Meet Nick, Area Sales Manager and keen golfer

What is your role at Axis?

I’m one of three Area Sales Managers for the Northeast Business Area. This is a huge testament to our growth, because there used to just be one to cover such a large area and support everybody within that. We work as a team to set goals, remove obstacles, and keep our team on track as we help to support the Regional Sales Managers (RSM) and Key Account Managers that are out in the field educating and supporting our channel partners, our distributors, and our end customers. Our job is to support them in any way we can. I have five direct supports who report to me.  For me, I try to embody the Axis culture as I guide my team to think big by creatively solving problems, and act as one to work in unison in supporting our channel.

“There is no one right way to do this job, and Axis gives you that extra bit of freedom and flexibility to be creative and come up with your own ideas, which is fantastic.”

Nick Biagioni

Having previously worked as an RSM helps in knowing where some of the potential pitfalls are. Now I get to coach and mentor some of our newer people, which is one of my favorite things about the job. Watching people grow and develop, personally and professionally, is something I really enjoy.  I’ve been fortunate to have been part of some wonderful and successful teams, and being able to share what helped make us successful and see if it fits for others. There is no one right way to do this job, and Axis gives you that extra bit of freedom and flexibility to be creative and come up with you own ideas, which is fantastic.

What does your team do?

We joke that it’s anything but Groundhog Day. It’s one of the things that is most exciting about the Regional Sales Manager role. We have a two-tier channel model, and our solutions reach across all industries. On any given day we could be working with end customers from different industries, from retail and education to transportation and healthcare.  Our goal is to act as a trusted advisor to educate and build lasting relationships with our integrators, distributors, and end customers.

Ultimately, we’re problem solvers. People might hear the word ‘sales’ and think it’s just about selling the most expensive solution. We’re not incentivized that way. We work as a force multiplier alongside our integrators, driving business and growing together. We’re all about the long-term partnerships, so it’s always about finding the right solution that meets the customers’ performance expectations.

How do you inspire and motivate each other in the team?

For our team one of the biggest things is the culture.  There is such a high level of camaraderie across our team and the company as a whole. Of course, we’re competitive, we’re salespeople at heart, but we really focus on someone’s unique skills and find ways to maximize them for the whole team. We like to celebrate little victories. We know there will be challenges, but we’ll work through them together. For us, success is a journey, not a destination, and so we don’t want these little milestones we hit along the way to be missed in the bigger picture.

We have regular catch ups and individual and team communication is key to our success.

We constantly share insights and knowledge from the field enabling our team to better support our channel. Team collaboration keeps us motivated and inspired.

We occasionally hold a Feel-Good Friday, where people can share things they’ve done professionally that they’re proud of, or something going on personally they’re excited about. That concept came from one of our team-mates and we ran with it. Axis loves to encourage new creative ideas that promote teamwork. We want everyone to feel comfortable to share ideas, no matter how big or small.

“Axis has more than doubled in size since I started, and with that comes a lot of exciting opportunities for career growth and development. My own career track over the last nine years speaks to that.”

What can someone who joins the Axis sales team expect?

The one thing anyone joining Axis can expect is a huge amount of support. The support structure at this company is amazing. You don’t need to be a subject matter expert on everything. I came into this industry with zero camera knowledge, but we look for the right people, because people are the strongest asset at this company. The knowledge can be taught and learned, and we recognize that not everyone is going to know everything, so we create an environment where it’s okay to say to an end customer ‘I’m sorry, I don’t have the answer to that and I don’t want to give you the wrong one, so let me get back to you.’ There is always someone willing to take time to help you out. Regardless of job title or department. We have an open mindset and look to ensure that everybody is surrounded by helpful, supportive, and motivated colleagues. It’s that sort of culture I came to Axis looking for. We have a global reach, but a very family feel.

What opportunities for career development does Axis offer for sales professionals?

We’ve experienced unbelievable growth over the last few years. Axis has more than doubled in size since I started, and with that comes a lot of exciting opportunities for career growth and development. My own career track over the last nine years speaks to that. I started in Inside Sales, moved to Small Business Account Manager, got promoted to Regional Sales Manager and now I’m the Area Sales Manager in the Northeast Business Area. As the company continues to grow, change is inevitable, but with change comes opportunity. We offer so many different tools and resources to help people grow and develop, both personally and professionally. We love to promote from within and these opportunities are available across the whole company.

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