What Is the Difference Between a Good Salesman and a Great Salesman?
We all make New Year’s resolutions. But according to a Huffington Post article on “New Years Resolutions are Bound to Fail”, dated December 28, 2016, only 8% of people actually keep their New Year’s resolution goals.
January 1, 2019, was no different than the years prior. The only exception was that I made only one resolution. My goal was to read three books in 2019. I got off to a slow start but did check out a book, Stop Acting Like a Seller and Start Thinking Like a Buyer, by Jerry Acuff and Wally Wood from the Hamer Shafer Library at Muncie Power Products. As I read this book, I came to chapter three, “Build Your Knowledge, Messaging and Relationship”, and I was reminded of the difference between two types of sales people – good sales people and great sales people.
After I read this chapter, I thought about what makes the sales team at Muncie Power Products different from those of our competitors. One of the key differentiators is that at Muncie Power Products we practice the three key words in this chapter - knowledge, message and relationship, in every sales call and meeting we conduct.
Knowledge: It does not matter whether it’s a quarterly meeting between one of our channel partners, or OEMs, or we are trouble shooting a hydraulic system at a fleet, we are always building product knowledge with our customers in some way and explaining what differentiates Muncie Power Products from the competition.
Message: At Muncie Power Products, “We Build Trust” is not just a slogan but a way of life for our employees. With more than 84 years in business and hundreds of years of combined experience amongst employees, it’s something we take to heart each and every day. We truly care about our customers’ business and our communities.
Relationship: It’s important for us not just to know our customers on a business level but on a personal level as well. Our sales team is continuously building both a business and personal relationship with our channel partners, OEMs, and end-users. Yes, we want to know their business and want to partner with them so that they can be successful, but we also want to know our customers personally. We want to know what some of their hobbies are – what they like to do outside of work.
Anybody can stop in to see a customer, review a product guide and maybe even ask for an order now and then. But how many sales people in our industry will refrain from just talking “shop” and talk about life outside of the business with their customers and really get to know them?
It’s easy to sell on price, but to sell a brand like Muncie Power Products, it means going beyond the superficial standard and connecting with customers on a personal level because we genuinely care about them as people. And it’s this idea, or way of selling, that separates us from others. No, we are not perfect, but we are dedicated to delivering value to each and every one of our customers.
So, when we say “We Build Trust,” it’s not just a slogan but a way of life for everyone at Muncie Power Products.
