The Dawn of a New Era- Selling Tools

Dinosaurs R Us.  I consider myself to be cool, hip and technology savvy, however, I could find myself subscribing to the motto.  And, based on conversations with some of my long term friends, it might be happening to you as well.

For a guy like me who remembers the 1960 Mercury Comet, rotary phones and life without fax machines, I sometimes feel awash in a tidal wave of technology gizmos.  Since they first arrived, I had this feeling that iPads (and other tablets) were as much status symbol as workable tool. 

Early on, I heard the story of easily being able to check email, update calendars and access some quick information via the web.   Users also showed me how they could take notes during customer calls and shoot pictures to their inside sales contact.  I wondered, couldn’t a lot of this be accomplished using an existing iPhone and a 99-cent notebook?  I was still a doubter. 

For every minute saved with the new-fangled devices, I saw ten minutes worth of distractions.  For every customer facing use, there were dozens of visits to Sports Center, Facebook and who knows where else.  I liked the pads as a toy, but wondered about the tool.  But, thanks to a cadre of younger sales guys, I started to see good, solid, usable stuff. 

First, one sales guy showed me how they had loaded their pad with product related PowerPoint presentations for a couple of product lines.  At a subsequent call, they used bits and pieces of the PowerPoint to reinforce a well thought out product presentation.  The iPad use wasn’t all that unique on its own, but the ability to stress points during the presentation was cool. 

Secondly, as I made calls with a young seller from a client who was very involved with services, I saw the iPad used to show the customer a number of projects which were similar in scope to a value-add project being considered by their organization.  The organization and structure of the pictures of projects were well thought out and the ability to expand portions of the picture to show minute details was a great sales aid.

 

Over the past few weeks, I have seen an explosion of manufacturer produced iPad apps designed for distributor sales people.  The shining star of this group came from a sensor company.  The app steered the salesperson through a list of questions required to identify the best product for the customer’s specific application.  Simply put, this little program enhanced the salesperson product and application experience – giving the relative neophyte all of the benefits of years of experience. 

The app allowed the salesperson to talk to the customer about every facet of their application including things like electronic specifications, environmental concerns and mounting criteria.  At the end, of the conversation, the sales guy could send the customer a detailed spec sheet, and other pertinent data, electronically.  It was instant gratification for the customer and enhanced potential for closing the order. 

It could be just me, but this week alone I have had at least 10 usable apps for iPads sent my way from friends in the field.   I take back those evil thoughts about iPads as a status symbol.  I want to raise my right hand and swear on the ghost of Steve Jobs, these things are real.  Real tools, real value, and really need to be further exploited.

Finally, I am compiling a list of great sales apps for an article which will be published in a distributor trade publication.  I would like to have your nomination for “must have” apps for sales people.  Each person who sends me a response will receive a genuine “Post Card from Iowa”.  Further, we’ll have it delivered to you by a uniformed government employee.  

The Time Bandit Strikes Again

Hey Buddy, you just stole an hour of my life:

The Worst Sales Meeting in Years

If only the real Bandit came with this shirt.
Courtesy of Zazzle.com

Hey Buddy, you just stole an hour of my life. It’s not that I don’t have a few to spare, I plan to be around for a few more years, but… they say that time is money and you just called me to throw a handful of twenties down the drain.

What’s got me hot? I just sat through the worst sales meeting of my life.
Here’s the scoop:

I was working with a distributor client and wanted to get a flavor for their company culture. I decided to sit in one of their sales meetings.

I like to do this because I’m a product junkie. I enjoy learning about new stuff and the markets served by the product. I especially enjoy hearing how the products are targeted to customer groups/segments.

As is typically the case with distributor sales meetings, the day was divided into one-hour segments with new suppliers being given the opportunity to introduce their company and generate sales through a very progressive (and technically savvy) distributor.

Twenty-some salespeople took their places in the conference room. As the introduction was made by one of the company’s sales managers, laptops were closed, cell phones set to vibrate, and all attention was focused front and center.

The speaker was a regional sales guy from what looked to be a pretty cool company. And, the first two minutes were pretty typical: Name, rank, serial number, location and a quick story about how he first discovered the distributor. Not fantastic, but not bad either. Then things took a turn- down the twisted path of tedium.

This guy’s quick introduction of his company droned on and on. Leading our group on a mind-numbing tour of manufacturing philosophy minutia, the presentation seemed bogged down in stuff with absolutely no sales value.

After over twenty minutes, we were still getting play-by-plays of the last “Kaizen” event. Finally, the Sales Manager suggested switching to a product overview topic. In spite of “losing his audience” earlier, the salespeople put down their text messaging and refocused. Perhaps something good was about to happen.

No such luck.

The next ten minutes were devoted to generic conversations on products focused on the auto industry. Unfortunately, the nearest auto plant fell 450 miles outside the territory. Again, the Sales Manager made a noble attempt to salvage the remaining half hour.

A quick glance around the room was revealing. Emails were being written, iPads were upgraded and the company’s top producing salesman was playing a quick round of Solitaire. Ouch. At least he had a diversion. I had to be on my best behavior, which was difficult, as it was a painful experience. I could almost feel
my life dripping by one painful minute after another.

Here’s my biggest anguish: the group. Twenty-two Sales Engineers were frittering away an hour of otherwise productive time. Using even conservative estimates, it was four grand swirling down the drain. If we apply my gross margin per call calculator, the time was worth well into the triple digits.

The whole exhausting, expensive ordeal could have been avoided. There were two ways to avoid this train wreck.

What could the distributor have done?
Distributor Managers must put a value on their salespeople’s time. I estimated this hour long fiasco was worth about $4,000 in burdened labor, not counting lost opportunities. Would anyone spend $4,000 on a product sight unseen, no description, no label, no guarantees? I would guess not. But it happens in distribution all the time.

What would have happened if the distributor would have asked to review the presentation ahead of time? What if the distributor would have shared theses eight requirements?
1. No more than five minutes of the presentation should be devoted to company history and philosophies. We know your company is cool and unique, but how can we work together to make money for both of our organizations?

2. Talk about industries important to our territory. We’re impressed that you are the standard of excellence in the Bosnian Bull Whip industry, but there hasn’t been a bull whip manufacturer around here for 100 years. If the supplier doesn’t know the industries critical to your business, brief them ahead of time.

3. We want to learn how to sell your product; the best applications. The right person to talk to the product about, the competitive strategy and why your product is better are all great topics.

4. Are there any sales aids available online or otherwise? These are good things to know and will help our salespeople get instant leverage.

5. Who can we call in the case of commercial situations like delivery and pricing issues? A printed handout works wonderfully

6. Are there other distributors serving our territory? If so, how can we avoid distributor-to-distributor channel conflict? Most distributors are used to sharing some of their lines with other distributors. Let’s get this out in the open early to avoid misunderstandings and wasted time down the road.

7. What is the best way to set up joint calls? Sometimes a manufacturer – distributor joint call does wonders to move a sale forward.

8. The most important point. Adult education experts indicate training has a short half-life. The best time for our sales people to begin the selling process for your products comes during the week or so immediately following your presentation. If you don’t bring a supply of brochures, samples, demos and other materials required to start the process, we both lose. Don’t do the sales training then send the materials later. Hand them out immediately following the presentation.

9. Bonus. Distributors and manufacturers who invest in setting target accounts for their products, services and solutions are 47% more effective in meeting their financial goals. Hang around after the sales meeting and invest the time required to assist every salesperson in establishing their best 4-6 targets for your product. You will be glad you did.

For Manufacturers and Sales Reps
A long time ago, we wrote an article on how to get the best bang from your time in front of distributor sales people. We’ve sold dozens of copies on lulu.com but if you shoot us an email, it’s your FREE. How’s that for a deal?