By: Carl Moye, Induron Sales Representative
Before joining Induron’s team as a sales representative, I spent more than 20 years in a purchasing role in the mining industry. From the other side of the desk, I learned a few key principles that I believe we, as protective coatings salespeople, should all keep in mind.
Build trust. If the people you are trying to sell to don’t trust you, you’re NOT going to sell them anything. When interacting with clients, it’s essential to form a trusting relationship.
Be honest. Always be honest. Even if you lose the sell, the customer will respect you for your honesty.
Be timely. If you promise someone you’ll do something by a certain date, then be sure you get them what they need by that date. If for some reason you can’t get them what they’ve requested or you’ve promised by that date, ALWAYS let them know in advance. Hopefully, this will allow both of you to agree on a different date or deadline. Remember, getting the person what he or she requested earlier than expected is always a good thing.
Provide good service. In our case, providing good service is more related to product delivery, but it remains necessary for success. Though I believe Barry and Ricky (Induron’s Customer Service Representatives) are the best in the industry, it’s important to do anything we can to help them out.
Offer solutions. Many times our customers turn to us to help them solve their problems. Even if it doesn’t involve Induron’s products, if you can offer an effective solution, they’ll usually remember you for helping them out in a crisis.
For example, while working as the purchasing director, my team decided to switch suppliers. We opted to contract with an overseas chemical supplier. This supplier ensured us that they kept plenty of inventory in Savannah, GA, and we verified this fact following a physical visit and inventory review. However, three months into the contract, the supplier started being late on deliveries. After a few more months, they couldn’t deliver product at all. This caused us to return to our previous supplier to avoid shutting down our entire production process. This exemplifies a situation in which a supplier failed to be honest about inventory quantity, failed to build trust and failed to provide adequate service.
Consequently, while working as a purchasing director, I realized just how much I appreciated these values in a salesperson. And, now as a sales representative, I strive to demonstrate each of these qualities when working with customers. At Induron, we’re not all about making the sale. We invest ourselves in your success, and work with you to find the right solution to meet your project’s needs.