Caleb had just been promoted to an outside sales (BDR) position. He accepted the challenge of trying to establish a relationship with a large retailer that belonged to a buying group...
...which allowed him to buy large quantities of product directly from manufacturers (eliminiating distribution). Caleb couldn't get by the gatekeeper when trying to phone for appointments but (mid-summer) happened to be in the area of the main store and just stopped in. The owner was not in but, by luck, he met the purchasing agent.. Taking advantage of a short face-to-face meeting, Caleb used his 3-minute "elevator pitch" about expense of carrying inventory, space and personnel required for handling large orders, damage and inventory taxes, etc...all as opposed to direct delivery to consumers that he was proposing. The PA was impressed and set up a meeting with the owner. the relationship has bloomed as economic challenges have made "just in time inventory control" more important than ever. Caleb's branch carries more inventory specific to that customer now and even drop-shipments of products are now coming through Caleb. Bottom Line...an account that usually did about $30,000 went to $100,000 then $300,000/year. Is your "3-minute Elevator Speech" perfected? You always need to be ready!
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