Microsoft Office: Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Word
CHRISTOPHER J. SORGIE
Customer Success
Greater New York,CT
Summary
Hello and thanks for reviewing my profile. I just possibly could be one of the most interesting people you ever meet. Let's find a few minutes to get better acquainted. The 3D me is so much more interested than this 2D me. But please read on and learn a little bit about who I am.
A strategic thinker with a passion for pushing boundaries to develop innovative solutions that drives company growth and customer success.
Charismatic leader successful at managing multiple priorities with unquestionable integrity and an uncompromising commitment to quality. Relies on humor and outgoing personality to quickly gain trust and likeability with internal teams, clients and vendors.
Loves collaborating with stakeholders to establish goals with revenue growth accountability. Utilizes a proactive leadership style to inspire and mentor high-performing cross-functional teams.
Customer Success champion with top-notch skills in oral and written communication, active listening and analytical problem-solving. Passionate about promoting lasting customer satisfaction by delivering quality service and unparalleled support
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Real Estate Transformation Consultant (SaaS)
Northspyre
New York, NY
10.2022 - Current
- Liaised between buyers and sellers to provide positive experiences for both parties.
- Generated leads for sales and rental properties through cold calls and referrals.
- Developed and maintained list of available properties suited to different needs and budgets for both commercial and industrial use.
- Coordinated appointments to show marketed properties.
- Managed contracts, negotiations, and all aspects of sales to finalize purchases and exceed customer expectations.
- Maintained customer satisfaction with forward-thinking strategies focused on addressing customer needs and resolving concerns.
- Responded to customer requests for products, services, and company information.
- A member of the Customer Success team responsible for driving growth, renewals, and value with Northspyre clients. Act as an agent of change for old-school real estate companies that are looking to modernize by being more data-driven and proactive in their approach to delivering real estate projects.
- Drives product adoption by analyzing customer data to determine targeted outreach to increase overall platform utilization and retention.
- Proactively identify opportunities and uncover obstacles to prevent churn.
- Actively listened to customers, handled concerns quickly and escalated major issues for prioritization.
- Clarified customer issues and determined root cause of problems to resolve product or service complaints.
- Led team meetings and training sessions to educate clients about product updates resulting in increased utilization.
- Promoted superior experience by addressing customer concerns, demonstrating empathy, and resolving problems swiftly.
Project Manager
Jones Lang Lasalle
New York, NY
02.2021 - 10.2022
- Created amazing spaces where people can achieve their ambitions.
- Managed projects from procurement to closeout
- Held construction progress meetings with stakeholders to discuss deliverables, schedules and conflicts.
- Developed and initiated projects, managed costs, and monitored performance.
- Provided detailed project status updates to stakeholders and executive management.
- Verified completed projects met approved time, quality, and cost estimates.
- Prepared and submitted project invoices for review and approval.
- Sourced, vetted and managed vendors needed to accomplish project goals.
- Increased customer satisfaction ratings by resolving all issues professionally.
Corporate VP, Sales & Marketing Strategy
New York Life Insurance Co
White Plains, NY
09.2014 - 03.2019
- Managed Prospecting Strategy Team overseeing the daily operations, coaching and development of new business strategies which enhanced the sales performance of financial professionals
- Significantly modernized the Agent digital experience, drove Salesforce adoption and implemented strategies to recruit and retain Agents
- Oversaw cross-functional team tasked with developing prospecting strategies training agents how to market to new prospects and schedule appointments leading to product sales and improved Agent retention
- Developed business, technical and pricing requirements for CRM business applications enabling 1 to 1 communication with prospects for tracking and reporting KPIs
- Streamlined local marketing work process resulting in a 50% decrease in time needed to complete projects
- Competed in NYL Hackathon new business innovation program developing a mobile employee benefits business for the GIG economy
- Implemented grassroots regional and local marketing programs to enhance community relations through engaging promotional partnerships with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Lifetime Fitness and other retail events.
Corporate Vice President, Director of Advertising
New York Life Insurance Co
New York, NY
02.2000 - 09.2014
- Created strategic direction for branding strategy, advertising campaigns and sponsorships
- Developed corporate marketing plans that maximized Company image
- Administered $40+ million advertising and $15+ million sponsorship budgets
- Oversaw creative and media agencies responsible for implementing the creative and media strategy
- Managed activation agency charged with optimizing marketing partnership inventory to drive fan engagement and leads
- Negotiated Sports sponsorships with marketing and sales organizations including multi-year deals with the ACC, Big East, Pac-12, Barclays Center, Little League and FOX Sports
- Managed sponsorships and implemented consumer activation engagement initiatives which increased brand preference and produced qualified leads for Agents
- Created New York Life's Hockey OT sponsorship with MSG Networks raising the brand’s profile in 10 key local markets
- Developed New York Life Protection Index measuring how a National Football League team’s offensive line protects its quarterback. This branded statistic was featured in media outlets delivering millions of dollars in earned media
- Created national ad campaigns that doubled New York Life's unaided brand awareness among consumers from 8% to 16%
- Negotiated New York Life's SEC sponsorship with CBS that included the first down marker on-field virtual logo
- Developed New York Life's “Safe and Secure” feature broadcast during MLB games. This aligned with the brand's core message of providing safety and security and was integrated during key moments of the game driving brand awareness
- Performed competitive analyses and adjusted sales and marketing strategies accordingly.
- Cultivated and maintained strategic alliances with key partners and vendors.
Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications
New York Life Insurance Co
New York, NY
06.1996 - 02.2000
- Point of contact for Business Affairs, PR, Finance, Legal and Creative Services for marketing materials, graphic design, and production
- Analyzed advertising and sponsorships for communications effectiveness
- Managed the editorial calendar to create content for digital and social campaigns leveraging the corporate campaign
- Received the “2000 Silver Effie Award” for the “Cityscape” advertising campaign
- Reallocated NYLs advertising budget based on BDI resulting in significantly higher share of voice in local markets
- Launched social media influencer campaign resulting in over 1 million views of New York Life's “Life Lesson” videos. The campaign exceeded industry averages for engagements rates driving favorability for NYL
- Led team that developed a company-wide Internet and digital marketing strategy which improved the user experience, generated qualified leads, and developed “brand champions.”
- Launched Hispanic market campaign which doubled sales and increased agent staffing by 50% in South Florida.
- Hired Hispanic market agency to conduct research and develop a comprehensive marketing program, including event sponsorships, seminars, direct marketing, and lead-generation programs across a variety of media channels.
- Identified opportunities to improve business process flows and productivity.
- Established performance goals for department and provided methods for reaching milestones.
- Increased company growth through collaboration with sales and marketing departments.
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration - Advertising / Marketing
Baruch College, City University of New York
NY 09.1989 - 09.1989
Skills
Pipeline development
Business planniing
Key accounts development
Revenue growth
Relationship Building
Complaint resolution
Cross-functional collaboration
Customer onboarding, training, and support
Churn mitigation
Empathy
Marketing plan development
Story development and brand management
Performance metrics analysis
Budget development and management
Prospect targeting
Digital marketing
Creative and innovative
Sponsorship Strategy
Contract Negotiation
Brand Integration
Creative Briefs and Brand Positioning
Content marketing
SEO proficiency
Data Analytics
SEM strategy development
Accomplishments
- Married for 27+ years to my one true love
- Raised 3 amazing children who are thriving in their chosen fields of study and work
- My Super Bowl Chili was voted #1 by friends and family
- I've been teaching myself how to play guitar
- Co-authored a book about world's #1 band - U2. U2itude, the Ultimate Handbook for U2 fans.
- Failed at launching a web-based application for U2itude - but it was worth the effort.
- Was MVP on pop-warner championship football team
- Earned highest marks for customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score, company-wide.
- Achieved Net Annual Recurring Revenue goal through Upsells and churn mitigation strategies.
- Reduced Churn Rate by proactively building relationships with C-suite executives and buyers
- Used conflict management skills to listen and empathize with customers, maintaining an account retention rate of 95%
- Demonstrated communication and relationship management skills by identifying over 25 customer account needs, setting goals and success measurables, and delivering on positive outcomes
- Delivered superior experience by addressing customer concerns, demonstrating empathy, and resolving problems faster than Company average resolution time.
Software
Google Suite: Docs, Drive, Gmail, Keep, Sheets, Slides
Slack
Hubspot
ClickUp
Mentimeter
Adobe
Interests
Coaching Little League baseball
Playing the electric guitar
Cooking amazing meals
Raising butterflies
Gardening with native plants
Cooking
Super Bowl Chili, Chicken Franchise and Eggs Benedict with Avocado Hollandaise Sauce are among my specialties.
Timeline
Real Estate Transformation Consultant (SaaS)
Northspyre
10.2022 - Current
Project Manager
Jones Lang Lasalle
02.2021 - 10.2022
Corporate VP, Sales & Marketing Strategy
New York Life Insurance Co
09.2014 - 03.2019
Corporate Vice President, Director of Advertising
New York Life Insurance Co
02.2000 - 09.2014
Assistant Vice President, Corporate Communications
New York Life Insurance Co
06.1996 - 02.2000
Bachelor of Business Administration - Advertising / Marketing
Baruch College, City University of New York
09.1989 - 09.1989