New salespeople often get “stuck” in the purchasing department.  We previously mentioned Value Engineering as a tool to break free from the purchasing trap.  However, after visiting the topic with a few experienced hands, has become clear we needed to better outline what we have in mind as a selling tool.  Without further ado, allow me to share the proper definition.  Borrowing from Wikipedia : Value engineering (VE) is a systematic method to improve the "value" of goods or products and services by using an examination of function. Value, as defined, is the ratio of function to cost. Value can, therefore, be increased by either improving the function or reducing the cost. It is a primary tenet of value engineering that basic functions be preserved and not be reduced as a consequence of pursuing value improvements. Value Engineering for the solution-based salesperson is the review of existing purchases against new products and technologies.  The process shou...

Yep, it’s that time of year again. Even though I am busy with client year-end planning, new salesperson training and steering a couple of distributors toward fee-based services, I take time away from work to visit my long-time (being born in 270 AD, he hates it when I say old) friend Saint Nicholas – aka Santa Claus. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Santa. The back of the earliest picture of us together has a timestamp of 1957, but I know we visited prior to that day when our paths crossed at the Downtown Houston Foley’s. Based on my early recollections, Santa was a great friend and business advisor to my grandfather. Following one of my short meetings with the “Jolly One”, I overheard the two of them talking about meeting down at the Eagle’s Club later. As politically incorrect as it is today, my five-year-old olfactory nerves sensed Santa and my grandfather shared the habit of smoking a cigar after a hard day at work. Over the years, Mr. Claus has become a frien...

You’re a new salesperson. You’re on the hunt for potential customers. And… it’s a struggle to find people willing to accept an appointment with you. Since you either found the name off the internet or asked someone “Who at your company buys left-handed widgets?” and ended up with a name, you find yourself face to face with a denizen of the purchasing department. Purchasing departments come in many sizes, shapes and flavors. Other potential titles might include procurement, sourcing, supplier relationship management, and supply chain management. But make no mistake, these are purchasing people. Back in 2014, I received a great deal of flack for making/publishing this comment (and quoting myself): “Imagine an epic battle. Conjure up a vision of cloven-hooved archfiends dashing the lifeblood of our economy. Think about an ever-escalating conflict with carnage scattered back to the 1970s. Visualize a place where one side knowingly operates under false assumptions and poorly conc...

A Rant with a Message When I was growing up in rural Illinois, the local TV station always started off the 10:00 News with this public service message:   Not to bore you with the sob story of my pre-internet childhood, but we only had two TV stations and my parental units always seemed to watch the station featuring this message.  Sadly, at the time, if not present and accounted for at the appointed hour, I had to provide a report.  My parents were that way, and at the time, I found the little reminder to be profoundly annoying. Now on with my rant The common wisdom, Urban Legend if you will, among salespeople is this:  Friday Afternoon is not a good time for making sales calls.  Like many legends, there may be just a bit of truth buried deep in the story.  Some, let me repeat, a small number of customers prefer not to be approached on Friday afternoon; especially if the meeting is a drop by without a preset appointment.   ...

Let’s start with a premise: Your customers are busy, very busy. Most will soon tire of even the most conscientious salesperson who stops by to talk about the weather, how they are doing and other idle chit chat. Earlier we talked about customer-focused first-time sales calls which provided you with background on the customer. These will open the door to future calls, but even these soon become tiring if the salesperson lacks the proper product and application knowledge. While I generally don’t feel as though the selling methods expounded by the late Zig Ziglar apply directly to our work, one quote from Zig continues to ring in my mind. This may not be an exact quote – as I am going from memory, but here goes: “Enthusiasm for the products and services comes from product knowledge and talking with satisfied customers. How can we develop enthusiasm for something about which we have little or no knowledge?” To be a professional, you simply must learn about the products you offe...