How a love of people inspires chief customer officer and leader, Daniel Cran
Dan has been in leadership roles around the world for 20 years, with the last 13 of those being in technology. He’s run regions, launched start-ups, scaled up businesses, opened offices in both Australia and the US, consulted, and held C-level leadership roles. In his own words, he’s “seen it all in the tech space!” What’s the biggest lesson Dan’s learned from all this experience? “That empowering people and simplifying the processes are the keys to success.”
At the age of eight, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve grown up yet! I’ve always been addicted to sport, so when I was young, I was convinced I’d definitely be representing Australia on a professional level, in some sport or other. Reflecting on it now, self-awareness wasn’t strong at that age because my talent certainly wasn’t in line with my ambition.
Can you tell us about the journey of you career to this point?
Having been in leadership roles across multiple countries and companies in the last 20 years, my journey has been one driven by the desire to work with amazing people who genuinely want to make a difference. People are everything to me, they really are. Throughout my career working with companies wanting to launch or scale their tech business, and I ensure I put them first.
Having the pleasure of two decades worth of experience and still be able to continue to help others grow and challenge things is the backbone of my career journey.
What is it about your role at TS that excites you most?
My role at Total Synergy as chief customer officer is tasked with evolving and improving the entire customer lifecycle and experience. What excites me the most about it is being able to join a company with a best-of-breed platform and an amazing group of people. It’s those two things that give me the perfect canvas to do my best work in this role.
What are the three essential ingredients of a good sales function that make it great?
1. People
You may be noticing a theme here, but I truly believe that people are at the heart of any great undertaking. Having the right people, in the right team means that selling can become what it’s supposed to be — finding people who can benefit from something you can give them, offering it to them, and then helping those customers with their challenges as a result.
2. Processes
Having good processes in place is critical. I think it was James Clear who said, “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” I reckon he was spot on.
3. Positivity
Maintaining a good attitude and being positive really is key. Positivity in your mindset is motivating and it’s infectious to those around you, including your customers. It means you can meet and overcome challenges, and it just makes life easier and more enjoyable, for you and for people around you.
What’s your vision for the future of your team and Total Synergy as a whole?
My vision for the future of my team and Total Synergy is pretty simple. The vision is to make the team, their processes, and deliverables repeatable and scalable. From these strong foundations, anything is possible for us!
Can you give us a snapshot of a great day for you?
A great day at work for me is being surrounded by conversations and people that are open-minded. Conversations and exchanges don’t need to result in solutions every time, as long as they have the right intent, and commitment. Outside of work, a great day involves no laptop or shoes!
Have you got a superpower? What is it? If not, what would you want it to be?
Definitely no superpowers here. The lycra bodysuit and cape are a personal choice. If I did have a superpower though, I’d love to be able to speak and understand every language. I know that isn’t as cool as being invisible or flying but it would make travelling and eating SO much better!
