Spotlight on Success
Featured Interview
Richard Erschik
“Spotlight on Success” is an interview series created by David Levine of I Am Your Virtual Professional. Its purpose is to amplify the voices of today’s business leaders. Each interview provides actionable insights that readers can implement immediately. No fluff, just practical wisdom that enables individuals to move forward with clarity and confidence.
Richard Erschik
| Company | Exhibitor Training Webinar |
|---|---|
| Role | Educator |
| LinkedIn Profile | https://www.linkedin.com/in/richarderschik/ |
| Company Website | www.ExhibitorTrainingWebinar.com |
Richard (Rich) Erschik—a Vietnam War veteran, successful entrepreneur, trade show industry ROI pioneer, lifelong learner, and popular online instructor based in South Florida.
Over the years he has built businesses, flown 2 million miles, written books, and taught thousands of people how to succeed in sales, marketing, public speaking, and technology.
As a webinar presenter in the trade show industry, he works with organizers to help assure their exhibitors’ success. He also helps beginners, seniors, and everyday learners unlock the power of technology with AI tools like ChatGPT. When he is not writing or teaching, you’ll find him volunteering, enjoying the beach, archery, biking, or sharing good food and laughter with the love of his life, Laurie.
Who Should You Nominate?
- Leaders doing meaningful work
- People with insights others can learn from
- Voices worth elevating
Interview Questions
1. What’s one strategy your business used recently that created meaningful growth?
I SELL less and TELL more. For years I sold services. Now I lead with education. Webinars. Articles. Books. Social Media Posts. Real examples. When trade show exhibitors learn something useful from you — something they can apply immediately — trust shows up before the sales call ever happens. Education builds authority. Authority builds credibility. Credibility builds business. If you teach first, selling gets easier.
2. How has AI or technology changed the way you operate or serve clients?
I always wanted another version of me. Now I have one. AI lets me extend my thinking, writing, outlining, structuring, delivery — in my tone, my cadence, my frameworks. It doesn’t replace experience. It amplifies it. Instead of spending hours drafting pre-show messaging, booth staff instructions, and post-show response, I build faster. Cleaner. Sharper. Technology doesn’t make you smarter. But it multiplies clarity — if you already have it.
3. What’s one thing you stopped doing that actually helped your business grow?
I stopped chasing “big opportunities” that weren’t aligned. Years ago, I would say yes to almost anything. Now I focus on the right audience. Show organizers who care about their exhibitors’ success. Organizers who know that their exhibitors need help. When their exhibitors are successful it’s win win. Saying no sometimes creates growth. Focus creates momentum.
4. What’s a customer insight you discovered that changed the way you do business?
Most exhibitors don’t have a lead generation problem. They have a follow-up problem. I see it over and over again. Leads scanned. Leads dumped into a CRM. Sales team overwhelmed. Nothing happens. The show gets blamed. That changed everything. Instead of helping exhibitors “get more leads,” I built systems around qualifying and prioritizing leads before they ever hit sales. Upstream improvement. Downstream results. That insight built an entire business.
5. If a business had to improve ONE area to grow faster in the next 90 days, what should it be?
Follow-up discipline. Not marketing. Not branding. Not redesigning the booth. Follow-up. Most companies already have opportunities sitting in their database. Old inquiries. Past customers. Unanswered leads. Clean the list. Prioritize it. Reach out consistently. Revenue is usually hiding in plain sight.
6. What’s one thing you do consistently that keeps your pipeline healthy?
Weekly posts. Regular emails. Webinars. Conversations. Introductions. Not random activity — consistent presence. People forget quickly. But they remember those who show up regularly. Pipeline health is visibility plus credibility over time.
7. What’s a decision you made in the last year that had a bigger impact than you expected, and what led you to make it?:
I leaned into AI education publicly instead of quietly experimenting with it. For a while, I was just learning it for myself. Then I realized something: most professionals are curious but intimidated. So, I simplified it. Plain English. No jargon. That decision repositioned me. Not as a “tech guy,” but as a bridge between experience and modern tools. It opened new conversations I didn’t expect. Now I teach that too.
8. What’s one process you streamlined that made a noticeable difference in efficiency or results?
Content creation. Instead of starting from scratch every time, I now repurpose intelligently. A webinar becomes: A LinkedIn article – A short email – A checklist – A slide deck – A talking point. Same core idea. Multiple formats. Efficiency isn’t doing more. It’s extracting more value from what you’ve already created.
9. What book, podcast, or resource has influenced your thinking or business decisions lately and why?
I’m a lifelong learner. I love technology. I don’t take time to read books when I can listen to them while walking, driving, biking, AI & ChatGPT are extremely useful in business and personal life. That’s why I also teach it. I learn more about it every day from this podcast I highly recommend. youreverydayai.com
Who Should You Nominate?
- Leaders doing meaningful work
- People with insights others can learn from
- Voices worth elevating
I am Your Virtual Professional's
3 Key Takeaways
# 1
Lead with education to shorten the sales cycle.
Richard sells less and teaches more — using webinars, articles, books, and real examples to build authority before a sales conversation ever happens. For Virtual Professionals, this reinforces a powerful positioning strategy: when you clarify thinking and deliver usable insights upfront, credibility compounds and selling becomes a natural next step.
# 2
Use AI to multiply expertise, not replace it.
He treats AI as “another version” of himself extending his outlining, writing, and structuring but rooted in his voice and frameworks. The lesson isn’t automation for its own sake; it’s amplification. Technology accelerates clarity and output when it’s built on experience, not used as a substitute for it.
# 3
Growth lives in follow-up discipline and focused alignment.
Richard stopped chasing misaligned “big opportunities” and instead doubled down on the right audience. He also identified that most clients don’t have a lead problem — they have a follow-up problem. Systems for qualifying, prioritizing, and consistently reconnecting create momentum. Pipeline health, in his view, is visibility plus credibility over time.
Who Should You Nominate?
- Leaders doing meaningful work
- People with insights others can learn from
- Voices worth elevating
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