The Distributor Channel

An American Folk Tale with a New Twist We’ve been thinking about the new salesperson, actually gathering feedback from a number of good folks out there in distributor-land, plus tracking distributor trends.   The combination of all this information and a hearty blast of spicy food sent me to bed with my head spinning – leading to some tremulous dreams. Dreams can be mighty strange, but I thought I would share this one. Remember the American Folklore tale of John Henry?   OK, maybe not – let me refresh you.   Here’s the scoop from Wikipedia: John Henry is an American folk hero.   He worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock away. He died during the construction of a tunnel for a railroad. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer, which he won, only to die in victory with his hammer in his hand. My dad

Whichever method you choose to do so, making time to manage your calendar is important. Calendar Management Equals Territory Management Braving the risk of conjuring up some unpleasant memories from your grammar school days, let’s start our discussion with a pop quiz.    Ready… here goes.   True or False?   Everybody knows how to use a calendar.   My own experience is this; everyone recognizes a calendar when they see one.   Outlook has a calendar built in to the software.   Most smart phones have a built in calendar as well as over 14,000 calendar apps available (yes, we checked.)      Google has a calendar that can be utilized by both desk top and mobile users.   But still, very few people know how to use a calendar. A sales manager who assumes their new people know how to use a calendar is in for a life of disappointment and frustration.     A few months ago, we did a cross compiled survey of distributor salespeople and regional managers from the distributor’s top supply

Knowing the ins and outs of key Supply Partner relationships can jump start the New Salesman's selling efforts.  Know your friends – Relationships with Critical Supply Partners   They say no man is an island. I believe no salesperson is an island. The only time the Lone Ranger is a constantly successful hero comes in the pulp-fiction westerns on TV. In reality, sustainable success only comes as the result of building a number of alliances. We have talked about product knowledge, building relationships with customers and setting expectations. Let’s shift our time toward building profitable alliances with the strategically important vendors – we call them Supply Partners.   Nearly every distributor has special relationships with a handful of critical Supply Partners. Oftentimes, our business is so closely tied with these suppliers, that they receive special attention from our organization. Over the course of time, there are countless stories of salespeople short