Since 1992, GreatAmerica Financial Services has grown from a start-up to the largest independent, family-owned commercial equipment finance company in the United States. How did it happen? At GreatAmerica, it starts with being mission critical, meaning “we help our customers achieve greater success.” Nowhere in our organization is this brought to life more and with greater tenacity than from our sales professionals. Our sales team leans into a consultative sales process that always places the customer’s success at the front of the line.
Starting as an SDR
Often, our sales professionals begin their careers as a Sales Development Representative (SDR). The position plays a key role in interacting with customers in the beginning stages of our sales process. Part marketing, part sales, and all perseverance, an SDR is the tip of the prospecting spear. SDRs work closely with the marketing team in the creation of campaigns
and content, maintaining consistent communication with prospects, and helping to determine GreatAmerica's value add to a customer relationship. It is a role that can look quite different from one day to the next — phone calls, emails, sales meetings, webinar trainings, video messaging, and social media content management — all to drive the relationship between GreatAmerica and a prospect. We count on our SDRs to help us explore new frontiers and take initiative! If you are a recent college graduate or have a couple years of sales experience under your belt, click here to explore our open SDR positions.
Promoting from Within & Seeking External Talent
From a SDR role, team members might transition into a one of three types of sales positions of increased responsibility — Account Management, Business Development, and National Accounts. Sales professionals with industry experience or who have demonstrated a track record of 
success in consultative sales are also recruited into these roles. The focus of Account Management is creating an increased revenue pipeline from existing accounts, by growing our share of a customer’s financed dollars and identifying complementary bundled services to help our customer achieve greater success. Business Development sales professionals are tasked with growing revenue from new customers, while those in National Accounts are working primarily with large manufacturers in office equipment, technology, construction, automotive, and healthcare. The opportunities for personal and professional growth are nearly limitless, and multiple promotion levels exist within this structure. These positions are managing multiples priorities and taking the lead with key customer conversations. If you have several years of proven sales experience and are customer-centric in your approach to sales, click here to explore our open Account Manager, Business Development, and National Account positions.
Leadership & Beyond
Many of GreatAmerica’s sales leaders started in other positions within the company. Jennie Fisher, Group President of Office Technology, was a hired as a sales professional in 1993 and has been promoted more than a half-dozen times. Senior Account Executive, Jackie Schmid, began her career in marketing before transitioning into sales, while Vice President and General Manager of the Office Equipment Group, Mitch Leahy, began as a credit intern. Others, like Brian Bjella, Group President of the Specialty Markets Group, joined the company after running their own businesses. (See the bios of GreatAmerica’s senior leadership team here.) GreatAmerica’s sales leadership shares a passion for developing successful teams and embraceing one of the company's core values — "we create opportunities for growth and take charge of our future."
The Process & the Perks
All sales professional candidates are hired after an extensive interview process that helps ensure a good strategic and cultural fit between the candidate and GreatAmerica. Our sales teammates may work out of our corporate headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, or across the country in the territories they cover. In addition to a competitive compensation structure and an opportunity to qualify for sales achievement trips, employees enjoy benefits that include 401k and profit sharing, a full suite of healthcare options, tuition assistance, and much more (a full list of benefits is provided here.)
It’s Your Move
GreatAmerica’s sales organization led the company to eclipse $3 billion in earning assets in 2023, continuing to strengthen our industry-leading position. Will YOU be an integral part of our success in the next 30 years? If your friends describe you as ambitious, energetic, motivated, persuasive, and customer-oriented, we’d love to hear from you. Explore our sales career options today!