Introduction
Hunter Fleshood, Head of Sales for Comfy, talks with Jack Ossa about how technology is changing the workplace and the corporate real estate decisions behind it. Hunter's background combines technology consulting, corporate real estate and sales, and he now leads a team that sells workplace experience technology to large companies.
The conversation starts with listening as the core professional skill and moves through Hunter's career, personal branding, networking, the product his team sells and the uncertainty companies face about the return to the office.
About the Episode
Hunter says the most important skill for anyone helping clients is listening and then clarifying, and explains reflective listening, where you repeat back what you heard so that people feel understood. He grew up in Raleigh, studied business in Chapel Hill and spent nine years in consulting, learning to program and working with large banks, before a contact introduced him to corporate real estate at Bank of America.
He describes what he learned there: how much real estate costs a major corporation, how it supports the core business, and how emotionally attached people are to the place where they work. Jack and Hunter discuss why details like a good chair matter and how many people spend most of their lives in an office, so decisions about space affect millions of lives.
They then talk about selling and branding. Hunter believes sellers come in many personalities, and Jack explains why he built a personal brand and uses the podcast to add value rather than to sell. Hunter also describes his work with the Carolinas chapter of a corporate real estate association and the app Comfy builds, which gives employees easier ways to use the office and gives real estate teams data on utilization.
Key Takeaways
- Listen, then clarify: put your agenda aside, ask people to elaborate and say back what you heard.
- Translate strategy into space: corporate real estate works best when business needs shape decisions about expansion, contraction and design.
- Small comforts count: a proper ergonomic chair, lighting and air quality affect how people feel about their workplace every day.
- Give before you ask: Hunter's team reads books on giving and reciprocity and treats helping the network as an investment, not a transaction.
- Sellers come in many styles: quiet, analytical people can sell well when they listen and understand.
- Sell certainty and ease: for employees it is a frictionless day, and for real estate teams it is data to confirm costly decisions.
- Offer reasons to come in: employees now have choice, so offices must entice them with better experiences instead of mandates.
Highlights from the Conversation
I think the most important skill is listening and then clarifying, because until or unless you understand who you're trying to help, who you're trying to work with, I don't think you're going to be successful at helping them.
Hunter Fleshood
What we're selling to the corporate real estate teams are data to affirm decisions, to increase certainty and to validate that you are making a good decision.
Hunter Fleshood
Work is not a place, it's what you do. Ultimately, it's outcomes.
Hunter Fleshood
Topics Discussed
- Listening, clarifying and reflective listening
- From technology consulting to corporate real estate
- How workplace decisions affect employees
- Managing and coaching a sales team
- Personal branding and giving value first
- Networking through a corporate real estate association
- Workplace experience apps and utilization data
- Hybrid work, uncertainty and the future of buildings
Why This Conversation Matters
Hunter shows how data and a clear understanding of what employees want should inform decisions about office space. That is the question behind many of our interior architecture projects, such as the BWM Office, where design has to support how a team actually works. His emphasis on listening is also the starting point of our branding process, where we listen to a client's team before defining the brand.
About the Guest
Hunter Fleshood is the Head of Sales for Comfy, a Siemens company that makes workplace experience technology. A North Carolina native who grew up in Raleigh and studied in Chapel Hill, he spent nine years in technology consulting and nine years in corporate real estate at a major bank before joining technology companies in the built environment. He has been active for 15 years in a corporate real estate association and has served as president of its Carolinas chapter.
Connect with Hunter Fleshood on LinkedIn
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