George Heyer of Food Services of America, Spokane, Washington has been inducted into the AFDR DSR Hall of Fame and is the DSR of the Month for May 2019.
George’s territory is the areas of Northwest Montana, Whitefish, Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Coram which are about 250 miles from the warehouse.
Heyer had been a chef working in many different concepts which was great training for him to be able to help his customers be successful. According to George, “Being a Chef taught me the right questions to ask my customers and prospects when trying to help them. I do this because I love the restaurant industry and want to help my customers with every aspect of their business, and I also love the fast pace of the day-to-day of our industry. Every day is different, which makes it exciting.”
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN to prospects because they will always tell you what to do next. You have to do more than just make a call on them. You must show an interest in really understanding their operation. One of the best ways Heyer has found to do this is to eat at establishments. It doesn’t have to be much, just enough to show them that you’re paying attention to their operation.
George says one of the more difficult hurdles when he first became a DSR was making cold-calls. Being rejected more times than not was discouraging at first. Heyer soon learned that if he was a customer first, it made the entire process a positive one. He uses the internet and social media to become an expert of sorts with a prospect’s menu and to know what patrons think of the place.
Greenhorn advice:
It’s a marathon not a sprint! Understand that rejection is a big part of being successful at this job. Most prospects really don’t need another distributor, so unless you can show them that you truly have an interest in their business, expect rejection.
Always keep the door open for you to come back and try to sell them, even if that means simply continuing to eat at their operation.
Never give up on an account you want, never!
DSRs, Be a Resource… and Sell Something!
