Fiducial | We help your business grow and be profitable.

by Stephen Parezo

Jim Fuss

August 21, 2006—James (Jim) Fuss brings 16 years of experience to his post as Fiducial’s new national sales manager and he’s energized at the prospects of building the company’s sales force up from the ground floor.

Fuss comes to Fiducial from a subsidiary of a large technology firm but was already familiar with the company though his involvement with the International Franchise Association (IFA).

“I knew about Fiducial and the opportunity to build something and make a big impact on the company,” said Fuss. “That challenge is something that I love. Every salesperson has a bit of pride and ego to them.”

A native Marylander, Fuss was bitten by the sales bug after earning a communications degree from Frostburg State University. Early in his career he ran a sales operation for a franchise that provided business services and was “hooked” on sales ever since.

“I have the ability to start from zero, a clean canvas and build something from scratch,” he said.

Having put together sales teams across the country, Fuss relishes being able to take a concept and shape it into something marketable.

“I’m used to a fast pace, high energy, high expectation and big goals,” he said.

Ready to go

Through much of his sales experience, Fuss has been associated with companies delivering solutions to small businesses and he’ll be continuing that tradition at Fiducial.

“This will make them more efficient and more profitable,” he said. “It will help reduce costs and increase efficiencies that affect the bottom line.”

Fuss is fully aware of what’s expected from him and he says that’s part of the excitement.

“Ultimately, the primary goal for me is to build a successful, revenue-generating sales team,” he said.

This week Fuss begins hitting the road to start recruiting a sales team for Fiducial offices in Houston, the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Oakland and San Diego, CA, and Indiana. He knows exactly the type of salesperson he’s looking for: one that has a mindset of determination and drive.

“It’s somebody that is going to wake up Monday morning and can’t wait to get started,” he said. Part of the sales teams’ job will be to contact every small business owner within a 10-mile radius of company offices “so they will know who Fiducial is.”

Along with marketing support, Fuss indicated that the sales team will be doing some old school knocking on prospective client’s doors, calling them by telephone, using networking groups, attending events and getting referrals from existing clients to increase accounts.

Competitive nature

Existing staff in company offices can also play a part in expanding the client base, according to Fuss.

“Don’t be afraid to go outside that comfort zone,” he said. “It’s a mindset of being able to understand that it’s meaningful work that you’re doing such as taxes and processing payroll. You are ultimately helping that small business become successful. When you do it right the results are phenomenal.”

Fuss has always thrived in a competitive environment. It probably goes back to his days of playing soccer for Frostburg State where he was named to all-star teams as a defender for the Bobcats in each of his four years there.

“My competitive nature is something that drives me,” he said. “I see the glass as half-full and I’m optimistic. But I’m also realistic because you can’t expect things to just happen.”

Anxious to assemble a crack team of sales professionals, Fuss knows Fiducial’s one-stop shop is a great way to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses but that hinges on spreading the word through the small business ranks.

“If no one knows who you are it doesn’t matter,” he said.

Stephen Parezo is the Media Manager for Fiducial.

Whatever your small business needs, your Fiducial tax and financial professional can analyze your situation and recommend an appropriate action plan. To locate a Fiducial office nearest you on fiducial.com, see the Zip Code Locator located in the upper right hand corner of the page. Do you have a particular topic that we should be writing about that can help your business? Please send your suggestions to: stephen.parezo@fiducial.com.

DISCLAIMER
Although we do our best to provide our users with useful and accurate information on our web site, we do not update this information which is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Users must understand that information presented does not serve as an endorsement of any particular company or individual and that this information changes frequently and is subject to differing interpretations. Users are hereby advised that they are responsible for ensuring that the facts and general advice obtained from our site are applicable to their specific situations and should discuss their specific tax, business, financial, and legal matters with pertinent professionals.