DSR of the Month
Brad Williams of Hermel Wholesale in Mankato, Minnesota is the latest inductee to the AFDR DSR Hall of Fame as the May DSR of the Month.
Brad has been with Hermel Wholesale for 36 years. Seven years ago, Hermel purchased a small independent broadline distributor and made the transition from selling just candy and tobacco to selling just about any product their core customers need. Williams and his company are also using the DOT FOODS EXPRESSWAY to find products his 160 customers per week are asking him about. That’s right, 160, many of which he was already selling candy and tobacco to before, and now can sell them just about everything they use.
Brad says learning how to sell all the new products has been a lot of fun because he’s curious about each and every product that his customers are using. For the most part, his product knowledge and learning have come from his customers, sales meetings and brokers. Williams says he can’t wait to tell his customers about the next product he’s learned about!
According to Williams, “Hermel is a totally SALES driven company and the CUSTOMER IS KING. Management understands that the DSR is the link to the customer.” Williams has developed an EXCEL template that he sends to his buyers for special order products that he finds on the DOT EXPRESSWAY. He does not have to get them approved; they just come in and go out to his customers.
Listen to Brad’s interview on how he and his company use DOT FOODS. It’s a great blueprint for other distributors that are looking to sell more products to their current customers.
DSRs, Be a Resource…and Sell Something!
