Get A New Ladder
Jeffrey Gitomer has presented his powerful sales ideas to MHEDA member distributors in a number of forums, all of which were widely praised. (This includes an online, interactive, start-it-when-you-want version presented by Peter Rice from the MHEDA Web site at a 40% discount). Once you hear him, you buy the book and look forward to receiving his e-newsletter. Great Stuff! His April 29 edition uses the Chicken Little title, “The Economy is Falling. The Economy is Falling.” In it, Gitomer's two main points are: 1. Business is not down, it is just different. 2. The low-hanging fruit of two years ago is now much higher in the tree. You know who is going to grab that fruit... the material handling distributor who goes and gets a new ladder.
This issue of The MHEDA Journal is about sales drivers, new ladders if you will. Before you read any of the articles, you need to address the first and most important sales driver, which could be labeled “Avoiding Revenue Roadblocks.” How easy is it to transact business with you? Perform a self-audit. Does everyone have a great attitude and express it the majority of the time? Does your culture reveal itself during every customer interaction? Do you perform the routine flawlessly and timely? Fundamentally, are you building a relationship with customers that is based on a clearly seen empathy for their needs? Just how good of a partner are you? MHEDA does offer some help here in the form of its Mystery Shopper affinity with the first three calls free. Check it out.
Another not so obvious way to build sales is to set yourself apart from the crowd by creating a credential of professionalism out of your MHEDA membership. For two years now, the trade press has been running “Value of MHEDA” ads planting the seeds of distinction in end-users' brains. Build on that. Utilize the marketing pieces you can download from www.mheda.org and place them in your proposals as added confirmation that your solution is the most professional. Our friends at Data Key Communications are adding validity to the credential with the development of wikiMHEDA. Extensive descriptions are included in articles in this Journal. Read them and then jump into this site, personalized for you and optimized by you, attracting customers you do not even
know exist.
While on the Web site (hint: use it), check out some specific tools offered that can drive sales. Explore networking opportunities such as MHEDA-NET where the great ideas your peers have been using to raise revenues can now be shared with your team. Tap into another source while there, the “Asked and Answered” database of questions submitted by members with solutions from board members. Examine the webinars and sign up to learn about the latest and greatest in Web site optimization as an example. If you missed one, you can still get a recording and hard copy notes for the original webinar fee. The November program designed to drive sales using your frontline service people is a must for my team. Get on the Web site and point and click and find
some more.
By all reports, this year's MHEDA Convention was a rousing success. See the pictures starting on page 68. The surveys completed by attendees provided the highest grades across the board compared to recent years. First-time attendees were impressed, material handling supplier associates raved about the Exhibitors Showcase and its “speed networking.” Most important to me were the comments from old friends attending for the first time in years who left very surprised by the quality and timeliness of the topics presented at all sessions. Thank you all for being there. We know the investment was worth it. For those who could not make it, plan on Marco Island next year and get engaged.
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