EquipmentShare Offers Kotz Freedom to Find Her Future as Sales Rep

Candice Kotz earned a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology, which is the study of human behavior in the workplace. It’s safe to say she’s put a lot of thought into what motivates people — herself included — to love their jobs instead of just tolerating them. 

She found her happy place as a territory account manager at EquipmentShare, where her company truck is her office; her sales territory extends well beyond her home base in Beaumont, Texas; and her dedication to building long-term relationships with customers is richly rewarded.  

“If you’re like me and enjoy your freedom and are self-motivated, this is a great place for you,” Kotz said. “The type of management style I get at EquipmentShare really makes me a more productive employee and more motivated to do my job. I have the flexibility and autonomy to build my own schedule that makes sense for me as long as I’m creating revenue for the company.” 

EquipmentShare is a fast-growing nationwide construction equipment rental and technology company that is continually looking for more sales reps like Kotz who are eager to find an employer that just gets them.

Sherpa to salesperson

Kotz had no background knowledge of sales or construction equipment when she got her start in the business in 2016. Her initial career plan — and her reason for majoring in psychology — was to become a therapist. But during her clinical training, she realized she might not have the patience for the long process of trying to help people solve their own problems. 

“It was like being a sherpa,” Kotz joked.

During grad school, she migrated to a job in which she still listened to people’s problems but could offer immediate solutions — bartender. A regular customer who was impressed with Kotz’s ability to multitask and manage all kinds of personalities talked her into taking a sales position at an equipment rental company. 

What she initially lacked in experience she made up for in desire. As someone who holds Texas state powerlifting records and competes in CrossFit events in her free time, Kotz isn’t afraid of grunt work. She spent a sweltering Texas summer in the rental yard paying her dues, learning how to test hoses, change the oil on pumps and drive a forklift. That knowledge gave her confidence to start engaging with customers and building a base of clients. 

“I am not the most persuasive person, but I’m going to tell you the truth, and I get a lot of repeat customers because they appreciate the honesty,” Kotz said. “Also, it’s just the basics of answering your phone, making sure you’re always replying to messages and not leaving people hanging. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Get out of your house, drive, get your butt out of your truck, see customers and build those relationships. So it’s doing those basics over and over again.”

Kotz worked for two equipment rental companies in a five-year span, and while she enjoyed the jobs, at times she felt micromanaged. She had to log every little detail of her day into a customer relationship management system, which ate into the time she could spend at home with her husband and dogs or at the gym, and she could only sell to customers in her area of responsibility, which limited her income. 

When she heard about an opening at EquipmentShare in 2021, she was excited about the opportunity to join a different kind of equipment rental company.

Still solving problems

EquipmentShare sales reps have a great product to offer, including an exclusive tech advantage. The company’s rental equipment is outfitted with the T3 operating system, which allows contractors to know every detail about the status of their machines and better manage their fleet.   

Unlike many competitors, EquipmentShare has an account-based system for sales reps, which financially rewards those like Kotz who build and maintain relationships with clients that stand the test of time and distance.  

“All of our territory account managers are assigned to branches where they’re responsible for creating in-market revenue, but they’re not limited to that area of responsibility. They like being able to go after accounts nationwide, and customers like being able to have one point of contact they trust,” said Billy Morgan, who supervises Kotz as a district sales manager. “Candice is very personable and interacts well with the customer, but on top of that, she takes care of the customer. Opening the account is just half the battle — she does a great job of maintaining accounts once she opens them. She’s just a solid, well-rounded salesperson who is very dependable, very hardworking.”

Kotz didn’t end up using her psychology training in the career she expected, but it has proved valuable in teaching her what kind of company suits her personality. And she still uses her problem-solving skills with her more challenging customers.

“People think I’m crazy because I deal with the hard customers and kind of enjoy them,” Kotz said. “You make sure people are heard. You repeat back to them what they’ve said so they understand that you realize where they’re coming from, you empathize with them and you find a solution. All people want is a solution.”

EquipmentShare is growing nationwide, and we’re on the lookout for problem solvers in all departments, including sales. Check out our job openings.