50 replies to this topic

[mattgarvey1981]

Dear Millar world friends and followers,

I need your help.

For a living I sell photocopiers in London, which as you can imagine is the most thrilling job there is.
There is nothing better than sales (can you sense the sarcasm here?)
People talking to you like crap, hanging up on you and basically lying to your face.
It’s fun highly recommend it.

I’ve been doing this for six years or so now and to be fair it ain’t a bad job.
When it’s good and there isn’t a recession it’s easy.
People will speak to you on the phone, see you in person and hey they might even buy a couple.
I am good at what I do and I look after all my customers very well.

However I’m having a very bad year.
Even though my boss is cool and has never lost faith in me, I’m struggling.
I’m more than 50% below my target for the year to date and the board of directors want to get rid of me.

So until Marvel or DC come knocking at my door to offer me a steady writing gig I cannot afford to lose this job.

I need to sell 10 machines in the next five weeks or I’m out of a job.
I am trying anything (hence the thread) and everything to sell as many machines as I possibly can and I wanted to see if you guys can help a fellow Millar Worlder out?

As well as all the members on here, with have thousands of guest who stop by reading these threads because let’s face it it’s the place to be!

Do me a favour drop me an email if:
If the photocopier in your office is constantly breaking down.
Your partner or friends comes home and complains about how theirs doesn’t work.
Your boss is looking for a new supplier or wants to cut costs.
If you think that are paying way too much on your lease. (I save new customers around 30% compared to their existing costs)
If your current supplier doesn’t cover you from 7am to 7pm with a guaranteed 3 hour response.
If the engineer who comes to service your machine has his arse crack hanging out! (Which is never good)
You know an IT or facilities manager that would be interested in hearing what I’ve got to say.

So if you can help me out, Retweet this link, tell your friends or even shout it out whilst walking through Hyde Park. It would be much appreciated.

My work email is matthew.garvey@e-volution.uk.com

Thanks for taking the time to read this thread.

Kind regards as always

Matt

[steveuk]

I put the link on FB, hopefully I know someone who needs a copier.

[mattgarvey1981]

I put the link on FB, hopefully I know someone who needs a copier.

Thanks Steve, you are a gent!

[Christian U]

_{Can't really help on account of being in a different country (and the photocopying machines at my place of work are really good), but best of luck, Matthew, I hope it works out for you!}

[mattgarvey1981]

_{I hope it works out for you!}

Cheers fella, you are a lovely chap anyway

[Jim Ohara]

Harsh reality time. From someone who's worked with sales forces for the last 15 years.

If they're discussing letting you go because you're not near your sales quota chances are you'll be put in this situation again even if you make your goal. I'm not sure how big their sales force is, or if you've got peers working the same markets you do, but if you've been there for six years and they're going after you only a couple of months into the year then they're not making it easy. You'd think they'd keep you around for the customers you've already sold to, or for local sales support in your market. To be honest I'd spend the next 5 weeks looking for a new job. Better to start now than leave it too long. And from the sounds of things you're not happy there so maybe a change would be a good thing. All companies are continually looking for sales people, and if you have a decent network of customers you should be pretty valuable to other prospective employers.

[The Lorcan Nagle]

Jim's got some good ideas there. It might be worthwhile putting feelers out about the job market even if you keep putting an effort in with the current employer.

[mattgarvey1981]

Hi Jim,

Cheers for the advice.

Long story short.

I’ve been working with my boss for six years, he brought me over to this company just over two years ago. He doesn’t want to get rid of me, but there is a board of directors who only looks at sales figures.

The reason I don’t want to just leave is because the key to this industry is to build a comfortable sales base, look after the customers and they will always stay with you.

I truly believe that you can sheer a sheep many times but skin it only once.

I don’t rip my customers off, there is no point.

Because 90% of my customers are 5 year leases I cannot bring them over to another company if I leave.

if I leave I’ll lose the customers I have accumulated over the last two and a bit years and I’ll have to start again for a third time. My customers won’t trust me or want to come over when they can because I look like a dodgy salesman who switches companies constantly.

(There are some very underhanded sales men in the copier industry.)

Also In the current economic climate started from scratch again is a fate worse than death.

on the plus side super crooks and Kick ass got delivered today, so it aint all bad!

[Jim Ohara]

You don't need to sell your customer base photocopiers. There's dozens of services they'll be interested in. Like I said, those relationships are invaluable. And I think you're under estimating your customers. You've been there for 6 years - that's a long time in sales.

I understand loyalty to the boss, but it only goes so far. The boss will blame the board for the decision, but he could fight harder or insist that you can't be taken out. At the end of the day he'll let you go rather than find a fix to keep you in place. All bosses will. You work for him, he pays you, but you don't owe him as much as you think.

Anyways, you'll do what you think is best. I just think you're looking at a tough spot and you won't dig yourself out of it in time. Better to get ready now that deny and avoid until you're out the door. Job hunting costs nothing, plus you might find an opportunity you never knew was out there.

[mattgarvey1981]

Job hunting costs nothing, plus you might find an opportunity you never knew was out there.

Cheers for the advice ,
But i aint gonna give up, i aint know quitter. i know i can hit this target, if anything to show them that i can!

We are geeks and us geeks stick together!

[Arjan Dirkse]

I hope everything works out for you Matt.

Not to discourage you, but I had no idea photocopiers were still widely used...(but I don't get out that often )...aren't they made obsolete by printers in some companies?

[mattgarvey1981]

aren't they made obsolete by printers in some companies?

Quite the opposite buddy.
Printers cost and absolute fortune to run.
Printers and toners are chipped so they stop working when they hit a certain volume.
Copiers now, are called Multi functional devices and they print, copy & scan.
The initial outlay is more (hence the leasing), but the running costs and reliability of them are so much better.
For example printing a black and white page on your average HP printer will cost you around 2.5p and colour at least 12p depending on the amount on toner used and thats just covering the cost of the toner.
On a copier (MFD) mono is 0.5p and colour is only 5p.
Plus those costs on mfds covers you for all your parts, service, call outs, maintenance, labour and all you toner too.
So if anything goes wrong we come and fix it.


Wow i know a lot about these things.
Maybe i should sell them for a living!

[Arjan Dirkse]

Quite the opposite buddy.
Printers cost and absolute fortune to run.
Printers and toners are chipped so they stop working when they hit a certain volume.
Copiers now, are called Multi functional devices and they print, copy & scan.
The initial outlay is more (hence the leasing), but the running costs and reliability of them are so much better.
For example printing a black and white page on your average HP printer will cost you around 2.5p and colour at least 12p depending on the amount on toner used and thats just covering the cost of the toner.
On a copier (MFD) mono is 0.5p and colour is only 5p.
Plus those costs on mfds covers you for all your parts, service, call outs, maintenance, labour and all you toner too.
So if anything goes wrong we come and fix it.


Wow i know a lot about these things.
Maybe i should sell them for a living!

Cool, thanks. I genuinely had no idea about that.

[stephanie familiar]

i'll echo arjan's sentiments. i hope everything works out for you.

[mattgarvey1981]

i'll echo arjan's sentiments. i hope everything works out for you.

Thanks
You guys (and Girls) have been so cool!

[stuperrins]

i'll put the word out at work, not sure how much luck i'll have mind.

[mattgarvey1981]

i'll put the word out at work

Kind of feel like George Bailey from its a wonderful life!
Thanks

[Mike]

Good luck Matt, I hope it works out.

I feel sort of bad about kicking the photocopier earlier now that I see it as a faithful workhorse doing its best to hold its own against the evil printer army.

I'm afraid I didn't fatally damage the photocopier though. I can try again tomorrow.

[Tonycal]

Good luck Matt! I think what Jim is saying is some good advice. I would help more but I live across the pond here in the USA and that just won't work. Just keep it up and see what happens.

[Sanjay]

I'll drop the word about but I don't know anyone in my biz who has a copier. Though Jim has some good points - If I was in your position, I'd do my best to make those sales but also look around for any other decent jobs available, you never know what is around the corner.

Best of luck Matt, I hope it works out, mate.