Chris Vernon

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer at The Vernon Company

Newton, Iowa, United States

Overview

Chris Vernon is the fourth-generation Chairman and CEO of The Vernon Company, a promotional products firm founded in 1902. An expert in corporate branding and sales management with an MBA from Northwesterns Kellogg School, he focuses on integrating technology to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency for his national sales force.

Alongside his wife, Denise, Chris is a dedicated philanthropist in his community of Newton, Iowa. They are significant supporters of Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), with a particular passion for the Iowa Culinary Institute. Their contributions aim to foster local education, workforce development, and quality of life.

Unique fact: The Vernon Company is one of fewer than 30 firms in the U. S. over a century old that remains managed by the founding family and operates in its original line of business.

Personality Overview

Cautious & Analytical

Value Seeker

Not Easily Convinced

They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point.  It is quite likely of them to ask for pricing or other concessions. While they don't hesitate to ask questions, they are generally risk-averse and tend to be late adopters.

Topics They Care About

Family Business Leadership
As the fourth-generation CEO of a company founded in 1902, he has extensive experience navigating the unique challenges and opportunities of a long-standing family-owned business.
Sales Enablement Tech
He is currently investing in state-of-the-art technology, including Salesforce and logistics software, to help his sales team work more efficiently and improve the customer experience.
Community Philanthropy
He and his wife are active philanthropists, recently issuing a $250, 000 challenge grant for a local community greenspace project and serving on the DMACC Foundation Board.

Media Appearances

Power 50 2021: No. 44 Chris Vernon, The Vernon Company. Featured in ASI (American Society of Investment Counselors)

See Now

Work History

8-1987
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer at The Vernon Company

Education

1994 - 2004
MAS/CAS from Promotional Products Association International
1987 - 1989
MBA from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 38 Location : Newton, Iowa, United States Job Level : N/A Designation : Chairman/Chief Executive Officer at The Vernon Company
URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To Chris

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Tell them that you will come back if you don’t have a good answer for a question
  • Back up any claims with data and numbers
  • If you have a lower priced product compared to the competition, call out the same

DONT's

  • Don’t overhype the product/pitch, keep it measured
  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence
  • Avoid phrases like ‘do not worry about’, ‘no one compares to’ etc.

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Chris is

  • Ensuring that the product delivers ROI, cost-effective pricing and process compliance are very important for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Chris

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Chris move?

  • If they have the information that they need, they can move fast at making their decisions.
  • Can Chris take some risk or not?

  • They can take some risk if they are confident that they have analyzed the circumstances well.


You And Chris

Personality Compatibility


More Profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Search more profiles

Looking for someone else? Search here for anyone.

Or visit Humantic AI to know more.