There is no shortage of marketing products out there that promise to turn your salespeople into number-increasing geniuses. We had no less than five solutions companies approach us about being featured in these pages. And while one could drill a distributor or sales manager for hours on end about what one marketing piece they never leave for a meeting without, the answer is always the same.

All the marketing tools are helpful, and make an impression on customers, but in the end, it's the salespeople and the products themselves that make the sale.

Still, marketing has a definite place in the sales process.

"We use a full pallet of marketing tools," says Philip Derrow, president and CEO of Ohio Transmission and Pump, Corp., an OEM, MRO and power transmission distributor headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. "They range from line cards and brochures to power point presentations, some demos and customer training, but there is no silver bullet. There is no marketing tool that is demonstrably better than any other."

Of course, there are some marketing devices that salespeople will grab more often than others, so let's focus on those.

"We use demos, factory-supplied sales tools, catalogs and cut aways," says Chris Hughes, president and co-owner of TFE, Inc. in Fort Wayne, Ind. TFE, a fluid power and power transmission distributorship, recently received its ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Adds TFE sales manager Jay Millard, "The staff employs many things. They'll take in their laptops with power point demonstrations of the products, and we've developed specialty brochures that focus on aspects of our product offerings."

Although a person can hardly be considered a tool, when it comes to selling, TFE's salespeople also have been known to bring along their inside sales counterparts on calls.

"Some people on our inside staff have been trained in OSHA-approved programs, and are able to give presentations to a customer's maintenance staff," says Millard.

For Douglas "Buzz" Arithson, sales manager at Western Belting in Denver, a smaller stable of marketing tools has given him more freedom in his sales approach.

"Another company had me overwhelmed with their amount of marketing tools, but then I came here and they had, really, none," he says. "For me, it's about keeping it simple. We develop our own fliers for our own capabilities. That helps."

Western Belting provides power transmission products, electric motors, conveyor components and motion control products to its customers. The company also recently acquired Mesa Bearing in Grand Junction, Colo., and has established the company as a branch of Western Belting.

Arithson also encourages his sales-people to work with the manufacturers' reps, engaging the customer with hands-on displays and demos, allowing the customer to look, sample and feel.

"The salespeople do a good job of understanding the customer's needs, and the marketing materials are just a tool to enhance, augment and support them," says Derrow.

He agrees though, that allowing the customer to see and feel a product is a good tactic.

"However, they are all worthless if they're not applied," Derrow says. "The worst, and most misunderstood, use of a tool is to approach every customer the same way."

One of Western Belting's most effective tools isn't one that the staff brings in to the customers, but an event to which the customers are invited. The company just hosted its second open house.

"We had almost 300 customers come by this year," says Arithson. "One of our manufacturers, Koyo, brought their bus that hosts product demos and such, including bearings, tools and even customer training."

Western Belting staff give tours of the facility and ensure that customers meet most everyone on staff, and see all their products.

TFE also has hosted some open houses and luncheons, says Hughes. It's a practice they like to do quarterly.

"That way, the customer can see your inventory and who everyone is," says Millard.

For all distributorships though, it seems that the best tool may actually be in the training of the sales associate. Their preparation, ability to answer questions well, and cognizance of the customer's needs could be the best tricks up their sleeves.

At OTP, while the whole company gets some sales training, one division goes hard core with a formal sales training course, specializing in uncovering a customer's needs, including what they want to accomplish.

"It's more than just needs and wants," says Derrow. "We all can know the problem. But the job of the salesperson is to give solutions. We conduct sales training associated with that."

Another division receives less formal training, but it is as effective, says Derrow.

"The salespeople are given tools to use to accomplish their mission, which is to help the customer be successful."

Says Arithson, "Our best weapon is the training. We train them in helping customers find their own cost-saving options. That is the most effective tool."

But then again, if one pounds on these guys for an answer to the question, what works well for you, they eventually admit to a couple devices they prefer.

"Personalized literature works best," says Millard. "We've developed our own specialized literature. If you use the factory literature, it is, obviously, tied to one supplier. We want to present our entire variety of products."

Adds Hughes, "We've made up binders for each specific industry. As an example, say, for food customers, who want items specifically for their market, such as 'wash-down' or 'FDA-approved' items. It's specific to their industry, so they don't have to weed through all the brochures, information and such."

"One thing we've done fairly well is direct mail," says Derrow. "Everything should have a consistent theme though. Key concepts should be repeated, and should be tied to the company as a whole, and appear throughout all materials. That way, the customer is viewing the company in the way you want it to be viewed."

"Something we need to get better at is our Web site," says Arithson. "Nowadays, people are getting very used to visiting sites, and checking and placing their orders on them. Of course, not everyone is ready to buy off a Web site, so we'd have to really select which customers to approach with it. But some, if I told them about it today, they'd be ordering off it tomorrow."

"Using the support of the factory people also opens doors," says Hughes. "We're proud of the lines we carry, and when they walk in with our own salespeople, the combination of the product knowledge is powerful."

"A lot of premium suppliers have Web sites for their distributors," says Millard, "so we can look for the inventory from the source, then communicate that to the customer, and it speeds everything along. The ability to have that information in seconds is invaluable."

Arithson encourages his sales staff to keep it simple.

"Focus the guys on making the calls to the right people, and their tools will be put to good use," he says. "As long as we are easy to do business with, are quick to respond, and have real people available when the customer calls, we'll be successful. Of course, beyond any tool, follow up is more important."

But Derrow has perhaps the most heart-stopping reality check when discussing marketing tools: "The more you look for the silver bullet, the more time you've wasted. It's not about the tools you use, but about the market."