The Learning Curve

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at UPS, Kevin Warren. Kevin takes us through his journey in business, starting from his time as a salesperson in Xerox to where he is now at UPS. Kevin talks about constant improvement and ensuring that you are learning new things to keep up with dynamic markets. He applies this mantra even at UPS, where he took on the enormous challenge of elevating the established company marketing and brand strategy to adjust for modern times and new markets. 

Additional Resources:

• UPS Blue Horizons Minority Incentive Program | https://bit.ly/3PhYnvE
• Georgetown Scholarship | give.georgetown.edu/LucyWarrenScholarship
• Making the Most of Every Lead: Key Questions to Help Sales and Marketing Alignment | https://forc.mx/3uPZSHF
• More about Force Management | https://forc.mx/3waMDDS

HIGHLIGHTS

• How a sales job led to an Executive VP and CMO position
• Constantly assess and update your personal skill set 
• The importance of a mentor-mentee relationship 
• The journey from Xerox to UPS
• Shifting industries, learning the language and gaining credibility 
• Partnerships and relations are everything
• Protecting a well-established brand in a dynamic industry

GUEST BIO

Kevin Warren is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at UPS. In this role he’s responsible for U.S. and International Marketing, The UPS Store, Digital Channels, Revenue Enablement, Business Planning, Forecasting & Pricing, Digital Marketing, Customer Experience, Brand Relevancy, and the company’s Ware2Go subsidiary. His highly developed perspective on data-centric business and non-traditional engagement channels is driving change at UPS and setting new standards in digitally enabled customer experience. As the e-commerce business era takes shape, Kevin is shaping those critical aspects of UPS strategy that will deliver the business of the future.

Most recently, Kevin served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Xerox Corporation, where he was responsible for marketing, worldwide channel strategy, salesforce effectiveness, and global client engagement for the company’s diverse portfolio of hardware, software, and services.

Previously, Kevin served as president of Global Growth Opportunities, responsible for accelerating revenue growth outside the United States. In addition, he had strategic oversight for two Xerox operating units, Global Imaging Systems and Xerox Canada, as well as leading the company’s 3-D printing strategy.

He also led the integration activity surrounding Xerox’s $1.5 billion purchase of Global Imaging Systems. In 2007, he was named chairman, president and chief executive officer of Xerox Canada and in 2010, was named president of U.S. Client Operations. Kevin joined Xerox in 1984 as a sales trainee in Washington, D.C.

Kevin is a board member for Fiserv, Georgetown University, and the UPS Foundation. He is also a current member of the Executive Leadership Council and a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA). Previously, Kevin served on the board of Illinois Tool Works and the national board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

A native of Washington, D.C., Kevin received his Bachelor of Science in finance from Georgetown University and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, having completed the Advanced Management Program.

QUOTES

Kevin: "Because the industry is changing, that means your skillset's got to be changing, you've got to be changing faster. So the 2022 version of Kevin has got to be better than the 2021. It's the same sort of thing as far as looking at your skills and competencies and what you're bringing to the table." 

Kevin: "It was almost really a race of me gaining internal credibility and learning the industry in the company at a depth level deep enough so then I can leverage my commercial knowledge and see things from fresh eyes to get the benefit of that different experience." 

Kevin: "The marketing function led-effort worked well with our communications function to come up with our purpose statement, which is 'Moving our world forward by delivering what matters.'"

Kevin: "If you're in an industry that's dynamic, that's moving more to digital and you've got new players and wannabe disruptors, it's good; you gotta have that trust. But you also have to, an exam question on momentum is 'Is this a company that's on its way up, or are its best days behind it? Is this a company that's agile and innovative? Cool, digital? Is this a company that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and thinks the environment is important?"

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064