Paul Genoot
By Alex Horvath
Paul Genoot is on the telephone, taking a few minutes time-out from his busy Southern California workday for a brief interview. We've been talking for about five minutes, mostly about life and sales stuff, when the realization comes to me that I am speaking with a man whom even the most successful sales professional could probably learn a little something from.
One reason is that Genoot is a legitimate sales legend. In his early fifties, he is a youthful sounding man who admits to having "sold everything" at various points throughout his 35-year career, starting with toys and Encyclopedias all the way up to Visa and MasterCard (back when that was more profitable). And as if this impressive list of achievements wasn't enough, Genoot carries the distinction of being the most long-term ISA for CrossCheck, Inc., with fourteen years on the job so far (CrossCheck made Genoot an actual employee by hiring him as a regional sales manger in 1998). You might consider Genoot to be the Renaissance man of the ISO/check guarantee business. His reputation preceded him as I prepared for the interview. "Colorful," "Very funny," and "The consummate sales professional," were all terms his colleagues used in describing Genoot. "When I started in this business, I worked seven days a week, ten-hours a day," said Genoot, in his unmistakable Euro-Israeli accent (remnants, he says, of being born in Israel and spending much of his youth in Europe). "The two things I've learned is that you can do anything if you've got a good product and a good company behind you." Genoot says that belief is one of the reasons he has remained with CrossCheck for such a long period. "They treat you nicely and with respect. That's why I'm still there. I've had many offers from other companies, but there's no chance that I would leave."
Genoot attributes part of his success to the fact that he services all of his own accounts, instructing managers to use him, personally as a contact if there is a problem or if they need supplies, which he will get for them the same day. And every six months, he calls every contact on his account list "just to check in." Another personal touch is that every year at Christmas, each account gets a card or candy from Genoot. "It cost me over $2,000 to do this, but when you go to use someone as a reference, you are sure to get a good one," Genoot said.
In 1983, in addition to operating his own stereo business, he had begun working part-time selling accounts for TeleCheck. After the stereo business closed, he received a phone call from CrossCheck inviting him to interview in their former Los Angeles office. "I had no intention of doing it. I was going to just drop by as a ëcourtesy,'" Genoot said. "I was in shorts and sandals - on my way to the beach!" After a brief interview over lunch, Genoot left with an armful of papers to fill out. "By the time I got to the end of Hollywood Boulevard, the papers were signed. I've been selling five to six accounts per day, ever since."
One of those accounts was the huge Longo Toyota account, which Genoot signed about five years ago. As Genoot tells it, "Longo had been using TeleCheck for over ten years. When ever I called, they said no chance." They were used to being with a major company. "It took me six months of calling every two weeks before they even talked to me," Genoot said. "Car dealers are not like any other merchant. They change controllers and management every six months. One day I called and there was a new business manager. I asked for ten minutes of their time. They said to come for lunch. I explained our program during the lunch, and then prepared for them a proposal. They said to call the next week."
The next week, he signed them up, with the promise from Longo that if the experience was positive, that they would let Genoot sign the rest of their locations, which included a huge Penske dealership and a major-market Lexus store. Six months later, Genoot signed the rest.
These days, instead of working seven days a week, Paul Genoot is happier working closer to five, and spending more time at home with his lovely wife, Linda, and their five-year old son, Kevin.
