Marketing your products.

Selling contract doors and hardware is a wonderful challenge. Success requires a skillful blending of a wide array of talents and skills. If you are like me, the variety of opportunities keeps your mind working in high gear all day and satisfies the need for a constantly-changing work environment. Don't lose track of why you enjoy what you do. Focusing on the positive generates an exciting and persuasive approach.

The key elements to any successful endeavor are: 1) Setting a goal and 2) Developing a plan to achieve it, which is both enjoyable and interesting.

The trick has always been the latter. Start from the bottom up. Define or list what would make selling enjoyable and interesting for you. You may be surprised - the very items you list will actually make you a better salesperson.

Webster's defines "strategy" as, "A plan, method or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result." In this case, the result is closing the sale and the goal is developing loyal, satisfied customers. Most of us tend to view sales in our industry as identifying a bid opportunity from the local Dodge plan room, bidding the project against every competitor in town, then trying to close the order without leaving too much on the table.

This method of marketing your products tends to reward "not-for-profit" organizations or the estimator that makes the worst mistake. I would propose an alternative strategy. It requires a change in perspective, but the rewards are both personally satisfying and produce results.

Most of us view each bid or quote request as a price war. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Each bid or quote is really a potential customer crying out for you to identify and eliminate his or her door and hardware-related problems. The challenge is to determine what the problems are and develop a plan to convince them you have the answers. To do this, there are two measuring sticks by which you must measure every situation: 1) What can I do to make myself different from my competition (differentiation), and (2) how can I add value to the products I sell (value-added distribution)? If you stop to answer these two questions, you may find hundreds of methods and be well on your way to becoming a star salesperson.

To create a difference, you must first know your competition's strengths and weaknesses. Start a personal "war strategies" journal with market research relating to each of your competitors. Take your competitors' weak areas and be determined to make them your strengths. Use this information to choose your arena. Select opportunities that will highlight these differences and make an impact.

Adding value to the products you sell can be a very personal effort. Every salesman, from novice to expert, is capable of defining an effective personal approach. You could add value by providing attentive and conscientious service, or possibly through a commitment to eliminate misapplication by way of code and applications knowledge. Your choices may influence whether you target general contractors, end-users or design professionals, but all provide an equal opportunity to generate a distinguished and successful career.

Successfully incorporating these concepts into your life and career will remove you from the bid market forever. People will have a reason besides price to deal with you and they will tell others. Customers will ask for you, negotiated work will drop into your lap, and competitive pressures will relax. This may sound wonderful, but the best part is the feeling of personal pride in knowing your customers have a choice and they come to you because they believe you are the best.

Remember, these exercises will create an image of your choosing which will be carried with you at all times. Make it one you are comfortable with and proud of. Nothing affects a career more substantially than your reputation. It will follow you no matter where you work. Establishing a strong reputation should be your highest goal. Don't motivate yourself to work hard because of your boss or compensation. Work hard because your customer is counting on you and everything you desire in your career will come to you, in the end.