Building relationships is probably the number one element to long term sales success:
Back in 1988 or so, we landed “Lumberjack”, 11 stores in my territory. Steadily, I built relationships with the different buyers, Store Managers, Tool dept managers, warehouseman, accounts payable, and “Bobby Bostitch”, the tool aisle dude or dudette. Each location was pumping out about $5k per month. Lumberjack was Bostitch, Meeks was Senco.
In about 1990, I put the full court press on Meeks, 13 locations now, cant remember how many back then. I landed the Chico location. Set an 8’ aisle of Bostitch, put on a product knowledge (PK) class, complete with pizza! Before we could get a sales event scheduled, the corporate Merchandising manager, DP nixed the whole deal, made the store return the product to the wholesaler. The wholesaler sold them 40 different items, one being mine so a return was out of my control. Then in 1999, with the help of then SWAT guy, Derek Davidson, we opened Grass Valley, repeated the above steps and held a SWAT event. 108 degree summer day, sold 22 tools. A Great Day. Within a week, DP put the nix on it. He was a real “nixer”! He never returned a call or email when it became available. I never met the man. Since then I have a number of different positions within the company. Fast forward to July 2009:
I now sell Stanley Hand Tools, Storage, and Bostitch. Meeks is my only potential growth customer. I have steadily built relationships with the different personnel and systematically added many new items to their mix. We have a promotion going on which places Stanley Hand Tools on Merchandising Racks, on their wall, for 50% off. I have added 46 racks to two stores. I called to alert the store buyer, Lacy that I was on my way to set their 32’ wall. She responded by telling me that as of Monday, they had a new Store Manager and that he was not happy to see all the Stanley in the warehouse. She told me to come to her office when I got there. I asked who was the new Store Manager, and yes, she responded with DP.
Back in 1988 or so, we landed “Lumberjack”, 11 stores in my territory. Steadily, I built relationships with the different buyers, Store Managers, Tool dept managers, warehouseman, accounts payable, and “Bobby Bostitch”, the tool aisle dude or dudette. Each location was pumping out about $5k per month. Lumberjack was Bostitch, Meeks was Senco.
In about 1990, I put the full court press on Meeks, 13 locations now, cant remember how many back then. I landed the Chico location. Set an 8’ aisle of Bostitch, put on a product knowledge (PK) class, complete with pizza! Before we could get a sales event scheduled, the corporate Merchandising manager, DP nixed the whole deal, made the store return the product to the wholesaler. The wholesaler sold them 40 different items, one being mine so a return was out of my control. Then in 1999, with the help of then SWAT guy, Derek Davidson, we opened Grass Valley, repeated the above steps and held a SWAT event. 108 degree summer day, sold 22 tools. A Great Day. Within a week, DP put the nix on it. He was a real “nixer”! He never returned a call or email when it became available. I never met the man. Since then I have a number of different positions within the company. Fast forward to July 2009:
I now sell Stanley Hand Tools, Storage, and Bostitch. Meeks is my only potential growth customer. I have steadily built relationships with the different personnel and systematically added many new items to their mix. We have a promotion going on which places Stanley Hand Tools on Merchandising Racks, on their wall, for 50% off. I have added 46 racks to two stores. I called to alert the store buyer, Lacy that I was on my way to set their 32’ wall. She responded by telling me that as of Monday, they had a new Store Manager and that he was not happy to see all the Stanley in the warehouse. She told me to come to her office when I got there. I asked who was the new Store Manager, and yes, she responded with DP.
Hmm, well at least I get to meet this guy. On the hour-long drive, I got a little worried to be honest. This account is pretty important. I cannot let this guy nix me again. I have to stay calm, be in control, listen, mirror his body language/demeanor/rhythm. I have a chance, one chance to make the first impression, what I want it to be. I have to go in assuming he remembers nothing of our past occurrences. I must create the “reality” of our business relationship as I want it to be. “I am not who you think I am, I am not who I think I am, I am who I think, you think I am.
When I arrived Cindy informed me that Lacy had been let go that morning, right after our phone conversation. Nice atmosphere, good thing I had a plan. The “counter” clerk Cindy is an old school lumberyard gal. It was easy to create that needed relationship with her in the weeks I had been working on this location. I had sold them in a 8’ Storage set and now it was a 32’ Hand Tool wall. Cindy says, you need to talk to DP. She paged him, no answer. He had gone to lunch. She looks out the window and sees him getting into his truck. She goes outside and I can hear her yelling his name. Great, so he’s not gonna like his lunch being interrupted, here we go, he’s on his way back in the store.
Mid 50’s I’d say, medium height and about 30 lbs overweight. No expression is evident.
We meet, introduce ourselves and shake hands. I start out with, well, I understand Lacy is no longer with the company. He affirms with a nod and I detect a little remorse. Here’s a guy who has worked for this company for 18 years, by his reaction, it most likely bothered him. A crack in the armor. I respond with, “ I know how tough that can be, we’ve recently been through the same thing. These are tough times”. A slightly more relaxed demeanor came over him, I mirrored that and seg-way’d into how Stanley and Bostitch had combined. How I had been with Bostitch for 22 years. I figured I may as well get it out there now. No response. Then he asked about the Stanley Black and Decker merger, a good sign. I briefly explained what I could. He then asked, “what do you have in mind for my tool wall?” a very good sign. We walked the wall, he had some suggestions which I made note of. He apologized for not being able to supply me any help, I was to come back in the morning and start. All in all, a very good start.
I set a beautiful wall in the next two days, bringing in a custom Starbucks order the second morning. Friday afternoon, the Stanley wall was complete, trash in the dumpster. DP was quite happy with the results. There were 12 more feet that could be re-worked and condensed in that wall, with opportunity to add more product. Friday night, I emailed he and the new buyer, D with a Bostitch Manual Tacker planogram and 3 more tool Racks. Monday morning I was back. I walked into DP’s office, had some small talk, found he had not looked at email. I let him know that I would be happy to finish his wall and while I was at it I would obviously create room for the new Bostitch Manual Tacker display. This would give him a “Pro” line to augment his Arrow and Do It Best DIY tacker line. He was very positive. That was too easy, he wouldn't make this semi-minor call himself, he would want his new tool buyer D to have that input, so I backed off a little saying, “I wouln't want to step on whatever plans D had, and maybe you two could toss it around”. He liked that a lot, base hit, gapper, little did he know that I already had this conversation with D and knew he liked the idea. I bid him a happy Thanksgiving, he reciprocated, I will.Bottom line, relationship building often starts out as a sequence of reactionary conversation with the goal of “Being a Natural Part of the Situation. The Natural Salesman can walk into the store, greet the counter folks, and walk into the Store Managers office, unannounced and get things done. This process is a tight rope walk with this guy right now, I am not relaxing just yet, but if I can get this small unassuming Bostitch PO from the guy who defines Nixing, he’s a real nixer, the door is wide open and I am walkin' in. Remember the two bulls standing on top of the hill looking down on the green lush valley full of cows. The young bull says, “ hey, lets run down there and get us one!”, at which the old bull says, “nah, lets just walk down there and get them all”. Be the old bull.
When I arrived Cindy informed me that Lacy had been let go that morning, right after our phone conversation. Nice atmosphere, good thing I had a plan. The “counter” clerk Cindy is an old school lumberyard gal. It was easy to create that needed relationship with her in the weeks I had been working on this location. I had sold them in a 8’ Storage set and now it was a 32’ Hand Tool wall. Cindy says, you need to talk to DP. She paged him, no answer. He had gone to lunch. She looks out the window and sees him getting into his truck. She goes outside and I can hear her yelling his name. Great, so he’s not gonna like his lunch being interrupted, here we go, he’s on his way back in the store.
Mid 50’s I’d say, medium height and about 30 lbs overweight. No expression is evident.
We meet, introduce ourselves and shake hands. I start out with, well, I understand Lacy is no longer with the company. He affirms with a nod and I detect a little remorse. Here’s a guy who has worked for this company for 18 years, by his reaction, it most likely bothered him. A crack in the armor. I respond with, “ I know how tough that can be, we’ve recently been through the same thing. These are tough times”. A slightly more relaxed demeanor came over him, I mirrored that and seg-way’d into how Stanley and Bostitch had combined. How I had been with Bostitch for 22 years. I figured I may as well get it out there now. No response. Then he asked about the Stanley Black and Decker merger, a good sign. I briefly explained what I could. He then asked, “what do you have in mind for my tool wall?” a very good sign. We walked the wall, he had some suggestions which I made note of. He apologized for not being able to supply me any help, I was to come back in the morning and start. All in all, a very good start.
I set a beautiful wall in the next two days, bringing in a custom Starbucks order the second morning. Friday afternoon, the Stanley wall was complete, trash in the dumpster. DP was quite happy with the results. There were 12 more feet that could be re-worked and condensed in that wall, with opportunity to add more product. Friday night, I emailed he and the new buyer, D with a Bostitch Manual Tacker planogram and 3 more tool Racks. Monday morning I was back. I walked into DP’s office, had some small talk, found he had not looked at email. I let him know that I would be happy to finish his wall and while I was at it I would obviously create room for the new Bostitch Manual Tacker display. This would give him a “Pro” line to augment his Arrow and Do It Best DIY tacker line. He was very positive. That was too easy, he wouldn't make this semi-minor call himself, he would want his new tool buyer D to have that input, so I backed off a little saying, “I wouln't want to step on whatever plans D had, and maybe you two could toss it around”. He liked that a lot, base hit, gapper, little did he know that I already had this conversation with D and knew he liked the idea. I bid him a happy Thanksgiving, he reciprocated, I will.Bottom line, relationship building often starts out as a sequence of reactionary conversation with the goal of “Being a Natural Part of the Situation. The Natural Salesman can walk into the store, greet the counter folks, and walk into the Store Managers office, unannounced and get things done. This process is a tight rope walk with this guy right now, I am not relaxing just yet, but if I can get this small unassuming Bostitch PO from the guy who defines Nixing, he’s a real nixer, the door is wide open and I am walkin' in. Remember the two bulls standing on top of the hill looking down on the green lush valley full of cows. The young bull says, “ hey, lets run down there and get us one!”, at which the old bull says, “nah, lets just walk down there and get them all”. Be the old bull.
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