My hard-fought, hard-won corporate journey of 37 years would eventually take me to the pinnacle of corporate America, serving a Fortune 100 company as a C-Suite executive reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. This chapter of my story finds me in Texas, training to take my place in the profession of my dreams. Nine months after I began my career at Xerox, I entered the world of commercial marketing for this impressive corporation.  A new product line was being introduced, and I was chosen as one of the marketing representatives to help launch it. For once in my life, I didn’t struggle with what to do. I was a natural and marketing became my first and greatest love in corporate America.   

It was a demanding job. Xerox held high expectations for the new product line and for all of us associated with it.  Brilliant scientists and engineers, particularly in the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), created the products that provided a competitive advantage for the lucky companies who could afford them.  With the 800 series of word processors, documents could be prepared expediently, professionally, and flawlessly with unlimited flexibility in making real-time changes.

I attended marketing school in Dallas for six weeks with no return trip until the program was completed.  Long days in the classroom and long evenings in the lab required energy and concentration. The product was technical and understanding its inner workings was not for the faint of heart. Xerox made promises to its customers, and we, the marketing representatives, were invaluable in helping the company fulfill those commitments. Long after the sales representatives moved on to other prospects, the marketing team stayed with the account in a supportive role of training, guidance, and commitment. Our role required a high level of ongoing product knowledge and proficiency.

I attended the course with 20 women from all over the United States and Canada. The classroom was located on the top floor of the headquarters of the Office Products Division.  When I first walked into the classroom, the panoramic views of Dallas took my breath away. The towering high-rise building, made of solid glass, cast a golden glow over the horizon at sunset.  I had never seen such a beautiful structure. For a young woman from a small town, I was in awe of Dallas and fell in love with its glamour and southwestern charm. I enjoyed being there, despite the undeniable rigors of the coursework.

First, I learned the technology of the product and how to conduct a demonstration in front of customers. This phase was challenging and required a lot of brain power to stay up with our technically fluent teacher, June.  June was as kind as she was competent. She was fully aware of the knowledge and skills we would need back on the job, and she patiently and steadfastly poured her heart into each student.

In addition to learning the technical components during the course, I learned something about ego-need and judging others. Almost every day in class, a fellow student I’ll call Ester pummeled our instructor June with question upon question about the technical aspects of the products.  From the get-go, Ester demanded to go deeper and faster than the rest of the class. She interrupted the flow of learning for more than a few of us with her numerous questions. But it was her unwillingness to accept June’s answers that eventually pushed the entire class to utter frustration. Obviously smart, Ester couldn’t hide a slight smile of satisfaction when June faltered, even a little, on one of her deep-reaching questions. She let it be known outside of class that she was testing the technical strength of our teacher and would continue to do so until convinced our teacher was irrefutable.  I always felt so uncomfortable for June, and there were days when she looked weary and exhausted at the end of class. Not once did June compromise her professionalism or utter an unkind word.

I and others appreciated the orderly approach to learning that June offered. We were confident she would cover all the technical specifications in a logical progression, building layer upon layer of learning until we thoroughly mastered the technology. Ester’s frequent interruptions to the flow were discomfiting to my learning style, and when she would launch into one of her unrelenting questioning segments, I began looking out the window at the Dallas skyline.  My antidote of skyline gazing, however, caused a detraction on my final evaluation. June’s comment went like this: “Bonnie was a good student but at times seemed bored and looked out the window during class.”

Wow. What a hard lesson to learn about hanging in there, despite perceptions of someone else’s behavior.  In truth, I was judging Ester as being annoying and troublesome, and, therefore, resisted the learning that was going on. Instead of tuning out, I should have risen above Ester’s mannerisms and listened. I might have learned even more.

After completing the technical parts of the course, our class next learned the Xerox methods of marketing and sales which they expected us to display in front of customers. I devoured every word that was spoken as my natural interests kicked into full gear. Xerox knew marketing and sales like nobody’s business and immersed its people in psychology-infused customer processes designed by its staff of Ph.Ds. The long and successful track record of success and the professional discipline necessary to stand head and shoulders above competitors were among the competency areas Xerox forged within its people.  I learned an enormous amount from this marketing giant and deployed this knowledge throughout my long career in corporate America.

I didn’t want my learnings in Dallas to end. But, alas, it was time to return home to Harrisburg and begin the real job of establishing a strong Xerox office products presence within the Pennsylvania region.  While I had been away at school, the new sales representative had been busy lining up prospects. He threw me into product demonstrations almost immediately upon my return.

In the sales process, our job as marketing reps was to explain and demonstrate the technical aspects of the product to customers, bringing to life the sales representative’s presentation of advantages and benefits.  Once the product was sold, I trained the customers in the operation of the equipment either in their location or in a classroom in the Xerox branch office. Every product demonstration and learning course had to be tailored to the customer’s specific applications.  Much behind-the-scenes work was required to customize every customer interaction. But that was the Xerox way.

No one had any higher expectations for my performance than I did. I plunged head first into the work. Days were long and I was often among the last to leave the building. I became adroit at maneuvering through the vacuum cords strewn about the office by the cleaning crew who showed up late in the evening.  Despite being alone in the building, I couldn’t leave until everything was finished for the next day.

Before long, the Harrisburg Office Products team had a long list of customers covering geography throughout the state of Pennsylvania.  I visited each customer’s location and consulted on technical challenges and how best to maximize the efficiency of the technology. My travels took me to Penn State University in the western part of the state, to Geisinger Medical Center in the northeast, to Hershey Foods about 30 minutes east of Harrisburg, and to countless customers in the Harrisburg area. I was gone from home weeks at a time. Being single and an apartment dweller, I was free as a bird to travel.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. My boss was a bit of a bully. A big, handsome, ex-Army Special Forces bit of a bully. His confidence seemed to know no end and he pushed his hefty brawn around sometimes to overbearing proportions.  Please join me on the next blog for how my boss became one of my biggest champions…but not until he had scared the idealism out of me.