David Nelson is the Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast region at Fischer Connectors USA. Throughout his 25+ year career in sales, David has worked in the connector industry for more than 15 years, covering industries including aerospace, medical, automotive, robotics, and defense. Born and raised in Massachusetts, David calls New Hampshire home. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management, and an Associate’s degree in Engineering Science.

What is your background, why did you decide to join Fischer Connectors?

My background includes capital equipment sales and electronic components. I always worked for small companies (some smaller than others) but I was drawn to Fischer Connectors because Fischer had the feel of a small company, and with that comes the opportunity to make an impact with the work being done.

What inspires you and what first drew you to sales and this industry?

The opportunity to learn inspires me. I like researching and gaining more knowledge on things that are important to me, to better understand how things work all around. I’ve been doing that my whole life – as a kid, unbeknown to my parents I took a lot of things apart and put them back together (some better than others) just to see how things worked. I especially did that a lot with my bike. I don’t do that as much today, but I still have that drive to understand how the connectors function and all the elements of manufacturing work, that’s what continues to drive me today.

I started my career as a plating technician at a company that manufactured printed circuit boards. From the plating department I was promoted to the sales department, and started quoting jobs for the company which introduced me to sales. Prior to that experience I had never consider a career in sales. Apart from quoting, a lot of the job entailed understanding how everything worked and, more importantly, how everything worked together. After that, I joined a Swiss company that manufactured pad printing equipment. This helped me understand I was not just selling the equipment and the supplies for that equipment; I focused on how to sell the whole solution.

What principles do you live by and what would you like to accomplish in the next year?

The principles I live be is be prepared, be on time, and be ready for whatever can happen in life, whether it personally or professionally.

I’d like to grow the territory by 10% or greater, learn more about our products – understanding how everything works, especially with our new product launches and all the changes happening at Fischer Connectors. There’s always more knowledge to gain on all the products and solutions Fischer offers.

Tell me about your team.

Being a part of the outside sales team is a unique experience, we’re likeminded people who understand what’s needed to get the job done. Everyone at Fischer Connectors has that idea, they know what is needed to satisfy the customer and give them exactly what the client needs. My team is fun to be around, and if you like the people you work with it makes your job that much easier, and I have found that in within Fischer Connectors. David Ptacek (the National Sales Director) and the other regional sales managers have welcomed me in with open arms.

What’s your favorite hobby and what’s an interesting fact about you? 

I enjoy going to live music concerts, cheering on all the New England sports teams and playing trivia with my friends at local pubs, I couldn’t be happier with a nice local beer and the competitive energy surrounded by friends. I enjoy the outdoors – kayaking, biking, etc. I like staying fit, I run a couple of times a week but more than anything I like to get my steps in. Ever since I got my first Fitbit back in 2014, it has sparked a competitive streak in me like you wouldn’t imagine. I soon started going to the gym regularly, signed up for some 5Ks and average approximately 20,000 steps daily (keep in mind I work from home).  Fischer held a step challenge earlier this year and I finished in 1^st place with a total of 2,021,000 steps logged. I once walked a rail trail just to challenge myself, that day I logged 27 miles and walked over 50,000 steps in about 8 hours. It was definitely the most I have ever walked in a day.

What causes are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about animals and animal rights, mostly rescuing local dogs and cats in the New Hampshire area. I have a friend who runs an animal rescue so I try to get involved whenever I can or when she needs the help. Most of my dogs are rescues, and my partner and I love them all unconditionally.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned from your education, work, life, etc.?

You have to be understanding, you’re one person and everyone that you collaborate with is also one person. You’re not the end all say all, whether work or family you have to be understanding and supportive of people’s feelings.

How would you describe your career and what makes you unique in your profession?

My career is not what I expected when I was younger, but I’m very happy and eternally grateful all around. I’m somewhat unique in that I want to be technically proficient in selling more than a product, I don’t want to be your typical used car salesman who’s focused on only selling a product. My goal is to sell a solution, and a lot of people in this industry feel that way, I take it upon myself to engulf myself in all the knowledge possible to understand how things work, go together and operate.

What is a valuable lesson you learned in your career?

Align yourself with the right people, in a lot of cases it’s not ‘what’ you know but ‘who’ you know – I stress mentorship. If you can find a mentor, that in itself is invaluable, someone willing to take you under their wing to personally show you how to be successful. If you have that opportunity, do whatever you can to stick with it, mentorship has helped me with my career more than I could’ve imagined.

If you could give a younger self career advice, what would it be?

Work hard in school and never stop learning. I wasn’t the most studious person but I was a good student and I still have that drive to learn today. That’s something I have instilled in my kids, my daughter has superseded that sentiment. She’s working on her master’s and I couldn’t be prouder, she’s an excellent student and has surpassed my expectations of what I wanted for my kids.

What do you think is the key to professional success and what are the best skills you bring to your career?

You have to be willing to adapt, if you paint yourself into a box you’re probably going to be left behind at some point throughout life. Things are constantly changing, you need to be flexible and move with them.

I bring a lot of technical knowledge to my career, being able to understand the mechanics, math and science that goes into the particulars of this job. I also understand how people operate – dealing with different people, their personalities and all the elements of the end goal definitely helps.