston pondered that perhaps Sarah had been out late socializing, as evidenced by her lethargy and lack of energy during the early morning sessions. Anyone who has witnessed Kingston in action is quite familiar with her boundless enthusiasm and improbable adrenalin supply, thus Sarah\u2019s flaccid demeanor stood in stark contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the outward appearance, Sarah flourished throughout the four-month engagement, and during the final meeting, she shared her story with Kingston. Sarah was a foster mother to two young boys, and as a single parent, she struggled to make ends meet. But the training sessions proved to be a blessing; Sarah was able to make more meetings, close more deals, and could now afford to send her boys to karate lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The training fees Kingston reaps may pay the bills, but the satisfaction of success stories such as Sarah\u2019s provides both validation of KTG\u2019s program and the satisfaction of being a difference maker in someone else\u2019s life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKnowing that my training directly affects the income of my reps, and enables them to provide for their families, is a huge motivating factor for me,\u201d said Kingston, a 2022 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker as well. \u201cBettering people\u2019s lives is a gratifying part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingston is a walking, talking happy pill who has a salutary effect on those she engages with on any level. The poster child for infectious enthusiasm, Kingston follows a mantra, \u201cThe way you do anything is the way you do everything,\u201d and follows through by emptying her full supply of effort into training calls, the content she creates and the interactions with her students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She utilizes a unique approach to prospecting by customizing the conversations to the customer, their company, the business vertical and the executive\u2019s responsibility at that company. All told, that knowledge provides a clear understanding of how technology infrastructure proprietarily impacts the client\u2019s business model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star is born<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingston\u2019s background is essentially a case study in discovering one\u2019s true strengths. An aspiring actress, Kingston was working to complete her master\u2019s degree in theater and was moonlighting as a waitress, but the second-hand restaurant smoke in the era before \u2018no smoking\u2019 became ubiquitous was not conducive to her voice. So she took a part-time job as a receptionist for an on-demand printing company in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day, the owner told her how customers were raving about her voice, and offered Kingston a full-time gig as the receptionist. Instead, she sold the owner on the idea of becoming an appointment setter, which at that point was not an established role. Kingston closed the deal by offering to get paid on only those appointments set. She was essentially handed a Crain\u2019s listing book of businesses and left to her own talents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first call, to makeup\/perfume giant Avon, illustrated Kingston\u2019s critical thinking skills and foreshadowed her vertical prospecting prowess. She knew the key to success was connecting the dots between Avon\u2019s desire to move more cosmetics product and the printer\u2019s ability to craft marketing pieces. Kingston knew that talk track would be most effective in setting an appointment and opening a broader conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A star was born; Kingston knew she wanted to be on a stage, but little did she know the theater would be corporate instead of mainstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI immediately had great success at appointment setting, and eventually they asked me to teach their sales executives how I was making so many focused C-level executive meetings,\u201d Kingston recalled. \u201cIt was then that I realized I could transfer my success with other sales executives, which started my career as a sales trainer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the Global Imaging office was her first session after moving on from the on-demand printer. She guaranteed GIC at least a 50% sustainable increase in net-new meetings or the training would be free. That guarantee has since been applied to every one of her engagements and not once has she had to cut the client a refund check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m the only training company in our industry that guarantees results, which has definitely helped,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingston has flourished with the benefit of Mike Stramaglio\u2019s Consortium, having tapped the insights of industry luminaries including Ed McLaughlin, Dan Cooper and Rick Taylor. Stramaglio has been generous with his ideas, she said, and has created opportunities for her to succeed and grow within the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMike has imparted to me some of his work ethic, which includes hard work, commitment, enthusiasm and generosity, which are all qualities that will get you ahead in life and business,\u201d Kingston added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Cooper, then a major cog in the GIC engine, who provided Kingston the opportunity to share her methods with a dozen member companies. She also added to her impressive resume when Doug Pitassi tapped her to work with the Pacific Office Automation team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolving Program<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KTG is coming off a campaign in which its Customer Service Excellence program has gained traction on a national level. According to Kingston, business technology dealerships understand that a focus on creating excellence with every interaction with the customer is an important component to keeping their business moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe earn and keep the business of our customers every day\u2014not just when we’re renewing contracts\u2014by leveling the professionalism, standardizing the query answers, and communicating customer appreciation with every interaction with the customer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Moving forward, Kingston believes training that incorporates marketing, video and social media into prospecting efforts will continue to produce results. Prospecting to the top 40 accounts in a dealer\u2019s territory, she says, will yield clients that are profitable and thus take advantage of all solutions a dealer has to offer. Additional enhancements are being made to KTG\u2019s program that focus on sales recruitment quotas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how does a training guru raise her own game? Books, podcasts, blogs, TED Talks and other information channels from the world\u2019s highest-performing executives help to increase her knowledge and understanding of how business works. In turn, she repurposes the wisdom to disseminate through her training sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI schedule at least 10 hours of reading a week and I know continuing that will help me in my pursuit of accomplishing better results with my sales teams, increase profits for my company and keep me in front of my competition,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kingston and her husband, Rob Fields, have been married for more than 30 years. Fields also joined forces with KTG as its CEO. The couple has two children: son Will, 22, works in the Big Apple music scene as an engineer and member of the group The Sheer Currents. Daughter Zoe, 20, is entering her junior year at The Ohio State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she\u2019s not logging 50 hours a week with her business, Kingston donates her time to various organizations. She works with a Jewish charity where she trains Orthodox women to fundraise, as they don\u2019t have a real opportunity to make money outside the home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCreating some independence for them means a lot to me,\u201d Kingston noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also dedicates one month a year to enjoy the best the Caribbean has to offer, even while sneaking in a little work. \u201cI’m able to swim in the ocean and enjoy the sun daily while I am there, so that\u2019s not a bad gig,\u201d Kingston noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How can one best understand just what makes Kate Kingston tick? For the answer to the motivation and the success behind the founder of Kingston Training Group (KTG), we offer a microcosm of the experience from the viewpoint of one of her students, a female sales executive from a former Global Imaging Company satellite in Seattle. This rep, \u201cSarah,\u201d was in her early 20s and was consistently late for the training sessions. Kingston pondered that perhaps Sarah had been out late socializing, as evidenced by her lethargy and lack of energy during the early morning sessions. Anyone who has witnessed Kingston in action is quite familiar with her boundless enthusiasm and improbable adrenalin supply, thus Sarah\u2019s flaccid demeanor stood in stark contrast. Despite the outward appearance, Sarah flourished throughout the four-month engagement, and during the final meeting, she shared her story with Kingston. Sarah was a foster mother to two young boys, and as a single parent, she struggled to make ends meet. But the training sessions proved to be a blessing; Sarah was able to make more meetings, close more deals, and could now afford to send her boys to karate lessons. The training fees Kingston reaps may pay the bills, but the satisfaction of success stories such as Sarah\u2019s provides both validation of KTG\u2019s program and the satisfaction of being a difference maker in someone else\u2019s life. \u201cKnowing that my training directly affects the income of my reps, and enables them to provide for their families, is a huge motivating factor for me,\u201d said Kingston, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker as well. \u201cBettering people\u2019s lives is a gratifying part of my life.\u201d Kingston is a walking, talking happy pill who has a salutary effect on those she engages with on any level. The poster child for infectious enthusiasm, Kingston follows a mantra, \u201cThe way you do anything is the way you do everything,\u201d and follows through by emptying her full supply of effort into training calls, the content she creates and the interactions with her students. She utilizes a unique approach to prospecting by customizing the conversations to the customer, their company, the business vertical and the executive\u2019s responsibility at that company. All told, that knowledge provides a clear understanding of how technology infrastructure proprietarily impacts the client\u2019s business model. Star is born Kingston\u2019s background is essentially a case study in discovering one\u2019s true strengths. An aspiring actress, Kingston was working to complete her master\u2019s degree in theater and was moonlighting as a waitress, but the second-hand restaurant smoke in the era before \u2018no smoking\u2019 became ubiquitous was not conducive to her voice. So she took a part-time job as a receptionist for an on-demand printing company in New York. One day, the owner told her how customers were raving about her voice, and offered Kingston a full-time gig as the receptionist. Instead, she sold the owner on the idea of becoming an appointment setter, which at that point was not an established role. Kingston closed the deal by offering to get paid on only those appointments set. She was essentially handed a Crain\u2019s listing book of businesses and left to her own talents. The first call, to makeup\/perfume giant Avon, illustrated Kingston\u2019s critical thinking skills and foreshadowed her vertical prospecting prowess. She knew the key to success was connecting the dots between Avon\u2019s desire to move more cosmetics product and the printer\u2019s ability to craft marketing pieces. Kingston knew that talk track would be most effective in setting an appointment and opening a broader conversation. A star was born; Kingston knew she wanted to be on a stage, but little did she know the theater would be corporate instead of mainstream. \u201cI immediately had great success at appointment setting, and eventually they asked me to teach their sales executives how I was making so many focused C-level executive meetings,\u201d Kingston recalled. \u201cIt was then that I realized I could transfer my success with other sales executives, which started my career as a sales trainer.\u201d In fact, the Global Imaging office was her first session after moving on from the on-demand printer. She guaranteed GIC at least a 50% sustainable increase in net-new meetings or the training would be free. That guarantee has since been applied to every one of her engagements and not once has she had to cut the client a refund check. \u201cI think I\u2019m the only training company in our industry that guarantees results, which has definitely helped,\u201d she added. Kingston has flourished with the benefit of Mike Stramaglio\u2019s Consortium, having tapped the insights of industry luminaries including Ed McLaughlin, Dan Cooper and Rick Taylor. Stramaglio has been generous with his ideas, she said, and has created opportunities for her to succeed and grow within the industry. \u201cMike has imparted to me some of his work ethic, which includes hard work, commitment, enthusiasm and generosity, which are all qualities that will get you ahead in life and business,\u201d Kingston added. It was Cooper, then a major cog in the GIC engine, who provided Kingston the opportunity to share her methods with a dozen member companies. She also added to her impressive resume when Doug Pitassi tapped her to work with the Pacific Office Automation team. Evolving Program KTG is coming off a campaign in which its Customer Service Excellence program has gained traction on a national level. According to Kingston, business technology dealerships understand that a focus on creating excellence with every interaction with the customer is an important component to keeping their business moving forward. \u201cWe earn and keep the business of our customers every day\u2014not just when we’re renewing contracts\u2014by leveling the professionalism, standardizing the query answers, and communicating customer appreciation with every interaction with the customer,\u201d she said. Moving forward, Kingston believes training that incorporates marketing, video and social media into prospecting efforts will continue to produce results. Prospecting to the top 40 accounts in a dealer\u2019s territory, she says, will yield clients that are profitable and thus take advantage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":49641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,84,1638],"tags":[2326],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50969"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50969"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50975,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50969\/revisions\/50975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}