College Publishing Sales Representative, Chicago

Job Description

Job Description

The College Department of W.W. Norton & Company - the largest and oldest independent and employee-owned publisher - produces textbooks and courseware for undergraduate studies in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Our success rests on developing content of unmatched quality to support course goals for all educational environments. We support equity-minded teaching that improves outcomes for members of every learning community. Reflecting cutting-edge pedagogy, flexible learning pathways, and best practices in accessibility, our carefully integrated materials work to help all students succeed.

We seek a goal-oriented College Publishing Sales Representative in our Chicago territory to promote our courseware and textbooks (print and digital) with undergraduate instructors.

Job Advantages and Highlights

• Pride in Independence. Nortonians value reading, learning, and sharing ideas. We collaborate, innovate, and celebrate with a distinctive sense of shared purpose. Many of us have called Norton home for decades, if not our entire careers.
• Variety. Because higher education sales work involves in-person meetings with college instructors, our Sales Representatives travel to the colleges within their geographic territory. They enjoy changes of scenery, exercise, and the opportunity to meet different challenges across a range of academic fields.
• Intellectual engagement. Through consulting instructors about their course goals, teaching strategies, and educational challenges, our College Sales Representatives are exposed to ideas and information that span scores of subject areas. This is a perfect job for lifelong learners who love to read and thrive on discovery.
• Camaraderie. Norton Representatives love driving sales success, but they also value exchanging ideas and discussing favorite books, music, travel destinations, etc. They come from diverse backgrounds, have wide-ranging interests, and embrace continuous learning.
• Career development. Norton values promotion from within the organization, and professional advancement is priority. Our managers work to help foster each employee's development around their identified strengths and professional goals.
• Mentorship. In addition to training and guidance by a dedicated Sales Manager, our Sales Representatives receive support and collegiality from our mentorship program that pairs new employees with colleagues who are already experienced in their role.

Professional Responsibilities

• Conduct roughly four college visits per week (during the regular academic year) with the aim of consulting between 10 and 15 professors on each allocated campus day.
• Conduct virtual meetings with faculty during days not spent on campus.
• Develop relationships with academic faculty by assessing their teaching challenges and demonstrating how Norton's educational materials can provide solutions
• Engage with instructors on campus through cold calls and scheduled appointments.
• Familiarize oneself with major new titles and revised editions each year, as well as with competing texts.
• Increase revenue and adoption rates for books and courseware within the defined sales territory.
• Collaborate with colleagues on strategic plans for advancing priority sales opportunities.
• Set tracking and revenue goals with guidance from sales management.
• Identify opportunities, document related activities, and track progress using the company's Salesforce-based customer relationship management tool.
• Provide customer support to instructors who assign or wish to evaluate Norton's course materials
• Attend national and regional conferences
• Overnight travel requires approximately 20%

The preceding list represents only the primary responsibilities associated with the position. Employees are required to perform other periodic activities as deemed necessary by Norton.

Compensation and Benefits

Currently available benefits include:

• Total compensation, including discretionary bonuses, for this position is $50,000-$80,000. All salaries and salary ranges posted by Norton may vary depending on experience, skills, location and like considerations.
• Company vehicle (insurance, maintenance, fuel, and personal mileage allowance) *
• Reimbursement of qualified travel-related expenses
• Generous paid time off and paid holidays
• Generous health benefits, including PPO, EPO, and High Deductible medical insurance options, vision insurance, dental insurance, flexible spending accounts for healthcare, dependent care and commuter, gym membership reimbursement, and more. Coverage for spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children is available.
• Profit-Sharing and 401(k) benefit plan with discretionary contribution matching by employer
• Disability and life insurances
• FMLA, parental, and other leave
• Employee Assistance Program (for mental health, financial planning, and other needs)
• Company-provided laptop
• Employee discounts on Norton books
• Limited matching of employee donations to select non-profit organizations?

*Use of company car depends on driving record and eligibility.

All policies and benefits described are subject to change at any time.

Experience and Skills

Are you a good fit? If you are intellectually curious, self-motivated, competitive, resourceful, collaborative, organized, and persuasive, then the answer is yes!

We hire candidates at all career levels - from recent college graduates to those with years of experience. Ideal candidates have some successful employment or internship history in sales, marketing, editing, teaching, or roles that require customer interaction. Since learning outcomes and pedagogy vary substantially across from disciplines and subject areas, our Representatives must be nimble, devising creative, strategic solutions for instructors and ultimately increasing sales for Norton. Our College Sales Representatives must be able to sharpen their analytic and strategic skills daily.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree and a valid driver's license
• Employment eligibility to work with W.W. Norton, Inc. in the US
• Ability to travel by both car and airplane. Some overnight stays are necessary for campus visits, sales conferences, training, and/or professional development. (The amount of overnight travel for campus work varies by territory.)
• Residence within or near the geographic territory that encompasses the sales accounts associated with the job. (Relocation can be a negotiated condition of employment.)
• Strong communication and critical thinking skills.