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INNOVATE
30 •
PPB
• NOVEMBER 2015
In Mark’s Own Words
Best Part Of The Job:
“I
really enjoy working with a
made-to-order product.
Everything is very hands-on
here at Journalbooks. Being
able to see a project through,
from marketing strategy to
concept creation to manufac-
turing a unique, one-of-a kind
product is really exciting.”
Most Valuable Customer
Service Lesson Learned:
“…bad service is so much
more abundant than great
service. And exceptional serv-
ice really shows through in
the individuals who care. I
don't mean people who are
caring individuals, but people
who care about what they do,
regardless of what it is they
are doing—people who stand
by what they say and take
ownership over their actions.
It seems to me like great cus-
tomer service is a rare find, so
when I come across it, I really,
genuinely appreciate it and
make sure to recognize it.
And that in turn encourages
me to pay it forward.”
Tip For Great Customer
Service:
“Live by the Golden
Rule. Treat others the way
you would like to be treated.
If you want to be treated
exceptionally, you need to be
exceptional. Positivity is a big
staple in my method of oper-
ation and that positivity is
contagious ... that kind of a
‘give a smile, get a smile’
mentality goes a long way.”
Wish For One Superhero
Power:
“I'm not sure if there
is a superhero who has this
power—which would thus
make it so much more power-
ful—but it would be the ability
to control gravity. If you think
about it, that power could
potentially be limitless with its
applications. I could save our
customers 100 percent on
freight charges and get cus-
tom Journalbooks delivered
in the blink of an eye by cre-
ating a gravitational wave in
front of our packages and let
the books ride the wave all
the way to Nashville [or any
other location] at the speed
of light.”
Best Personal Customer
Service Experience:
“Almost
three years ago when my son
was born, he had to be
admitted into the neonatal
intensive care unit at the
Levine Children's Hospital in
Charlotte, North Carolina. He
was born with hypoglycemia
(low blood sugar); he would
not feed and his blood sugar
would not come up. My wife
and I stayed in the hospital
for nearly a week, only being
able to see our boy during
specific visitation hours in the
NICU. The nurses we had
during our experience were
nothing short of amazing—
making sure we were com-
fortable, offering advice and
generally comforting us, let-
ting us know that our son was
going to be alright. They pro-
vided expert care not only to
our newborn but to the two
of us as well. During one of
the toughest times of our life,
being unsure of what was
going to happen, the nurses
provided us with so much
more than what I’m sure is in
their job description.”
Mark McKellar
Field Sales Representative,
Journalbooks/Timplanner Calendars (UPIC: TIMEPLAN)
Industry Career Snapshot: Eight years in the industry,
including six years at Journalbooks in inside sales, creative
sales support and field sales. He started his career with a
distributor company.
Nominated by: Dawn Hays, Sunrise Identity
Tip No. 7:
Be exceptional
How He Earned Superhero Status:
“Mark goes above and
beyond to know our client list, their likes and dislikes. He is
always one step ahead of us with new products and creative
ideas—always showing the next big thing in journal books,”
says nominator Dawn Hays, Sunrise Identity. “He is understand-
ing when it comes to a sense of urgency, welcomes a challenge
and comes back with more than one way to solve an issue.”
How Mark Saved The Day
“MOST RECENTLY HE CREATED a book that mimics a
composition notebook and turned the project in record time,” says
nominator Dawn Hays. “Mark has a great understanding of design
and his work blows away the clients with creativity.”