cell phone camera for quick solution

James is a delivery driver in California who helped his sales center to convert a customer from being "just satisfied" to being "loyal". This was a customer who had been on board for a couple of years, a relatively large swimming pool service company. James' Branch Manager, Brian, as well as their outside sales person, considered this dealer to be secure and buying everything possible from their distribution center. They considered the relationship to be very strong. However, while James was in the process of making his normal weekly delivery he noticed (sitting in the side yard) a pallet of chlorine tabs in large containers. He knew it had just been delivered and he recognized it as a competitor's products. Using his cell phone he snapped a photo and sent it back to the Sales Center Manager with a short note. The manager immediately called the customer and asked about the situation. The customer indicated that it was a very low-priced offer in unusually large containers from a competitor and he assumed that James' branch would not be able to compete. Brian's response,"Au contraire mon fraire" ("wait a sec bro, you be wrong") we have a similar sized container and can absolutely match that price. The bottom line...the customer called the competitor, who came back and picked up the newly delivered product and James made a second delivery to that customer, that evening, and this time with a pallet of their own brand of chemicals.

Helping out after customer suffers loss

Donna had a long-time customer whose partner (and heir apparent who handled all purchasing and inventory) passed away unexpectedly at a very young age. The senior partner was devestated and the business (as well as weekly orders to Donna) began a dramatic decline. Eventually she called, made an appointment and offered to help by doing a total inventory of the warehouse and restoring order. That inventory showed more than $40,000 in products that had been robbed of parts to take care of service needs. She also included a listing of inventory on that same date last year. The bottom line, Order has been restored to the warehouse, purchasing (and the customer's sales) are back on track. Now that loyal customer calls and says, "Donna, you know what I need" just write the order for me. Sometimes a day spent in an extraordinary effort to help a customer pays off for the rest of your life!

Delivery driver eyes and ears

Creative sales stories don't always come from salespeople. Ricardo was making the first delivery to a long-sought-after customer. He had been part of all the discussions at the sales center. This competitor-loyal account had been a target for the past few years. The BDR and Branch Manager had both made regular calls and now finally the first (trial) order is being delviered. Everything on the delivery is perfect but while unloading, Ricardo overhears one of the purchasing folks say, "Dang i forgot to order a time clock for this job". When finished, Ricardo calls his Branch Manager who says, "Home Depot carries that model and you are close". Ricardo drives to Home Depot, buys the time clock with his own credit card then drives back to the new customer and delivers the time clock saying, "The Branch Manager will give you a call and bill you tomorrow". Wow! The next day when the customer is called he is absolutely amazed and...gives the Branch Manager a $10,000 order stating, "We have never experienced that kind of service before...you earned our business!" Bottom line? Make sure the delivery team is tuned in and on the right wave length...they are your "face" and can be your "eyes and ears".

Eyes always open for opportunity in unexpected places

Success in new channels of distribution sometimes comes from really unexpected places! When a very large lettuce grower in CA asked his pool service company what the difference was between the new chlorine they were required (by the state) to use in washing lettuce VS what he was using in his swimming pool...the service company asked James. Some investigation showed there was no difference at all, other than the label. The one label that was approved by the state for Agricultural use was owned by one of his sales center's pool chlorine suppliers. With a bit of negotiating, James was able to secure the use of that label and sold over $400,000 worth of that chlorine to that one customer in the first year. Are your eyes always open to new opportunities? Sometimes the channel may seem totally unrelated but be aware of other uses for the products you are currently selling.

Available training? Take advantage of it?

Do you have a really powerful tool that helps customers but not having much success at promoting it? When Rodney faced this situation in Austin, he signed up for a "presentations class" at the company's training center in Dallas. During the two day class he created a specific Power Point presentation for his B2B tool and perfected his "power opening & hook", his "meaningful & memorable" message and his "dynamic close". The result...in the next 18 months the number of participating dealers has tripled. Do you need some specific training to do a better job selling? Does your company offer it? If not, where can you go to get it?

Big potential...first order...lot's of effort required!

Imagine being in a new country, new sales center, first week as the outside sales person when a large-potential customer calls because the contractor you use for delivery called him to say they cannot deliver until Monday (they received the product too late). This big retailer was willing to give you a try but needs some of the product on the weekend and you know...if you blow the first order, yikes! Negib called the delivery company, talked them into keeping a driver late then (after calling the retailer) went and helped load the truck, led them to the customer then worked till 9 PM on Friday night to help unload the truck. The response from the customer? Wow, you have earned my loyalty because none of my current suppliers would have gone to this length to serve me. Potential? About a half-million bucks the first year! The purest description of "extraordinary service" I have seen.

A new law can be a good thing?

A federal government safety act requiring new installation techniques and upadating of existing facilities scared an entire industry but Jeff turned it into a huge sales gain. He focused on educating his contractor-customers with a six-week series of seminars. 25-30 contractors attended each of these manufacturer-sponsored seminars and the result was an increase in sales center volume of more than $500,000 at very good margins. Helping to educate customers and make them comfortable with current requirements resulted in a lack of customer concern regarding price but a huge gain in loyalty. Are there new laws or acts (like ADA) that offer opportunity for you?

Use your network when looking for new distribution channels

When looking for new channels of distribution, sometimes your network of friends is the place to start. Dax was trying to gain access to home builders as a new channel for his sales center's in-ground pool kits. He learned that a close friend had contracted to have a new (very upscale) home built and he asked that friend to make the introductions. The home builder got excited about this new revenue source, Dax initiated step 2. He and his Regional Sales Manager helped the home builder present and sell the first pool to an interested homeowner whose home had just been completed. Step 3 was to involve his kit manufacturer in helping to train the home builder's crews thereby making sure that the project went smoothly and all concerned were happy. Result: A new customer, who two years later is continuing to grow at a strong pace. How can you use a network of friends to create a win-win sales situation for you and them?