John and I connected a few months ago via Linkedin. I noticed that John's tenure with the office equipment industry was similar to mine and asked him if he'd like to be our next guest for Selling Copier in the Eighties.
Selling Copiers in the Eighties with John Furlong
Art: How did you find your way into the copier industry?
John: I graduated from college in June 1981 with a marketing degree and I spent the summer looking for a sales job. I was offered a sales position with Paul Burden Ltd who had offices throughout the Maritimes
Art: What company or manufacturer did you start with, what was your title and what year did you start?
John: Started September 1981 as sales consultant (Fancy name for salesman) Paul Burden Ltd was the Canon dealer for the Maritimes back then. I remember the first day, my direct boss and his direct boss picked me up and we went on sales calls. Except, they decided that 3 on a call was too many, so I got to stay in the truck all day. All I heard was NP80’s and arranging demos and looking for a parking lot with that had new pavement meant they had money. The next day I told my direct boss I didn’t like this and I wanted to quit. He said it’s different when you’re on your own. He was right
Art: What was your favorite model top sell and why that was your favorite?
John: I loved selling the Canon NP120. It had cold pressure fusing and the copies came out with a professional gleamette finish.
Art: I saw of few of those NP120s and they had some awesome blacks. What did you like most about your job in the Eighties?
John: I quickly became a Branch Manager for the company with an expense account and attending annual conventions all over North America. It was the roaring 80’s.
Art: What did you dislike the most about your job in the eighties?
John: Hauling the copiers upstairs with the stair climber apparatus we used.
Art: What was the compensation plan like, was there a salary, what is just commissions or was there a mix of salary and commissions?
John: I started with a salary of $300 a week plus car allowance of $250 a month. It was guaranteed for 6 months while training. After one month I asked to go on straight commission. They agreed and said they would pay me whichever was higher. I made more on commission and I kept on straight commissions until I was a Manager in 1982.
Art: Interesting that car allowances haven't gone up that much in almost forty years. How did you go about finding new business, and what was your favorite of those methods and why?
John: Back then it was all cold calls and demos. I had a van and I would load a copier and my goal for the day was to drop it off somewhere for a demo and then go back the next week to close the deal.
Art: All I had was a hatchback, I think the van was a better idea for demo's. What was the first sales book that you read that and what did you take away from it?
John: I’m thinking the first sales book I read was a Dale Carnegie book that was about closing deals.
Art: What type of car did you use for your demonstrations and how many demonstrations would you perform in a week demonstration?
John: I had a full size Chevy van with a copier stair climber. It looked like an undertakers piece of equipment. I would try to line up 3 or 4 demos a week.
Art: Can you tell us a couple of funny story about selling copiers in the seventies?
John: Xerox 660 was called Dial-A Jam and when it jammed, the fuser didn’t shut off and the paper would start to cook.
Art: What is the biggest problem you seeing facing the industry today?
John: Copiers have become all the same so it’s difficult to differentiate the brands.
Art: If you had to would you do it all over again, if so what would you change?
John: I’ve really enjoyed the copier industry as my career and I have evolved with all the changes. I’m still having fun and enjoying my career.
Art: What’s the one piece of knowledge that you’d like to share with new reps entering our industry?
John: Product knowledge
Art: John, thank you so much for this. I hope our paths will cross in the near future be well and stay safe.
John: Thank you
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