(Area Sales Manager, Little Rock Office)  - Kristina Prichard was ready to leave the copier business behind.

After five years selling to state and government accounts for another Little Rock dealership, organizational and compensation changes had Kristina looking for something completely different. She briefly explored financial consulting and was convinced she did not want to return to what she jokingly calls the “crazy copier world.”

Then Datamax came calling.

Nearly 10 years, six President’s Club honors, and a promotion to Little Rock Area Sales Manager later, Kristina’s career has taken an interesting turn. The salesperson who was once recruited because someone believed strongly in her potential is now the leader looking to recognize, develop, and bring out that same potential in others.

What led me to Datamax?

A friend at Datamax had been trying to recruit Kristina for nearly two years, but she was hesitant.

“I told him, ‘No, if I leave here, I don’t want to be a job hopper and jump to another copier place,’” Kristina recalled.

Eventually, a headhunter contacted her about another opportunity in the industry. If she was going to consider returning to the copier business, Kristina figured she owed it to her friend to at least hear what Datamax had to say.

That led to lunch in Benton with her friend and Sales Manager Ken Allison. There was just one catch. Ken did not actually have an open sales position.

That did not stop him.

“He told me he was willing to make a spot for me and make me a Major Account Rep,” Kristina said. “If someone wants me this bad and has this much faith in me, then that’s somebody who I want to work for.”

Ken sold her on what was different about Datamax, and Kristina joined the company as a Major Accounts Representative in 2017.

My experiences at Datamax:

“Everybody feels like family here,” Kristina said. “I’m working on my 10th year. I like it for a reason.”

Having worked elsewhere gives Kristina a particular appreciation for the resources available to Datamax sales representatives.

“There’s a team for everything,” she said. “At other places I’ve been, reps had 10 plates spinning and no one to go to for help. Here, you have billing support, solutions support. The support mechanisms in place are phenomenal.”

That structure allows sales representatives to concentrate on what they do best. “We don’t want to fix problems all day. We want to sell,” she said. “They take that burden off of us.”

Kristina certainly made the most of that opportunity. As a Major Accounts Representative, she earned President’s Club six times before being promoted to Area Sales Manager in December 2023.

For someone who has always been driven to reach the next level, leadership felt like a natural progression. But Kristina’s motivation for becoming a manager goes beyond her own career advancement.

“I’ve been blessed by sales, and it’s allowed my family to do a lot of nice things,” Kristina said. “If I can help someone else grow and learn and benefit from that lifestyle, that’s what’s fulfilling to me. I want to develop them and help make them a success.”

She has also learned that developing successful salespeople means recognizing that no two people are exactly alike.

“You have to realize that every single person is different. They need different areas of coaching,” Kristina said. “You need truckloads of patience, and you definitely have to have a servant’s heart.”

She remembers advice passed along by Ken that continues to influence how she leads. Her sales representatives are going to sit around their dinner tables and talk about their manager. Will those conversations be positive and impactful, or will they be something else?

For Kristina, that means walking a careful line between accountability and encouragement.

“It’s a tightrope of being a disciplinarian, teacher and encourager, all those things at once,” she said. “The Golden Rule rings true. I treat my people the way I would want to be treated.”

What makes me want to stay at Datamax?

Experience has given Kristina perspective on what she values in a workplace, and much of it comes back to the people and support surrounding her.

“Working here, it feels more like family,” she said. “Having worked for another company that was not nearly as organized, I have a deep appreciation for the systems and people we have in place.”

She points to the accessibility of leadership, strong benefits, financial stability, and the support structure around employees as things that continue to set Datamax apart. Even something as simple as being able to walk downstairs and visit with the company president represents a level of accessibility she has not experienced everywhere else.

“Datamax has blessed me and blessed my family,” Kristina said. “As long as I am happy, can make money, and the rules of the Little Blue Book stand true, that’s where I want to be.”

There is something fitting about where that journey has taken her. Kristina came to Datamax because someone believed strongly enough in her potential to make room for it. Nearly a decade later, she has the opportunity to do the same for the people she leads, helping them grow, succeed, and perhaps build careers they never imagined for themselves.