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Sales Development Program


The Sales Development Program is in place at the company to help develop new business for the sales teams, but also for talented aspiring sales professionals to develop themselves as high-potential talent to grow within the organization. Start this career program in our Sales Development Associate role, learning the products, programs, and customers you’ll need to know to succeed in a Brother USA sales career. Then, after only 6-9 months, you’ll be eligible for a promotion to our Sales Development Specialist role. In the Specialist role, you’ll continue to support our customers in the field, helping to build close relationships and uncover new business opportunities for the next 6-9 months. In our third and final phase of the program, you’ll continue in your role of Sales Development Specialist, rotating through a selection of sales channels to determine a strong fit for your career as a sales representative at Brother USA.

We expect that successful candidates will complete all three phases of our Sales Development Program and earn two promotions within their first few years at the company!

Phases of the Program
Sales Development Associate
(Typically 6-9 months)

Learning Objectives:
  • The company and its customers
  • The products we manufacture and sell
  • How the team supports company objectives
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Sales Development Specialist
(Typically 6-9 months)

Learning Objectives
  • How to identify and nurture new sales opportunities through lead generation
  • How to develop toward a sales role at Brother
Sales Development Specialist (Rotations)
(Typically 12-18 months)

Train in a series of 3-month rotations in different sales team settings, developing knowledge, skills and experience to identify and prepare for a strong fit after your time in the program concludes.
Our program provides you all the skills and experience you need to be a successful Brother sales employee - no cold calling, no classroom training, no previous corproate sales experience necessary!

Career Progression From This Program

Sales Roles!

Most of the “graduates" of our Sales Development Program successfully transition to sales roles in channels ranging from retail & e-commerce to dealer and distributor accounts.

While much of our program focuses on our Business Machine Group (printing, scanning, & labeling products), Sales Development team members have also progressed to other divisions as well.
Marketing Roles!

Although this program is designed to help prepare you for a career in sales, several employees have gone from the program into roles in product management and channel marketing.

With a strong investment in our people and the skills they learn in this program, it is not uncommon to see Brother employees move between business units and across sales and marketing teams.
And More!

Though less frequent than sales and marketing, we've also seen employees complete their time in the Sales Development Program and advance to other career paths within the organization.

In recent years, there have been program participants that went on to roles in Customer Service, Human Resources, and even Legal!

Employee Testimonials

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The experience I gained from going through the Sales Development Program provided me the exposure to various divisions within Brother.

It allowed me to enhance my communication, problem-solving, and sales skills, giving me the experience for career advancement.
Steven Dunbar
Technical Sales - Industrial Products Division
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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It's an exciting time to be working at Brother right now. In my current role, I have the opportuntiy to be disruptive in the marketplace, and we have a lot of innovative products coming out.
Jeremy Pennino
Retail & E-Commerce Sales
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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My favorite aspect of the Sales Development Program was the opportunity to travel around the country and meet some awesome people while developing my sales and marketing skills.
Madison Guyon
Brand Protection (Legal Dept.)
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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The beauty of the Sales Development Program is that you work with so many different sales teams, which helps you figure out what part of the business you enjoy the most and what you excel at, to confidently work toward a sales career that aligns your talents and your passion.
Caroline Burd
I(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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This program is great for people just starting their career because it provides you the opportuntiy to learn how different sales channels grow their business and which of them you may consider developing toward.
Michael Annis
Retail & E-Commerce Sales
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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Brother gives you the opportunity to find your own path and offers tremendous room for growth. I chose to work for Brother because they care about their employees in every aspect of life, not just the work environment.
Melissa Faiello
Product Management - Labeling & Scanning
​​​​​​​(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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The experience I gained from my time in the program helped to shape my professional interests, develop my skillset, and embark on a fulfilling career path within Brother. 

I highly recommend this opportunity to any candidate looking to learn about themselves while building toward a strong career in sales.
Nick Blomfield
Retail & E-Commerce Sales
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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Not many organizations allow you to be part of different avenues of the business but at Brother that is the reality. Each day can be different and the entire time is a learning experience.
Billy Stine
IT Solution Provider Reseller Team
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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The best part of being on the Sales Development Team was the opportunity to travel and experience new places while furthering my career, not just with training and shadowing, but with the chance to autonomously engage in the field and uncover new sales opportunities myself.
Tamara Johnson
Product Management - Printer Supplies
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)
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Everyone that I worked with in this program was really supportive and encouraging, helping me get better at my job and grow.  I'm excited to just keep moving forward!
Brady Reasoner
Strategic Channel Partner Team
(Former Sales Development Associate/Specialist)

Must-Haves for Successful Candidates

Must Love
to Travel
The best part of this job is the opportunity to travel all over the country (and maybe even into Canada sometimes), to visit our customers and support account events. We’re looking for candidates that are excited about how much travel is in store!
Seeking a
Sales Career
This role is designed as the start to a career path to sales and sales leadership, so successful candidates will be ready and eager to grow in our sales organization!
Presentation
Skills
Within mere months of starting with the company, you could be given the opportunity to present to anyone from store reps to sales managers, so presentation rock stars to the front of the line!
A Sales
Personality
As a channel sales rep, it will be your job to go around making friends with strangers. After all, people buy from people, and those are the people we’re looking for!
Selling
Experence
An entry-level role that’s asking for sales experience? Nope – not sales, just selling! Even with no formal corporate sales experience, be ready to show us that you know what it means to sell.

Retail associates, baristas, golf caddies... all welcome!)

Frequently Asked Questions
What's a day in the life of a Sales Development Associate look like?
Every day is different, which means you'll never be bored. On a day in the office, you might be following up with some customers from your last sales trip, preparing for your next event, or working with our product marketing team to provide some pre-sales device suggestions to our channel partners. In the field, a day may be spent visiting local stores to ensure retail reps are trained and excited to sell our products, or on-site with a customer leading a presentation series and generating sales leads.

Frequently Asked Questions
How much travel is it really? Where would I be going?
We think of the role and program as up to 75% travel. You could have trips assigned 3-4 weeks of the month, but those trips can vary in length and are usually 2-3 days of the week. There's usually no travel on the weekends, and since our accounts are all over the US, you will get to visit places like Chicago, Phoenix, Austin, Orlando, and more! International travel is rare, but there may be opportunity to visit a few accounts in Northeast Canada, such as in Montreal or Halifax. One possible travel week might be a day in the office on Monday, flying to an account Tuesday morning and seeing them that afternoon, hosting additional events and meetings Wednesday and Thursday morning, flying home that evening, and working from home that Friday. Travel needs are usually assigned and shared 3-4 weeks in advance, so there's plenty of time to plan and prepare.

Frequently Asked Questions
What does success look like in this role? What does it take to stand out?
Our Sales Development Team of today are the sales leaders of tomorrow. Rather than dress for the job you want, we're ready to see team members who can do the job they want. The Sales Development Associates who not only seek our new work and projects but also share their thoughts and ideas of what value they can add to our accounts and sales teams are the ones we see succeed most. At Brother, we don't care your title or tenure - we want to hear your great ideas and how you can help.

Frequently Asked Questions
How will the company invest in my own professional development?
This entire role and program is designed around your professional development! Professional growth and continuous training are woven into the culture at our company. Our Tuition Reimbursement program helps employees pursue advanced degrees that align to their career goals. Our Learning & Development team provide lots of opportunities for online and facilitated training in a variety of topics to help build your skill sets. Also, our company provides structure through our career development conversations and individual development panning to ensure your future remains a focus for us.

Frequently Asked Questions
It sounds like you work hard, but do Brother USA employees play hard, too?
We work really hard, so we play really hard, too!  Our sales teams assemble monthly for a nice dinner out on the town, complete with a few bottles of some excellent wine, a Brother USA entertainment staple. (Our annual customer meeting is hosted at Napa Valley, after all!) Our annual sales and marketing conference has taken place in previous years at places like Caesar's Palace in Atlantic City, NJ and the Foxwoods Casino in central Connecticut. Our company picnic welcomes employees and their families and friends, and our company holiday party welcomes employees and their guests, and both include plenty of great food, music, awesome prizes, and hours of open bar time. We've engaged our customers over dinners, at sporting event suites, and even on sailboat outings! What other job opportunity is ready to train you how to host a great happy hour for customers?