Owning your sales territory
Find the needs of local customers, educate them on the problem and offer solutions.
Today’s sales approach is vastly different from even a decade ago, but the method of owning your territory still remains the same. Home field advantage is held in high regard when it comes to sports. Teams fight and claw their way through the regular season to make sure that when it counts they’re playing in front of the home crowd. Similarly, in sales, winning over local customers has a definite edge over competition.
However, as local competition heats up, your sales game must also. There has been a significant increase in the amount of competition in the water industry as people begin to realize how important of a resource it is becoming.
“The residential water filtration industry is a unique market in that it is quite massive and yet, there is a substantial number of competitors — from both a manufacturer and dealer perspective,” says Kate Marcotte, marketing leader, 3M Purification Inc. Residential Water Filtration. “From one-man shops to global companies, the competitive landscape continues to proliferate. Increasing difficulty in navigating the water filtration space will continue driving the need to highlight competitive advantages and product differentiators to win and retain customers.”
The needs of the average household have also changed. Today, people are more focused on becoming environmentally friendly and staying within certain health standards. It is important that the hometown water dealer find the needs of its local customers, educate them on the problem and then show them what can be done to resolve the situation.
Knowing your area
The needs for water treatment, whether residential or commercial, are not going to be the same in Washington as they are in Illinois, for example. While some of the same issues may exist in both states, dealers must do research to identify the local trends. If you know what’s causing the most problems in your area, you’ll be able to advertise the essential messages that people are looking for instead of just making random sales pitches.
“In some areas, [as an example], people are looking for ways to treat chlorine and hard water without the use of traditional water softeners that use sodium chloride or potassium chloride because these types of systems have been banned in those areas,” notes Dan Jimenez of Santa Clarita Water Conditioning.
As a result, while people on the West Coast may be looking for a hard water solution, a recent report shows that residents in Florida are dealing with trihalomethanes. Staying abreast of the news and happenings in the water treatment industry will allow you to target areas that are in need of a solution that you may have in stock.
“The competitive edge varies drastically from dealer to dealer and even factors such as geography greatly impact how dealers can most effectively market themselves,” adds Marcotte.
Educating your customers
Your job is to sell a product or equipment, but it’s also important to make sure the customer is aware of what they’re buying. Educate them on the situation and what is needed to handle it in case it comes up again. This will not only save you the hassle of fixing something later, but will increase your standing in the community as a reputable source.
Jimenez asserts that supplying the greatest treatment package that will cure the problem, and doing so in a relatively affordable manner, is essential to gaining success in your territory.
“An interesting situation exists in this Information Age in that consumers feel they are informed and yet they often do not have the full story. In some cases, they are misinformed completely,” shares Marcotte. “While consumer awareness is without a doubt a necessity for industry growth, an informed consumer often means a more difficult sale for a water dealer. Salespeople must be more knowledgeable than ever and arm themselves with accurate data and information.”
Something almost everyone in any region is looking for today are ways to help the environment. Almost every dealer and business in the U.S. is looking for paths that will help our environment become more stable and customers want to build a better future for their kids and grandchildren by purchasing items that will have a positive impact on the environment.
“People are looking for maintenance-free water treatment systems that are environmentally friendly and cost effective,” adds Jimenez.
If you’re not already using this angle in your sales’ pitch, make it a priority to have it labeled on every product, ad and website. And don’t just say it, educate the customer on how it will have a positive impact and let them know what they’re buying.
How to reach your area
The biggest difference in sales today is how dealers reach out to customers. With social media and the Internet there are many different outlets that allow you to gain maximum exposure with minimal cost.
Even with so many opportunities to sell your brand, Marcotte says getting your name at the forefront is one of the hardest things to do. “It is the reason companies have entire teams dedicated to marketing and public relations. Building a brand — a recognizable brand — takes time, persistence and more time.”
She adds that many companies don’t have a huge marketing budget and aren’t able to flood their market with advertisements. That being the case, it makes it even more important that what money you do spend on advertising is directed to the right people. That comes with knowing your territory and the needs of your targeting audience.
Jimenez mentions websites, blogs, advertising in newspapers, directories, door hangers, direct mail and door knocking as potential avenues for advertising. Along with these you can include social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, email blasts and online advertising.
But, instead of just using these devices to draw attention to your name, use them as a way to gain an understanding of the needs of customers. Send out a survey to the area to find out what kind of problems people are dealing with. Ask them on Twitter and Facebook, which will cost you absolutely nothing, to gain a better understanding of what solutions are needed in your area.
Owning your sales territory is vital to the success of the company. Find out what the problems are, educate the customer on the issue and offer a treatment solution that’s best for them. Following these steps and portraying good customer service will spread the word around your hometown, giving you the home field advantage.
Author: Jake Mastroianni, Assistant Editor, Water Technology Magazine