Sales professionals provide the vital components that fleet maintenance managers and parts purchasers need to
...offered the in-depth knowledge about heavy duty filtration that every sales professional needs.
If you're interested in learning more about the science behind heavy duty filtration, be sure to check out modules 1-5 once you're done with this one!
While the heavy duty industry is a mature industry with experienced buyers,being a successful outside sales professional does not depend on age or gender.
Go the extra mile for your customers and a mile or two further than the other sales professionals out there.
If you're engaging, helpful, attentive and responsive, fleet maintenance managers won't just like you, they'll love you!
This module is designed to give you a better understanding of this sales technique.
interested in making the
transition to outside sales
looking for a career change
within the industry
who wants more direct
interaction with customers
You could end up like Jerry and do
all the things outside sales professionals shouldn’t do:
Now that you’ve seen what not to do(seriously, do NOT do any of the things in the video you just watched)let’s begin mapping out your road to success in outside sales.
Because it’s the No. 1 thing that sets you apart from the competition. Ultimately, your value proposition will determine whether a fleet maintenance manager or parts purchaser chooses you as his or her preferred supplier.
A certified OE supplier to major manufacturers
U.S.-based manufacturing with strong roots in the aftermarket
A commitment to making continuous engineering innovations and advancements in filtration technology by actively exploring new media designs, materials and chemistry
Luber-finer’s digital advatage that includes:
Write down a list of your company's unique strengths. What makes your company better than your competitors at solving problems for fleet maintenance managers and parts purchasers?
If you need help, don't forget the flip card questions above!
you’re ready to work on an equally important aspect of your sales approach:the person you see in the mirror every morning.
Each outside sales professional brings a slightly different approach and personal flair to his or her craft. Those who are the best at helping fleet maintenance managers and parts purchasers solve their problems all share the same basic attributes.
Outside sales is all about personal relationships and relationship selling. Get to know your prospects and find out what makes them tick, because you can’t earn their business until you earn their trust.
On the subject of trust, this one is self-explanatory. No one wants to do business with someone who isn’t truthful. Never misrepresent one of your company's products or services to make a sale.
As college football coach Woody Hayes once said, "Paralyze resistance with persistence."" Never give up trying to find the best solution to your customer’s problems. There’s no better way to win new business.
Bragging about your company's offerings is a huge part of communicating your value proposition. Just don't bash your competition in the process. There's no need to if you can back up your claims.
There's also no substitute for knowing all there is to know about your product and your customer's business. When you get to a point where you can finish your customer's sentences, you’re on the right track.
Just be sure to avoid actually finishing too many of your customer's sentences. Luber-finer sales professionals recommend that you listen twice as much as you speak in order to really learn about your customer’s business needs.
Listening is a huge part of this characteristic. Ask open-ended questions, listen intently to the answers without interrupting, and then ask follow-up questions to determine if there's potential for a sale.
Always be on top of your appointments, orders and follow-through, because second chances are rare in sales. A missed appointment or a botched order almost always equates to a missed opportunity and lost business.
Knowledge allows you to anticipate as many situations as possible. Being organized allows you to react quickly to customer concerns. Both will blow away every fleet maintenance manager or parts purchaser you encounter.
According to the sales strategy experts at Impact Business Partners, 90% of customers won't buy unless you ask, so don't be shy! You’d be surprised how many sales professionals don't ask for the business.
Pain points don’t refer to physical pain. They are specific problems that fleet maintenance managers and parts purchasers need to solve.
The three basics of pain point selling are:
Sell to the person, not the organization
Ask open-ended questions, such as “what takes up most of your time?” and “what bothers your boss the most?”
Offer solutions that will make their lives easier
Mentioning key pain points makes it easier for you to:
Each level requires a different strategy as you progress through the
buying cycle to arrive at the best solution for your customer.
Learn about the symptoms of the issue, rather than the issue itself.
Gather background information about the issue.
Identify previous attempts to solve the problem.
Discuss the financial costs and other consequences of the unresolved issue.
Understand the negative results of not taking action.
Explain why the solution makes business sense.
Focus on how personal impact turns a problem into an urgent need.
Understand how the unresolved issue might affect your customer’s job performance.
Explain the negative impact on other stakeholders in the company.
Heavy Duty Trucking
Yes
1.) Keep the fleet on the road, whatever it takes
2.) See No. 1
1.) When vehicles break down, the fleet isn’t profitable and the boss lets him know about it
2.) The parts he gets from his current supplier are unreliable, and so is the sales rep
Make David’s life easier with better parts and better service
Outside sales professionals deal directly with fleet maintenance managers. They are the decision-makers for parts purchases in large transportation organizations.
It’s true that building a relationship takes time, but fleet maintenance managers are usually busy and often overwhelmed with responsibilities. That’s where you come in with your best elevator pitch.
In 30 seconds or less...
(or roughly the time it took you to read this section) you have to communicate your value proposition and address the biggest concern of all fleet maintenance mangers:
avoiding downtime at all costs.
Nobody ever said outside sales was easy. And if every prospect became a customer,
sales training wouldn’t be necessary.
Dealing with a fleet maintenance manager who is reluctant to switch suppliers is the
biggest challenge outside sales professionals face on a daily basis.
All fleet maintenance mangers are interested in getting the most value for their money.
Instead, sell the value you're offering: service, delivery, fill rate, product support, product knowledge and a relationship-based sales model. If price is still an issue, ask to see the competitor's quote and offer to do a price comparison and analysis. This service should also include assessing the pluses and minuses of the customer's current program, identifying maintenance priorities and performance specs, and defining and setting expectations.
Remember, the fleet maintenance manger's main concern is keeping vehicles on the road. Poor product quality is the biggest reason why a fleet maintenance manager would consider a new parts supplier, but they need to be absolutely sure they will be getting better quality.
Communicating your company's value proposition – either over a period of time or in a 30-second elevator pitch when necessary – will help you address the fleet maintenance manager's primary pain points and instill confidence in the products you sell. Proven performance and OE certification are just two examples of Luber-finer's commitment to quality.
Many fleet maintenance mangers have been dealing with the same company for decades. They don't want time-consuming disruptions in their processes caused by switching sales reps and learning new part numbers.
Offer to assist with the transition to new part numbers, which will also reinforce your commitment to customer service. You can also solidify your company's brand value by showing up with in-house experts, offering free training and facility tours, and presenting competitive data and testimonials from other fleets.
Conquering these obstacles is important to being a successful outside sales professional in the heavy duty industry, but there’s one more key to being great.
Filters are not the most glamorous or even the most profitable items in the heavy duty parts world. So why are they the first thing successful outside sales professionals offer their customers?
Every fleet maintenance manager and parts purchaser needs filters. They are a key component to a fleet's uptime and profitability. They also get your customer's attention when you mention the product quality, performance and service levels that a company like Luber-finer provides.
Every vehicle in every fleet needs replacement filters at regular intervals. Recurring revenue means recurring commissions.
Showing up often to sell filters and talk about filter maintenance, quality and performance can lead to questions about other truck parts the fleet maintenance manager needs. These are your opportunities to cross-sell or upsell hundreds of other higher-margin products such as chemicals, batteries, oil, grease and wiper blades.
Historically, Luber-finer sales numbers reflect a consistent trend that, in our experience, has very few exceptions.Let’s compare the 5-year sales history of two accounts with similar volumes of parts purchases:
Adding filters to the mix increased overall sales well beyond the filter purchase alone. And while the filter purchase rose slightly 2 years ago and remained static last year, sales of higher-margin items continued to rise at an exponential rate… because the filter sales helped the sales rep identify the opportunity.
It’s what gives our sales professionals the advantage they need
to make the most of their training, talents and knowledge.
Luber-finer will be a company with a high order fill rate, with regional warehousing in Albion Illinois, Riverside California, Toronto Canada and Costa Rica adding to our strategic advantage.
Luber-finer sales professionals will develop personal relationships with their customers, understand their needs completely and deliver unmatched responsiveness to those needs.
Luber-finer will provide complete clarity and transparency about our special pricing and rebates so they are easy to understand.
Luber-finer sales professionals will have the company's support in every situation and can rely on expert assistance from colleagues on the sales and engineering teams to solve any customer problem.
Luber-finer will eliminate any perceived risk associated with using non-OE parts by offering a warranty that will fully cover any engine or hydraulic system issues that can be traced to a Luber-finer filter.
The Luber-finer heavy duty organization will be "flat to the top" to ensure everyone is accessible, from the front-line sales professionals to the president of the company.
