Professional Distributor - 42

Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks
... Especially if the dog is you and you want to earn more money.

W
BY ALAN SIPE

e're in the dog days of summer, so it is the
perfect time to write about "teaching an old
sales dog new skills."
Do you ever find yourself thinking these
thoughts?
"Change is great ... as long as everything
stays the same."

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Alan W. Sipe has spent the last 42
years in the basic hand tool industry
including positions as president of
KNIPEX Tools North America, senior
vice president of sales and marketing at Klein Tools, manager of special
markets at Stanley Tools, and sales
manager at toolbox manufacturer
Waterloo Industries. Currently, Sipe
is the owner of Toolbox Sales and
Consulting, a company specializing
in sales strategy, structure, development, and training. Sipe can be
reached at alansipe@gmail.com or
847-910-1063.

"My customers will think I'm weird if I change
my style of selling."
"I would like to close more sales, but it will feel
funny asking for the order more often."
"I'm earning pretty good money the way I'm
doing it now."
"A leopard can't change its spots."
Well, my response to each of these thoughts or
statements would be:
This is just negative self-talk; get over yourself and try something new. It will make your
day more interesting, increase your sales call
interest, and make you
more money.

Ever hear of Dustin Johnson? Johnson is one
of the best golfers on the PGA tour, earning millions of dollars each year. Yet, for several hours
each day, Johnson tries new swing tweaks to be
proactive and get even better. There is no reason on
earth why, with an hour per week of sales improvement, thought, and practice, you can't substantially
improve your earnings, too.
Two more careers we often consider to be "big
money earners" are doctors and lawyers. They
practice medicine or practice law. Do you practice
sales? Members of those professions invest many
hours per week in reading and studying what's new
in their fields. When was the last time you read a
book or anything on sales skills?
My suggestion: get on Amazon and order "The
One Minute Salesperson" by Spencer Johnson. It is
only 112 pages and is the best sales book I ever read.
I guarantee you will find something in it to increase
your earnings.

DO SOME RESEARCH

Sit down and make a list of the technicians' facilities you call on who purchase nothing or almost
nothing from you. They
are buying from someone,
why not you? If there is
If you have an active
some "hard stop" reason,
Why would they think
customer
list
of
300
and
you
like their brother is the
you are weird if you're
doing your job and
add just 15, that's a 5 percent competitive mobile jobber,
then scratch them off the
serving them better?
boost in customers, and that list. With the others, try
to figure out the answer.
You will feel even funmeans more income, too.
Did you tick them off in
nier with more money
the past? Did they not like
in your pocket.
your financial terms? Do
they
feel
you
have
ignored
them? Do you have no
Would you like a 10- or 15-percent raise? Just
logical idea why?
do what you're doing ... but better.
Whatever the reason, develop a plan to get them
on your side. Maybe it will work and maybe not, but
Then never ever try a new hobby, a new sport,
if one out of ten starts buying from you it will be
a better golf swing, or driving a cool, new car.
a nice income boost. Success with three out of ten
will mean some nice money. If you have an active
T he big change we are shootcustomer list of 300 and you add just 15, that's a 5
ing for today is increasing the number of
percent boost in customers, and that means more
times per week you stop at the bank to
income, too.
make deposits.
42 Professional Distributor I August 2019 I VehicleServicePros.com

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