On the Road… again!!!
It is common in small companies for people to pitch in and do whatever job is necessary when things don’t go quite as planned. It is much more unusual for someone to take on a job that is totally unlike anything they have ever done – and make it a success. This past month at JIMAPCO, we experienced just that.
Our field sales representatives travel to over 3,000 retail outlets throughout the northeast US selling and supplying our map products. Recently, we had an opportunity to hire a new member for that team. One of our cartographers, Rich Doll, volunteered to hit the road and fill in while we took the time to find the right candidate for the job.
Rich usually spends his work days updating our retail products and creating custom maps for businesses, organizations and government clients. He has never held a sales role in any organization. Once he volunteered, we arranged training with one of our top reps and in a few short days, they felt he was ready to take on the job. Rather than just fill orders, Rich took ownership of his territory. He listened to store managers, took note of the needs of their customers and offered solutions to them that they hadn’t considered before.
As Rich said recently, “I have been amazed by the number of positive comments I’ve heard in the field about our products. People love them and trust them.” Additionally, Rich learned first-hand how things change on the roads of America, “We use several sophisticated methods and software programs to ensure our maps are up-to-date but I have to say, I found one or two roads that had changed names or were closed that even our sources hadn’t noted yet. I made notes in my atlas so I could make the changes to our products right away”. He even came up with a few new customized products that we will put into development.
At JIMAPCO, we all help out in a time of need. This time not only did Rich help out, he learned things from the experience that will help him to be an even better cartographer. You may even see him on the road now and then just to keep learning what our customers may need next! Imagine that.
Remember, “If you can imagine it, we can map it!’