In retrospect, John Wanzung believes he started to understand the art of selling during his human development classes at Peabody College in the 1980s. At the time, he just enjoyed the style of the classes.
“It was all about small groups and interactions,” Wanzung says. “I always wanted to be interactive, talking to people, finding out how we can help each other.”
Today, the former Commodore running back and Sigma Chi brother runs a small empire of Internet radio stations and lifestyle websites through his company Peak 38 Broadcasting and Marketing Group.
It all started in 2010 when he managed a band that was touring with country crooner Kenny Chesney, who was considering launching his own Internet radio station.
“I kind of raised my hand and said, ‘I know how to do that,’” Wanzung remembers. “That’s how it started for us.”
Wanzung knew about the technical side. Chesney in turn showed him a thing or two about building a community.
“There’s a lifestyle audience that celebrates what his fans are and his lifestyle is all about,” Wanzung said. “He and his program director work really hard to deliver this content centered on being this island of the Kenny Chesney world.”
“I learned how to sell at Peabody, because selling is about listening.”
—John Wanzung
From there, Peak 38 has moved on to start Warren Miller’s Peak 3 Radio, which caters to the snowboarding/skiing audience, and Highway 65 Radio, done in partnership with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau and designed to attract tourists. Next up will be a radio station keyed to fans of rap-rock star Kid Rock.
It all comes down to selling, says Wanzung, a Chicago native who returned to the Windy City after Vanderbilt and a three-year sojourn in California.
“Selling is sometimes used as a bad word,” he says. “I learned how to sell at Peabody, because selling is about listening, communicating and helping. It’s not about convincing anybody about anything. If you’re looking to do something, and I have the resources and ability to help, then we both win.”
For one of the best sales he ever witnessed, Wanzung was the customer. That was the time Vanderbilt football coach George MacIntyre showed up in the middle of a Chicago snowstorm to recruit him. At the time, he was also being recruited by Penn, Notre Dame and some Big 10 schools.
“Coach MacIntyre sat down with my parents,” Wanzung remembers. “He said, ‘I can promise you this. If you give me the opportunity to coach and mentor your son, I promise he’s going to have an amazing experience and get an amazing education and he’s going to have the ability to do whatever he wants to do after that.’”
To this day Wanzung remembers MacIntyre’s promise, and how that promise came true for him.