What I Wish I Would Have Known as a New Copier Sales Rep

You just graduated school, decided to do sales, or are technically inclined. Copier sales is an aggressive version of sales that makes top performers get jobs with medical device companies and tech companies in sales roles. Suffice it to say, it is competitive. But even though it is competitive, what do I wish I would have known on day 1 to make my copier sales life easier?

Lease Types and Rates

I didn’t understand leasing rates at first. It was probably a year and a half into selling copiers before I really understood how they worked. Maybe year 2 before I was even told there was a type of lease called a $1 Out lease that made it more like lease to own. All I was told was multiply the amount you want to charge by this number and that is the client’s payment.

This made selling harder because some people wanted lease to own, others wanted 1 year, others wanted 3 years and still others wanted a 5 year lease. Without knowing how the math worked, it made it more difficult to sell copiers and give options.

Clients Generally Don’t Care About Specs

I had the mistaken notion that when buying a copier, clients would look at things like resolution, image quality, speed, capabilities. The longer I have sold copiers, it generally comes down to 2 things. Is the pricing OK for my business and will it work without breaking all the time.

Not that there isn’t nuance like color or black and white, stapling, etc. But the bigger questions have to do with cost, simplicity, and reliability. I have learned to ask a lot more about the needs in these realms more than geek out on 1200dpi vs 600dpi on scanning.

People Want to Be Advocated For, Not Sold

A good sales rep knows what the clients needs and situation is, and then when they sell, they are looking for ways to support these goals. The sales reps job isn’t to simply sell another box. There needs to be a good fit between client and product.

I have made more sales by just taking care of clients and doing the right thing than aggressively calling strangers for business.

IT Techs Hate Copiers and Printers

With nearly 40% of all service tickets to an IT department being connected to printers in some way, one consistent theme when talking to IT professionals is their hatred for printers and their understanding the printers and needed to help run the company.

If we can take the support burden off of the IT department, it turns into a better sales opportunity.

We Can Help

If you are looking for a copier, we would love to help. Perhaps you are a sales rep looking for an opportunity, if so, give us a call! We are here to help our clients and team members be happy by taking care of copiers and printers nationwide.

If you would like a copier quote or a copier lease, give us a call!