How a Forklift Driver Became One of NZ’s Top Salesmen (Without a Business Degree)

4 days ago
3 min read

In an episode of the Zeducation Podcast, we sit down with Andre Timothy — a proud Pasifika professional and the 2021 HP Distribution Salesperson of the Year — to unpack what really makes a great salesperson.

Andre Timothy never set out to be a top salesperson. In fact, if you met him years ago, you’d probably find him behind the wheel of a forklift at a plastics factory—doing honest work, making ends meet, and quietly wondering what else was out there for him.

What changed his life wasn’t luck. It wasn’t a flashy suit or slick pitch. It was curiosity.

“I didn’t know where I’d end up,” Andre told us on the Zeducation Podcast. “But I always wanted to understand how things worked—and why people did what they did.”

That mindset, that hunger to learn, would become his secret weapon.

A Humble Start, a Spark of Opportunity

Andre’s first “break” came through a friend’s mother-in-law who helped him get a job as a pick-packer at Ingram Micro, a major tech distributor. He didn’t walk in with a sales title—he walked in with a forklift license and a willingness to learn.

But he didn’t stay in the warehouse. He paid attention. He asked questions. He got curious about the products they packed, the customers they served, and the problems they were solving.

And people noticed.

That curiosity earned him his first leadership role. Then it opened the door to a sales support position. And eventually, it led to him standing in front of corporate clients, pitching technology solutions with confidence.

“I just started talking about what I knew—and when I didn’t know, I asked.”

Sales Isn't About Selling—It’s About Understanding

Andre’s rise wasn’t linear. He faced rejections, missed out on deals, and made plenty of mistakes. But one thing remained constant: he kept asking why.

When a major national service provider struggled with outdated tech in their ambulances, Andre didn’t just send specs and prices. He got in the ambulance van. He rode along with ambulance staff. He watched, listened, and learned.

And through that curiosity, he spotted a tiny, overlooked problem with a big impact. His team designed a custom adapter—something no one else thought of—and won the deal.

“If I hadn’t been curious enough to go see it for myself, we never would’ve found the solution,” Andre said.

Rejection, Relationships, and Reputation

Curiosity didn’t just help him solve technical problems. It helped him build relationships—the kind that don’t show up in CRM dashboards but are the real reason people come back to do business.

Andre talked about chasing one client for over 10 years. Every time they went out to market, he lost the bid. But he stayed in touch. He helped in small ways. He remained curious.

And in the third round, over a decade later—they finally chose him.

“Sometimes it’s not your time yet. But if you stay curious and stay connected, your time will come.”

The Big Why

“The sales we make don’t just hit targets. They put food on tables. That’s what drives me."

Today, Andre is a senior leader in his company, overseeing multimillion-dollar accounts. He won the national HP Distribution Salesperson of the Year Award in 2021. But he’ll tell you, none of that matters without why.

His reason? Family. Not just his own—but the families of his colleagues, his warehouse team, his clients.

Final Lesson: Be Curious

If you take one thing from Andre’s story, let it be this:

Be curious.

Ask more questions.
Go deeper than the surface.
Show people you care by listening first.

That’s how you build trust. That’s how you find creative solutions. And that’s how you go from being just a salesperson to being the one they call when it matters.