Role overview

W.W. Norton & Company's College Department, the largest and oldest independent and employee-owned publisher, creates textbooks and courseware for undergraduate studies across humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Our commitment lies in developing exceptionally high-quality content to support course objectives in all educational settings, championing equity-minded teaching to enhance outcomes for every learner. Our integrated materials, reflecting cutting-edge pedagogy, flexible learning pathways, and accessibility best practices, are designed to ensure all students achieve success.

We are seeking a goal-oriented College Publishing Sales Representative for our Boston territory to promote our courseware and textbooks (print and digital) to undergraduate instructors.

Job Advantages and Highlights

Pride in Independence: Nortonians value reading, learning, and sharing ideas. We foster collaboration, innovation, and celebration with a strong sense of shared purpose. Many employees have long tenures, often building their entire careers at Norton.
Variety: The role involves in-person meetings with college instructors, requiring travel to colleges within the assigned geographic territory. This offers diverse environments, physical activity, and the opportunity to tackle various academic challenges.
Intellectual Engagement: By consulting with instructors on their course goals, teaching strategies, and educational challenges, College Sales Representatives gain exposure to a wide array of subject areas. This is an ideal position for lifelong learners who enjoy reading and discovery.
Camaraderie: Norton Representatives not only drive sales success but also value exchanging ideas and discussing shared interests such as books, music, and travel. They come from diverse backgrounds, possess wide-ranging interests, and embrace continuous learning.
Career Development: Norton prioritizes internal promotion and professional advancement. Managers actively support employee development based on identified strengths and career goals.
Mentorship: In addition to guidance from a dedicated Sales Manager, Sales Representatives benefit from a mentorship program that pairs new employees with experienced colleagues.

Responsibilities

Conduct approximately four college visits per week during the academic year, aiming to consult with 10 to 15 professors per campus day.
Hold virtual meetings with faculty on days not spent on campus.
Build relationships with academic faculty by understanding their teaching challenges and demonstrating how Norton's educational materials offer solutions.
Engage with instructors on campus through cold calls and scheduled appointments.
Become proficient with major new titles and revised editions annually, as well as with competing texts.
Increase revenue and adoption rates for books and courseware within the designated sales territory.
Collaborate with colleagues on strategic plans to advance priority sales opportunities.
Set tracking and revenue goals with guidance from sales management.
Identify opportunities, document related activities, and track progress using the company’s Salesforce-based customer relationship management tool.
Provide customer support to instructors who assign or wish to evaluate Norton’s course materials.
Attend national and regional conferences.
Overnight travel is required approximately 20% of the time.

Compensation and Benefits

Total compensation, including discretionary bonuses, ranges from $50,000 to $80,000. Salaries and ranges may vary based on experience, skills, location, and other factors.
Company vehicle provided (including insurance, maintenance, fuel, and personal mileage allowance).
Reimbursement for qualified travel-related expenses.
Generous paid time off and paid holidays.
Comprehensive health benefits, including PPO, EPO, and High Deductible medical insurance options, vision insurance, dental insurance, flexible spending accounts (healthcare, dependent care, commuter), and gym membership reimbursement. Coverage is available for spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children.
Profit-Sharing and 401(k) benefit plan with discretionary employer contribution matching.
Disability and life insurance.
FMLA, parental, and other leave options.
Employee Assistance Program (for mental health, financial planning, and other needs).
Company-provided laptop.
Employee discounts on Norton books.
Limited matching of employee donations to select non-profit organizations.

Experience

and Skills

Are you a good fit? If you are intellectually curious, self-motivated, competitive, resourceful, collaborative, organized, and persuasive, then the answer is yes! We hire candidates at all career levels, from recent college graduates to those with extensive experience.

Ideal candidates will have some successful employment or internship history in sales, marketing, editing, teaching, or roles requiring customer interaction. Given that learning outcomes and pedagogy vary significantly across disciplines and subject areas, our Representatives must be adaptable, developing creative, strategic solutions for instructors and ultimately driving sales for Norton. Our College Sales Representatives must be able to sharpen their analytic and strategic skills daily.

Requirements

BA/BS degree and a valid driver’s license.
Employment eligibility to work with W.W. Norton, Inc. in the US.
Ability to travel by both car and airplane, with some overnight stays necessary for campus visits, sales conferences, training, and/or professional development. (The amount of overnight travel for campus work varies by territory.)
Residence within or near the geographic territory encompassing the sales accounts associated with the job. (Relocation can be a negotiated condition of employment.)
Strong communication and critical thinking skills.

College Publishing Sales Representative, Boston

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Job Description