Technology
The office technology industry wasn’t quite what Nicole Miceli had in mind when she graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg. But after a four-month stint in a graphic design internship, Miceli wanted to cultivate other options.
Getting into sales may have been her father’s idea, but after nine years spent primarily as a sales solutions specialist, Miceli seems to have found her true calling. After all, not many graphic artists have the intestinal fortitude to make four calls to the same prospect within an hour—as Miceli once did early in her career—and get shot down three times before securing a face-to-face meeting.
Sales is not a game for the easily deterred, and having the vision to anticipate an opportunity to do business and a willingness to see it through at all costs. Miceli wears that persona well.
“Being able to create unique and creative solutions for our partners and knowing that we’re making the office space more streamlined and productive is a great motivator,” said Miceli, a 2021 ENX Magazine Difference Maker.
One of the highlights in Miceli’s young career came in 2018, when she competed in Sharp’s National Demo Contest. She created a virtual “in-person” demo and finished in the top six nationally among all the manufacturer’s vendors. The idea of replicating the experience of a live demonstration certainly was prescient; no one could envision the increased role virtual demonstrations would ultimately play in 2020, when Zoom and Teams conference were so commonplace and virtual fatigue became a challenge.
According to Miceli, the demo provided the company with the ability to still provide the experience of a demo without the “mundaneness” of another virtual meeting. “The contest really pushed me to be a better demonstrator and a better saleswoman,” she observed. “I learned so much more about the product line and how to create a unique demo than I ever would have had I not entered.”
While her father, Pulse Technology President Chip Miceli, may have been the motivating force behind Nicole’s foray into sales, she credits her first manager with helping mold her approach. “Thanks to her, I really developed a strong sales foundation,” Miceli said. “Not only did she help shape me as a saleswoman, she brought out my confidence as a person.”
Holding Serve
Despite the pandemic, Miceli was able to achieve her annual quota in 2020. She hopes to be able to travel more frequently during the balance of this year and find new paths to growth as a salesperson. “I have immersed myself in the sales world through peer groups that constantly challenge me to be better and to hold me accountable when I need it most,” she added.
Miceli’s schedule enabled her and son Logan, 6, to visit Disney World in March. Aside from traveling, she enjoys attending concerts, visiting museums, going out to dinner and summer festivals. Miceli also plays co-ed softball in the summer and fall.
