Nine Reasons Why You Should Consider a Career in Copier Sales
As a recent college graduate, a career in copier sales probably isn’t what you dreamed of when you were working all night to pass all those dreaded final exams. After seven years of experience as an Account Executive and Sales Manager in two different copier sales organizations, I have often marveled at how smart working in this field has turned out to be for me and many of my colleagues. Before you speed through the myriad job postings on online job boards, consider why you might want to pursue a career as a copier sales representative:
1.Many recent graduates and career changers select a career in copy sales solely because of the world-class training that is available. Typically, a new rep is sent for two weeks of classroom training followed by field training with their sales manager and other sales reps. This is valuable training that is FREE.
2. The knowledge gained as a successful player in copy sales can open the door to more lucrative opportunities in the sales of pharmaceuticals, software, medical devices, and financial services, just to name a few.
3. A 100% Annual Sales Quota Representative averages $60,000-$80,000 annually in base salary, commissions, and bonuses. It is not unusual for a high achiever to exceed $100,000+ per year in earnings.
4. Depending on your individual sales manager, you can enjoy a high degree of autonomy and job flexibility.
5. If you consider yourself an entrepreneur, this is your job! Your territory is like having your own business and your goal is to maximize revenue within your allotted limits. The skills you learn on this job are excellent preparation for owning your own business one day.
6. If you want a raise, you give it to yourself by selling more copies. There’s nothing like a pay-for-performance work environment! After this, you will never be able to tolerate a paycheck where someone else put limits on your earning potential.
7. Most companies offer benefits, promotions and sales incentive trips for their best employees. Personally, the all-expenses-paid trips for two were the best part of the job for me. You and a guest enjoy all the comforts of a five-star Resort in places like the Bahamas, England, Cancun, Scotland or Hawaii. It’s a great way to travel the world for free!
8. Every business needs a copier. However, depending on your task, you will not spend the whole day talking only to dentists. You might meet with the office manager of a defense company in the morning, an IT manager at a clothing manufacturer at lunch, and the CFO of an entertainment company in the afternoon. You gain exposure to many different industries as well as functional areas of a company. Not only does this make the job more satisfying, but it’s also a great way to network with many different professionals. Who knows what kind of opportunities your networking activities could generate in the future?
9. Like many who have come before you, you may enjoy the copier industry and want to pursue a long-term career in the industry. As you demonstrate exceptional sales results, you will most likely be promoted and rewarded with increasing responsibilities. The career path has a fork in the road where you have to decide if you want to continue with account management or sales management.
A candidate who enjoys the sales process and is a bit of a loner typically prefers to work their way up to bigger and better accounts as a Major Account Representative or National Account Representative. Sometimes a representative will be assigned to a vertical market, such as law firms, where he is the specialist in selling only to the legal vertical market. The other direction to go is sales management.
You would be promoted to manage a team of six to eight reps and, after exceptionally consistent performance, you would be able to manage your own marketplace as a Branch Manager and manage 100-200 sales and service employees. Most ambitious branch managers have their eye on ending up in the corner office as vice president, eventually. The reality of the situation is that if he wants to move up the corporate ladder, at some point he must show that he can get things done effectively through other people. This is best achieved through a Sales Manager role.