Success in sales largely hinges on confidence, especially for the most veteran of account representatives. They’ve been through the process umpteen times, can recite the talk track in their sleep, and have cultivated enough relationships to sustain them and hit their number. A little swagger and a lot of attitude certainly helps.
Confidence is a process for most newbies, and Adam Gregory clearly recalls how he felt in his earliest years in sales as a business owner. He’d been pursuing a large customer in Georgia and had spent quite a while laying the relationship groundwork, hoping to eventually squeeze in.
Finally, Gregory got the call from the prospect to work on an OKI Data printer; not exactly a score, but certainly a start. While under the hood, the client’s IT leader visited him and started chatting.
“I told him everything I was capable of and talked about my company and how I wanted to grow it,” said Gregory, a 2025 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “It gave me the opportunity to show him my passion for the industry.”
Four months later, the client tapped Gregory for an upgrade across four states, a deal worth about $100,000. “For someone just starting, that was huge. It showed I had the skill, I know how to do this and it’s something for me to build upon.”
The president of Advanced Business Solutions (ABS) in St. Augustine, Florida, has certainly earned his stripes (and confidence) during a career that spans more than 20 years. He’s a past president of the Business Technology Association (BTA) and one of the more recognizable faces on the industry circuit. A business pit bull of sorts, Gregory is a go-getter who relishes challenges and is driven to attack whatever the day throws at him.
At the same time, he’s an executive who seeks to help uplift others. His journey with the BTA—where he’s been a member for 10-plus years—underscores that desire to be a catalyst for success.
“It’s great to bring people together from all walks of life and have them focus on an agenda to accomplish a goal,” he said. “We were able to do some fantastic things with BTA. That’s a great way to make a difference.”
Perimeter Shooting
Gregory’s introduction to the office tech business was a stroke of fate. Upon graduating from junior college, where he had the opportunity to play basketball, he targeted a four-year school but soon felt burned out. That prompted him to serve a hitch in the Navy, but after his commitment ended, it was back to square one.
He made the trek from his Florida home to Atlanta, where there was a job fair. On his way into the Holiday Inn where the event was being held, a stranger struck up a conversation with Gregory and asked if he had ever considered selling office equipment. They went out to breakfast, where Gregory learned the details from his new friend. Within 90 days he joined the man’s business, Atlanta Office Machines, and in five years he rose to the position of sales manager.
In 2004, Gregory hung his own shingle in the Peach State, Atlanta Business Supplies, which he later sold in order to move back to Florida and roll out ABS. “We’ve been here ever since,” Gregory noted, “and I don’t plan on leaving.”
It’s definitely a family affair for ABS. At Gregory’s side is his wife, Melissa, who handles accounts receivable. Adam Jr. covers the sales side but is cross-trained in service as well. Austin is a service tech, but he also handles the dealer’s marketing and is also developing sales chops. Destiny, one of four daughters, is ABS’ logistics manager.
Well-synced
Not all families can handle that much togetherness, but Gregory feels his brood has bought into what the dealership is trying to accomplish. “Every now and then, we’ll challenge each other a little bit, but I think that comes with running any business,” he remarked. “We do a great job of separating company time and family time. We’ll talk about the business when we go home at night, but we don’t let it control us.”
Along the way, he has enjoyed nuggets of industry wisdom from a number of sources. When Gregory—who’d long been in sales—was just getting started in Marietta, he met Rod Hall, who provided much insight to the service sector of the industry. The pair would go to Hall’s home and work on machines in his garage, giving Gregory advanced insight into analog machines before the digital transformation.
“There have been many people who have provided guidance, especially when I was serving on boards for the Business Technology Association,” he added.
The last 12 months have been exciting, from the company’s growth to adding three new team members. With an eye toward the future, Gregory does everything possible to put them in positions where they can flourish.
“The new employees and growth speak volumes for the company,” he added.
Complacency is never an option. Gregory always looks to push for the next plateau: if he makes a $100,000 deal, he wants the next one to be worth $200,000. But he’s also learned to slow down when possible, not allow himself to get too wound up or be too aggressive.
“I’m challenging myself every day and trying to elevate my game,” he said. “But when you fail, you just have to understand that it’s part of the process.”
Adam and Melissa Gregory have been married for 27 years and have seven children—Shannon, Destiny, Adam Jr., Austin, Landon, Alyssa and Alivia. Traveling is a favorite pastime; they love visiting Orlando, which is a short 90 minutes from their home. Anything family-related, such as cookouts or other functions, rates highly with the Gregory gang. He loves to go fishing when the opportunity presents itself, and Melissa joins him for boating adventures.
