About SalesFish

Sales-driven, Results-oriented, Strategically-based B2B Marketing.
Quality isn’t something that can be argued into an article or promised into it. It must be put there. If it isn’t put there, the finest sales talk in the world won’t act as a substitute.
C.G. Campbell

Bob’s big sales dilemma

Sales, Sales, Sales…

At SalesFish we understand the demands put on senior marketing and sales executives. We also understand that marketing and sales environments tend to be highly leveraged, and transactional, when they should be focused, and strategic. That’s where SalesFish can help “Improve your net”.

At SalesFish, all streams lead to sales and return on investment (ROI). SalesFish brings decades of expertise to the world of brand marketing and high-touch, B2B tele-sales activities.

SalesFish was born to fill a need for those emerging companies who see the value of outsourced best practices in the area of brand marketing and sales. We’re committed to a disciplined, strategic approach that produces “disruptive” marketing and sales strategies every time.

SalesFish isn’t interested in collaborating with just any client – only those who are dedicated to producing world-class business models and brands. We’re so serious about our client partnerships that we’ll only be teaming up with a handful of clients at any one time. Keeping our client base small will insure that we’re practicing what we preach, and that you’ll get our best and focused efforts consistently.

If you’re interested in throwing out the old overused and underserved “partnership” cliché’, then welcome to SalesFish, your team for quality, high-touch brand marketing and sales results.

“Improve your Net”

 

Meet the SalesFish Executive Team

 
 

KenChief Strategy Officer

When it comes to drive, Ken has one speed. Fast forward.

If you have a conversation with him, he might slow down long enough to tell you that he’s moved organizations from Point A to Point ROI faster than you can say “business development.” Many of his portfolio companies have seen a minimum of 20% growth – and a maximum of 1000%.

As Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Strata-Media, Inc. (www.strata-media.com) and now SalesFish, Inc., Ken Schmitz has been the brainpower behind the most successful, results-driven strategies and marketing plans in the company’s history. His creativity and strategic ability, combined with more than 20 years experience in sales and marketing, have earned him the underground title of WBDM – Weapon of Business Development Marketing.

Ken began his career in the IT department of Baxter Healthcare and cross-trained with companies like Pacific Telesis (Verizon), HTI Manufacturing and DRB Partners, working at the executive and VP level. Since then, he has executed successful business development marketing practices for Oracle, SAP, Cisco, Applied Material, Alcatel, Sony, Panasonic, Cardio Genesis, Farmers & Merchants Bank, No Red Tape Mortgage, New Century, Orange County’s Credit Union, Quality Systems, Triconex, Printronix, J.A.M.S., SYCR, SRSLabs, WOWthing, McKechnie Aerospace, Pacific Care, Artes Medical and Sybron Dental just to name a few.

Ken was recently recognized for his efforts in strategic planning from Michigan State University’s Eli Broad Graduate School, and for his participation in the Master’s in Organizational Leadership program at Biola University. His current client base generates billions of dollars in yearly sales.

If we sound biased, keep in mind that when it comes to Ken – well, there’s just no such thing as neutral.

DanBGChief Marketing Officer

Dan eats complex marketing problems for breakfast.

With 25 years experience in advertising and marketing – most of which involved owning and running his own business – Dan Notti has proven that he’s more than just an award-winning copywriter and creative genius. His problem-solving abilities are positively inspirational.

Dan has an uncanny and almost unnatural ability to take any business problem, analyze it, and approach it creatively with a marketing solution that yields tangible results. And he’s done this over and over, for clients such as Toshiba America Information Systems, ViewSonic, New Century Financial, Guidance Residential, Accredited Home Lenders, Siemens Building Technologies, Amada America, Westec Interactive Security, Citizen Business Machines and Varco International, among others. His involvement in international branding efforts has taken him to Canada, France, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Dan understands the difference between a simple marketing idea and game-changing insight. Brand insight is what he brings to the table, and the results are what keep his clients coming back for more.

As the Chief Marketing Officer for SalesFish, Dan will put his thinking cap on for all of SalesFish’s clients, combining his creative sensibilities with practical marketing solutions. Think your business challenge might be over his head? Try him. He loves a challenge.

LoriBGVice President of Client Services & Sales

Огнедышащий зверь!

Q: What do you get when you combine the brainpower of a former military intelligence linguist, the physical and mental agility of a Crossfit fanatic, and the experience of one of Panasonic’s top-selling sales executives?

A: SalesFish’s V.P. of Client Services & Sales, Lori Andrews, of course!

Lori began her career with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Bowling Green University. Her love of language led her to a position as a military intelligence linguist with the U.S. Army in Russia and Germany where she attained the highest possible security clearance. Lori speaks Russian, Spanish, and Czech, but if we told you more, we’d have to. . . well, you know.

This CrossFit enthusiast merged her mental toughness with her exceptional leadership skills to reach 230% of her multi-million-dollar quota(s) as a sales executive at Panasonic. From this enormous success, Lori continued her career with Strata-Media, where she used her expertise in strategic planning to integrate and develop next level marketing and sales programs into a wide variety of client industries.  This included sales results that garnered billions of dollars in quantifiable sales for her clients.

As a V.P. of Client Services & Sales at SalesFish, Lori unites her vast understanding of brand design and sales strategies with a disciplined approach, keeping her clients on the progressive edge of current sales and marketing tactics. Her gift for translating a client’s perceived needs into a full-service partnership stems from her love of business and her desire to bring success to her many SalesFish clients.

Keep an eye out for this one; she’s a fire breather, both in and out of the box.

Vice President of ChrisBGSales Development & Digital Strategies

Chris understands the science of sales. (And the sales of science).

It started early… as a kindergartner, Chris leveraged his unwanted Halloween candy for more desirable goods. This talent for negotiation and an early interest in research and analysis led to his marketing superpowers, which brought him across multiple industries from high technology to food, life sciences and the medical device space where he had the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s greatest inventors and breakthrough products.

Chris began his career as a Market Research Analyst at ITECS Innovative and quickly moved on to become the top performing sales executive at Nerac, Inc. Specializing in business development marketing, Chris has a natural gift for forging successful sales and marketing strategies. In fact, his performance metrics were used as the prototype for sales and profitability goal planning.

As the VP of Sales Development & Digital Strategies at SalesFish, Chris has brought his passion for research, marketing, and analysis to SalesFish’s clients. He holds a BA in both Consumer Behavior and Communications from the University of Connecticut and combines his passion for client services with his love of data analysis. Chris works closely with SalesFish clients to mediate the intricacies of data and demand (lead generation) development. His critical mind and love of all things marketing data related make him a central component of the SalesFish leadership team.

You may be able to run but he will find you…

johnbgSr. Research Analyst

Need real research that yields applicable insight? John is on the case.

With over 15 years experience in research, financial service and technology, John is our resident sleuth. His robust and diverse market research experience includes his most recent role as Principal Consultant at Clear Sight Associates, where he assists his clients with market research, competitive intelligence, strategic planning, finance, business development and branding. Prior to that, he worked for several years in Competitive Intelligence and Corporate Strategy roles at Applied Materials, the leading global capital equipment supplier to the semiconductor, display and solar industries. He was also was Principal Analyst of Foresight Group, a boutique consulting and market research firm serving a broad mix of B2B and B2C clients within technology, energy, and financial sectors. Since 1997, John has also been active in the Silicon Valley start-up and venture capital communities, providing early-stage technology companies with grooming, strategy, business plan and financial advisory services.

John loves the challenge of turning apparent obstacles into advantages for his clients by uncovering relevant findings and reaching smart conclusions that yield results. As our SalesFish Senior Research Analyst, he puts his Sherlock-like skills to work for our clients.

PaulBGPR & Media Relations

When a critical message needs to be shouted from the rooftops, he’s the man with the megaphone.

When a critical message needs to be shouted from the rooftops, Paul Williams is the man with the megaphone. He got his start as a journalist and a reporter, which means he’s more than just qualified to run a successful PR campaign. He knows firsthand what media outlets are looking for in their next story, how to speak their language, and how to get his clients’ stories sold – and ultimately, shouted – at the right time, and in the right way.

Paul brings dual degrees in writing and communications from the University of San Diego and 20 years of PR experience to his role as a SalesFish director. He was Vice President of a Santa Monica-based media relations firm for seven years, and is President and Founder of MediaLine Communications for the last twelve. Using his talents in communication, persuasion, and strategy, Paul has designed and implemented successful national and regional media placement, executive communications counsel and public exposure programs for a wide variety of health care, consumer product, medical device, managed care and non-profit businesses. ArthroCare, MetLife, Interpore Cross, Mentor Corporation, Opus Medical, Mettler Electronics, , PacifiCare Behavioral, Inter Valley Health Plan, the National MS Society, the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the State of California, and several non-profits such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation are just a few of his satisfied customers.

As SalesFish’s PR and Media Relations Director, Paul offers his PR expertise and vast network of media connections to meet our clients’ public communications needs – megaphone optional, of course.

 

SalesFish Advisors

 
 
Amanda Dwight
Amanda Dwight is a lawyer specializing in intellectual property, trademarks, patents, and contracts. But that’s a mouthful, so we sometimes refer to her simply as the “Logo Cop.” With twelve years of experience in litigation and legal counsel for corporations and small businesses, Amanda is simply the expert on protecting a company’s greatest and most valuable asset – its brand.

Amanda earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Virginia, with a major in Management Information Systems and Marketing. She started in her career in computer programming, but grew increasingly interested in the field of business law, and earned a degree from the UCLA School of Law to pursue her new passion. She loves helping businesses, inventors, and entrepreneurs enter the marketplace with their new idea or product, and protecting their ingenuity from the very beginning. She establishes long-term relationships with her clients, and greatly enjoys watching their ventures grow and succeed.

She is co-author of two widely used textbooks relating to trademark prosecution. She has also been a guest speaker at local and national organizations.

As a SalesFish Advisor, Amanda is available to help clients who need the kind of prudent and reliable counsel that only seasoned experience can provide – and to keep their brands off the street and safely tucked away, where they belong.

Cathleen Dennett
Cathleen Dennett doesn’t believe in downturns. “Insurmountable” is not in her vocabulary. Neither is “problem,” for that matter. When others see obstacles and start calculating the odds, Cathleen sees opportunity and starts imagining the possibilities. It’s no wonder she has been so successful throughout her career – and it’s why we’ve asked her to be a SalesFish Advisor.

With a Bachelor’s Degree and almost 30 years experience in sales and marketing, Cathleen has conquered countless challenges throughout her career. Like branding one of the world’s most well-known orange juices, for instance. In her fourteen year career at Tropicana working on their Pure Premium brand, Cathleen led a sales team to double-digit sales over 48 consecutive periods. She was quickly promoted to Marketing Director, where she worked with an ad agency to create and implement one of Tropicana’s most famous campaigns, based on a very simple idea – a straw and an orange. Cathleen understood that she needed to speak the consumers’ language and say what they want to hear, and she made that her focus as she worked to refine the product’s brand message. She again delivered double-digit growth as the company vastly outperformed and underspent the competition.

Today, Cathleen serves as the Marketing Director for Florida-based PEO Gevity, Inc, where she uses her creativity and strategic prowess to grow her company in the midst of the economic downturn. Her comprehensive experience includes a crystal clear understanding of both the sales process and the creative process, and her passion is merging the two to solve revenue-building challenges. In her spare time, she’ll help SalesFish clients do the same.

Dean Del Sesto
Dean started his sales career at 13, selling home-grown avocados to his neighbors, rising early to capitalize on that busy morning commute out of the cul-de-sac. That same drive and passion that made him a successful avocado-pusher has now made him a successful businessman. He built his own design shop from the ground up, and is now mentoring others to do the same.

As Chief Executive Officer at Strata-Media, Dean is strategically involved in everything that goes through his ad agency. He has more than 20 years experience in corporate communications, creative design, art direction, and copywriting. He executes marketing and sales strategies flawlessly, and knows how to turn prospects into customers for his clients. Dean has been retained as a consultant and ad man for major companies including IBM, U.S. Borax, New Century Mortgage, Sprint PCS, Lincoln National, Caltrans, Endocare, Paradigm Healthcare, Donnelly, Paragon Biomedical and approximately 500 others.

When he’s not drafting brilliant strategies or writing award-winning headlines, Dean serves as a noted speaker and a regular columnist for various business and community publications. He also provides mentoring for teens and young adults seeking to be successful in their careers. He and his business partner support approximately 20 different charitable organizations including Urban Youth Development Programs, Homes for Abused Women and Children, the Homeless and many other Ministries worldwide.

Dean is putting his background in marketing, advertising, and sales to work for SalesFish as an Advisor. And given the way he financially ruined those other kids’ lemonade stands with his avocado strategy – well, we’re just glad he’s on our team.

Stephen Christensen
You might say that Stephen is a strategic mastermind. As the brains behind a number of hugely successful fundraising programs over the last 30 years, he continues to inspire awe with his acute business insight…and foresight.

Steve started his fundraising career in 1977 in New York, serving both the Boy Scouts of America and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. After moving to the West coast, he wowed his peers with an award-winning and innovative new fundraising event that he developed for UCI. And that was just the beginning.

He moved on to the Sharp Company, a full-service fundraising consulting firm, where he oversaw strategy and development for a number of non-profit organizations – all big challenges that were met with even bigger successes. He raised over $1 million for Cal State University Fullerton and completed a $4.8 million campaign to build the Irvine Barclay Theatre at UC Irvine by surpassing the goal and raising a total of $5.5 million.

Stephen went back to university life in 1992 and has flourished there ever since. He continued to apply his considerable skills at a number of prestigious universities, serving as University Development Director at Cal State University San Bernardino, VP of University Relations at Chapman University, and most recently, Executive VP for University Advancement and Senior Advisor to the President at Concordia University. Among his many notable accomplishments at Concordia, he’s the founder of the Center for Faith and Business, and he launched the Faith and Business Forum in 2002. Plus, he and his team recently completed the university’s largest capital campaign, a successful $22 million initiative.

He also teaches fundraising classes at local universities, and conducts fundraising seminars for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the American Lung Association, and the American Red Cross.

As a SalesFish Advisor, Stephen shares his wealth of wisdom with our clients, specifically in the area of strategic planning. Not all of us can have Stephen’s remarkable resumé… but we can all benefit from his remarkable mind.

Tom Turk
Professor Tom Turk loves training the business leaders of tomorrow to succeed. But he’s equally eager to help the entrepreneurs of today survive in one of the most challenging and competitive environments in a generation. He’s currently the Associate Professor of Management at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics, and when he’s not teaching graduate students, he consults with CEOs and executive management on gaining a strategic business advantage.

Tom earned his Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of California, Irvine in 1988. He began his career as a faculty member at Texas A&M University before joining Chapman University in 1992. At Chapman, he teaches strategic business strategy classes to MBA and executive MBA students, touching on everything from leadership skills to building a brand that lasts. His private management training and business consulting clientele includes Time Warner, Ford Motor Company, Texas Instruments, and Boise Cascade, to name a few.

Tom firmly believes in the power of business leaders to build successful companies that improve the lives of their employees and customers. He understands the value of marketing and advertising, especially in tumultuous times. And because he’s a SalesFish Advisor, our clients have the unique opportunity to glean from his knowledge and experience, and gain fresh insight into their own business challenges. Minus the mid-terms, of course.

Pete Lepiscopo
Pete Lepiscopo is a talented and effective lawyer who understands business, and not just because he studied it in school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at National University, an MBA in Finance, and a juris doctorate. He worked for several years as an engineer before changing the course of his career to practice law in 1989. His resume is a rare combination of businessman, business student, and business litigator – which makes him an extraordinary asset to the SalesFish advisory team.

At his current law firm, Lepiscopo and Morrow, he practices corporate and business law. He is also ardent about protecting and defending our first amendment rights, and has done so with notable success in both state and federal cases. In his almost 20-year legal career, these cases have included Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow in 2004, Costco Companies, Inc. v. Gallant in 2002, and Pinnock v. International House of Pancakes in 1994, just to name a few.

Pete’s unique understanding of business and comprehensive knowledge of law is indispensable to our clients. As a SalesFish Advisor, he truly provides the counsel that a business needs to succeed.

Bill Morrow
Most ten-year old boys want to be firemen, football players, and astronauts when they grow up. But Senator Bill Morrow wanted to be… well, a senator. After studying and reporting on the Civil Rights Movement in his fifth grade class, he knew that he wanted to make a difference in his country for the better, and not just in a supportive role. He wanted to be in the center of the action, where history is made and the future is changed for the better. And he has been. And he still is.

In 2006, Morrow resigned after 14 years of service in the legislature, first as a California Assemblyman in 1992, and then as Senator in 1998. During his time in office, he left a significant legacy that included groundbreaking legislation and major reforms. In 2004 the Conference of Delegates of the California Bar Association bestowed Senator Morrow their Legislator of the Year Award for serving justice by improving the law and, in September 2006, the statewide tort reform association known as the Civil Justice Association of California declared Morrow “the Legislature’s strongest legal reform supporter of the past decade.

Morrow began his law career with the Marine Corps, Chief Defense Counsel and Chief Trial Counsel (prosecutor), trying hundreds of felony criminal cases in military courts-martial. He then practiced civil litigation in San Diego country prior to political office. He has a degree in political science from UCLA, and a juris doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law.

In his newest role as a partner at Lepiscopo and Morrow, he serves his clients as well as he served his country. Needless to say, we are privileged to have Senator Bill Morrow on our SalesFish Advisory team.

Chris Owens
The fact that he was once a whitewater kayak instructor and professional jazz pianist tell you a great deal about SalesFish Advisor Chris Owens: he’s adventurous, and he’s talented.

With two engineering degrees and an MBA, Chris started out in engineering and product development before moving into product management and marketing, sales, and eventually research and development. His career path led from the east coast, where he was born, to California where he now resides and has built a stellar reputation for stunning accomplishments. Throughout his career, Chris has had the rare opportunity to participate first hand in every step of the sales cycle – from the time the product is engineered to the moment it’s sold. He understands the process, the relationship between every phase and department, and the holistic formula for ultimate success.

Chris was previously Vice President of World Wide Marketing for MicroVention, a major medical device company, and his management abilities, strategic recommendations, and compelling presentations assisted in the sale of the company in 2006 for $200 Million. Today, he’s the President and CEO of IDEV Technologies, Inc., a start-up that develops and manufactures products for the biliary and interventional peripheral medical device market. He continues to put his strategic mind to work for the long-term good of the organization.

And as a Sales Fish Advisor – he does the same for our clients.

Charles Pignataro
Dr. Charles Pignataro has been a research physician for 10 years – nine of them have been at Pfizer, one of the largest and most well-respected pharmaceutical companies in the world.

After finishing medical school in 1997, Charles worked for California Clinical Trials in Beverly Hills, working with a prominent psychiatrist on field studies. That was where he caught the research bug, and decided to dedicate his career to the field of pharmaceutical research. At Pfizer, he became fascinated with the state-of-the-art, cutting-edge clinical discoveries that were truly helping improve people’s health and quality of life. When you talk to Charles, you can sense his excitement about the variety and significance of the work. He’s researched pharmaceutical effectiveness for everything from cancer, to Parkinson’s’, to child oncology, hepatitis, and much more. His capabilities and contributions aren’t just making a dent in his field- they’re making a difference in the world.

Charles graduated from the University of Miami, and is the proud father of three young girls who share his love of drawing and the outdoors. He’s an avid martial arts enthusiast, and it’s no wonder that he also loves to play chess – strategy development and problem-solving are what he does every day, and he’s very good. That’s why we’ve asked him to be a SalesFish advisor, and put those unique talents to the test for our clients.

Arlene Silvergleid
Most people don’t have Chemical Engineer, Ad Agency Owner, Writer, and Snowboarding Mom on their resumes. But Arlene Silvergleid isn’t most people.

With a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Biology from Simmons College and MBA courses from Boston University in Marketing and Finance, Arlene started her career as a chemical engineer. She decided that she preferred the business side of the industry to the lab side, and marketing and business-building became her dominant passion. She held senior marketing management positions for companies such as Thermo Electron Corporation, Polaroid Corporation, Beckman-Coulter and Shiley/Pfizer. In 1990 Ms. Silvergleid founded Silvergleid and Associates and as President, built a solid reputation for planning and implementing results-oriented marketing, business development and communication programs for well over 40 healthcare companies such as St. Jude Medical, Medtronic, Boston Scientific and Cordis/J & J. Specifically, she assisted in the tremendous success of St. Jude’s heart valve program, developing the marketing and branding strategies that helped catapult them into category dominance.

In 2002, Arlene channeled her knack of advertising strategies and founded an agency, Claim Advertising. As the top executive in this organization, she directed the efforts to provide powerful strategic marketing and advertising to clients worldwide.

Arlene returned to a full-time consultancy and has lately assisted in the launch, promotion, and marketing infrastructure of one of Orange County’s hottest start-ups – Pegasus Biologics, Inc. She’s watched it grow from a three person operation to a sizeable business that continues to succeed and thrive under her strategic guidance.

Ask Arlene what she loves most about her work, and she’ll tell you it’s the thrill of watching young businesses grow and thrive under her strategic direction. It’s no wonder we’ve asked her to be a SalesFish advisor.

Kevin Song
Whoever said “winning isn’t everything” hasn’t met Kevin.

Want your sales or business team to perform a little better? Kevin is definitely the coach to have in your huddle. With ten years experience in leadership and management, he knows what it takes to lead a team to success.

He started his career as the Manager of Operations at Intercontinental Hotels/Holiday Inn Resorts, where he seamlessly managed three separate hotels and an annual budget of $3 million. He transitioned into sales at Bank of America as the Banking Center Manager and Market Growth leader before moving up to VP/Regional Sales Manager at Fifth Third Bank and the Vice President of Business Services at Fairwinds Credit Union. During his successful banking management career, Kevin grew annual sales by 236% and increased ROI 35% to a total portfolio that exceeded $100 million in 12 months. His branch ranked in the top 2% out of 17 regions in the organization. He also served as the Service Quality Champion for his regional team, where he designed and launched a breakthrough sales and services execution process that increased cross-sell ratio by 35% during the first six months of roll out.

Most recently, Kevin is the founder and CEO of Aradiant Group Corporation, a strategy and management consulting firm with a focus on strategic execution, human capital performance and organizational effectiveness. With a BA in Organizational Psychology from the University of Central Florida, Kevin has both the experience and education to take other businesses down a similar path of success. He knows how to design winning processes and encourage teamwork. As a SalesFish Advisor, Kevin will help our clients meet their goals faster. And with a track record like his, even Don Shula would be impressed.

Call Today

We welcome the chance to cast your net in the area of Sales, Lead Generation, Brand Marketing and Digital Strategies. Catch More!