One of the biggest problems engineers encounter when sourcing products and services is simply finding the right person to call. If you need a 3M product, odds are your company is too small to deal directly with 3M, so they’re going to refer you to a distributor’s regional office. That office will probably take your call, but your local sales rep will surely be out in the field, and you won’t get to talk to him. Maybe you can wrestle an email or a cell number from the inside sales rep, if you’re aggressive, but that doesn’t describe most engineers.
Read the rest of this entry »
When I worked as a design and manufacturing engineer, there were certain salespeople that consistently stood out in my mind. These were the people that I called time and again for advice and to whom I ultimately ended up giving the most money. Below are 8 ways to stay on an engineer’s mind.
8. Present products and services to your customers as tools, and not just something else to buy. Prepare powerpoint presentations, bring samples of relevant technologies, and do live demos of your products. Engineers are always interested in learning about new tools and ways to apply them.
7. Make yourself easy to approach about a problem. Be friendly and jovial in meetings but always very professional. This makes you seem dedicated to your job and interested in your customers’ needs.
Read the rest of this entry »
It takes a tremendous amount of time and skill to be the first person called about a problem. Below are five tips that helped me become more than just a Sales Engineer.
1. Know Your Stuff – Become a RESOURCE
If you know your products and services inside and out, great! You can go meet with engineers, be an awesome order taker, and repeat the same spiel like a broken record. Now, you know your competitors products TOO! You are starting to become dangerous now because you understand the landscape of available products and can competitively sell. Finally, you understand the applications that your products are used in. YOU just became a resource to engineers as opposed to just another salesperson. This is the factor that separates the amateurs from the pros!
Where is your email address? Contacting industrial suppliers sucks!