The New Salesman: Thinking Like Your Customer

By -


Trade publications aren't just for decorating the lobby!
Trade Publications


One thing that differentiates great salespeople from the new guys and the “also-rans” is their ability to think like a customer.  I am told that the only real way to gain this type of insight comes via years of customer experience.  I’m not buying it.  We can accelerate the process.  After years of direct customer visits, I cannot think of a single lobby that didn’t have at least one (often a pile) magazine catering to the customer’s industry. 
These trade publications are a wealth of information surrounding the customer’s day to day problems.  Editorial pieces often prominently make the case for solutions to common critical issues - literally begging to be solved.  Other times, published studies point out detailed economic justifications for our products.  Our table is set; the sale is half made.
I recently came across an article so valuable to the economic sale; I forwarded a copy to many of my clients (it’s linked below).   If you happen to be a Sales Manager responsible for new guys selling pumps, drives, or other process related equipment, I recommend you devote time to ensuring your staff can talk intelligently about all of the points mentioned.
This wasn’t intended to be a sales brochure, but I believe it could be one of the most powerful tools in a new salesperson’s arsenal.  The short piece outlines the current state of many plants, the economic value of fixing the problem and everything the new guy needs to jump start the selling process. 
To get you started, here’s how I would approach my customer:
“Mr. Customer, I ran across this article in Plant Engineering.  I know you have many pumps in your plant and wanted to get your feedback on the points they made.  Do you think the numbers they present for cost of ownership are correct?  I know you have a plan and priorities for attacking the economics of your plant.  Can you share a bit about your plan of attack?”
 
Then I would pull out my notebook, shut up and take notes.  No product pitches, no fancy selling techniques – just listen.  Why?  Because only through a solid understanding and the ability to talk about these problems can a distributor salesperson become the provider of key business decisions.
 
Now a question for the new guys:  Was this difficult?  And for the new guy’s manager:  How many of your sales people use trade publications to further their cause?  If not, we need to talk.
 
Here’s the promised link…

Distributor Planning Made Easy.  Check out our Distributors Annual Planning Workbook:
http://tinyurl.com/DistributorAnnualPlanning

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Dance of Onboarding: Integrating New Hires into Your Corporate Culture

By -
Image
Have you ever tried to waltz or swing dance with someone who couldn't match your rhythm or didn't know the steps? It can become a clash of styles or cultures, or, worse—somebody gets their toes stepped on. A similar thing can happen when a new hire doesn't quite 'get' the culture. Much like dancing, though, skills can be learned. I recently facilitated a panel on Cultural Quotient (CQ) where we discussed best practices for increasing CQ. This involved intentional learning, self-awareness of physical cues such as body language and personal space, and the willingness to adapt to new cultures. I have some amusing stories about what not to do based on experiences with insensitive former colleagues. However, it's more productive to focus on how employers can improve the onboarding experience and subsequently enhance retention and employee engagement by welcoming people into their corporate culture. Maybe someday in person, over drinks, I'll share a funny story o...
Read more

50 Questions for Distributors

By -
Image
Last week I wrote an article titled “Six Questions that Demand an Answer.”  Sharing the article with a few trusted advisers, I received one consistent bit of feedback best summarized by this response. “Frank, I agree these are questions we must ask ourselves; they caused me to pause and ponder.  I used them as an exercise with my team to think about our overall strategy.  I believe taking the time to think about our business from an outside perspective to be justified and worthwhile.   Sometimes it’s hard to do this subjectively.  I would like to see more questions just like these.” The following is my first round of questions.  I have put them into categories to make them easier to digest.  Some will apply to your position, some will not.  I suggest spending a moment visiting these topics with members of your own team. A note:  The readers of this blog come from a variety of backgrounds, hold a diverse collection of positio...
Read more

Ship and Debit Programs

By -
Image
Special Pricing Agreement and Thoughts about Ship and Debit Programs Click here for a brief tutorial on Ship and Debit Programs. Special Pricing Agreements (SPA) have been around for a very long time. The concept is simple; a manufacturer uses their distribution channel as a vehicle to service a customer who requires very low pricing to match some commercial situation. The details of the commercial situation aren’t really all that pertinent. They can arise due to customer potential, competitive pricing pressure, or supply contracts driven with large mega-corporations. The point is normal distributor margins no longer support the selling price and the distributor plays a critical role in providing some service to the customer. In years gone by, distributors involved in these situations purchased products earmarked for the special priced customer at sub-distributor price levels. The freshly purchased (at lower than normal cost) products were either brought “into stock” to sell...
Read more