"It's about sales and how we can make sales," says Richard Benitez, a newbie Cornwell dealer in New Braunfels, Texas, with only seven months experience but has managed to shoot up to Cornwell's top 20 dealer list. "The sales tactic that I guess works best for me is what I like to call my 'ignorant' sales tactic.
"I am somewhat ignorant as to how to use some of these tools. I'm not a mechanic. I don't come from that background," Benitez explains. "The best asset I have as a salesperson is the customer himself. I can walk in and say 'Can you tell me how this tool works?' The more and more people you can get involved in telling you how that tool works, the more and more people are going to buy it."
Often, Benitez says, if that customer doesn't know the answer, he'll find a tech who does. And someone in the shop will likely buy one -- often the person teaching him how it works.
"It's okay to be ignorant about something," says Benitez. "They may laugh at you a little bit. And that's okay. As long as you're making the sale, they can laugh at you a little bit."
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About the Author
Phil Sasso
Phil Sasso is president of Sasso Marketing Inc. (www.sassomarketing.com), a technical marketing agency providing advertising, public relations and promotional services to tool and equipment marketers. Subscribe to his free marketing tip at philsasso.com/blog.