No one could ever accuse Linda Sudderth of not giving 100% effort in her role as a sales manager. But there was a period when the current North American sales manager, business systems for Epson America tended to do a little too much. Or even a lot too much, so to speak.
It’s not that Sudderth was a micro-manager constantly breathing down the neck of her charges. Rather, she would serve as the main spokesperson at account meetings. She created and executed the strategies. If there was a task to handle, she was on it. Chances are, she also brewed the coffee and poured it during the meetings. One day, Sudderth’s manager pointed out the lone chink in her armor—she did too much for her team.
As challenges go, this one was easy to rectify. “He told me I need to step back, let my reps have the lead in all meetings and coach them behind the scenes to improve and/or grow their business acumen and confidence,” said Sudderth, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “He told me, if I listened and executed his advice, my work experience would change dramatically. I’d have more time to look further down the path instead of just focusing on the here and now. I’d have time to create and execute channel strategies and build the channel.”
Sudderth’s manager was on point with the advice, and she empowered her team to make their own decisions and own their respective businesses, which has been mutually rewarding. Certainly, her journey has been one marked by long-term, meaningful relationships with external clients, vendors and Epson team members alike.
Satisfaction is also derived from collaborating and devising winning customer strategies with Epson’s internal teams. The execution phase, where rubber meets road, and successful outcomes make the experience all the more worthwhile.
“When the plan we’ve put together works and our Epson team wins, there’s nothing like it,” she said. “The thrill of victory for the expanded team is incredibly exciting to me.”
Winding Road
Her nearly 30-year career has been anything but a linear experience. Sudderth exited Sam Houston State University with a B.S. in computer science in hand but soon found that the world of programming did not align with her personal goals. A close friend suggested Sudderth enter technical sales, another piece of advice that proved serendipitous. She toiled with a national computer store in the age before direct marketing sales by PC manufacturers, offering IBM, Compaq, AT&T models and, ironically, Epson dot matrix printers. A short stint selling packaged software to large corporations was followed by stints with CompuAdd and PC POS (later Siemens Nixdorf) before a chance encounter at a trade show led her to Epson’s doorstep.
Given her hands-on nature, it’s not surprising that Sudderth is always willing to provide support and assistance with any requests, whether it’s from her direct or other field sales teams, sales operations or product management. She’s always willing to step beyond her stated job responsibilities in the advancement of Epson’s initiatives. If there are deep weeds to enter, Sudderth is always a willing participant.
“I would not ask any of my team to do something I wouldn’t or haven’t done,” she noted. “I also attribute this to my ability to create relationships, the community aspect of my team and expanded teams at Epson, the open-door policy to discuss anything, especially strategic planning for accounts and opportunities. And of course, my Excel spreadsheets…I’m prone to analyze the data.”
Sudderth’s approach to business has been shaped by a number of influencers, some of whom crossed her path briefly but left a lasting impression. Early in her career, she attended a corporate sales meeting that included a guest speaker from Barbara Jordan’s Ethics Committee, who broached the subject of business and personal ethics. One takeaway that has resonated with Sudderth added clarity to her thinking: If you really must wrestle with a decision trying to determine if it’s ethically right or wrong, it’s most likely wrong, so don’t do it. Whatever the “it” is.
On another occasion, Sudderth was pondering a move into a management position but was questioning if she was ready for the task. That prompted her immediate manager to observe, “Sometimes a reluctant manager is the best manager. A reluctant manager doesn’t think they know everything; rather, they involve the great team to make the best decision.”
The third nugget of wisdom came from a manager who told Sudderth she was a great employee who knew her business better than anyone. However, the manager offered to take her under his wing in order to transform her into a leader as opposed to a coach/manager.
“When someone you trust and admire offers to mentor you, you take the opportunity,” she observed. “All three of those experiences were kind of simple but stretched me professionally and gave me confidence throughout my career.”
Business Obstacles
Sudderth and her team earned their stripes during a 2021 that wasn’t without its share of profound challenges stemming from the pandemic. The year called for difficult conversations with clients regarding across-the-board price increases against the backdrop of supply constraints. While comprehensive conversations didn’t always allay the resistance/pushback, the deep-rooted client relationships helped make the best of trying circumstances.
Moving forward, the goal is to continue cultivating and reaffirming relationships with partners. “We’ve brought on a few new large channel partners and want to ensure we deliver product and grow those new partnerships by remaining vigilant in communication, continuing to be present, and lastly recovering lost business that was affected by the pandemic while introducing a few new products to all customers,” she said.
On the personal front, Sudderth and her husband, Del Ray, have been married for 33 years. A backyard wedding was held for their oldest son, and their youngest son is slated to wed next February. Del Ray is the drummer in a band that performs gigs at restaurants and small venues throughout North Austin. As empty nesters, the Sudderths enjoy the freedom to travel (they’ve visited Europe a few times) and tour local wineries.
Working primarily from home for the last two and a half years has allowed Sudderth to flex her creative muscles. In addition to planning the backyard wedding for her son, she’s refinished furniture, worked on craft projects and tended to her vegetable and flower gardens. The family also constructed a comprehensive outdoor entertainment space.
“We’ve also embarked on many weekend trips, enjoying live music in the Texas Hill Country and a few hot spots in and around Texas,” she added.
