One’s professional journey is sometimes quite underwhelming with minimal movement in status. A person who settles for this life has acquired a job. They have not developed a career. And then some people are so passionate about what they do, they always strive to do more. It’s those go-getters that society rightfully rewards with outstanding accolades, more significant successes, and greater personal satisfaction.
Brandon Harris, VP of Sales at Otter Public Relations, will confirm that having a passion for his career shaped his professional journey. Over the years, this journey has led him down many paths, and with each new twist and turn, his fiery passion has grown. Now that he has landed at Otter PR, he’s committed to using all of his experience and talent to do what he does best — build out a phenomenal sales team that will ensure Otter PR goes the distance.
And Harris is well on his way to accomplishing what co-founders Dr. Jay Feldman, CEO, and Scott Bartnick, COO, hired him to do. Since arriving at Otter PR four months ago, Harris has proven his value by helping the company grow to a 7-figure+ business and expand from a handful of employees to an ever-growing 30+ team. Additionally, Harris was an instrumental force in helping Otter PR attain the #1 ranked PR firm status by Top Rated National.
For Harris, having 20 years in the trenches makes for an impressive looking resume. His current one is like viewing a menu of skills and achievements. But a piece of paper, or two, can’t list even half of the relevant experiences Harris has encountered on his professional journey. So, you might wonder how this exceptionally talented man acquired all of this knowledge. It’s an interesting story, for sure.
In ninth grade, Harris decided the traditional educational system was not for him. Consequently — with great disapproval from his parents — he dropped out to pursue his GED and college degree. At age seventeen, Harris took a job as a telemarketer selling resort timeshares. Little did he know this opportunity would be both his best and worst professional career move.
In this job, Harris learned two key business elements that have stayed with him throughout every phase of his journey so far. First, he realized he was one hell of a salesperson. After only a few months as a seventeen-year-old telemarketer, Harris was the go-to guy to close when a tough deal was too much to handle for someone else. The second thing he learned was he would never again take a job that didn’t benefit the customer and put them first.
When the newness of his super-star sales status had worn off, Harris figured out what he was doing was not helping people. It was actually hurting them financially. And when Harris realized this awful truth, he swore-off sales forever — or at least he thought he did.
With kids to raise and bills to pay, Harris tried his hand at other jobs, and frankly, he was good at everything. His suave confidence and honest demeanor are hot-ticket soft skills all employers seek. However, Harris eventually realized business and sales were his expertise — and his passion.
So, Harris re-entered a world he swore he would never return to but did not forget his promise to benefit the customer — always. Harris vowed never again to experience that sick, hollow feeling he had back at age seventeen. He still shutters at the reality; he had put so much time and effort into something that was growing the company he worked for at the expense of clients.
This experience shaped a philosophy that keeps Harris customer-focused. He’s not at all interested in closing a sale that does not benefit the client. This honest approach to business has sustained Harris and made him a leader in his field. Harris and Otter PR have the mission to help entrepreneurs get their business to its peak. And if that means telling them Otter PR is not a good fit for them and directing them elsewhere, then so be it.
This shared philosophy of honest sales drew Harris to Otter PR, and it’s his passion and tenacity that keep him outperforming others in his field. Not everyone is as fortunate as Harris to have an interesting and successful career journey. Harris states, “If you have a passion and a purpose that you commit to, with hard work, success is inevitable.” These are wise words from a man who’s taking his own advice.
