Asleep on the job
Clay Greiffendorf, ID's 1998 Salesperson of the Year, isn't afraid to enjoy a quick cat nap on the job, but only after a 24-hour day on the job
By John R Johnson -- Industrial Distribution, 4/1/1998
Clay Greiffendorf admits he sometimes sleeps on the job. But it's not as bad as it sounds. Greiffendorf, branch manager for Industrial Belting & Supply's Saginaw, Mich. location, works some pretty odd hours. It's not uncommon for him to show up at General Motors' Powertrain plant at Midnight in order to spend several hours on the plant floor with the third shifters.Then, taking full advantage of the rare unrestricted plant access he and only a few other GM outsiders possess, he seeks out an abandoned break room to catch a couple hours of shut eye before calling on GM's first-shift workers.
"We've made jokes about setting up an apartment there," Greiffendorf admits. "There have been a few times when I've actually slept there. But GM is a very integral part of our business. It's my personal account and I spend quite a bit of time there."
Most recently, Greiffendorf got the plant out of a big jam when it looked like its 2,000 workers would be idle for at least half a day because of a lack of Electro-Lite quick cups, a refractory used in the foundry melting department. This is not an item that Greiffendorf, or any other power transmission distributor, would normally handle. However, sensing the urgency of the situation, Greiffendorf contacted several of his other customers he thought might use the product. Upon locating the quick cups, he had them driven to the GM plant, therefore avoiding a costly shutdown.
Greiffendorf, who received nothing for the deal, thanked the customer for his quick work by sending him a smoked salmon. Now, it's Greiffendorf's turn to be recognized. Greiffendorf, who maintains his sales duties while juggling his management responsibilities, has been named the recipient of Industrial Distribution's 1998 Salesperson of the Year Award.
"The man deserves it. He definitely goes the extra mile," says Joe Tomasek, storekeeper (stockroom coordinator) at GM Powertrain. "The average salesperson only calls on you when the sun is up, but he's in here on Saturdays and Sundays and at all hours of the night. In the case of the quick cups, he picked up the phone without even asking and started calling his customers. He saved the plant a huge amount of downtime. Clay, and Industrial Belting, did not get anything for doing this. He received no order for quick cups, or for anything else that day. He simply saw that our usual supplier could not deliver on time, and did what he could to help."
That seems to be Greiffendorf's calling card. He has been with Industrial Belting for four years, coming to the company from Motion Industries. During that time, he's become known as a customer advocate whose loyalty to the customer and product knowledge is second to none.
The 29-year-old Greiffendorf has industrial selling in his blood. His father, Julius, manufactures conveyor equipment for the agriculture industry, and Clay used to work there as a kid. Ron Yob, president of Industrial Belting & Supply, says Greiffendorf's background goes a long way towards making him a successful seller, although Greiffendorf has taken it upon himself to learn all he can about the power transmission industry.
"Clay has gone through extensive training programs, and he's done quite a bit of work on his own to educate himself further," says Yob. "He's an up-and-comer. His product knowledge was extensive prior to coming on board with us, and his knowledge really exceeds his years in age. He's been around mechanical products for many years and grew up in the conveying industry, which assists in his problem solving ability. He goes above and beyond the call of what would normally be required of a sales rep to meet customer needs."
Ironically, Greiffendorf's father's business is a customer of both Motion Industries and Industrial Belting & Supply. He traces his path to industrial distribution as having started in his father's plant. It also explains his uncanny problem-solving abilities.
"I was kind of pushed that way by my father," says Clay. "He operates an agricultural equipment OEM, and I worked there and dealt with some of the vendors. I got out of college and went to work for one of them (Motion Industries). My father got me interested in mechanical stuff. I give him a lot of credit for my success; he taught me how to act in the business world."
If that's the case, then Sue Langer, materials manager at Hehr Glass, tips her cap to both Clay and Julius Greiffendorf. Clay Greiffendorf has got her out of a jam more than once, and she appreciates his knack for solving problems and his ability to locate hard-to-find products. As a glass fabricator, most of the equipment used by Hehr Glass comes from overseas. Finding replacement parts can be a nightmare, but Greiffendorf has eliminated much of that frustration for Langer.
"We utilize Clay's ability to locate hard-to-find products. Even if he doesn't carry a specific product, his knowledge of where I can go to get an obscure product is excellent," says Langer. "The other day I needed an inverter (a repair part for a glass edger), and even though I knew he wouldn't carry that, he gave me the name of a company that did carry it, and it was here the next day. That's really awesome for a salesperson to be willing to do that. His knowledge is phenomenal.''
And although Langer deals with distributors on a local, national, and international level (her distributor ledger is about five inches thick), her standards are tough. "In this office, if you don't have reliability, you're not invited back," she says. "With Clay, if a product isn't coming, he has the courtesy to call and say it won't be there, as well as the reason for it."
When Greiffendorf made the move to Industrial Belting & Supply, he did so with no reservations, even though it meant taking on management responsibilities. He currently overseas a staff of eight, including two outside salespeople. Although his management duties keep him in the office more than he'd like, Greiffendorf still manages to spend about three-quarters of his time on the road selling. That is his preference, although he also enjoys the role of coach for his younger sales staff.
"I thought it was a good opportunity to move into management, which is one aspect of where I wanted to be in my career," says Greiffendorf. "I was given the opportunity to do it at a young age. I enjoy helping the staff recognize areas where they can help their customers, and helping them to learn about new products. The managerial duties keep you behind the desk more, but I still spend about 70 percent of my time selling.
"I like being in front of the customer. I enjoy taking the time to make things happen. It's nice to get involved in something where you can see some payoff in it. It's exciting; every time in front of a customer it's something new and your day stays very unpredictable, because every sales call is a new experience. No matter how many times you've called on a customer, there's always a new application for a product or a problem that has arisen. You really have to know a little about a lot."
Greiffendorf is in the enviable position of being more than just a salesperson to his customers. He is also a problem solver, a confidant, and in many cases, a friend.
"There's a lot that is rewarding about [the industry]," he says, "like the personal satisfaction of knowing I'm able to solve some situations that a customer may be having difficulty with, and being able to offer my knowledge to take care of their problems. I'm pretty proud to say if I wanted to build a deck on my house, that I can think of 12 customers who would come over and swing hammers. That's extremely rewarding. It's nice to know that I'm thought of as more than just a salesman."
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