Lessons From a Salesperson Who Sold $2 Million in Office Supplies

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with 32-year-old Justin Cotton-Eugene, who is based in Long Beach. His identity and contracts have been verified by Business Insider. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

I was 20 years old and living with my grandmother when I got my first sales job selling printer toner and office supplies. They offered me $100 a day to show up and told me I was guaranteed to last three weeks. After three weeks, they said they would review my productivity and sales and decide whether to keep me on.

I made between 100 and 150 phone calls a day, and I was on the phone for up to three and a half hours. It was very difficult to get someone to agree to purchase something over the phone without knowing you, especially when it was printer ink. It’s boring, and people don’t care.

When the three-week mark came, they said, “You did pretty well. We’re going to keep you another week.” I was like, “Sweet. Another 500 bucks. But, after this, I’m going to be out.”

That was my mindset for the first six to eight months. Then, one day, I kind of realized, “Wow. I’m probably not going anywhere. I’ve been actually doing well, and this is something that I can actually do.”

After about six years of sales experience and building client relationships, I started Quire Office Products, LLC. Last year, I sold over $2 million in toner and office supplies.

One of the most important things that I learned through sales, which extends to everyday life, is that people don’t remember what you say, but they’ll always remember how you made them feel. This is my advice on getting anyone to listen to what you have to say, no matter what you’re telling them.

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Be genuine

Many people don’t like to be sold things because it feels like they’re being tricked or manipulated into doing something that they don’t want to do.

One of the things that made me successful was leaning on people for comfort. I would get through the introduction part and ask them how they’re doing and they would respond with polite pleasantries. Then when they asked me about myself, I would tell them, “I’m at a new job and it’s uncomfortable. I’m sitting here with my teddy bear and my blanket.”

They’d laugh, and I would tell them, in a positive, fun way, the things I’m doing to cope with anxiety. I think it made them more comfortable because it made me more relatable and human.

Exude confidence

I realized quickly that when I’m on the phone with someone, it’s going to be difficult for them to hang up if they like me.

Smiling when you’re on the phone is really important. People can actually hear a smile through the phone because your voice has a different tone that people can identify with happiness and smiles.

Speaking loudly also makes a difference because it exudes confidence. People feel like people who speak loudly are more confident because people who are shy and timid tend to mute themselves. So I would speak with this huge amount of confidence, and as a result, they’d have confidence in me.

Find a connection

My primary focus when getting on a call was to make a connection and build a relationship. One way that I would do that is by breaking the mold of the traditional sales call. Instead of introducing myself to the office manager and jumping into what kind of printers they’re running, I’d abandon the sales aspect and try to make a connection.

I would introduce myself and my company, and I would let them know that it’s a sales call because I didn’t want them to feel tricked or manipulated. But then I would say something about my day or my life that made me real to them.

I would paint them a vivid picture, and I learned that even adults really enjoy descriptive stories. If you’ve ever listened to a person who was a good storyteller, you become engaged with what they’re saying and start to imagine it.

For example, I would share that I watched a game the night before, and they ended up being big fans of basketball. Then, I would ask them about their favorite players or what school they went to. I would have 20- to 30-minute conversations before getting into the sales process.

I would let them talk and listen, and I would give them feedback. Then, after we built that relationship, I would say, “This is wonderful. I really enjoy talking to you, but I did call you for a reason, and I was here to sell you something.” Then I would ask about what kind of printers they had and all those things.

When you don’t have a good relationship with customers, the only value you have to them is the product you’re selling and the price you’re selling it at. The only thing that will distinguish you from the next caller is relationships.