When it comes to generating sales through your plumbing showroom, you’re at risk of falling prey to the “if you build it, they will come” syndrome.
Intellectually we know that this is ridiculous - that much more needs to be brought to the party before you can start counting your showroom profit dollars. In fact, of all of the various other factors involved in turning your showroom into a profit center, none has more influence in the make-it-or-break-it equation than the presence of truly skilled showroom salespeople.
Yet it’s true in today’s tight job market, where qualified people are hard to find, that we often can’t find the “perfect” salesperson for this critical role. So you hire someone with sales experience in another line of products. Or you move someone from your inside our outside sales team. When it comes to the specialized needs of the people shopping in your showroom, are you giving your sales team a fighting chance? Do they have the information they need to hone their skills in this specialty area of sales?
For a long time, there was no recognized sales training course for showroom salespeople in our industry, at least not one that was created with the wholesaler showroom in mind. But earlier this year, the ASA Education Foundation, together with noted showrooms aceHank Darlington, introduced a perfect new resource, calledEssentials of Profitable Showroom Sales – Mastering the Art of the Consultative Sale.
We’ve provided an excerpt from the course (see the link below) to help illustrate the targeted lesions that it offers throughout its 215 pages. In addition to offering instruction in sales techniques and consultations, there are chapters that address the showroom itself and how the showroom sales professional can continue to build the business. A detailed glossary and appendix provide added learning tools, including exercises and role-playing suggestions for practicing sales techniques.
For more information about the Essentials of Profitable Showroom Sales course, visitwww.asa.netor call the ASA Education Foundation at 312-464-0090.
