CEO of the consulting firm Digital scouting.
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Who are you and what do you do?
CEO of the consulting firm Digitalscouting. Besides helping insurer, banks and B2B service providers scaling their sales teams with attention hacking, modernizing marketing and pushing digital strategies – I am a dad, husband and die-hard Hamburg-Sports-Club Soccer fan.
1. What was the journey that brought you to your current role?
A few years ago I was really angry at the state of the industry. Due to the fact that I worked outside the industry at that time, I had the liberty to call out the elephants in the room and talk about all our industry taboos. I did not do that at the bar after a workshop or conference, but on stage and on social media. Instead of being beaten of stages, my following exploded and I got a lot of requests from other rebels inside the industry, to help them save their companies. We developed very specific products, solutions and services for the insurance and finance industry that lead to the founding of a consulting and marketing firm. Now we are helping insurer, banks and other industries around the world – as outside experts.
2. How do you get things done?
We are a world-class team of strong, independent, super disciplined colleagues. Their work allows me to focus on what’s most important. I block merciless times in my calendar for work packages, client work, meetings, and sales calls. Every Tuesday I eat lunch with my wife Katja in which I need to show that I am working only on priorities and not wasting time. I really want to make her happy so I try to correct my own mistakes early. Sometimes I achieve it.
3. Who are your role models and why?
I. had the privilege to work in my early twenties for one of the most successful family entrepreneurs in Germany, Ludwig Georg Braun (CEO of the medical-technical company B. Braun Melsungen). I saw very close how he and other family members managed things. I was deeply impressed by it and try to achieve such a level of personality. But I surely am a few decades away from it. I also listen to a lot of podcasts of role models like Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Dave Ramsey, and others. You don’t need to know a role model to be close to them. Just get their podcast.
4. What’s the one secret about your field or industry you wish everyone knew?
Stop meeting – start doing. We only work with clients where we feel, that they really want to change and achieve things. If I get the feeling that they want to meet, strategize but never want to implement, we don’t proceed. Luckily we have a ton of great doers (male and female) working in the industry.
5. What are your predictions for the industry for the next few years?
Those who do the right thing now – independently if insurtech, incumbent, re-insurer, software company – will win. Those who still hesitate or procrastinate will go down. Slower than expected, but they will go down.
