Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Shain.
Hi Kevin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up as a Lego-addicted kid in Atlanta and knew I wanted to do something similar as my career. When I graduated high school in 2005, i looked for a summer job at a Product Development company, however they only hired interns through the Georgia Tech co-op program and although I had been accepted, it was still the summer and I had not begun classes. The VP at the product development company introduced me to his brother who also just graduated from Georgia Tech and who started a 3D scanning start-up company (3DScanCo) and was in need of someone to operate the 3D scanners. I begun work for them that summer, and then returned the 4 years and 4 summers I spent at Georgia Tech.
In the final year of my classes at Georgia Tech, the company I worked for was bought-out by Laser Design, a larger company located in Minneapolis. The year was 2009 and the economy was in the dumpster – all i wanted to do was get a good job and not have to go into sales. Upon my graduation, my new boss convinced me to move to Minneapolis as a 3D scanning technical salesperson, which i have been doing ever since.
My job is to help solve customer’s problems where they have some need that 3D scanning can solve, or be a factor in solving. I help with 3D scanning services and also 3D scanner product/software sales.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a fairly smooth road: I did not want to become a salesperson, however my early experiences were positive enough that I stuck with it until i thrived. I distinctly remember my first sales call in 2005 where I printed a script and had a series of objectives when calling a specific customer. I got myself pumped up, i picked up the phone, and my fingers were inches away from the number keys. Before pressing the first key, i hung up the phone and began writing an email! Although my first attempted phone call went this way, the next call was a success and i overcame my sales-call anxiety. Every year since then has been a slow accumulation of experience and cross-training in related industries such as manufacturing, and the sum total of my industry knowledge grew like a snowball rolling down a hill.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an “Account Manager” at Laser Design. Others would call me a “Sales Engineer”. I help customers learn about 3D scanning with the goal of solving their problems using a technology customers generally know exists but are not experts themselves in. I specialize in selling handheld 3D scanners and related software, and also 3D scanning services. My typical day is calling customers with service project needs, learning about what they need to be successful, negotiating a scope-of-work, quoting the total effort, and kicking the project off to my operations team. My typical day is also talking with and meeting customers who are interested in buying a 3D scanner for their business (or for pleasure/fun/hobby), demonstrating the technology, and providing proof-of-concept testing for those who need to “try before they buy”. What sets me apart is I have been doing 3D scanning for 20 years, but i first started as a 3D scanning technician (title: “Applications Engineer”) so this gives me insight and experience that other salespersons do not have.
What matters most to you?
Being useful. In this industry, that means helping customers learn about this technology that can solve their problems, directly providing the solution through either services or a scanner purchase, and training customers to benefit long-term from their investment. I feel best when my efforts result in time savings, cost savings, effort savings, and especially all three.
Pricing:
- $100-200 per hour for services
- $10k – 40k for a handheld 3D scanner
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laserdesign.com
