Providing an on-point, creative solution that increases a client’s return on technology investment and produces the Raving Results we constantly seek to deliver.

The Client: Montessori Academy

The Account Representative: Robert O' Gorman

Just imagine the sensation of relief Robert O’ Gorman felt as the delivery truck pulled into the parking lot at the Montessori Academy of Arlington on Dec. 29. He’d showed up minutes before just to make certain that everything went as planned. After all, this end-of-year delivery (and ensuing customer signature) would seal his ticket to Presidents Club 2022.

Not bad for a Business Process Consultant who didn’t join Datamax until March of last year. However, those who know Robert, his methodologies, and his mindset, aren’t the least bit surprised, including his Area Sales Manager.

“Robert fits the exact mold of what we look for on our sales teams,” Linda Narcho said. “He has a textbook approach to sales. And on top of that, he’s a team player. He’s in it for the company at large.”

Not only did Robert earn Presidents Club in nine months. He sold the first v1000 production unit last year, and has since begun training on production equipment so that he can be fully certified.

Further insights on his “textbook approach” can be witnessed by his end-of-year first-time-account gain with Montessori Academy.

The Business Challenge

Contract confusion, for certain.

Robert first gleaned eyes on the Academy after reviewing notes from a previous rep. From what he gathered, the IT contact there had gotten roped into a much longer contract than he thought, so the previous intent was to reach out at a later date. Robert called him anyways.

“When I spoke with him, he explained that he thought he had signed a three-year agreement and it ended up being five,” Robert said. “I mentioned to him that we’ve helped a lot of people in similar situations, and offered to take a look at it to see if we could provide a proposal that makes sense money-wise and gets them into a better solution.”

On top of that, service response was subpar, and getting a hold of a representative was an arduous task on every single attempt. Sound familiar? 

The Thought Process

When it comes to sales, Robert believes not only in abiding to a learned formula, but taking it and making it your own. He takes pride in absorbing tactics learned through manufacturer and in-house training, but then personalizing them to his own “style.”

“It’s about adding tools to your tool belt, finding something that struck you. But making it your own is key. You might have heard a sales tactic a million times, but there’s a reason why it’s mentioned a million times. And that’s because it works.”

In addition, of course, there’s making that personal connection. That wasn’t difficult with the Academy. Both Linda and Robert went to visit with the IT contact there in late September. After chatting a bit, the IT director noted Robert’s last name and asked if he knew Pam O’Gorman.

“That’s my sister-in-law,” Robert responded. “Long story short, my sister-in-law had worked for that school a couple of years, and this person also knew my brother from High School. So there were multiple connections right off the bat.”

The group discussed the current production unit’s failure to meet expectations and routine delays in service. The prospect was quickly sold on the Datamax response times, the proposed production unit and MFP, and our solid reputation. What it came down to was formulating a proposal that made sense for both parties.

“What he said was, he liked what he saw, and that we were good to go as long as our proposal didn’t cost any more than what they were currently spending,” Robert said.

Robert went back and immediately began working up a proposal. The IT director signed off on it, but needed to get it in the hands of the school’s accountant. After she explained that she didn’t want to run two leases at one time and preferred an early termination, Robert was suddenly at the mercy of the competitor. The Presidents Club clock was ticking.

“We were really at the mercy of them and the bank getting the necessary financials in order to try to come up with a solution,” Robert said.
He sweated bullets for days. Finally, they heard back from the accountant and the deal was complete. All that was left? A trip to the school on Dec. 29, to make sure the delivery paperwork was signed.

Robert, of course, was all over it. And he’ll be headed to Jamaica soon. Not bad for someone who hasn’t even been at Datamax for a year yet. 

The Prevailing Results

“There’s a reason dealers like us exist,” Robert, who previously worked for a large manufacturer in this industry, said. “They don’t have the culture that we have. Datamax makes it easy for us to be responsive, speak about our service, show the service quadrants, and help prospects visualize what makes Datamax different. We’re there and we’re able to show value time and time again. When we provide everything we need for these prospects, it’s a done deal.”