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"Selling is a very useful job because really what you're doing is identifying a problem then coming up with a solution to that problem," said Mark Leeson, marketing representative, who is territory manager for Burroughs Business Machines in Winnipeg.
"I'm basically a salesman of computer systems," said Mark, who at 27 is Burroughs' top salesman. "We get a lot of training in three basic areas. In the technical area of computers we have to know how they work and what they are capable of doing, and how our equipment is superior to our competitors."
"The second part of it is in accounting and management because what we're really doing with the computers is solving business problems. So we have to understand business before we can solve any problems."
"The third area is straight sales. We have to understand people, what they look for, and what they buy. As much as it looks like it's done on logic, selling is done on emotions. Even with such things as computers it gets down to the time when the customer just likes something better."
Burroughs sells computers in the scientific area, the commercial area, in fact, wherever computers are found. "That's one thing about this job, it's definitely not boring. I'm always dealing with different people and different types of situations," Mark said.
The process that brought Mark to Burroughs was a carefully considered one. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and mathematics. "I was in teaching for three years and was fortunate to get a good job right away teaching physics. I liked teaching but I'm a fairly competitive person and I wanted the type of job where I could get ahead on my own merit," he said.
"Over a period of months I wrote out my objectives in life and then, as honestly as I could, a list of what I knew I could do better than average."
"Then I spent a couple of months looking through all the various jobs, comparing career opportunities and so forth. I matched them up with what I wanted of life, what I could do, and what was available."
"I chose the field of sales and computers because there is a tremendous learning area there and I just can't keep up with it. So, everything is always new," Mark said.
"It's a very fast moving, dynamic industry and of course the sales end of it has given me a chance to control my income and my advancement totally on my own initiative," he said.
The move to Burroughs rnade changes in Mark's lifestyle. "When you first get into the business it takes over your life. The first year I did nothing but work. I had a fantastic amount to learn. Also my income is considerably better. I changed a little personally in that I'm probably more aggressive than I was before. I am also more outgoing as I got into the practice of meeting people and analyzing them."
"Our aim is not to replace people with computers," Mark explained emphatically. "Normally we get rid of the brute force tasks in an office so that these same people can probably get into more interesting jobs."
Another misconception Mark would like to see changed is the salesman's image. "The word salesman has a bad connotation," he said, "you think of somebody with his foot in the door. That is definitely not true. Sales is a tremendously challenging field and it's a very rewarding career. The attitude I have to sales is that when I walk in the door to a customer's office they've got a lot to benefit, just as much or more than l do."
"You really sell a computer three times," he explained. "You sell it to the point where your customer will sign an order for one. Then the computer is brought into use over a period of months. In any company you get a certain number of problems with people getting used to it, and you're really managing the account at that point. Thereafter the job really never ends because you keep going back and making sure the customer is happy."
"Once somebody realizes what a computer can do for them and gets an idea of its capacity then it usually begins to grow as additions are made to it," Mark said.
"The initial user is afraid of the computer. Computers are used as a crutch a lot in our society. Whenever something is late the person leans across the counter and says, 'well I can't do anything about it, it's just that computer'. But once somebody has had a computer for awhile then they get an idea of what it can do for them and they know what they want."
"We get a lot of calls like that," he said. "Or I may just go out on a cold call, going around to various businesses to find out what they're doing and how they're doing it."
But there are disadvantages to his job, as Mark cautions. "As a salesman you work on a quota basis. There's no building up of merit, it's on your performance. There's a great deal of pressure on you. Maybe in total no more than a lot of other jobs but it's in peaks."
"Right now I'm over quota for the year so for the rest of the year I don't have very much pressure on me," he explained, "when you're under quota there's a tremendous amount on you."
"It may be very frustrating at times because you can work for two months and then find you don't get the sale, so on paper you've done nothing," Mark said.
Quotas are based on product responsibility. "I haven't had training on our very large scale computers that go up into millions of dollars," Mark said. "Because I can't sell a computer worth a million dollars my quota is lower than that. It's a gamble. You never know whether to go after six little ones which are a little easier or go after the big one."
Mark's initial training with Burroughs included several months of formal training courses and experience in selling commercial calculators. "You don't get a chance to sell one computer a week so you don't want to blow that deal with inexperience," he said.
"But my training is still going on. There is really no end to it at least with our company. There's a fantastic amount I have to learn daily just to keep up with the industry through reading, and questioning, and from experience when I'm out in the field."
"You're not dead-ending yourself," Mark explained. "There's really every opportunity. I'll be well rehearsed in business management, plus computer technology and sales. There are a lot of jobs in different areas of sales and I'm learning a lot of common sales steps that can be applied anywhere, regardless of the product."
MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE
A marketing representative studies the needs of potential buyers of the product he/she handles. He/she may help plan advertising and sales campaigns, and may help develop techniques which will boost sales of the product. The marketing representative may supervise the work of salespeople.
Training
A university degree in business administration, commerce or economics can be an asset. Other kinds of university training can also be useful, depending on the product the marketing representative handles (e.g. a degree in engineering helps if you're selling construction equipment or machinery). Above all, a thorough knowledge of the products you're handling is required and this can be gained through experience selling the product to customers. Many organizations provide in-service training programs for those interested in becoming marketing representatives.
Aptitudes
All the aptitudes that are required by a good salesperson are needed and so are initiative, good organization, and determination.
High School Subjects
Math and English should be included in a good general program. Business subjects would be helpful. Students thinking of university training should, of course, pick the courses required for university admission.
Related Careers
Salesperson, purchasing agent, buyer, retail sales manager, regional sales manager.
©1999 TG Magazine/Le Magazine TG
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