Being the go-to guy has its advantages. Just ask Jay Schofield, the business development manager for AIDC/barcoding at Distribution Management.
Thriving in a specialization means all eyes look your way whenever a client or team member has a question beyond the superficial level. In the case of Schofield, he’s amassed decades of experience in the realm of automatic identification and data collection (AIDC), which means many clients and dealers turn to him for granular information about all things in the barcoding world.
Doling out subject-matter expertise, it stands to reason, provides a gateway to increased opportunities for Distribution Management. “My customers/dealers are coming to me first, which ultimately leads to more opportunities than if they could get the same information, just as fast, from a distributor-agnostic manufacturer,” said Schofield, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker.
“I have a personal rule to scan any open emails for anything urgent and answer before I shut down for the day. Being an SME who is overly customer-driven is something our dealers have come to expect from me and all of us at Distribution Management. And, our dealers deserve that while we are helping them pursue a new channel.”
While Schofield has been with the former Supplies Network since early 2018, his industry roots trace back much deeper. He sold toner and data cartridges in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, region in the mid-1990s. Schofield segued into product marketing at the distribution level before landing with an AIDC VAR that focused on thermal/barcoding supplies. He completed the circle by taking the barcode reins at Distribution Management.
Select Company
He may be best known as the architect of the company’s Barcode Select program, which provides automated replenishment of Zebra-certified supplies. Product marketing fits perfectly in Schofield’s wheelhouse. He loves cultivating and growing pieces of business from the ground up, which entails collaborating with operations, marketing and sales units, along with multiple stakeholders.
“I thrive in that environment with an ability to passionately message and market my product line at each level in the organization,” he said. “Also, I love being the subject-matter expert and educating others. Whether it be the sales team, a reseller or even an end-user, the ability to impact a quota, help close a deal or close the loop on a new project, that’s what gets me out of bed in the mornings.”
Curiously, one of the greatest influences in Schofield’s professional career is a sales maven—Ted Gruener, the company’s vice president of sales. Aside from his early gig in peddling toner and data cartridges, Schofield’s roles have revolved around operations and marketing, not sales. So when he landed at Distribution Management with the intent of building and expanding a barcode category, he focused on elements that spoke to his expertise—website, tools, inventory analysis and customer/competitor analysis.
Enter Gruener, who offered critical nuggets of wisdom. “Ted always reminds me to keep my sales hat on,” Schofield explained. “He has also been instrumental as the executive sponsor of the thermal initiative at DM. I can count on Ted to garner support internally for most anything we need to keep the business growing.”
Earning Stripes
2021 was a watershed year for Schofield, who achieved his sales goal and became a president’s club recipient for the first time. It was a long path, as Schofield had set the bar high in terms of growth goals during the previous three years. Having met the burden of his own expectations made it a proud moment for him, and the barcoding business has done exceptionally well in 2022. In the coming year, Schofield expects the company will need additional focused resources and a product line expansion to elevate the company to the next level.
Schofield has a fun long-range goal: to see his photo on the company’s Wall of Fame, which highlights all employees with more than 10 years of experience. Becoming the “lone barcode guy” in 2028 will signify that he’s met most of his personal and professional goals at Distribution Management, not to mention his own expectations.
Taking his own game up a notch or 10 is a matter of accruing and sharing more knowledge and expanding on his SME. “[I’m focused on] continuing to educate internally so we have everyone in sales contributing and talking about barcoding with their customers,” Schofield said. “We are growing fast and have brought on a second business development manager with barcoding expertise, so the future is bright indeed.”
On the personal front, Schofield and his wife, Haley, have been married for 22 years. Their daughter, Logan, is a junior at the University of Kansas, studying behavioral neuroscience. Ranger, a dog, and Duke the cat round out their brood. The Schofields are active members of the Collinsville Baptist Tabernacle and love to spend time on or around water and the beach. They’re traveling more as empty nesters, and Schofield’s sports loyalties remain with his childhood teams from the Dallas-Ft. Worth area (Cowboys, Rangers, Stars and Mavericks).
