The Sales Gold Rush: Digging Beyond the Easy Wins By Desiree Grace Are you struggling to hit your goals? Is the mid-year review giving you that sinking feeling? If so, it’s time to dig deeper—because there’s still gold in them thar hills. But you’ve got to put in the work to uncover it. Start by prospecting for new customers. If that sounds obvious, it's because it is—but if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. So, work smart. Ask yourself: which customers are currently winning with you? Who genuinely appreciates what you bring to the table? Find more just like them. For example, if industrial contractors are a stronghold in your portfolio, seek out similar prospects—like other industrial firms or large commercial contractors. Leverage your strengths and replicate your past successes. Next, mine your existing customer base. Are you maximizing your current relationships? What product categories aren’t moving that should be? If something’s not selling, find out why. ...

We are well into January which means many of you have given up on your personal resolutions.  And maybe you gave up on your professional ones as well, but I have a feeling you didn't make any!   Wait, did I touch on a nerve there?  Never fear, I have some questions you can ask yourself to give you a jump on 2025.  Much like like we did during and after the Pandemic, we continue to pivot in the face of adversity.  Only instead of COVID-19, we're working with devastating weather patterns and political polarization along with past troubles like chain issues, rising labor costs, and general price increases. The way you adapt is the key to your success. So here they are, Top 10 Distributor Questions that Demand Answers in 2025: 1. What can we do this year to provide even greater value and service to our customers? 2. How can we strengthen our customer relationships today to make it harder for competitors to take our business? 3. What new strategies or offer...

Unexpected Sales Wisdom from the Words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Salespeople can find great reminders not only from trainers but also in the words of leaders from all walks of life. As we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it may be interesting to examine some of his thoughts and how they apply to sellers. While Dr. King primarily focused on religion and civil rights, his wisdom offers some profound insights into other aspects of our lives. Let’s explore four of Dr. King's quotes and think about how they might inspire us to be better sales professionals. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Sales, especially for the new seller, requires stepping into the unknown. Whether you're reaching out to a new prospect, entering an unfamiliar market, or doing a first-time “no selling” interview, you may not always have a clear view of how things will unfold. Dr. King's words remind us that success begins w...

We know most New Year’s Resolutions lapse, collapse, and gather dust.  They would fail my grandmother’s white glove test for thoroughness. What if you could be different? Part of the failure behind most resolutions is that they lack a plan to hold yourself or your team accountable. Meeting goals, such as increasing sales, requires consistent monitoring. You need to watch both leading and lagging indicators and correct the course as needed. If you don’t consistently monitor your progress, a lag or lapse becomes the new normal like the dust bunnies behind the couch. So, what is an aspiring sales manager to do? True confession: I am NOT a fan of the old saw “Beatings will continue until morale improves.” You cannot achieve long-term results or employee longevity with that approach. However, a completely hands-off method will also guarantee that you miss your goals. People need to know you are cheering for them, removing obstacles, adding needed support, and, most importantly, inspect...

Check out Frank’s latest column in Industrial Supply Magazine Frank has questions and so should salespeople.  In his recent book, "The New Sales Guy Project," he dedicates significant time to the questions salespeople should be able to answer.  His most recent column talks about developing foolproof questions so no one is left asking the "dumb" ones! Read the article HERE. .

For years, friends and regular readers of The Distributor Channel have commented they would engage more if Frank made his work available in an audible, on-demand format.  This would make for easy listening during windshield time or even mowing the lawn!   A few weeks ago, Jim Lucy, editor of Electrical Wholesaling, interviewed Frank at length for a new podcast episode.  The podcast covers Frank’s thoughts on new salespeople and since Jim likes to know more about leaders in our industry, there is also some random discussion.  Catch this episode HERE or anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts!     BTW – For years folks have told Frank he has a face for Radio--might be true. ...

It’s National Memory Day It seems like I discover a new holiday every day.  Today’s special day is promoted as a day to celebrate our memories.  As you might imagine, I have many memories.  For example, I still remember June 6, 1977.  On that fateful day, I walked into the main lobby of the Allen-Bradley building at 1202 South Second Street in Milwaukee.    I had on a newly acquired three-piece gray suit and a conservative blue tie.  The weather was warmish, I was nervous, and I can still recall feeling a bit uncomfortable in business. I can remember a few other important days in my career.  I won’t bore you to tears with the details, but memories, being little snapshots of life, have a way of sticking with us.  But the mind is a strange thing, while bits of minutia linger, other important points slip through the cracks disappearing forever.   What slips through the cracks? Routine and often repeated activities can be the first to go....

I have always found it easy to compare odd stories to the world of sales. Writing my latest book was a personal thing.  I love our industry and even more, I love the process of providing solutions to appreciative customers.  The book was a labor of love for our industry.  As I launched into the process, I was nagged by the thoughts of how I could add more of my personality to the book.    As I reviewed the book for the umpteenth time, I started jotting down off-the-cuff anecdotes and observations for sidebars within the text.  Most are pertinent to the book's storyline and off the wall.  To separate them from the intended content, I put them in shaded boxes.  I wanted readers to value these sections as bonus material beyond the scope of the book.    Last week a friend who was going through the book with a couple of his salespeople reported that these sidebars have become a great addition to his sales meetings.  For the next...

Little Johnny was a Bully in Third Grade, Now He’s a Purchasing Agent Are there Bullies in the Purchasing Department New Sellers are Falling Victim to Bad Guys Dressed as Purchasing Agents All three of these were considered as titles for this article.  I like them all, but I don’t like what purchasing people do to new sellers across our land. Throughout my life, I have dealt with hundreds if not thousands of purchasing departments.  Purchasing departments come with many different monikers – Purchasing, Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Sourcing Group, Resource Management, Indirect Supply Management, and probably a dozen more.  For simplicity, let’s call them purchasing people.  Their main role is to handle the administrative side of the products needed by their company with one large additional task.  Many purchasing people are also charged with buying those products at the lowest possible price.   Most purchasing people imply that they are ...

I love a good challenge.  While talking about sales training with a sales manager from another industry, I made the statement, “Our kind of selling is different.”  The sales manager, who fancies himself as an expert and comes from a consumer-based background, took offense.  He asked me to differentiate our type of sales from the sales background he experienced.   Transactional sales Thinking back on the several hundred books on selling that I have read, I would characterize all but a handful as focusing on transactional selling.   Transactional selling is focused on making a one-time sale and then moving on to the next customer.   This type of selling is often used for commoditized products or services.   Think about the last computer you purchased.   Did the company create or provide anything that caused you to want to continue your relationship?   In my mind, the salesperson's goal was to make the sale – period.     O...