John D. Elsey

President & Chief Executive Officer

Responsibilities

John D. Elsey is the President and CEO of Richardson. He is responsible for leading the company’s global go-to-market strategy, commercial & product vision, and culture.

Experience

With over 20 years of experience in global CEO roles in the private sector and in publicly traded companies, John joined the Richardson team in 2015.   

Prior to taking on executive roles, John began his career in sales as an account executive working a territory and retiring a quota.  Progressive promotions earned him increased responsibility in sales leadership and ultimately executive management. This experience makes him uniquely positioned to understand the selling realities of our clients and lead the Richardson team in crafting solutions that drive practical, real-world results.

How John Will Help Your Team be Successful

John will ensure your experience with every member of our team exceeds expectations throughout your partnership with Richardson. His leadership inspires the organization to deliver high-touch, intensely collaborative experiences that drive measurable results.

Get to Know John

One of the things our clients like most about working with the Richardson team is our people. That’s because we’re good at what we do, and we like to build real relationships that foster trust and ensure mutual success.

To give you insight into what really makes John tick, we asked him 5 non-sales-related questions:

  1. Favorite recreational activity: Sailing.  I came to sailing very late in life, but I find being out on the open water with only the sound of waves and wind at my back to be a great escape.  It’s also a lesson that we’ve so much new to learn.  I could study and practice sailing for 20 years and still be a novice – I love that.
  2. Favorite food: I grew up in England, so Indian of course.
  3. Very first job: Selling real estate.
  4. If you weren’t in business, what would you be doing: Traveling and eating my way around the world with the people I love.
  5. Least favorite household chore: Putting away clean laundry.

John’s Pick for the Top Sales Capability Required for Sales Teams to Succeed Today

There is no single capability that drives success.  Sellers need to master a range of capabilities to ultimately be successful but one capability I particularly like is what we call, Assert a Perspective, one of the many skills we teach in our High-Stakes Consultative Dialogues Training Program. 

"Asserting your perspective to guide or reframe thinking can be a high-risk/high reward move in gaining the customer’s trust. How you go about doing it determines your outcome. Great sellers understand the neuroscience behind how to have high risk conversations and how self-determination theory means we need to guide not control these conversations. Using the power of contrast to make persuasive arguments is really effective and unlocks unrealized potential. It can be a game changer for commercial sellers."

Connect on LinkedIn

Find out even more about John or start a conversation with him by clicking here to connect on LinkedIn.