Technical knowledge is critical for sales success
By Jack Keough -- Industrial Distribution, 4/1/1998
If you were to have asked the owner of a distributorship ten years ago what he considered the top attribute of a successful salesperson, the answer might have been the ability to develop personal relationships. Today that answer might be product knowledge.Just as distribution has changed over the years so have the characteristics of a good salesperson. Personal relationships are still critically important but technical/ application knowledge is absolutely essential for a salesperson. Now more than ever, a buyer wants a distributor salesperson to be an extension of his existing staff, a problem solver who is as comfortable on the plant floor as he is in an office.
A perfect example of such a salesperson is Clay Greiffendorf of Industrial Belting & Supply's Saginaw, Mich. location. Greiffendorf is the recipient of ID's 1998 Salesperson of the Year Award.
One of Greiffendorf's customers notes that he has gotten her company out of a jam more than once and she appreciates his knack of solving problems as well as his ability to locate hard-to-find products.
Our Merit Award winner, Greg Vincent of Lakeland Engineering Equipment Co., is described by his customers as an "answer man'' who listens to their needs. One customer described Vincent as a "salesman, technician and researcher.''
Selling is not an easy profession. A salesperson is constantly faced with the problem of overcoming objections, rejection and demanding customers who want more services for less cost. In many cases, he's an entrepreneur responsible for managing his own business (his territory) and deciding which accounts to call on.
The profession offers a chance for independence and at the same time a huge sense of accomplishment when a big sale is made. There are highs and lows, and the ability to perform a number of functions require most successful sellers to juggle a workload that can be mind boggling.
Yet there is not a lot of training for salespeople. In some cases, the salesperson might start out in the warehouse, move to inside sales and then to the outside.
At Industrial Distribution, we're undertaking a new project to help inside and outside salespeople. Beginning this month we're publishing the first newsletter devoted to the distribution sales professional. This monthly four-page newsletter will feature tips on how to close a sale, territorial management, finding new customers and market segmentation.
This is an exciting project for ID. No other magazine in the industry has more salespeople on its circulation list and our mission is to provide them with information they need to advance their careers.
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