lolled es Tough timesooo or great times?

By Carlton Smith

EIOR salespeople and managers

I-' alike. it's no secret that these are challenging times in the residential construction industry. And that includes installed sales. Yet how you respond can make the difference between them being tough times or great times for your business.

Here are a few thoughts to consider: If your business experienced significant growth over the last few years, it was most likely due to a combination of the following: ered and installed at acceotable service levels. in the right business to

. The market expanded rapidly in your area.

You had sales reps out in the field talking about your company and product offerings.

. Your company was place at the right time. You managed your service the growth.

. Your company enjoyed a reasonable amount of customer loyalty.

. You paid your bills on time and had solid vendor relationships.

For sales representatives, the hectic pace was challenging. Measuring jobs, meeting deadlines, solving problems, dealing with material shortages, price increases, installation errors, etc. To be blunt, many weren't even selling. Frequently, they were highly paid customer service reps that were taking orders and maintaining relationships. Buying meals and playing golf were the most sales-related activities they had. I know I may have oversimplified the activities, but the reality is that selling was easy.

Fast forward to today.I'll bet most salespeople are shell-shocked. Business has fallen way off and their commission checks are shrinking. The sky is falling and things are terrible out there! Well, things may be terrible, but there are still 800000+ (annualized) single-family housing starts in the U.S. right now. That's 66,666 per month!

There are also a lot of light commercial, multi-family, and good specialty sales opportunities out there for those that are willing to put forth a little extra effort and pursue non-traditional channels.

Are salespeople really pursuing these opportunities? Are they aware of who is cunently building and whom they use for the products and services your company could be providing? Have they identified competitive target accounts and discovered what it's going to take to get their business?

In many cases,I would bet the real answer is no. Cold calling and new business development has not been their strong suit in the past and is uncomfortable for them now, when it's most important.

As you position your company for the recovery, here are some questions that salespeople and managers need to consider:

Specifically, why do your customers buy from your company?

. What sets your company apart from your competition? Can you quantify it?

Are you partnering with the right suppliers?

. What are you doing to protect your good customers who pay on time?

. What customers do your competitors have that you would like to have?

. What do those customers value in your competitor that keeps you from getting their business?

. What is it going to take to get those customers to switch their business over to you?

What are you doing now to get new business and to position yourself for the recovery?

. If you're a business managerl owner. what are you doing to position your business to rise with the new tide when it finally does come in?

Does your competition know your customers better than you do?

. Do you know the competition's customer(s) better than they do?

I hope you have good answers to these questions and are positioned to take full advantage of new business opportunities as you uncover them. Validate the effectiveness of your current employees, streamline and position your businesses for the recovery, and make necessary adjustments that will have a positive impact on your bottom line not only today, but well into the future.

- Formerll: the owner oJ a successful instaLled sales business in Atlanta. Ga.. Carlton Smith offers sales training and business development consulting for owners of installed sales operations. He can be contacted at csmith360@ hotmail,com or (678) 982-5852,