I'm JD (John Dean). I've spent my career in B2B sales leadership, starting as a Business Development Manager at JD Edwards ERP, then General Manager and Country Manager roles at Walker Interactive Systems and Systems Union, where I ran a team of 50+ staff and over $15M in revenue, exceeding target for seven straight quarters, a record for the region.
In 2004 I founded Katalyst Consulting. Since then I've mentored business owners, sales directors, and sales teams, spoken at sales kick offs and conferences, and consulted on revenue strategy across a wide range of industries. In 2014 I founded The Sales Institute, a peer network for senior sales leaders. In 2019 I launched Sales Director Central, working as a fractional sales director for businesses turning over $1 to 20 million that sell complex solutions to infrequent buyers.
Outside consulting, I've judged the Consensus Software Awards (Australia and New Zealand's innovation awards, endorsed by Austrade and the Australian Computer Society), sat on the PowerfulPoints advisory board, and coached ruck skills at North Shore Australian Football Club, where I've helped multiple juniors secure professional contracts. I'm based in Sydney. I'm also, by my own admission, an AFL tragic.
Sales is a science, not an art. It's learnable, repeatable, and measurable.
Most sales problems aren't about closing. They're about qualifying badly and assuming urgency that isn't there.
Measure outcomes, not inputs. Ten bad cold calls and a hundred bad cold calls are the same problem at different volumes.
The goal isn't to sell to someone. It's to help them buy.
Fail = First Attempt In Learning. A loss review without guilt or blame is one of the most valuable things a sales team can do.