Salespeople: “Never fail again” Here’s how!

One of the greatest fears of salespeople is failure. Early in his career, the late David H. Sandler, founder of the Sandler Sales Institute, created a mechanism that prevented him, or any salesperson who uses it, from ever failing again. The following adaptation from You Can’t Teach A Kid To Ride A Bike At A Seminar, by David H. Sandler and John P. Hayes, explains Sandler’s technique The Upfront Contract.

John Hayes recalls a magic moment in the book where David Sandler recounts how The Upfront Contract was born. One day, the thought occurred to Sandler that all he really needed to do was establish an agreement with a prospect to see if they had anything to discuss. That took the pressure off trying to close the sale. If they agreed they had something to discuss, they could continue to determine if they should do business together. If there was nothing to discuss, however, no harm done. There was no need to try to sell the prospect.

By establishing the agreement or a contract before Sandler tried to sell his services, he could call on anyone and never risk failing. Sandler couldn’t fail trying to get an upfront contract. Either he got a commitment to continue, or he didn’t. If he did, all the better, and if he didn’t, Sandler was out the door, no regrets. Suddenly, selling became more of a game than a risk or a challenge. If you think of selling as a game, then you’ll find it appropriate to use The Upfront Contract.

Every sport uses one. Before a baseball game, the umpire calls the managers from the opposing teams to home plate, and they discuss the rules of the game. They agree on what’s foul and fair, what makes a home run, and they review any unusual circumstances about the ballpark. Later, during the game, if a batter hits a ball behind the catcher, up over the screen, and into the crowd, there’s no argument that it’s a foul ball. . . Why don’t salespeople take the same approach? What could be more honest than to establish a set of rules at the beginning of interacting with a prospect?

An Upfront Contract, or better yet, a series of Upfront Contracts, will save time for both you and the prospect, and help you make more money in sales without offending anyone. By always arriving at an agreement up front, you and the prospect can avoid misunderstandings, as well as the rhetoric and posturing that often occurs during the selling dance. An Upfront Contract improves communications and greatly enhances the profession of selling.

Here are some samples of how to form Upfront Contracts:

When you meet your prospect (either on the phone or in person), say something like this: “Jim, let’s set some ground rules for our meeting. I’d like to have the opportunity to ask you some questions about your business, and I’d also like you to ask me anything you’d like about my product. Is that okay with you?” (First Upfront Contract).

As we ask and answer each other’s questions, “Jim, we may decide there isn’t a fit between what you need and my product. We may decide it doesn’t make sense to spend any more time together. If we reach that point, are you comfortable telling me that?” (Second Upfront Contract).

“On the other hand, if you see that my product makes sense to you, we can decide to move forward. Okay, Jim?” (Third Upfront Contract).

“When we finish today, Jim, we can set up the ground rules as to how you and I will proceed. Is that satisfactory?” (Fourth Upfront Contract).

See how it works?

The more often Sandler used upfront contracting in sales calls, he discovered there was rarely a need to make a presentation. . . Why? Because when you create a series of contracts, prospects can experience how your product or service will fulfill their needs. As you develop the contracts, you gently guide the prospects to see that your product or service can eliminate the problem or provide the solution.

By establishing Upfront Contracts, you’re not guaranteed to get every order. . . However, establishing Upfront Contracts will guarantee your control of the selling process, every step of the way. As a salesperson, you’ll get in the habit of never making a move without knowing in advance what will happen when you do.

Even small items require an Upfront Contract. For example, your prospect asks you to call back on Thursday, but you don’t know why. Gently say, “Sally, I’ll be happy to call you on Thursday. . . what will happen when we talk on Thursday?” Before you give up control of a selling situation, take the opportunity to get an Upfront Contract.

Upfront contracting won’t be easy because it’s asking you to change your behavior. At first, it’s going to feel awkward, but the more you use the technique, the faster you’ll master it.

One final word: The most important Upfront Contract you will ever make is with yourself. It’s the contract that says nothing will drive you out of sales. The only way you can break that contract is to quit. Don’t.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com.

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Felling Trailers Inc. announces beneficiary of 2023 Trailer for a Cause

Felling Trailers will host its eleventh annual Trailer for a Cause online auction of an FT-3 Utility trailer to benefit a nonprofit organization. Felling has selected Pockets of Hope as the 2023 Trailer for a Cause auction beneficiary. The previous Trailer for a Cause auctions have raised nearly $40,000 for nonprofit organizations. Felling Trailers' goal is to bring awareness to various nonprofits that are making a difference by donating 100% of the winning bid from the auction to a different nonprofit each year.

www.felling.com

ALAN opens nominations for 2023 Humanitarian Logistics Awards

The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has officially opened nominations for its seventh annual Humanitarian Logistics Awards, and it’s asking for your help in identifying some of this year’s most deserving honorees. Nominations (including self-nominations) can be made via ALAN’s website (https://www.alanaid.org/ humanitarian-awards-nomination/) between now and June 25th. Winners will be announced this fall at the annual CSCMP Edge Conference. ALAN’s Humanitarian Logistics Awards are open to any logistics professional, academic, organization, or department. They are awarded in four key categories.

www.alanaid.org

Keynote sessions highlight Safety 2023 in San Antonio

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has unveiled a plenary session that will join two general sessions in a dynamic program designed to inspire, entertain and inform attendees of the Safety 2023 Professional Development Conference and Exposition in San Antonio. ASSP’s signature event will take place June 5-7 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center along the River Walk. At the expo, nearly 500 companies will showcase innovative safety solutions that can help organizations reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.

www.safety.assp.org/registration

Growth in Material Handling Automation evident at ABCO-CEO confirms

An industry report released in March that forecasts a nine percent increase by 2029 in automated material handling systems accurately reflects trends recently seen at ABCO Systems, according to CEO Seth Weisberg. The report from Exactitude Consultancy projected the automated material handling equipment market will reach $51.7 billion by 2029. The report said the automated material handling market will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 9.1 percent. As more businesses embrace automation, they are also finding there is a range of options that can improve their processes.

www.AbcoSystems.net

Nuts & Bolts Acquisitions, expansions & other business news

CLARK Material Handling Company recognizes the 2023 Dealer of Excellence winners

CLARK Material Handling Company has announced the winners of the 2023 Dealer of Excellence and 2023 Dealer of Excellence Advantage awards. The CLARK Dealer of Excellence awards are presented annually to dealers in the CLARK dealer network that achieve high performance within their assigned regions.

Based on 2022 performance, the following six dealers have earned the Dealer of Excellence Advantage award for 2023:

• Sunbelt Material Handling – Dallas, Texas

• Forklifts of Minnesota – Bloomington, Minnesota

• Brandt Tractor – Regina, Saskatchewan

• C&B Material Handling – Shreveport, Louisiana

• The Lilly Company – Birmingham, Alabama

• Ardent Industrial Equipment – Savannah, Georgia

Additionally, CLARK recognized Darr Equipment LP with the Headwinds Award, recognizing its efforts in the face of great challenges since becoming an authorized CLARK dealer in early 2020. CLARK also recognized Forklifts of Minnesota as the 2023 Dealer of the Year.

Trelleborg Wheel Systems officially joins The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. operating under the name “Yokohama TWS”

Following last year’s announcement,

Trelleborg

Wheel Systems announced the acquisition by The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has been successfully completed for 2,074 million euros.

From this day forward, the company will officially be part of The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., operating under the name “Yokohama TWS” as a new company. This acquisition enables The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. to consolidate its leading position among tire producers in the world, becoming a global leader in the off-highway tires segment with the addition of Trelleborg, Mitas, Maximo, Cultor brands, and Interfit service network to its portfolio. The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. employs over 28,000 people around the globe and operates in more than 120 countries.

www.yokohama-tws.com

KION Group with a strong start to 2023

As already published on April 19, 2023, KION Group started strongly into 2023, despite a continued challenging market environment. The positive development of the Group’s business was mainly due to the Industrial Trucks & Services (ITS) segment performing much stronger than expected in the first quarter of 2023. The ITS segment, which focuses on forklift trucks, warehouse technology, and associated services, grew revenue by 16.7 percent year-on-year to €2.0 billion (Q1 2022: €1.7 billion). ITS made good progress executing the sizeable order book that was built last year, with positive effects on revenue growth. Dynamic price increases implemented in 2022 materialized already in the first quarter of 2023 and boosted revenue growth earlier than expected.

www.kiongroup.com

Barcoding Inc. acquires Procensis Inc.

Barcoding, Inc. has announced its acquisition of Procensis, Inc., a mobility solutions provider based in Warminster, Pennsylvania. This acquisition represents Barcoding's focused investment in enterprise mobility and managed services to support its growing customer base. Following Barcoding's Process-People-Technology approach and proprietary delivery framework, Barcoding customers will now benefit from Procensis' expertise in wearable and mobile computing, screen modernization, user interface design, and integration with leading Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).

www.barcoding.com www.procensis.com

Motion names new Senior Vice President and CFO

Motion Industries, Inc., a distributor of maintenance, repair, and operation replacement parts, and a premier provider of industrial technology solutions have announced the promotion of Patrick Cummings to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Cummings will report directly to Mr. Breaux. He will also work closely with Bert Nappier, EVP and Chief Financial Officer of GPC, and the CFOs of the other GPC business units worldwide.

www.motion.com

Pacific Coast Iron joins LiuGong North America Dealer lineup

Pacific Coast Iron, Inc. is the latest West Coast construction equipment dealer to join the rapidly expanding LiuGong North America dealership network. Pacific Coast Iron leaders said they partnered with LiuGong to continue selling premium construction equipment at a fair market value. Pacific Coast Iron is a national heavy equipment dealership located near Sacramento, California. Established in 2013, the business brings a decade of experience buying and selling heavy equipment to the LiuGong dealer lineup, along with a wealth of relationships with dealers, buyers, and other industry stakeholders.

www.pciheavyequipment.com www.liugongna.com

Andrew Manship appointed as Vanderlande’s next CEO

Vanderlande has announced the appointment of Andrew Manship as its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Andrew will take up the position on January 1, 2024, succeeding current CEO, Remo Brunschwiler, who has the intention to end his executive management career on December 31, 2023 and thereafter transition to nonexecutive management positions. Andrew is currently the company’s Executive VP of BU Airport & Parcel Solutions. He brings a strong customerdriven focus to his new role, as well as a deep understanding of Vanderlande’s business strategy, activities, and global markets.

www.vanderlande.com/us