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Attention: Greenhorns or Veterans needing to open new, good quality accounts, listen to this show!
By becoming a CUSTOMER first, you will discover just about everything you’ll need to know
in order to do business with a prospect. But if you act like a Salesman, you will get treated like a salesman most of the time when calling on prospects.
Every DSR has their own style on how they make those first sales calls on prospects. If what you’re doing is working, KEEP DOING IT! But, most prospects really don’t need another distributor, they need a DSR to help them with their business.
DSR Dave shares with guest co-host and Marketing Guru, Bill Hornung about how he was almost fired in his first year of being a DSR because he found it difficult to walk into an account and introduce himself as a Distributor Sales Rep.
After being reprimanded for the third time and having so much anxiety before, during and after he was making new calls, DSR Dave changed his approach and began going in the front door as a customer.
Bill explains that Dave’s revised approach is similar to marketing because marketing is really about understanding the environment and the marketplace you’re getting ready to work in.
Being a marketing expert, Hornung, explains that by going in as a customer using a non-confrontational approach by studying the place and making an effort to know the people and have a better understanding of the restaurant’s culture is ultimately market research.
DSR Dave agrees with Bill and explains in this interview, step-by-step, how he does his market research/homework and also how he seeks first to understand the needs of the prospect, so he knows whether or not it is even a “fit” because of the culture of the place.
The perfect time to observe and take notes is while eating or having a tea, preferably at the bar top if there is one. You should make notes of products and ingredients they use on the menu, plus the type of glassware, plates, straws, condiments, etc. Also take photos of plates passing by you to determine the size of French fry or chicken breast they’re using.
Try to walk out of there with at least 50 products you’ve identified that you know this prospect purchases for sure. This becomes your road map for next steps and provides you with a much better chance of success with prospects.
This “market research” approach eliminates a lot of the anxiety that many DSRs go through when trying to open new accounts. Your objective is to just observe and learn, while NOT acting like a salesman because remember…
If you act like a salesman, you’ll probably get treated like a salesman!
DSRs, Be a Resource…and Sell Something!
