David Wallace: When the Sparks Fly

What this episode covers

Joanie interviews David Wallace, who talks about emotionally charged situations on this entertaining and enlightening episode. David is the president of 5th Avenue Energy where he combines two of his passions, electricity and protecting the environment. 5th Avenue Energy is a San Diego based Electrical Contracting Firm that specializes in solar and renewable energy solutions in the Commercial and Industrial space. David is a funny guy and this interview will certainly entertain you, but you will also get some valuable insights. David has given a lot of thought to people strategies and he’s very articulate. Highlights: Q: Tell us about yourself. “As a kid, I would ask for very expensive robotic toys and I would take them apart to see how they worked.” “I am a lover of all things technical, especially renewable energy. The largest obstacle I find, is not non-technical people, it’s engineers. They’re used to speaking about other technical things, but not the flow of electrons.” Q: What’s the emotion you refer to? “There’s an emotion that comes when you’re driven by something. Frustrations can arise when it comes between protecting the budget versus protecting the environment.” Q: What do you do to make a pleasant environment for negotiation? “The first thing I do is check my ego at the door. I ask questions and try not to interrupt.” Q: How did you learn to read body language? “I had to hone in my focus because I’m usually thinking of the next thing I’m going to say.” Q: How do you prepare yourself for being in the right mode for different types of situations? “It’s literally a robotic function of mine: which button do I push to get the right version of David? I put myself in a box and I choose which box I want to be in and I don’t let myself outside of the box.” Words of Wisdom: “Passion can make or break a sale.” “As nerds and technical people, we’re competitive. We can see a discussion as a competition and it’s not necessarily that.” “Getting someone to understand that you want to understand disarms.” Contact David: (951) 285-4605 [email protected] http://www.5thavenueenergy.com