Basic Sales

Today, we pose a question to our Newsletter readers about basic sales technique and the role of a distributor representing a manufacturer. Our situation has a Dalton Regional Manager making a joint call with a new distributor sales person on a prospective lead that was provided by Dalton Electric. The prospect has expressed interest in our Watt-Flex® cartridge heaters, but has conveyed concern that the price of the heater was higher than conventional heaters and that he would like a quote for each.

The distributor salesman, appearing eager to accommodate the prospect, presents him with two quotes for the heater, one for our split sheath heater and one for a conventional heater. Good move on the part of the salesman? ... I don't think so.

As we have discussed before, the Watt-Flex cartridge heater outperforms conventional cartridge heaters and serves to cut the Cost of Heating. It may not carry the lowest price, but it will dramatically extend machine run time, cut machine down-time and reduce maintenance hours for heater removal. The savings here almost always exceed the cost of a new heater.

Did the distributor salesman bring any "value added" to the table, or was he just some flunkie with a catalog under his arm? It is all about commitment !!! If you simply quote a conventional heater with the lowest price, you might secure an order. But then you leave yourself wide open for the next salesperson with a conventional heater and a sharp pencil. If you add value to the prospect by insisting that they order the heater that cuts Cost of Heating, your persuasive commitment will secure a customer.

Friday Funnies

This guy, Artie, gets tired of working so hard and not getting anywhere, and seeing
all these guys in the Mafia in their fine three piece suits and fancy cars, decides
that he has to join the Mafia. He goes up to one of the guys and says, "I want to join
the Mafia." The guy answers, "You ever kill any one for money?"

Artie answers, "No." The guy says, "Well, you either got to be born into the mafia,
or you gotta kill somebody for money." So Artie says, "How much will you pay me?"
The guy says, "I'm not gonna pay you." Artie says, "C'mon, just pay me a dollar so
I can get in." The guy says, "Okay, I'll tell you what. You kill somebody, tell me
about it, and if I see it in the morning paper, I'll pay you a dollar." Artie says, "Oh
thank you, thank you!" and heads off on his mission.

He goes to Ralph's Supermarket, sees an old lady pushing a cart, decides that she's
an easy mark, goes up to her, grabs her round the neck and chokes her. The bag
boy sees him, and chases after him. Artie realizes that he can't out run the bag
boy, so he turns around, grabs the bag boy by the neck and chokes him to death. In
the morning paper the headlines read, " Artie chokes two for a dollar at Ralph's!"