Vineet Arya, one of Meridian Imaging Systems’ major account superstars.
Names: Vineet Arya & Lisa Flynn
Titles: Major & GovernmentAccount Executive/Senior State and Local Government/Education Account Manager
Company: Meridian Imaging Solutions, Alexandria, VA
Years in industry: 14 (Vineet)/32 (Lisa)
New business revenue: $983,000
Gross revenue: $5,500,000
Units placed: 1,285
What they’re saying about Vineet and Lisa: “Vineet is a highly skilled consultative sales person who truly understands solutions and business problems. He uses technology such as scanning, workflow solutions and document management to drive large county government contracts.”
Meridian Imaging Solutions is lucky to have Vineet Arya and Lisa Flynn in their corner. The two major account executives continue to bring in net new business while also growing existing accounts.
Arya has been with Meridian for 14 years and in the office imaging industry for 18 years. Over the course of his career he’s sold office supplies, worked for Konica Minolta, and worked in IT sales before finding a home at Meridian.
Flynn joined Meridian eight years ago after a long career in the industry stretching back to the early 1980’s when she began as a customer support rep. She later worked as a trainer, training customer relations personnel before moving into management for a couple of years and then into sales, a position that’s turned out to be the perfect fit for her.
Prior to Meridian, Flynn logged 18 years in sales before the dealership she was working for was purchased by IKON. She stayed on for a couple of years, then retired, but couldn’t stay away and returned to the industry and once again started doing what she does best—selling.
Lisa Flynn is another one of Meridian’s superstars selling to major accounts.
She appreciates the culture at Meridian. “Meridian is very customer focused, which is what I liked about being a sales rep,” says Flynn. “If a decision needs to be made, it’s always based on the relationship and customer side of it as opposed to the business side. That’s amazing. Because of that we have a lot of long-term employees, not just the sales reps—the administrative staff, the service department—all striving to be the best service organization in the industry, not just the DC Metropolitan area.”
When Meridian hired Flynn, they got much more than just her in the bargain. “A lot of my today customers were my customers back in the ‘90s,” she says. “Even being out for a period of time I had pre-existing relationships.”
Arya’s taste for sales came from his days selling office supplies. “When I worked in office supplies, obviously I had the clientele and understood what their requirements were,” he recalls.
Even then in a low-tech world, he enjoyed solving customer’s problems and providing solutions. Today, he can offer clients a much broader array of solutions, which for someone who thrives on selling solutions, is ideal.
He too appreciates the culture he’s found at Meridian for the same reasons as Flynn. “They’re a great company to work for,” says Aray. “We establish long-term relationships and we’re looking at a long term goal, not just sales. That’s what helps solve our customer’s business problems on a day-to-day basis. It’s a win-win for the customer and for us too.”
Every job has challenges and for Arya, it’s pricing. “That’s always a challenge,” he emphasizes. “We overcome that by looking at the total cost of ownership for the customer—solutions and incorporating software. At the end of day we’re walking into an account solving their problems, not just fixing their issue. That helps overcome the price challenge.”
For Flynn it’s the complexity of today’s offerings compared to when she first entered the industry. “The variety of products, software and services we sell and support today requires an expert,” she says. “I rely on my internal resources at times to keep up with the technology. The other thing is selling the value we provide. We’re not always going to be the least expensive and we need to make sure the customer understands if you’re looking for the best value, Meridian is it.”
Looking back at their careers in sales, each fondly recalls their first big sale. Arya’s was with the office supply company when he sold his first major account. He remembers thinking, “It’s definitely doable and even though it took a lot of time and effort I realized if I can do a lot more of it, I can reach my goals.”
Flynn’s is related to selling major accounts. “I ended up having everybody’s leftovers and accounts they couldn’t get into,” she says. “I remember DC public schools and some of the territory wasn’t in the greatest neighborhoods, and being able to get in and get some quick sales underneath my belt, and get some confidence and going out and continuing down that path.”
Perhaps the most gratifying sale of Flynn’s career was an $800,000 deal she made for Meridian within eight months after returning to an industry that had undergone some serious changes during her five-year sabbatical. She attributes that to her previous background with state and local government accounts.
“I understood it and was able to cold call an account that had an RFP that had been put out on the street, which had been awarded and rescinded, and I was able to go in take down 200 machines without it going out to bid. It was a good feeling knowing I hadn’t lost it.”
Arya and Flynn have been intertwined at Meridian ever since they first began working together on various county government accounts five years ago. “For a whole variety of reasons it worked out really well,” says Flynn.
One of their biggest sales was to a local municipality. “It was such a big win and a total team effort,” notes Flynn. “The reason we continue to work together is we continue to have a lot of success.”
Why is that?
“I always wonder why we work so well together besides the fact that Vineet is smarter than I am,” responds Flynn. “He’s faster on Excel spreadsheets and follows up way better than I do. He’s a great partner and every success we’ve had has been a total team effort.”
Do they have any advice for others who may be considering a career selling in a technology and solutions driven industry?
“Look at the big picture,” states Arya. “Don’t just try to get a sale; find out what the customer’s challenges and needs are and come back with a solution that works for them in the long term. Don’t just sell a box and walk away. Be responsive to any concerns throughout the term of the contract. That’s how you get more sales and keep accounts.”
Flynn is succinct in her advice: “Ask a lot of questions, listen, and persevere,” she says.
