Sales People Revisted

Deanie

I hear you loud and clear...price can never beat service!!!

Supply House Rick

Sales People Revisted

There was a post in the past couple of weeks regarding Sales People
I don’t want to get of on a rant but…
From a Wholesaler’s point of view, there are not too many left. We are flooded with “order takers” and worst of all the what is N & S charging you and we will beat it people. We do all the research-work up a quote and someone else steps in and knocks off 5% and poof sales gone. I understand why Sales People have such a bad reputation; it’s the weasels that base their philosophy on lowest price. I guess that’s why N&S Supply has been so successful with the cutthroat suppliers in our areas. They can’t beat us with service & integrity, so they give it away and call it sales. That’s just my point of view I could be wrong.
Rick

Does any of this matter to a contractor?

Supply House Rick

Sometimes

it does, because some customers know we will be here tomorrow and the next day and so on. Trust goes a long way. Very little turn-over at our company. I think that helps.
Rick

bigugh_4

Wholesalers & such

It was my observence that let me know which wholesaler was square or the ones that cut the price. I did not like that happening to me so I stayed with my Square friends. Ethic is very important in business. If the wholesaler has ethic, it means a lot. It means that he takes care of you. Even to his own supposed loss. (dening over the counter retail sales) and it means you take care of him, even if it costs a wee bit more. These old ideas were in force 50 years ago and it is a shame so much of that has gone by the way side. Think of it this way, There will be only so much sold by the trade a any time. and a profit will be taken by the sellers. There is no free material. Someone has to lose to have the lowest bid. Stick by the square folks and in the long run you'll sleep better, warmer, sounder. You may not be in the pent house but your house will be ok!

Shaun Anderson

As a Wholesaler

I also run into the same thing. You work so hard on researching the job. Finding out what will work best , quote the job and contractors will shop the bid around. It's all about money to some contractors. Sometimes price is what gets the guy the job and not what they know about what will be the best system.

Keith_8

As a contractor

my vote always goes to the wholesaler who helps me make the sale.

Every contract negotiation is different and similiar at the same time. Can the products be delivered on time? Do the specified products hit the budget? Do I get an edge by going with product B instead of A? Can we make a substition and still meet the objective?

All of these issues can sway the sale. Does the wholesaler make the difference? It depends.

Keith

Mark Hunt_2

Matters to me


I recall a situation that happened several years ago when I was working for a large heating company here in NY. A few of my fellow saleman were standing around griping about customers that shop around and get as many bids as they can on a job. One salesman complained about a customer that wanted to get 5 bids on a simple A/C add-on. He couldn't believe that a person would do such a thing and waste so much of his time. Since he was paid on straight commission, I could understand the frustration. I too was straight commission. The very next day, this same saleman came to work in his brand new truck and he invited us all out to see his new ride. It had all the bells and whistles. Someone asked him what he paid for it and he began to recall the story of his "shopping" trip. He visited 6 local dealers of the same manufacturer and took several weeks before he made his decision. He waited until he got the lowest price on the truck and counted it as a victory. While all of the other guys were patting him on the back for being a "shrewd" customer, I pointed out his and their hypocrisy. The day before they were all crying about customers doing EXACTLY what this guy did to FIVE salesmen! He had no problem wasting the time of salesmen that are paid EXACTLY like he is and considered himself one smart cookie for doing so. He didn't like it when I pointed this out.

Now we come down to it. If you don't like it when a homeowner or builder shops your price, why would you do it to a supplier that takes care of you? I am just a small contractor yet one of the owners of the company that Rick works for called me on Friday JUST TO SAY HELLO! I was floored! HE made time in his day to call up an account that spends nothing compared to the big boys. But I am important enough in his eyes to warrant a friendly call. When I ask for something, these folks get it. While mistakes sometimes happen, who among us NEVER makes a mistake?

When I ask Rick for a quote on anything, I do not question it. I know I can buy certain products for a few less dollars elsewhere, but I won't get the attention that Rick and N&S supply give. There is a fee for that SERVICE and I am more than willing to pay it. No different than the higher prices we may charge for what WE bring to the project that other contractors won't or can't.

If you want to shop your supplier, fine. But do not expect "red carpet" treatment by ANY of them and also do not complain when a potential customer does the exact same thing to you.

Mark H



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Weezbo

I never saw a dime.....

i didnt ask the wholesaler to sell my job.or designe it .all these years i helped build their company and its products, i am thier best outside salesman because i brow beat them to get things then lash them up. my buddies see it ,go wow Hey ! Thats cool! where do I get onena them?so who says the lowly wrench twister deseves to get the shaft time and again?we arent as dumb as you guys think.and when something goes up 20 30 50 percent it may take a while for us to notice buh eventually we will and as wonderful as you may think it all is we too like to make a living.Oh and thanx a whole heap...for allowing US to make Your company what it is today. did it ever occur to you that we have just a bit more voice in numbers than you previously thought?

Bob Forand

Without GOOD wholesalers, we will end up with only box stores that you can't beat up or change their pricing structure. We need Good wholesalers and GOOD salesmen as much as contractors are needed for their profession. Wholesaling and selling is a profession as well as contracting...My 2 cents..

Keith_8

same issues

We have the same issues on the other side of the counter as you wholesalers do.

Part of the sales process is identifying who is wasting your time.

If you are in sales and don't understand the process of sowing seeds for the future you won't be to successful. It takes a while to establish a good customer base.

One of my favorite reps is getting jerked around by his company and will probably be getting a job outside the industry. To bad, he walked the walk.

Keith

Billy_4

Weez

Hey Weez, what's with the hostility? I commend you on controling your own destiny, not too many guys do that any more. From the tone I picked up off your post, and I may be mistaken, it sounds like you do not have a good wholesaler/partner. The company I work provides services, and like you we have overhead that needs to be paid for. I work for a wholesaler and agree that being a good partner or providing services that my competition can not or will not does not give me the right to overcharge my customer. I am very rarely the lowest price on the street but at the same time I am not the highest. I price jobs on what I think is fair for both the company I work for and my customer. I need the customer to come back and believe you can and should shop pricing occasionally to give you the piece of mind that I am doing the right thing. If I am 10% high on a job I would expect my customer to have issues. If I am 2 or 3% high I believe the services that I provide are worth that.

Let me ask you all this...What do you think a wholesaler deserves to make? What do you think a wholesaler NEEDS to make to stay in business?

Deanie

service

In my early post I said that service will always beat price..I'm basing this on I guess my self and others I've have worked with, Quality knowledgable people that will go the distance for the customer, knowing the market and being fair( like Billy said to the customer and your company)!

Yes, our customers shop around and as wholesalers we try to get the best price for our customer, but follow up, following thru and fairness will always bring you loyal customers!!!

keith

What good is it

to beat the wholesaler over the head untill they beg for mercy?
What kind of support do we expect to get if the wholesaler is treated as an expendable commodity with no value?

I don't know about the rest of you guy's. My time is to valuable to learn about every product from every manufactorer. My line of work is varied. We don't do the same thing with the same equipment every day. Align yourself with some good venders, let them earn a few bucks, let them help you get the job done, treat them as you would be treated. Isn't that what we ask our customers to do?

Keith