“I’m like the quarterback of the team. I manage 250 accounts, and anything from billing issues, to service issues, to selling the products.

I’m really the face to the customer,”

says Alison Capossela, a Washington, DC–based Xerox sales representative.

As the primary company contact for Xerox customers, Alison is responsible for developing and maintaining customer relationships. To accomplish this she uses a sophisticated selling process that requires many activities, from making presentations, to attending training sessions, to managing a team of Xerox personnel, to monitoring competitors’ activities.

The face-to-face interactions with customers, however, are the most rewarding for Capossela. “It’s an amazing feeling; the more they challenge me the more I fight back. It’s fun!” she explains.

THE COMPANY Xerox Corporation’s mission is to “help people find better ways to do great work by constantly leading in document technologies, products, and services that improve customers’ work processes and business results.”

To accomplish this mission Xerox employs 130,000 people in 160 countries. Xerox is the world’s leading document management enterprise and a Fortune 500 company.

Xerox offers a wide range of products and services.

These include printers, copiers and fax machines, multifunction and network devices, high-speed color presses, digital imaging and archiving products and services, and supplies such as toner, paper, and ink.

The entire company is guided by customer-focused and employee-centered core values (e.g., “We succeed through satisfied customers”) and a passion for innovation, speed, and adaptability.

Questions 1 How does Xerox create customer value through its personal selling process?
2 How does Alison Capossela provide solutions for Xerox customers?
3 Why is the Xerox training program so important to the company’s success?