The sun is barely rising as Cooper Collins arrives at the Brookfield, Wis., offices of T & A Industrial Distributors. Collins is one of the 11 outside sales staff that work for T & A between this and their Green Bay, Wis., location. T & A is an abbreviation for tools and abrasives, which the company specializes in.

"My day usually starts at around 6 o'clock in the morning," he says. "I prepare for my site visits and often do some research on the Internet in my home office before I begin my route. I devote my evenings to family and then I usually do my paperwork at night."

He's been with this company about seven years, but started as an inside sales rep. He explains that his territory, which represents about $1 million, is one of the smaller territories.

Collins is very straightforward and frank in his appearance and mannerisms. He is dressed casually, sporting a leather bomber-style jacket, and he is casual in conversation. Collins explains that he is one of the junior salesmen.

"I still feel like I'm fairly new at this," admits Collins, "some of our other salesmen are old hands at this. I'm still learning new things all the time."

Collins wasn't always in sales, he explains. He came to the distribution trade after working as a machinist. For nearly five years, he worked in inside sales, which furthered his knowledge.

"There is so much to learn, I am always schooling part-time," he says. "In this field, you must become a specialist. You need to be familiar with the special and unusual items. We specialize in the things that you wouldn't find with the big catalog houses."

"We need to have a rich depth of knowledge to serve our customers," he says. "Many of the products are replacement parts. These parts often aren't on the shelf. We have to search and find the manufacturer and locate a supplier."

He says it takes a lot of experience and he values the mentoring he received during his time in inside sales.

"It was to my benefit to work on the inside for so long," says Collins. "Customers want answers right away. We have to be able to get the products they need quickly."

Today, Collins' car is filled with pastries. There are homemade breads, freshly baked pies, cheesecakes and plates of cookies all filling the vehicle with a succulent aroma of home cooking.

"My wife and I enjoy baking," he says. "She is a professional and it is a way to relieve stress."

He explains that he sometimes brings his homemade treats with him and that his customers really enjoy it. Collins said he doesn't feel that this is buying sales with gifts, rather it is a service that sets him apart, that shows he has invested some time in his clients.

"The business lunch is dead in this industry," says Collins. "Most of these guys couldn't get the time off to go to lunch. I use my expense account to pay for the ingredients and these guys get a treat that they appreciate."

Like a tour guide, Collins imparts a knowledge of the history of the businesses he serves. ReGenCo in West Allis is his first call of the day. The company deals mainly with servicing and rebuilding the rotors and stators in power generators. He explains how this company is growing with a renewed interest in rebuilt generators due to deregulation and influences like the California energy crisis. He says this company has an excellent location, gaining business from the entire western half of the country.

"They have an interesting program, it's a mobile shop where they can rebuild on site. We have about half of the bid to stock this unit. They expect to add two or three more, and that will increase our sales."

Arriving at ReGenCo, he explains that his style of sales is to go to the guys on the floor.

"The purchasing agents do the actual sale and know part numbers but the guys on the floor know the parts. They tell the purchasing agents what they need. Besides, my knowledge is wasted there because they only want price information. It's the workers who need the product information."

He selects several items from his traveling bakeshop and goes into the plant. He delivers an apple pie to Bruce, one of the machinists.

"Bruce is a good fellow," Collins says. "I like to be able to give these guys something and they look forward to seeing me."

He says he usually spends about an hour on the floor when he visits. The most common request is for hand tools. He helps them choose the right tool and gets them the right part numbers for them to take to the purchasing agent.

The purchasing office is the last stop to answer some questions before moving on.

After a short lesson in the history of the local foundries, we arrive at Maynard Steel Casting Co. on Milwaukee's southside. This is one of the last foundries still in business. It has been finding ways to grow the business even in these tough times. Maynard Steel Castings is adding a new machining center, which will do jobs quicker and less expensively than sending them out, Collins explains. He speaks with a certain pride about the companies he serves, as though he were an employee.

"I think I'm lucky," he confides. "I gained so much knowledge from five years of inside sales experience. They were reluctant to let me go outside because of my training. They knew, however, that with that kind of knowledge you stand a good chance of being productive. I've grown this account by over 40 percent. With the new machining center, I expect that to grow even more."

Collins talks to some of the workers about replacing a broken tool and ordering some new ones.

"Sometimes we take a loss on replacing tools," says Collins, "but it keeps the customers happy. They come to us when they need something new, so it balances out."

Ken Marks, the tool crib manager, gives Collins a list of parts that he needs. They discuss some of the details of the machining center.

"Cooper reminds me of the old-time sales guys," says Marks. "He isn't just an order taker. He helps make decisions, explains options, and helps us purchase better products. Cooper is thorough but still quick with quotations. He really works hard for the customer."

"I do a lot of driving," says Cooper. "Even though we used a computer to restructure the routes more efficiently, I still drive about 450 miles each week. If a customer calls and needs a part, I usually go, pick it up and bring it to them myself."

Even though four customers make up about one-third of his sales, he visits 20 accounts once a month, 35 bi-weekly, and another 20 on a weekly basis. His manager requires documentation of this in the form of frequency reports. He also makes more than 300 calls per year in the interest of developing new accounts.

He uses a pager and cell phone to stay in contact with the inside sales staff to get sales leads, but he also makes sure all of his customers have these numbers.

"I would much rather that they call me directly instead of going through the main office," he says. "Then I can take care of their problem right away and personally assure their satisfaction."

He says that he finds the job rewarding but sometimes has his doubts about making a lifetime career in sales.

"I put in a long day at work, come home to the family, and then work some more at night. I have programs on my computer so I can do much of my paperwork at home and send it over the Internet," he says. "I sometimes wonder if it's worth it. On the other hand, I really like to meet people and the work force here is made up largely of the new immigrant community. It is also rewarding to make a sale that you know solved a problem for a business."

Collins keeps a close relationship with manufacturers' representatives. He says that is part of the added value that he can bring to a company.

"For instance, if I can bring in a rep from a manufacturer and he can adjust their equipment, that is a service that would normally cost hundreds of dollars," says Collins. "That is a real valuable service. Reps can also offer many other services and information which help to increase sales."

He says he strives to bring as much value as possible to his customers and says going directly to the workers on the floor has allowed him to understand the needs of his customers. This close understanding is part of what allowed him to turn one very small account of about $400 yearly into one of his larger accounts doing $30,000-$40,000.

"The way that I prospect for new sales either with new or existing accounts is to identify a need, find a product that T & A sells, determine the value of that product to the customer, get the support of the workers, and then deliver a quote to the purchasing agent," says Collins.

It's a way of doing business that Jim Crisci, the tool crib manager for Zuelzke Tool and Engineering says he appreciates.

"He calls inside often. He brings in [manufacturer representatives] and will answer questions off the floor," says Crisci. "Collins really knows his stock. What [T & A] doesn't have, he'll get through another source. He will mention items we might need but he isn't pushy like other salesmen. The pushy ones don't get my business."

Crisci says that he often calls the inside sales staff for product information. He says he values both sides of the sales relationship.

"I do work closely with inside sales," says Collins. "They can give me prospects and assist in locating hard-to-find products. However, inside sales can't identify if a $400 account is a potential $20,000 account. What really makes it come together is a whole network — outside sales, inside sales, shipping, and receiving — all working together to build trust and provide the best service possible. We have the most success when we all work together with the customer's satisfaction as our goal."