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George McGurk of INSTANTWHIP – AKRON, Ohio is the latest DSR to be inducted into the AFDR DSR Hall of Fame as the November DSR of the Month.
George got his start in the business 28 years ago when a friend that had a small chain of restaurants wanted to start his own distribution company. McGurk was in college at the time but elected to forego his 12 remaining classes to help his friend run the new DC.
When George started selling for Instantwhip Foods they were a specialty dairy distributor. They were the company that introduced aerosol whipped cream in reusable canister to the world. Since then, Instantwhip has not only been providing premium dairy products, but also has expanded into being a broad-line distributor taking advantage of Re-distribution companies like DOT FOODs. They also take advantage of local resources to provide a distribution system for many regional based suppliers.
When calling on prospects McGurk likes to walk in through the back door after he has done his homework using Google and social media to see what patrons are saying about the place. He also has done some scouting at the dumpster to see who they are currently buying from. He strives to know more about the prospect than the current DSR who’s selling them. He also prepares by going in with a game plan based on products they use, not just to make a call.
George also talks to employees who might be at the back door taking a smoke break to find out who he should talk to when he does walk in.
Ninety-nine percent (99%) of the time, McGurk gets to talk to the person who’s in charge and he always ends the call by telling them, “I’m not here as a salesman, I’m here to be your partner.” He leaves behind a list of products with prices that he discovered when doing his homework prior to the call. He asks for an email address before leaving so he can send updated prices and tells them he’ll stop back in a few weeks.
McGurk seeks to do business a little differently so when George’s wife asks him how many new accounts he got that day, he tells her he doesn’t get a new account from every prospect call he makes, but he does make a new friend with every new sales call!
Tips for Greenhorns:
DO YOUR HOMEWORK before making a call on a prospect! Understand what their most used items are and who they’re buying them from. Check on social media to see what people are saying about the prospect so you have even more to talk about when you do finally get a meeting with them.
McGurk’s sales tips:
A prospect’s body language tells you what to do next. Either keep asking questions or get the heck out! Listen to his interview on this subject, it’s good!
It’s smart to have a network of service providers like hood cleaners, grease trap cleaners, plumbers, electricians, refrigeration pros and carpenters so when one of your customers needs a job done, you’re the one who helped them. Most of the time, the service provider will return the favor when they have a customer who needs your help.
Monitor your customers’ and prospects’ social media platforms to ensure nothing is missed so you can help them take care of any problems or provide praise to employees who earned it.
DSRs, Be a Resource…and Sell Something!
