EP15 Mike Coyle - Three Pilars to Any Business Mike Coyle, 47 year old Sales and Marketing professional. Currently VP Sales Americas for Powertraveller - manufacturer of portable power and solar products. Most of those that know Mike see him as a strong leader who blends the power of being honest with a healthy dose of empathy. He places enormous emphasis on being straight forward often at the detriment of political correctness. “Strong leadership comes from being able to be honest with people to help them get out of their own way and focus on the task at hand”, are words you will often hear from Mike. Combine those leadership skills with his ability to plan strategically and implement tactically, you end up with a new breed of sales and marketing tactician required in todays fast changing business environment. His most recent success came with a multi million deal landed with one of his current employers largest customers. “we had kind of fallen off the map with these guys and after several meetings the decision came down to one person. A Japanese gentleman, who rarely spoke. He held all of the cards and as he listened to me speak for a 20 minute presentation, he said nothing. At the end I asked for the business, he paused for an agonizing 2 minutes. After lots of pondering and almost comical facial expressions, he agreed. That was the longest 2 minutes of my life.” Mike is currently facing his latest challenge building a new business segment for the company he works for, applying the strategies he has learned over the years. He is a major asset for the company he works for today. He treats the business as if it were his own and uses his own set of values and principles to guide him.