Peter Fritz Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Decades of experience in marketing and story-telling across multiple countries, industries, and technologies - now heavily invested in video content creation.

My role at Auto-IT has evolved from that of Regional Sales Manager for VIC/TAS/SA to one that's now focussed on the cross-media marketing of Auto-IT's enterprise-level solutions in the retail Automotive/Agri/Truck/Construction industries.The company has evolved and grown dramatically over the decade and remains an exciting and vibrant place to work. Ongoing expansion into new markets and regions is presenting more opportunities with each passing year. Despite its growth, the company remains true to its core tenets of integrity, honesty and professionalism. Much of the credit for this goes to its founding CEO, Ken Fife - along with the other directors, who've upheld those tenets year after year.

Sensis provided three very good tools which I appreciate to this day:1. Intensive hands-on learning.2. A structured solution selling methodology and client management regime.3. Comprehensive coaching, assessment and improvement processes.I learned a great deal from Sensis but after two years, I made it a priority to move into the software industry, where the challenges were broader and the opportunities more diverse.

Heidelberg, Victoria

After seven years photographing, driving and learning about most of the new cars available in Australia, I figured it gave me an advantage should I choose to sell cars. I approached Courtney and Patterson Honda and convinced them I could help them sell more. Within a few months, I was their top Honda salesman and went on to manage their NSX clients. Phil McKenzie, C&P's Honda Sales Manager at the time, was a brilliant mentor - calm, polite and honest beyond reproach. He remains an influence on my own behaviour to this day. Equally, the eloquence, generosity and razor-sharp wit of Dealer Principal, Peter Kerwick, gave me a taste of what true reward-for-results felt like. Peter has sadly passed on but I still have very fond memories of his frequent visits to my little glass cubicle. On one occasion, I complimented him on a lovely watch he was wearing (a brand new Tag Heuer). He thanked me then proceeded to ask how my month was tracking. When I mentioned I was about to sell our old stock 'white elephant' (Honda Legend Coupe) to a chap in Essendon, he promised me his new watch should I return with contract and deposit in hand. True to his word, days later I was summoned to his office where on his desk sat his re-boxed and wrapped watch, accompanied by a small stack of $50 notes to thank me for a record-setting month. No fanfare, no announcement; just a man who genuinely encouraged success and always rewarded achievers handsomely. I still miss him.

The motoring press is a seductive environment - 5-star travel, fast cars, race tracks, celebrities. But it pays poorly. A red letter day came in the form of a compliment from a stranger, directed towards the sports car I was sitting in whilst stationary at a red light. I knew I'd never earn enough to have my own as long as I stayed in the industry.So I left. And enjoyed a year and a half as a freelancer - shooting for Mazda, SAAB, ATI and a handful of other motor industry importers and distributors. I used this time to sort out what I really wanted to do and to discover where my real talents lie. I loved photography (and still do) but discovered I was better at sales & marketing.

I came into Fairfax Media (then Syme Magazines) all bright-eyed, pimply-faced and very wet behind the ears. The opportunity came after an Art Director noticed my inaugural freelance article and immediately set about convincing me that I MUST do this for a living. His phone call started a series of serendipitous moments that took me through 7 years of the most exciting 'work' I've ever done. I shot my first front cover on my 3rd day and went on to shoot (and drive) hundreds of wonderful cars that included the first Diablo, the F40, the very first HSV, the original Godzilla, and everything in between, right down to the asthmatic little Niki.I travelled the country and tore around race tracks with the likes of Peter Brock, Jim Richards and Alan Jones (who taught me how to drive faster/smoother in an E34 M5). Great memories, all of them. I withstood the jibes from legendary journalists like Bill Tuckey and David Morley, and learned my craft by screwing up a lot.Like everyone else, I worked to very strict deadlines, and we often operated on very little sleep. As a photographer, I was at the mercy of the weather, and a shoot would always proceed, regardless of the conditions. It was a pressure-cooker environment where the need to improve was constant, and the expectation to deliver was non-negotiable. A great foundation for the start of my career.

My first full-time position was with the CBA. At the age of 17, I was Australia's youngest Trading Bank Examiner (the next youngest staffer holding this position was 26) and was on my way to becoming the youngest branch manager in the country. However, I was soon courted by a persuasive magazine Art Director who was laying out my first freelance article in a mainstream publication. Over a period of two weeks he convinced me that I belonged in media, not banking. In the end I agreed, thank God.