April 26, 2024
An Interview with Marc Daft, Dover Fueling Solutions' Newest Sales Leader
New head of North America Sales, Marc Daft, has taken his fair share of risks opening new doors during his professional journey. Having recently stepped into leading one of DFS’ largest sales teams, Marc leans on his ability to build relationships and promote growth. We sat down with Marc to find out more on who he is as a leader, a peer, and what he’s excited about to come.
Marc’s Path to DFS and What he Envisions Moving Forward
Question: Why did you decide to join DFS, and what from your past experiences do you believe will help you most in navigating Sales leadership for DFS moving forward?
Answer: I had mostly spent my career on the fuel side of the business, with stints at Irving Oil, BP and Circle K. When I heard of the opening at DFS, I felt it was a clear opportunity to move closer to the consumer experience. Fueling your vehicle is something that most everybody does at some point during the week – there’s not a lot of products you can say that about.
We sell something that the majority of the population touches, which I think is pretty cool. Moreover, the DFS products tend to be more focused on the consumer experience side, making it more engaging to buy gas and honestly, less boring. We’re paving the way for store operators and owners to tap into a new avenue that was traditionally not very interesting.
Coming to DFS, I’ve been super impressed with the wealth of knowledge the team has and the willingness to find solutions and collaborate. The combined experience is strong, and it shows. We talk a lot about “collaboration” but it’s not in a buzzwordy way, we really mean it.
Question: What are you most looking forward to in 2024, within DFS as well as within our industry?
Answer: Growth – we have a real opportunity to capture additional market share. It truly feels like the market is receptive to innovation, incorporating new ways to reach customers and connect.
For me, in a new role, it’s making those connections and meeting all of our customers and getting to know their businesses. From an industry standpoint, I would say bringing the consumer fueling experience to be on par with the retail experience costumers expect in other areas. I heard a statistic the other day that 30 plus percent of Starbucks orders were purchased through their mobile app. Mobility is the future and we have this insane opportunity to merge our everyday lives and technology behavior into this industry.
Career, Development and Industry Reflections
Question: What’s a potentially underrated tool or resource that you’ve found helpful in your work?
Answer: I wouldn’t call this underrated, but every day I’m surprised by the capability and knowledge of the customer that our channel partners have. We can’t do this alone and it’s the strong ecosystem of partners that make it all successful.
Question: What surprises or intrigues you about fueling and convenience retail as an industry?
Answer: I think I am most intrigued by the expanded offers our customers have been implementing to develop their brands and truly differentiate from one another. It’s really as competitive as you can get. They’re all trying to figure out their winning move and we’re here to help.
Question: Name an event or experience that significantly impacted your career decisions and trajectory.
Answer: This is a tough one! I would have to say, my first sales call. Probably one of the more memorable moments in my career. I was calling on direct dealer business in Boston and let’s just say it went awful – ha! But, it made me want to come back for more and do it right. I took the time to digest, process the mistakes and then think about how I could make it better in the future.
Getting to Know Marc on a Personal Level
We spent a few minutes on some rapid fire fun questions to get a sense of who Marc is as a colleague and person. Here’s what he had to say…
Question: What has been your best c-store/fueling station experience?
Answer: Any place with the DFS Anthem UX® 😉
Question: Tell us about your worst c-store/fueling station experience?
Answer: I wouldn’t say there was one time in particular, but where people are just generally impolite. No words are fine, but when someone is just rude or unhappy to be there, it’s off-putting. I appreciate a good attitude or none at all.
Question: Tell us about your first job.
Answer: First job ever was on Wall Street, working in marketing. It’s sort of what you would assume - an entry level position that mostly consisted of getting coffee and sorting mail, but I was also responsible for content creation and generating prospectuses. It was a fantastic environment that was fun, loud and chaotic.
Question: One thing you never head out on a business trip without?
Answer: An iPad and AirPods. Always.
Question: What is your favorite treat?
Answer: Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee. 1 milk, no sugar.
Question: What is your favorite book or influencer?
Answer: I have a few favorites but this past year, my favorite book would be Principles, by Ray Dalio. It’s taught me to define a set of principles for yourself and for the business, and use those as your guide post in all decision making. It helps to create a culture that you really want to be in.
Question: What’s a ritual or tradition you’ve held onto for a long time?
Answer: Carving out one hour per week, blocking time on the calendar to think or do focus work. Literally to just reflect and plan for the future. I go back to the principles we’ve laid out at the beginning of the year and sense-check current strategic priorities against them.
