Back in my days as president of KNIPEX here in the U.S., not a single one of us at KNIPEX was a true, experienced technician. In fact, the very best demonstration person we had was Michelle Ague who had previously sold medical replacement spine parts. Some of us couldn’t even change an automobile headlight successfully.
Many of you weren’t technicians in your previous life, but you too can become a tool educator without a problem.
As you make your sales calls and sell your tools, ask yourself what the customer will use this tool for. Lock this knowledge in your sales tool memory bank and use it as a sales generating educational tool later.
An example is if you are calling on technicians at a BMW dealership, you could walk in with a 15” Torx tip screwdriver (I’m sorry I’ve forgotten the size). Now, simply show it to the technicians explaining that it will make working deep down in a BMW steering column much easier.
If you aren’t or weren’t a technician don’t ever try to sound like one. You will destroy your credibility very quickly. Just say “I am not a technician, but the guys who work on BMW’s tell me that...” Or “I was at XYZ Ford garage and I saw mechanics using this tool for (fill in the blank).
Never be afraid to ask your customer what they use a particular tool for especially if you sell them a unique product. Most people like to help when asked to show their knowledge and skill. Using a statement like, “Thanks for purchasing this tool from me, is there a certain application you will be using it for?” will get the conversation started.
Now you can take that knowledge to educate others doing the same tasks explaining that you have a tool to help them work faster, safer, or smarter and maybe all three.
Just by using your natural curiosity and asking questions you can learn some excellent tool applications that will help your customers at their work and help your wallet at the end of the day.
