Meet Mike Richardson, the second Commio employee to be spotlighted in “Nice to Meet You”! Chances are, if you’ve become a Commio customer in the last year and a half, you’ve interacted with Mike as our Inbound Sales Development Representative (SDR) and Marketing Coordinator. But in addition to working hard for you, he’s a fun and interesting guy!
What do you do at Commio?
There’s a sales element and a marketing element to my job that overlap throughout each day. I work closely with Marketing on several different marketing initiatives. Each day is a bit different but our main focus is finding/attracting leads for the sales team to help fill the top of the funnel. I document every inbound lead and try to gain an understanding of what each prospect’s interest is in Commio. I serve as the liaison between the sales team and the prospect and facilitate a meeting between them if appropriate. I also have the privilege of processing Call Detail Records (CDR’s) to show prospects exactly how much Commio will save them each month over their existing provider.
What do you think sets your team apart from similar jobs at other companies?
My role is uniquely split between marketing and sales so I get to interact with both teams. I think what stands out is that each person on both teams is vital to our success as a whole. I’ve been in situations at some companies where it can seem like there are too many cooks in the kitchen but that’s not the case here.
What excites you about going to work in the morning?
I get really excited in situations where I see a lead come to us and I can immediately recall the marketing initiative that drew them in. I’ve learned in my role that there’s no such thing as an accidental lead or someone who just stumbles upon a company like Commio. Over this past year we’ve been able to better target the kinds of leads that are best for our business model and sending them over to the sales team is gratifying for everyone involved.
What do your customer interactions look like?
As the first person many prospects encounter with Commio my interactions can go several different directions. I try to quickly gain an understanding of the prospect’s use case and what products they may be interested in so that I can efficiently get them scheduled to speak with our sales team. Sometimes current customers ask me questions and every once in a while I don’t know the answer. The good news is that I can direct them to our support team. They’re all right here in Raleigh and always happy to help.
Who has influenced you in your approach to work?
My Dad instilled my work ethic in me at a young age. He’s spent decades going into work before the sun comes up so that my little brother, my mom, and I have everything we need. The older I get the more I appreciate the sacrifices he and my mom have made.
If you could do some other job, what would it be?
There’s a park in Raleigh beside NC State’s campus known as Pullen Park. As a kid I went there quite a bit and I loved the train they had that would circle the perimeter of the park. One day, perhaps in retirement, I will become the engineer of the Pullen Park train. 
What do you drive and why?
I have a 1990 Corvette and a 2002 8.1L Chevy Avalanche. It’s always blown my mind how much cars depreciate and how much people value ‘new.’ For less than most people pay for one car, you can have the coolest pickup ever made and a Corvette. People are sometimes scared of buying an older vehicle but the truth is that the cost to own one of these older GM vehicles that have been well maintained is often far less than a 2010-2021 car. This is mainly due to the complex nature of newer cars and the computers/electrical systems that control them. This topic gets me fired up.
Planes, trains, or automobiles?
I love all three. I also love boats. I was obsessed with trains as a kid, I worked as a boat captain at Disney World in college, and I flip a couple cars every year as a side hustle. There’s just something cool about large, dangerous, moving pieces of metal.
