We continue the Best Advice Q&A series with John Ponticello, founder and chief executive officer at CJD Consulting. He shares the best advice he’s ever gotten, gives tips to security industry newcomers and points out the ultimate professional inspiration.
Security Sales & Integration: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
John Ponticello: “Keep your focus on what you are good at.”
One of the best lessons I learned was to understand your strengths, recognize your weaknesses and surround yourself with people who are better than you in those areas.
Early on when starting CJD, I wanted to focus strictly on projects and operations, I had no interest in sales. Someone gave me advice that completely changed my perspective. He told me, “I hate to tell you but you’ve got to suck it up and do it yourself.”
He explained that I needed to hire someone to handle operations so I could focus on sales and growing the business. That led me to reconnect with Anthony Cirillo, who is now our vice president, while I shifted my focus toward sales and business development. Over time, Anthony naturally got involved in sales as well and we grew into those roles together.
Looking back, that advice was exactly what I needed. It taught me the importance of focusing on your strengths, trusting the people around you and building a team that complements one another.
SSI: What advice would you give to those looking to achieve success in the security industry?
Ponticello: Keep your focus on customer success and always aim to make the client look good. Most clients don’t hire you to tell them exactly what to do; they hire you to help them achieve a goal. Take initiative, solve problems proactively and look for ways to take work off the client’s plate to make their life easier.
Always do the right thing for the client, even when it’s not the easiest option. Building trust is everything in this industry. Clients need to know that they can rely on you, that you’re looking out for their best interests and that you’ll consistently deliver on what you promise.
Strong relationships and trust are what lead to long-term success.
SSI: If you could point to one person in the security industry and tell up-and-comers, “Make sure to listen to what they have to say,” whom would you pick and why?
Ponticello: Not to be biased, but I’d say Jhonneer Restrepo, our director of security here at CJD. He shares the same client-focused approach I mentioned earlier and truly understands that success in this industry comes from building trust and helping clients achieve their goals.
He’s someone who always puts the client first, takes initiative and focuses on doing the right thing rather than just checking a box. He also has a strong technical understanding of the industry while still being able to communicate clearly and build relationships, which is a huge part of being successful in security.
Click here to check out all entries in SSI’s Best Advice series!
