First Impressions Count

Kelly Dowell, Dowco Enterprises, Inc.

Kelly Dowell, business development manager for Chesterfield, Missouri-based DOWCO, doesn’t recall her first visit to GIC.  “I was in a stroller,” she laughs.  It wasn’t until she started working for her parents’ company after graduating from high school that her first impression of the event hit home.

“Everyone seemed to know my dad,” said Dowell, who, after graduation, worked four days a week while getting her degree in business administration and marketing.  “He had so many friends and everyone was so nice. Now, I’ve made my own friends there and again everyone is welcoming and willing to share.”

Dowell wears many hats at DOWCO, most of which fit somewhere under the sales and marketing heading.  She manages the sales process, oversees social media, and manages account managers among other responsibilities.  At GIC, you’ll find her at seminars and Breakfast with Champions networking sessions that focus on these topics.

“When I first started to oversee our account managers, I wanted to find out how other companies set sales, retention, and profit margin goals for theirs,” she relates. “So I sat in a couple of seminars and Breakfast with Champions tables that addressed the topic.  All companies operate a little differently, but you can always learn something that’s useful.”

She continues, “At the first of the year, we implemented a new, all-inclusive software program.  We learned about the program at GIC and talked with other PLANET members before implementing it. Getting the software up and running has been a challenge, but it would have been more of a challenge without them sharing their experiences; nobody wants to waste time reinventing the wheel.”

Dowell doesn’t waste any time at GIC either.  In addition to gleaning helpful information for her company, she likes to make new friends and acquaintances.  There’s a method to her approach.  “I meet new people and collect their business cards early on at the Breakfast with Champions and specialty group reception,” she explains.  “Then, I can say hello later during the conference and even compare notes with them.”

She also enjoys getting to know whom she terms “the industry all stars.” “They’re like the industry’s Oscar winners,” said Dowell, as she rattles off more than a half dozen names.  “Even though they’re so successful and so well-know within the industry, they always have time to talk. They offer me their cell phone numbers and encourage me to call with any questions. It’s really quite amazing.”

This willingness to give back is one reason Dowell said her father Maurice has always been and continues to be a big proponent of PLANET. “He tells me that of all his affiliations, PLANET membership is one he would never give up, noting there are three stages to being involved with PLANET and going to GIC.  As a new member, the first year or two you spend time sitting in seminars collecting information.  Then, you meet new people and collect shared experiences.  Finally, after learning and growing you will be able to give back and help other new members grow. I’m looking forward to reaching that point in my career.”