Kentucky-based Mac Tools distributor Joe Hardin has a tried and true tactic when it comes to making sales.
The phrase "show and tell" describes a common approach to mobile tool sales. Hardin does indeed "show and tell," but he takes it one step further. For him, sales is all about observing, and offering a solution that directly addresses an immediate need. It’s more like "watch and sell," and it works for him.
“I don’t really consider myself a salesman. I am, but I show products to people that I think will make their jobs easier,” he says. “If it will make you faster and more productive at your job, you’ll make more money. And I just watch. I really watch my customers when I’m in the shop. If I see them doing something and I’ve got [a product] that could make that [job] easier, I’ll bring it in and say ‘Last week I saw you doing that job; this tool right here does that job for you.’ And then the lightbulb goes off in their head, like, ‘He was paying attention to what I was doing last week. He’s trying to look out for me and my guys.’”
The primary goal is to take care of the customer; offer something that saves time and look out for their bottom line, too.
Another surefire tactic that Hardin employs: get the tool in their hands. If a customer is on the fence, this could well be what pushes them over the top.
