DSR Live Host DSR Dave interviews Tim Crawley, the DSR of the Month, with tips to elevate your sales.
“This job is dynamic and challenging, but incredibly rewarding. Keep learning, embrace technology, and remember, you’re not just selling products; you’re building partnerships.”
Managing Accounts Receivable (AR): It’s all about the touch
- Initial Approach: Initially, setting up customers on ACH/EFT for automatic payments was crucial. This system allowed for immediate addressing of issues like product quality problems, ensuring credits were issued promptly.
- Credit Checks: When onboarding new customers, a credit check determines the payment terms. Some accounts still use checks, requiring manual handling which takes time away from selling.
- Building Relationships: Over time, helping accounts during tough times, like the pandemic, builds trust. However, asking for payments from long-term clients (friends) requires a gentle approach, emphasizing the need to avoid disruptions like credit hold from accounting.
Order Management:
- Online Orders: Currently about two thirds of customers ordering online, and one third are using manual ordering systems.
- Customer Interaction: For those not using online platforms, direct communication (calls, visits) remains essential, especially for English as a Second Language (ESL) chefs, ensuring no language barriers in ordering.
- Order Monitoring: Personally, monitors orders for discrepancies, remembering regular orders. The new system will highlight missing items, making the process more efficient.
Communication with Customers:
- Preferred Methods: Mostly through direct calls or texts, with some customers opting for late-night texts for orders.
- Response Time: Aims for immediate responses, only taking Saturdays off, and he makes sure prospects and his current customers understand this. Tim has an auto-reply for when he’s unavailable to answer a customer’s call that says: I’m taking an order or working with another customer and I will get back with you as soon as possible. I try to let people feel like they’re not having to hunt me down.
Personal vs. Professional Boundaries:
- Avoiding Oversharing: Learned not to burden customers with personal problems, focusing on their business needs or relatable industry issues.
- Professionalism: Maintains a positive demeanor, using personal challenges as a way to connect only when relevant to business solutions.
Relationship with Colleagues:
- Importance of Importance of Teamwork: Treats colleagues with respect, understanding that success depends on the entire team, from credit and purchasing to delivery.
- It takes a team of people: I try to treat them the way I want to be treated and the way that I treat my customers. I do make mistakes. I do own them, and I try to be transparent with my customers, my buyers or category managers, or my credit manager. I own my mistakes because I learned early in my career here that not one person is more important than another person, and it takes a team to get things done.
Advice for Greenhorn (New) and Veteran DSRs:
- For Greenhorns: Keep learning, stay humble, and be passionate about the products. Utilize technology as an assistant, not a threat. The job offers you a lot of freedom.
- For Veterans: Stay motivated by the love of food and the industry. Embrace new technologies and continuously seek new customers as an adventure.
Brokers and Samples:
- Working with Brokers: Brokers provide essential samples and insights, helping in product demonstrations and expanding product lines. Brokers and manufacturer reps are invaluable. They let customers experience products firsthand.
- A lot of really good brokers do their research and pick up on other items the customer is using besides the one you asked them to bring. They might ask if you’re selling them the other items and can they bring those additional items so they can just try them. Tim’s first response always is, “Is it in stock?”
- Nothing kills a deal faster than an unavailable product in stock.
Be a Resource and SELL SOMETHING!!
