From strategic planning and operations management to contract negotiation and business development, one might say Mike Reis has made an imprint in the sales industry.
Twelve years strong with Super Products, the VP of sales leads his team in national accounts and sales operations with an extensive client roster of corporations in the O&G, industrial, construction and environmental industries.
Mike Reis with Super Products’ main goal is listening to customers’ needs
Mike Reis, VP of Sales, Super Products
Reis began with Super Products as a regional sales manager for the western U.S. territory, selling vacuum trucks to industrial contractors. Before long, he was promoted to national sales manager, then, five years later to VP of sales.
“I love my job. I am a people person and l love to travel,” Reis said. “With my role I am always on the road with my team and/or customers. I enjoy working with my team on strategies and working with them to achieve our goals.”
Pitching Super Products, an industry-leading manufacturer of vacuum trucks, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is also part of his responsibilities. One asset Reis takes particular pride in is the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Mukwonago, Wis., built in 2020. All units are engineered for a wide variety of applications and designed with the operator in mind, he said.
“We take the voice of the customer seriously and have made several improvements to our products based directly on customer feedback. We have rental facilities nationwide that offer short-term, long-term and rent-to-own options. These facilities also have repair shops capable of full refurbs. We maintain a parts distribution center at our headquarters in Wisconsin and all our rental facilities stock parts. This helps get the parts in our customers’ hands in a timely matter.”
The company recently launched an e-commerce parts site to help customers more easily search for and purchase parts.
“You don’t just buy a piece of equipment from us. We will continue to support you through all your vacuum truck needs,” he added.
Reis’s main goal in the business is listening to customers and their needs. This includes determining those needs, their problems and “hot points.” His belief is “when it is your turn to talk, focus on how to help solve your problems with various offerings. You need to show that you are there to be a partner.”
The most pivotal moment of Reis’s career was taking over a failing manufacturing company and making it profitable. He started by buying and manufacturing a few water trucks. He owned the company for eight years.
“I learned more in those eight years than I had in all the years prior and even to this day. If there was a mistake to be made and I made it. But that helped me learn a number of lessons from running a business, working with customers, the type of partners I want to work with and most importantly, how to set myself up for success,” he said.
From a management standpoint, he believes communication is key as a sales leader. He said talking to people and not at them, as well as establishing open lines of communication at least once a week is important. During these sessions Reis empowers his team to run their individual territories like their own business.
“I believe we are all individuals. My job is to find what works with them, know their strengths, help them with their weaknesses and uplift them.”
For more information, visit superproducts.com or call (800) 837-9711.
