Every Team Member a Salesperson

Not too long ago, one of our territory managers asked if I would accompany him on a sales call. I agreed to go, even though I wasn’t too excited about it. I had a stack of work at the office that I wanted to get through, and I felt as though I was really too busy to go out and visit this potential customer. Reluctantly, I agreed to go.

Once we were at the potential customer’s place of business, my attitude began to change. This particular business owner was very hungry for information. He wanted to know what his options were for managing his fuel costs. He wanted to know if we could help him determine when to fill his fuel tanks. He wanted to know if he could lock in fuel and propane prices for the future. He wanted to know whether the lubricants he was using were the best choice. As the conversation continued, I became genuinely interested in his business operations. I forgot all about my stacks of work at the office. I realized that I was involved in the most important task that I could be involved in. I was learning about a customer’s needs, and I was sharing ways that our company could satisfy those needs. I was actively engaged in the sales process, and I was truly enjoying the experience.

Many of us probably think that it’s the job of our salespeople to sell. It is definitely true that our salespeople are expected to be out in the field sharing our message with potential customers; however, to reach our full potential as an organization, we need all our team members to be actively engaged in the sales process.

There are probably some of us who would never dream of being a salesperson. It scares us to death to walk up to someone we don’t know and start talking to them. We don’t think that we know enough about our products to talk to people about them. We might be afraid of what people will think about us. The fact is, regardless of our position within the company, we are salespeople. The employee in the front office who answers the phone is selling the company, each time they answer an incoming call. The employee working in the accounting department who handles past due accounts is selling the company each time they make a call on a late payment. In one way or another, each of us has a role in the sales process. This process is our company’s life blood, and if it dies, we die.

We have said that our mission as a company is to “create value by consistently delivering on our three guiding principles of Right Product, Right Place, Right Price. I would like to add a fourth Principle – Right Information. Team members who believe in the company and its mission have a compelling desire to share information about the company. They are concerned with the success of our customers, and they are constantly looking for ways to anticipate and satisfy the customer’s needs. These employees realize that we have valuable information which if used properly by the customer, will help the customer save money. They enjoy sharing this information because they know that it will improve the life of the customer.

Here are some examples:

When you ask a customer if they would be interested in receiving our Daily Fuel Market Update, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.

When you suggest to a customer that they wait a few days to fill their fuel tank because prices are in a downward trend, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.

When you mention to a customer that we have some additional products or services that they might be interested in, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.

When you mention to your dentist that you love working for R.E. Powell because they let you come to work dressed up as a gorilla in a bikini, you are probably not selling. You’re probably just high from the laughing gas the dentist gave you twenty minutes earlier.

How powerful a force would it be, if all our team members were actively engaged in the sales process?

How powerful would it be if we all believed in our company and had a desire to share the company’s message with those we come into contact with? To share our desire for anticipating and satisfying the customer’s needs. To share the fact that we are creating value through the valuable information and resources that we provide to our customers.

If we each look for opportunities to share our message then we can truly say that we have reached our goal of Every Team Member a Salesperson.

I’d love to know your thoughts. tony@repowell.net

Tony

www.repowell.net
http://teamrepowell.blogspot.com/