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Business Services Industry

Timothy Askew: 54, founder and CEO of Corporate Rain INC. in New Rochelle, New York

Entrepreneur, Jan, 2004 by April Y. Pennington

DESCRIPTION: Executive sales outsourcing boutique

START-UP: $10,OOO in 1996

SALES: 2003 estimated sales of $1.9 million

THE PRODUCER: A failed Broadway producer, Askew began looking for other options, and his CEO acquantances offered jobs. Although he was reluctant to take on anything full time, several projects involving CEO-to-CEO dealings exposed Askew to an untapped niche in the sales process. Corporate Pain is the result

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HANDLING REJECTION: CRI arranges high-level "new business" meetings, pre-sells, with senior executives of companies targeted by his clients. Why do companies turn to CRI? Says Askew, "Basically, people hate doing This. There's a ton of rejection involved." Coupled with the slow and systematic process, CRI can be regarded as a godsend. "Rejection is our middle name--it's what we do" says Askew. "Our success rate is 8 to 15 percent. Believe it or not, that's phenomenally high."

PHONE ETIQUETTE: Reaching out to corporate decisionmakers, CRI's sales force is comprised of entrepreneurs and former executives who have Ph.D.s, MBAs or other high-level credentials and thus can have what Askew describes as a "peer-to-peer approach" to sales, representing clients like AT&T, Con Edison Communication and Deloitte & Touche.

"It's basically phone work," says a modest Askew." Mostly our success is just plain persistence. It's not like we're a genius company--we just use very high-level people. We also emphasize courtesy above success."

SOCIAL WORK: Askews master's degrees in education, philosophy and religion shape his take on business. "It's more from an ethics and service point of view lather than pure pront. I just assume the profits will follow if you tell the truth and do fight by people."

Business Services Industry

Timothy Askew: 54, founder and CEO of Corporate Rain INC. in New Rochelle, New York

Entrepreneur, Jan, 2004 by April Y. Pennington

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