August 2021

Recruiters for the Copier Channel® for more than 30 years, Copier Careers® has been the only recruiting firm exclusively dedicated to connecting Copier Channel employers with experienced service technicians, copier sales representatives, sales managers, service & operations managers, controllers, support staff, and MPS/MNS experts. Start your month off right with Newsletter August 2021: Copier Channel news and career advice. Search copier jobs now.

IN THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER

Interviewing Sales Reps
News from Kyocera
Sound Off: What is your biggest 2021 challenge so far?
Monthly Poll: What’s the most important sales rep quality?

SEARCH COPIER JOBS

Interviewing Sales Reps

The #1 takeaway from our 2021 Mid-Year Update was the resurging job market. Hiring in this industry has never been busier, more competitive or more challenging that it is right now. That makes streamlining the hiring process more important than ever!

Welcome to our Interviewing Prep series, where we share the most important questions employers and candidates need to have answered before the first interview. This month, we’re covering Sales Representatives:

Questions for Employers Before Interviewing Sales Reps

• What is the base salary range for this position?
• What is the commission structure for this position?
• Do you offer benefits?
• Are there any bonuses in place based on quarterly or annual performance such as OEM spiffs, President’s Club awards, etc.?
• What is the monthly quota? Is there a ramp-up period for new reps?
• What are the On-Target Earnings (OTE) for the first year based on the compensation plan? What about the second year?
• Do you provide a car allowance, cell phone, and/or laptop?
• What is the territory range for this position?
• Does this territory have any existing accounts to work with? If so, what is the ratio of existing accounts to net-new business?
• How often do you require reps to report to the office after the initial training period? Can they start their day from home making calls or do you have set call times, meetings, etc.? Can they work completely remote?
• Are you open to relocating candidates? Would you offer any assistance?
• What is the typical interview process for this role? What is your hiring timeline?
• Does your company do a formal background check and drug screening?
• What is your company culture like? What are you seeking in a candidate to fit with the rest of your team?

Questions for Sales Reps Before Their Interview

• What would it take for you to consider a new opportunity?
• What are you looking for in your next position?
• What are your numbers, both throughout your career and during the most recent month/quarter?
• If you are at-plan or above, what skills have helped you achieve this success? If you are not at-plan, why not?
• Have you earned any sales achievement awards?
• What sets you apart from other candidates?
• What are your most successful sales strategies?
• How would you improve your current sales program?
• Do you have a non-compete? If so, how will if affect your ability to move to a new company?
• How quickly would you be able to switch to a new position?
• Are you open to relocation? If so, is your household on the same page?

In the market for a new job? Our job board features hundreds of copier jobs with top employers, updated daily. Search jobs now.

News from Kyocera

Kyocera celebrated 50 years of US manufacturing at the end of July with honors from the City of San Diego. Kyocera Group Companies currently employ 5,700 people in the US.

“The City of San Diego proudly applauds Kyocera for being an outstanding contributor to our economy, and our community, for half a century now,” said Councilmember Chris Cate, who represents Kyocera’s neighborhood in San Diego’s District 6. “We are delighted to join Kyocera in celebrating its 50^th anniversary of U.S. manufacturing, which began in San Diego.”

Sound Off

Last month we published our 2021 Mid-Year Update. One of the main challenges we observed, was hiring in this ultra-competitive job market. So we were curious to hear about the top 2021 challenge you were experiencing. We had a solid turnout of 11,292 this month!

Just about tied as the top challenges were meeting quota, with 41% of the vote, and hiring more people, with 40%. 9% said they were struggling to bring on new clients while another 7% were focused on eliminating their competition. The remaining 4% were having a challenging job search.

It makes sense that quota concerns topped the list as sales reps make up a big portion of our monthly readers – they have had their work cut out for them this year. Similarly, hiring managers are working in a red-hot job market while their companies are recovering from the pandemic. In contrast, only 4% said they had trouble finding a job – that’s because this is a candidate’s job market!

POLL QUESTION: