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To understand what makes Mark Miller successful as an EquipmentShare sales rep, start with one of his prized possessions. It’s a framed photo from Sports Illustrated magazine that shows him walking off the field in his College of Wooster baseball uniform while University of St. Thomas players celebrate in the background.
The photo was taken at the end of the 2009 NCAA Division III championship game, and Miller had just given up the final run in the 12th inning of a 3-2 loss. But the look on his face conveys dignity and not despair. Pitching on just two days’ rest, Miller figured out a way to wring a complete game out of a tired arm despite striking out only one batter, walking seven and allowing 12 hits.
“I wasn’t ever coming out of that game, and my coach knew that,” Miller said. “When we would pass each other after every inning, we didn’t even make eye contact, because it was understood.”
Miller goes about his business for EquipmentShare in much the same way he pitched his final game — fiercely competitive, unconcerned by potential failure and effective in his own unconventional way.
“Everybody thinks there’s one approach to have success, but that’s just not the case,” Regional Sales Manager Josh Helmstetler said. “Mark has a massive work ethic. He’s going to deal with a high volume of customers. He’s got that athlete mentality where he’s constantly hungry and searching for the next one. He knows how to talk to people, and he has a lot of intriguing things to talk about.”
Miller, who describes himself as a “hillbilly,” lives off the land with his wife, five kids, a cow and a flock of chickens on a homestead in Convoy, Ohio. If customers call him early in the morning while he’s milking his cow, he invites them to join him on Facetime and chat between squeezes.
Admittedly, the specifics of Miller’s customer interactions might not work for sales reps who don’t have his sense of humor … or a cow. But the point is, at EquipmentShare, a strong work ethic can be successfully combined with all sorts of personal approaches, as long as they’re authentic.
“I try to get to human as quickly as possible,” Miller said. “A recent account opened on Valentine’s Day. After the fourth time reaching out to the customer, he finally answered. I said, ‘Hey, this is Mark from EquipmentShare, and I just wanted to call and wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day.’ I think it caught him off guard, and we got to human as soon as possible and really hit it off.”
After college, Miller gained experience while working in sales for other equipment rental companies, but he felt micromanaged because of how much time he had to spend on documentation tasks. He heard good things about how EquipmentShare allowed sales reps the freedom to do the job their way and decided to check it out for himself.
He started at EquipmentShare in January 2023, joining the branch in Toledo, Ohio. Miller didn’t know a soul in Toledo when he started, but through persistence and a knack for putting his own spin on sales pitches, he has built a strong customer base.
“This is a very sales-minded company,” Miller said. “Our company looks at numbers and says, ‘OK, what you’re doing is clearly working for you.’ Other reps might need some more support, and that’s fine, but my bosses are good at knowing who needs support and who can keep doing what they’re doing.
“For reps who are new or might be struggling, my advice is be enthusiastic and be different. If you’re enthusiastic, someone is going to give you an opportunity to talk. And if you don’t get them this time, stay with it and keep going after them. Someone might change roles, and now they have the power to rent from you and they’ll remember you.”
