Ken Crinion enjoys variety, and getting a sense of the “big picture” when it comes to sales and solving customer problems.
As a Regional Strategic Account Manager at SICK, based in Spokane, Ken sells and consults with customers across the rugged Northwest territory of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana—in a range of industries as diverse as aerospace and food processing.
Prior to joining SICK only two years ago in the fall of 2015, Ken held sales engineering positions in the electronics and sensor technology fields, as well as a product manager role in in telecommunications.
When he’s not visiting customers by car or plane, he is in his home office doing research or on the phone with customers. Ken draws on his background in engineering to solve customer problems. He finds satisfaction in doing so, especially when he can take a consultative approach.
“Most interesting is getting brought in on the front end of a product application such as when a customer says ‘help me configure this’ or ‘what’s the best solution?’ Customers come to us as experts for our recommendations,” Ken says, noting the breadth of sensors offered by SICK was one of the things that drew him to the company.
He adds: “I always try to be honest and up front with customer. It’s about the knowledge that you can bring. Even if you don’t know something, you need to be able to find the answer and followup quickly.” Given the variety of people and roles he interacts with at customer organizations, he strives to keep his interactions focused on what’s important to each person, customizing the sales experience as much as possible.
Ken applies his business experience and education—having earned an M.B.A.—in getting strategic about developing new business in the vast Northwest region. He spends time doing research to determine where to put his efforts, “to take a strategic look at what areas have the most potential to grow and expand.”
Ken is a former commissioned U.S. Navy officer (Lieutenant). A proud graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he majored in economics and took engineering courses. He served for just over six years in the Navy on two Navy ships: USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) and the USS Rentz (FFG 46).
Married with two boys, Ken likes to hike and golf. A favorite family activity is camping. He enjoys being an assistant coach for boys’ baseball. The two boys, ages 6 and 8, are active in other sports, too. One thing Ken has to get used to: his oldest boy’s love of downhill skiing. Snowboarding may be next.
