DSM Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call for duty for a customer. Why did you take the action you did? What was the outcome?

Situation- A few months ago we had a new business on the fence of joining Paycor and it was the end of the month, which means a lot of us in sales needed to bring in all possible deals. This was a big opportunity for us and I had developed a good relationship with the owner. A few days passed by and our leadership was getting impatient and started emailing, calling, and texting the owner to close the deal this month. This upset the owner very much and he expressed his frustrations with us on how we were annoying him. He called me and let me have it. Telling me that we know that he had other priorities on his calendar and he couldnt sign until next month. He told me do not contact me agian, I will be going with another vendor. Task- I thought to myself immediately, that we were wrong and I have to fix this. I wanted to make him feel that he knew we were deeply sorry and that we would do everything possible that he knew that. I had developed a great relationship with him and I didnt want to ruin it over that incident. Action- I ended up buying him a cabelas gift card because when I met, I remember he told me he enjoys fishing in northern michigan during salmon season. So, I ended up driving down to his Detroit office and dropped off a hand written apology card and dropped it off on his desk with a gift card. Result- He ended up calling me the next morning and apologized for his outburst and ended up signing the deal with us. Overall, I learned respect the customers wishes when they tell you something and make sure the CUSTOMER COMES FIRST, not yourself. I took his feedback and shared it with our team and leadership for best practices around client success.

Volunteer- Responsible for processing payroll for employees

-Payroll would be completed on tuesday and checks came out Thursday. Most employees were on direct deposit -Most time consuming tasks were collecting time from everybody on those who missed a punch or didnt sign in

How do you understand your customers needs

- By asking them what their initiatives and goals are -What challenges they're facing -What do they need help with -Asking them questions and making it all about them and less about us.

If selected to own and operate a Delivery Service Partner what personal and business goals would you hope to achieve by starting your company?

- Have 40 vans within 4-5 months from start date -Create a successful business that I can continue to grow in and create a great life for my family -Making a passionate career into a lifestyle, one that I can be proud of investing my time and energy into -My goal is to hit the 5 additional route benchmark on fifth, nineth, and eleventh week, as mentioned in the DSP brochure -Develop a fun, motivating, and hard-working culture to deliver best in class results -Have a focus on building a brand name and culture, to retain and grow my employees

All 3 asked about your previous experience (Relate to Amazon leadership principles (ADP)

- I managed a team of 10-15 health brokers across 3 different agencies and 5 small market ADP sales reps -Running morning huddles to help excite sellers and share best practices on how to run a quality sales process and keeping clients happy. -Constantly developing relationship with health brokers, on the value ADP brought in a partnership by sharing best practices, success stories, and new prospecting ideas. -Created a positive team culture with both external/internal teams by having weekly in person meetings. Bought lunch every week for teams to keep them engaged and boost morale. -Responsible for field ride along with new hires to give them a preview of day in the life at ADP

Volunteer- Managing new hire on-boarding and new hire training

-After complete interview then setup amazon onboarding, setup drug tests, comes back negative, sign them up for drivers training, 1 virtual day -Same day, we sent offer letter, went through onboarding, handbook, attendance policy and damage policy. -Candidates with e-sign through ADP

Volunteer- Responsible for recruiting candidates through portal, career sites, and other avenues

-Career portal portal, posts jobs on indeed, send candidates to spark hire -Watch their interview videos and grade them -Posted jobs through his facebook, send jobs to family, friends, and have them reshare opportunity via facebook and instagram

Volunteer- Assisting with fleet acquisition and maintenance

-DVCR -Vehicle check for driver safety -Overlooking routes assigned to drivers

Volunteer- Managing opening duties at facility before drivers were dispatched

-DVCR -Vehicle check for safety of driver -Wipers, brakes, overall body damage, tires -Checking routes assigned to drivers -Checking each assigned bags to vehicles for phone, charger, sanitizer, dog repellent, gas card and flash light. Gloves, sanitizer

Please list and describe your current involvement in the community. Do you volunteer for any local agencies, participate in any events that benefit community members, or belong to any clubs or groups?

-Detroit Economic Club- current member, representing Paycor to network with business owners, connect with centers of influence, and recruit talent for Paycor. -Risk Management Association- A networking group that consists of different business partners and young professionals to network and obtain business leads. -Sunrise Networking-Virtually attend Tuesday morning meetings, to network with business owners, recruit potential reps for Paycor, and find new business Focus Hope- Once a quarter, we help package food and supplies for families in Detroit suffering hardships. -Leukemia & Lymphoma Society- In charge of finding brand ambassadors and high school students looking to run a fundraiser campaign for 2021. Meetings consists of zoom calls every other week to provide updates and progress towards goal.

Volunteer- Scheduling

-Done every Thursday through WhenIwork -Sat with Nolan and went over schedule for employees. Took about 1-2 hours to complete

How do you wow your customers?

-Going above and beyond for my customers then whats in my job title - I pay close attention by listening to them. I try to be as valuable to them beyond expectations. - Any opportunity I get to help my customers, I dont ever pass up -I attend their golf outings, charitable events, and even weddings - Answering the phone before and after business and always following back up with them the same day over phone or text -I like to be a concierge for my clients, anything they need help with, even if its outside of my work. I want to be able to point them in the right direction - I love seeing my clients succeed and grow their business -Most of my business comes from client referrals and that means a lot to me. -The more I invest in my clients, the more I succeed.

How do you show customer obsession

-Going above and beyond then what's expected of me in my job description -Paying close attention and listening to my customers -Write them personal thank you cards after I meet with them. Send them birthday and holiday cards to keep the relationship going -Answer my phone before and after business hours and always following up same same through phone or text -Proactively checking in on them to make sure everything's working out for them and if they have any feedback for me. -Sending them gift cards from time to time to show my appreciation of their business

What are my strengths

-Holding my self accountable. If something goes wrong in my business, its my responsibility and I believe in holding myself accountable to be better. -Being able to learn from my mistakes. I've learned so much from failing or making mistakes, its made me stronger. -Having the ability to multi-task but focus on my responsibilities. Working in fast pace environments when challenges arise everyday, taught me how to keep cool, prioritize your responsibilities, and come up with an efficient timely solution. -Problem Solver. Being able to analyze situations from a different lens. -I welcome challenges that come my way and brainstorm ideas on how to overcome them in fast past environments. -I've always been a people person. Ive spent most of my career servicing people and making sure they were happy. From the consumers in retail, all the way to business owners in b2b.

One of them asked about my experience in building a P&L

-I built a few models in my final college courses -Two years ago I used to help my dads business with his monthly P&L statement

All 3 asked about your previous experience (Relate to Amazon leadership principles (Paycor)

-I managed 30-40 business partners, across 10 different banks and health brokerage agencies -Educate and provide the Paycor value to all my partners on best practices, success stories, and new ideas to work together more efficiently -Constantly creating a competitive and fun team environment to keep internal and external partners motivated through zoom video, email, text and in person huddles -Responsible for coaching and developing internal/external partners on what success looks like, best practices, and new ideas from feedback from team on being best in class

Example to create culture of hard working employees

-I think it starts off with recruitment and learning through the hiring process what motivates that candidate. Making sure those employees are aligned with the company values and leadership principles -Working hard myself. Showing my employees that I"m passionate about what I do, I'm passionate about taking care of my employees and customers, and hopefully, that becomes contagious to others. -Boosting employee morale by rewarding your employees, recognizing their hard work, and praising their performance. -Being there for all of your employees, getting feedback from them on struggles they might be experiencing, and providing them with the right tools to be motivated. -Make it fun for employees when they come to work and try to keep the stress down as much as possible. -Make it a healthy competition with employees to strive and be the best. -Be personable with your employees, having team outings with your employees, and making it exciting each day they come to work.

Why should I hire you?

-I've spent most of my career working with customers and making sure they were happy with the service or product I sold them. -I'm great with people and have a passion for taking care of others. -I strive in fast pace, ever changing conditions, with obstacles popping up every day. I'm used to moving quickly and coming up with efficient solutions to overcome them. -I can see myself investing endless hours making sure this business becomes successful right from the beginning. -My goal is to hit the ground running, personally hire the talent, and have this business thrive early on.

All Three of Them asked Why Amazon

-It's a business that I see only getting busier as technology and e-commerce increase -With COVID, a lot the way we purchase products will never be the same. I dont see consumers/businesses purchasing goods how they used to, after they saw how easy it is to use Amazon -Amazon provides a wealth of resources and low investment to start your business -Amazon is constantly advancing. If I become a business owners, 2 things come to mind 1. My business will be supporting the largest e-commerce retailer by revenue in the world 2. I don't have to find customers!

How do you develop client relationships

-Letting them know that I'm here for them, whenever you need me. Proactively checking in on them and making sure everything is okay. -Getting feedback from them to make sure I'm doing everything I can for them for them to be happy -Going above and beyond for my customers -By setting proper expectations upfront. Under promise and over deliver. -Stick to deadlines and follow up when I say I'm going to follow up with them.

All 3 asked about your previous experience (Relate to Amazon leadership principles (Sales Director START)

-Managing 3-5 recruiters -Responsible for running morning huddles and going over daily targets with recruiters -Coaching and developing recruiters to deal with customers and new candidates -Responsible for recruiting candidates for START and hourly positions -Developing marketing strategies at career fairs to market company and attract candidates for open positions -New business development, responsible for obtaining business organically through prospecting strategies

Please describe your leadership style?

-My leadership style resembles that of a coach doing anything possible for his team to win. -I've witnessed different leadership styles in all of my careers and the best ones coached and developed me to perform at my best. -Those leaders reminded me of a coach/parent figure in my life and taught me that the employees come first, no matter what -I believe in setting goals with your teams, following up on those goals/daily/weekly and measuring success. With that, I think you're team will be unstoppable. -I believe in investing time, energy, and passion in to your teams and success always follows. -Any of my partners, clients, and or teams I've worked with, know that i put them first and provide all the support they need to be successful. -The more you care for your employees, the better your business operates.

Volunteer- Dispatching all drivers to various routes

-Pass out bags to assigned vehicles-check in with everyone and see how their day was going -Had employees sign in through tablet in parking lot through ADP and sign in on paper sheet -Answering dispatch calls, helping them out with issues, routing -Sharing best practices, driver success, and customer success stories

Do you have experience owning and operating your own business?

No

3 words that you would use to describe the culture you would foster at your company? Explain why you chose each word to represent your company's culture?

Obsession- As Amazon mentions in their leadership principles, I believe customer obsession is #1 in any business. Every great leaders focuses on their customers first and works backwards. Every job I've had since I was 14 years old, I've had to deal with customers and keeping them happy. Without having the obsession of taking care of customers and going beyond than whats expected, your business is at risk. Keep your customers happy and your business shall thrive. This is 1 of the core values that I'd foster for my team and make them aware of this on a daily basis. Passion- I think the difference between good companies and great companies are how passionate the employees are. I strongly believe if you are passionate in taking care of your employees, your employees will want to work hard and feel more valued at that company. If your employees see that your passionate about what you do and the time you invest in your company and them, I believe it will create a positive work environment for everyone. Teamwork- More gets done with the help of others. I believe its important to have a teamwork based environment that others can learn from, help each other out, and work together. I believe when everyone is working together at a common goal, its easier to execute on those goals everyone is aligned with. By providing a teamwork based environment, I believe employees will depend and rely on each other to become a stronger team.

Tell me about a time when you were faced with a challenge were the best way forward was not "clear" (i.e there were a number of possible solutions.) How did you decide the best way forward?

Situation- At ADP, our leads from our small market division were very low and this was making an impact on our monthly revenue that we needed. Task- My boss assigned me to increase the leads coming from our small market division, made up of 3-5 reps. There was really no guidance around this, just get a bunch of new employees who never really had a job prior to start sending us leads every week. Action- I started off by scheduling a 1 on 1 with everyone, to find out what their goals were, what motivated them at work, and what they wanted a partnership to look like. I then setup morning huddles every Monday & Friday to share best practices, success stories, and get feedback from the team on any challenges they were facing out in the field. At the end of each week, we went over results together, including; goals that they had, their actual number, and rewarding the team if they hit their goals with prizes, lunch, team outings. Results- I was able to go from getting no leads from that division weekly or monthly, to getting 2 leads each week from the team and turning those leads into monthly revenue for our team. Learning- I wasnt sure if that was the best way forward, but it worked out. I think coming up with a plan and sticking to it is key when working with employees.

Name a time you had to hire a team in a short time frame, how would you leverage this for DSP?

Situation- At START, Inc, this was startup company that 2 former colleagues from Verizon and myself opened up. I was tasked with finding 2-3 recruiters in 3-4 weeks, otherwise we couldnt open. Task- I wasnt sure what would be the fastest, most efficient way, so I game planed at night and started coming up with an attack plan. Action- I started with asking family friends, and former work colleagues who might be looking for a new opportunity in recruiting. I posted a job postings on indeed and facebook. I called up my close family and asked if they knew of anyone that had prior experience and or is looking for a career move. I ended up interviewing about 30 candidates first over the phone then 15 in person. Result- I was able to hire 3 recruiters in 3 and 1/2 weeks. They're still with the company to this day.

Describe a project or idea (not necessarily your own) that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What was your role? What was the outcome?

Situation- During the pandemic we were limited towards prospecting efforts. We typically meet in person and spend a lot of time in the field with business owners. Task- I wanted to see what might be doing during this pandemic, since no one can meet in person and how they were connecting with businesses. Action- I started reaching out to a few of my former workers, partners, and some mentors for advice. One of them told me about video emailing and how they've had recent success connecting with business owners on. So, I downloaded the software, practiced with it a few days, and started doing video emails to introduce myself to business owners. Result- I've been able to connect and set meetings using this. Now our team and area started to use this strategy to connect with businesses all over Michigan. So far, we've seen quite the success using this method.

Give me an example of a time when you motivated others

Situation- Every Tuesday we have a call blitz we do in the morning at our office. The newer reps who haven't experienced that meeting are very quite and shy when it comes to dialing and prospecting. A lot of it has to do with them being new and working with strangers. However, these newer reps are good at what they do and its why we hired them to work for us. Its also important that they contribute, because we have goals that we have to hit and that includes everybody setting appointments. Task- I remember when I first started and how nervous I was watching everyone. So I thought let me welcome them to our office, make them comfortable, and invite them to dial with me. Action- I invited them to a side of the office and told them to bring 20 accounts each. I told them let's have fun, dial away, and set 2 appointments each. I told them I would dial first, so they could see how I do it and to break the ice. Shortly after, the other two reps starting dialing right after me. Results- We were able to set a total of 4 appointments that morning. The reps were much more outgoing after and requested that we do that every week. Now, they invite me to their dial sessions they do twice a week and do the same for newer reps who join the team. I believe they needed to feel welcome and have a warm invite, as someone has done for me in the past.

Describe a time when you had completed a project with a deadline and failed

Situation- I had a client in my current role ask me to help him with a tax related issue on his payroll and he wanted it done before the weekend because he had vacation coming up. I completely missed getting back to him and gettin gthe problem resolved, until I received an upsetting email from the owner, followed by a voicemail. I forgot to follow up on the sticky note above my desk. Task- My plan was to immediately gain his trust back by apologizing, resolving his issues, and getting it done right away. Action- I immediately picked up the phone, gave him a call, and told him I completely dropped the ball and forgot. I told him let me make this right, I will call right now our internal teams and get this taken care of for you. I called our internal department, expressed it was my fault and we need to take care of this customer immediately. Result- We got the customer issues all resolved and the owner was impressed with the turnaround. I followed up with him every week to check in and see how everything was going. Learning- I now put email reminders in my outlook calendar so I dont miss any deadlines and review my calendar out a week to double check my tasks by priority.

Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult customer?

Situation-Dealing with difficult clients is a part of my current job. I've come to notice they're often upset because no one has been able to listen to how frustrated they are and point them in the right direction. About a month ago one of my colleagues client had reached out to me because their health insurance broker, provided my contact information to them. The owner was extremely upset because a service was not setup in their system, which has caused a lot of problems with their payroll & tax. Task- I didn't have any time to refer them to their rep who had sold the deal and he was on the verge of leaving Paycor. I thought I should help him immediately and resolve the issue. Action- I took time to listen to why he his frustrated and what he wanted to get fixed right away. I immediately started calling the correct departments with Paycor, introduced him to the correct department with me being on the phone with him and made sure everything would get fixed that day. Result- After 1 hour, I was able to help him resolve his problems and get everything correct for him. I apologized to him and told him, if you need anything, give me a call or text and I'll help you out again. The owner was pleased and still keeps in contact with me today.

Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.

Situation- I was given an introduction to a business in another state to pitch Paycor. My partner who referred me in told me that the owner appreciates face-to-face meetings, building rapport over lunch, and going over product material in person. The week I had this meeting, I had several other projects going on and I thought it would be easier for me to setup a zoom video call for our first meeting. The call lasted for about 30 minutes and him telling us he had to hop off and join another conference call. Overall, the call did not go well and the owner did not seem pleased to move forward with us. Task- I was embarassed and disappointed in myself for the way I handled that deal because I was given instructions on how to work with the owner before hand. And my boss was not pleased at all after I told him. I knew I had to do something because that's not how that owner should think of Paycor, nor should he have that displeased feeling about myself and my company. I had to make things right for him, even if it meant costing us the business. Action- I ended up calling his secretary and asked her what's the owners favorite restaurant for lunch(Capital Grille) rockwood, Ohio/Cincinnati and please keep it a surprise. The owner met me and was shocked to see me waiting for him in the lobby. I told him I apologize for not coming down for our first meeting and if you give me another chance, I'll do my best to earn a shot at your business. We ended up going over everything at the restaurant in about 3 hours and ended up grabbing coffee afterwards to continue the conversation about his business needs, what hes looking for, and what he would need to make a decision. Result- Two weeks after, we were able to win the business. The owner was very impressed in our process and our ability to save the deal. Learning-I learned that I should have listened to the details more carefully and act on them, especially when they were given before hand. More importantly, when a tough decision comes like this again, ALWAYS PUT THE CUSTOMER FIRST. Without the customer, there is no business. Start with the customer and work backwards. It's more important to get the customers to trust you and obsess over them, vs worrying about my own personal schedule. The rest will follow.

Describe a time you coached a team or employee to work effectively. How did you identify the need?

Situation- In our current line of work, time management is huge and pretty much dictates your success here. The better you can manage your time, the more successful you'll become in closing deals. One of my colleagues was struggling with setting time aside to prospect, work on current deals, check in with clients, and spend time in the field. He always flustered when I came to the office and saw him at his desk and his anxiety was spreading through the office. Task- I thought if I coached him a few days out of the week and showed him what worked for me, that he could adopt some of these practices and have more efficient weeks. Action- I spent a few days shadowing him after my work was completed and took notes at some of the areas of opportunity that I saw that was preventing him to get more done in a day. After the shadowing was done, I went over my notes with him, pointed out areas of opportunity and listened to his feedback on everything. I told him to spend 2 days with me for the next two weeks and I'll show you some of the ways I was able to become more efficient in managing my time. I showed him best practices that helped me become more efficient and maximize my time on a day by day basis by planning out 1-2 weeks ahead using my outlook calendar and setting it up on phone. This way, you get to prioritize your days and make sure your spending enough time prospecting, working on current deals, checking in on clients, and spending time in the field. Result- Within 1 week he was accomplishing a lot more than before. He started sitting with me on Fridays and planned out his next week. Over 2-3 weeks he had a whole different outlook on the week and more importantly, he wasnt stressed out anymore in the office because he had a good grasp on his schedule and time management.

Tell me about a time you had a significant, unanticipated obstacles to overcome in achieving a key goal. Were you eventually successful?

Situation- Many situation come to mind, especially when I was in my staffing role. One day our checks decided not to come Friday morning for all of our 100 employees on payroll. This was a huge problem because we had about 50-80 employees that always picked up their checks Friday around noon. Many of the employees relied on that check and income to get by each week, so not being able to get their checks on time, was a huge problem. Task- our main goal for the day was to stop what we're doing and huddle up. I told the team, that our main goal is to get everyone paid and keep everyone happy, so we dont risk the chance on them leaving us because their checks are not here. Action- We started calling/emailing/texting all of the employees and let them know that checks are arriving later than usual today. You have the option to pick up a manual check at the normal time or come by around 4pm that day and pick up your check. Ordered lunch and set it in the lobby for those who came early or didnt receive our text or calls and explained the situation. Result- Everyone ended up getting paid on time. We ended up writing over 50 manual checks and the rest of the employees picked up their checks near the end of the day. After that, we made it mandatory to setup direct deposit or setup a pay card so situations like this dont happen again.

Give an example of when you saw a peer struggling and decided to step in and help. What was the situation and what actions did you take? What was the outcome?

Situation- One of our reps in the office had a hard time making appointments over the phone with business owners. Task- His success is important to our team and I believed he needed some help. Action- I invited him to a conference room and told him to bring 20 accounts to call on and I would do the same. I said let's take turns making dials and see how many we can get together. Whatever we get in, we split. My plan was not to tell him what to do, rather show him how I do it and he can see if that works for him. Result- We were able to set 3 appointments together. Now we continue to make dials together on our prospecting time blocks.

Give me an example of a time when you took initiative and took the lead?

Situation- This happens a lot on our current team due to last minute meetings, people not showing up on time, and or working remote. The last few Monday morning meetings we have our mandatory 8am call with our whole team, to go over metrics, last weeks performance, and our goals for the current week. Our director was running late because he had a meeting he was still tied up in. Our whole team was waiting and if no one takes lead, 15-20 minutes will go by and nothing will get accomplished. Task- I had a busy day, so I thought I should start the meeting, go over all the material, and get on with our day so everyone was prepared for the week. Action-I volunteered and led the meeting. I indicated that our director will be running late and I dont want to keep everyone past the hour given to us, so let's get the meeting started. Result- Overall, the meeting went great. I was able to go over our last week numbers, and go over our current weeks goals. I had time to collect feedback from the group to see how everyone was doing and if they needed help on anything else. Leadership was thankful and have now been having me start more meetings weekly.

Has anyone from Amazon referred you to this opportunity based on your work with Amazon or contracting with Amazon?

Yes, Nolan Kaliszewski

P&L Formula

Total Net Revenue - Returns, discounts -Cost of goods sold =Gross Profit -Expenses =Earnings Before Interests & Taxes -Interests - taxes =Net Earnings

Do you have any experience working with or for Amazon or are you a current employee of Amazon?

Yes

What obstacles do you anticipate you may encounter and how to overcome them as DSP owner?

· Hiring & Retaining talent right from the start o Create hiring campaign and market through friends, family, indeed, and other social media avenues to spread the word o Check in with all employees daily and end of week to get feedback, getting their feedback on the job, seeing if they having any challenges, and making sure they have what they need to be successful. o Make it fun for the employees and make work fun by being engaged with everyone. · Vehicle Maintenance o Costs of constant repairs with delivery vans and newer employees damaging them early on § Set up partnerships with local oil changes, repair shops, and collision shops for better pricing -Inspect all vehicles at night and create inspection list as job duty when vehicles are returned to prevent vehicles getting damaged Adaptability for fluctuating fleet size -Having an efficient and consistent recruitment process to adjust for fluctuating fleet size. Constantly be looking for top talent to continue growth of fleet -Id create an efficient time to hire process thats efficient with finding quality candidates quickly.