It’s a jungle out there! It’s competitive. It’s challenging. And the material handling marketplace is filled with buyers who are indeed buying product. The MHEDA Journal went on safari and visited 32 Superstar Salespeople. The Superstars are succeeding. They are breaking sales records and achieving their personal best in, some may say, a challenging environment.
They were tough interviews. They weren’t braggarts. They repeatedly stated that they really didn’t do anything that unusual. We were searching for the common denominator and we found it. They all believe that the price of success is much lower than the price of failure. They enjoy winning. They enjoy success. And most of all they enjoy providing their customers with their absolute best.
While talking with these Sales Superstars we uncovered a basic truth that they discovered early in their careers: there is no secret to success. Success comes to those who work hard, are persistent, are honest, are passionate about creating solutions for their customers, who know their product, and who have a burning desire to win. None of this is new. But sometimes we all need to be reminded of the basics.
While there is no magic formula for sales success we are reminded of some basic tenets that sales managers throughout the country teach each beginning salesperson.
- Salespeople are made not born.
- Listening is not the same as hearing.
- There are no shortcuts to success.
- You climb the highest by staying on the level.
- You have to be passionate about the hunt.
These Superstars have hit the nail on the head. They have given words to their work ethic and their commitment to customer service. Their wisdom is rewarded by the success that comes with knowing that they are giving their best every day. Their companies are benefitting from their efforts, but perhaps the greatest winners of all are their customers. We salute these Superstars’ achievements and we salute the professionalism they represent.
| Lorne Autry Age 35 Berry Material Handling, Inc. Wichita, KS On the job: 2 years Previous sales experience: None |
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“My typical day starts at 7:30 a.m. If I don’t have an early morning appointment with a customer, I may be working at my laptop computer to create proposals and quotes for various customers. Still, in order to fulfill the promises I make to my customers, I complete paperwork, proposals, quotes, and research at least three times a week from 9:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. I place a lot of pressure on myself. I enjoy competing and winning! “At least 10% of my sales calls are cold calls. The person I most depend on is my sales manager, Rich Evangelista. He routinely draws on his industry experience to help me find the right application and solution to meet my customers’ objectives. He’s also a strong closer.”
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Steve Cagle Age 52 Cannon/Tayloe, Inc. Dallas, TX On the job: 20 years Previous sales experience: 8 years |
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“I generally work from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., and will work a few evenings a week. I’m tenacious and have a ‘no give up’ attitude. There are no shortcuts to making the sale. I enjoy the hunt and the thrill of the chase as I dig up new prospects. No one makes enough cold calls. Depending on how busy I am, I’ll make at least two or three a day. I try to act as my customer’s purchasing agent, looking out for his interests, providing solutions instead of more problems. I want my customer to rely on me for answers.”
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Dale Castonguay
Age 48 E. D. Farrell Company, Inc. West Seneca, NY On the job: 7 years Previous sales experience: 10 years |
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“I typically work from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. I’m a believer in networking, so I establish a rapport with a variety of individuals within an organization. Any one of those individuals could influence a purchasing decision in the future.”
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Mike Cooper Age 34 Advanced Equipment Company, Inc. Capitol Heights, MD On the job: 2 years Previous sales experience: 15 years |
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| “I’m working in a newly established territory. I make at least 10 calls every day from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and do paperwork for at least an hour, three evenings a week. Each evening I choose the companies I’d like to do business with, qualifying them in advance and determining which products I think they’d be interested in. I’m motivated by money, but more important, I have a need to win. Salespeople are like fighter pilots, we function as hired guns. Jerry Yochelson, president provides me with product updates and helps me to understand how to sell the particular product. It’s one thing to talk the talk but you must have product knowledge.” |
| Chris Cronk Age 30 Dunn/Powers Caster Corporation Phoenix, AZ On the job: 5 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “Work is fun. My typical day starts at 7:30 a.m. and I work until a little past 5:00 p.m. Generally, I must do paperwork at least three times a week, from about 9:00-10:30 p.m. I have to work hard. For support, I rely most often on my sales manager, Vice President Monte Powers.” | ||
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Mike Di Iusto
Age 38 A.J. Jersey, Inc. South Plainfield, NJ On the job: 10 years Previous sales experience: 5 years |
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“I spend evenings preparing for each of the next day’s calls. My day starts at 7:30 a.m., and I continue to call on customers until 5:00 p.m. I do office work between 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. three or four times a week. Money is a prime motivator. I love the lifestyle I lead. If it means working lots of hours to live my lifestyle, I’ll do it. I rely on my sales manager, John Robertson, for assistance in closing and for help in overcoming objections.” (Ed. note: Mike has been named Crown Manufacturing Company’s “Salesman of the Year” for three consecutive years.)
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Barry Frome Age 60 Electric Forklift Repair Corp. New Brunswick, NY On the job: 5 years Previous sales experience: 5 years |
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| “I work from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and before leaving work, prepare each day for the next one, writing down the names of the people I want to talk with and what I want to accomplish. I love helping my customers and providing them with the service to make their own work easier and more efficient. It’s important to spend time with the service technicians, because together we can provide better service to our customer.” | ||
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Phil Glasgow
Age 62 VanLyn, Inc. Memphis, TN On the job: 14 years Previous sales experience: 22 years |
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| “I work from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. I prepare quotes and estimates just about every evening and sometimes work on the weekend. My goal is to quickly respond to every customer. An example: On Sunday, December 30, a major customer flooded a main production area with a sprinkler break. Lift table motors and 100+ control cards for powered rollers were ruined. With help they were running at full capacity by 8:00 a.m. on January 2, 2002. I love this work. About 20% of my calls are cold calls. If you can pay attention to your customer and if you learn to listen to that customer, the reward is a very good income.” | ||
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John Haeseler Age 49 Ohio Materials Handling, Inc. Bedford, OH On the job: 27 years Previous sales experience: None |
“I’m on the road by 7:30 a.m. and generally home by 6:00 p.m. I do most of my planning for the week on Saturday or Sunday. Persistence, along with hard work and knowledge, are the keys to success. I like what I do and do not like getting beat. Competition is the bottom line.”
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Wayne Halligan
Age 63 Materials Handling Equipment Company Denver, CO On the job: 28 years Previous sales experience: 4 years |
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| “I work an average of 10 hours a day and begin making sales calls at 7:00 a.m. I determine which market niches within my territory are particularly hot, and I will focus on the specific appropriate product. I am persistent. Recently I opened a new territory and 20% of my calls are cold calls. There is satisfaction from properly applying the right product, meeting a customer’s needs, and doing the job that needs to be done.” |
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Mo Honeycutt Age 48 Carolina Handling, LLC Charlotte, NC On the job: 6 1/2 years Previous sales experience: 23 years |
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| “I complete paperwork during the early morning hours between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. I also spend an hour or two working each evening. My days are typically twelve hour days. I’ve worked hard all my life, because I don’t know any other way to work. I try to be friendly and professional, attempting to access my customer’s needs and using all available resources to best meet those needs. People buy from people. I’m motivated by competition and the desire to succeed.” | ||
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Bob Hutson
Age 45 Werres Corporation Frederick, MD On the job: 12 1/2 years Previous sales experience: 10 1/2 years. |
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| “My day begins by 6:45 a.m. Over the years, I’ve learned to meld my personal and work lives. It’s an attitude. It’s not uncommon for me to visit a customer on a weekend. It’s important to think outside of the box and to be creative in finding solutions for my customer’s problems. My integrity and word are golden. No matter how painful it is, I will honor my commitment to my customers. I am proud of what I do. I’m a 100% commission paid salesperson, yet money is not my motivation. As we move forward, most purchasing people try to reduce us to selling a commodity. It’s my job to get as removed as possible from that thinking.” | ||
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Rodger Katter Age 35 Bastian Material Handling, LLC Indianapolis, IN On the job: 12 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “Twelve hour days are not out of the question. I do whatever is required to make my customers happy. If you have your customer’s best interests in mind, you will do whatever it takes. I love my job! That means I must put in the effort and time to perform my job to the best of my ability.” | ||
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Tom Keiser
Age 48 Industrial Shelving Systems, Inc. St. Louis, MO On the job: 22 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “I generally work from 6:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. I don’t consider myself a salesperson. I hunt for problems and then I provide a solution. When calling on a customer for the first time, I never carry catalogs. I carry a clipboard and a tape measure. How can I carry a catalog if I don’t know what the customer needs? Money is a prime motivator and it is how I take care of my family’s wants and needs. My satisfaction comes from a job well done when I have done what I needed to do, to meet the customer’s needs.” |
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Frank Kernan Age 49 M&G Materials Handling Company East Providence, RI On the job: 22 years Previous sales experience: 6 years |
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| “My typical day begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m. I enjoy making sales calls and becoming involved in my customer’s operations. It’s fascinating to discover how business cycles work and then to learn how to apply what I know to help my customer. I am curious. 25% of my calls are cold calls. I like them because I can walk in a door and 30 seconds later I am in the thick of it, hearing about that customer’s needs! A company may be located in an old dilapidated building and is faced with adapting the facility to a new manufacturing process. Finding my role in that process interests me. I don’t want to make a sale, I want to create a customer.” |
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Rege Klein
Age 58 Beckwith Machinery Company North Versailles, PA On the job: 35 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “I typically start my day at 6:00 a.m., putting together quotes and finishing my paperwork. By 7:00 a.m. I’m on the road until 5:00 p.m. There are times when I work on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I am focused on getting to know my customers and providing them with the products they need. You have to work hard to earn a customer’s loyalty. Competition is fierce, and I demand a lot from myself. I don’t want to lose a single order. I’m motivated by winning and by making money.” | ||
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Bob Lunt Age 35 Interstate Lift Trucks, Inc. Cleveland, OH On the job: 3 1/2 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “By 5:30 a.m., I’m doing my paperwork and preparing for the day ahead. I typically work until 5:00 p.m. Fifty percent of my calls are cold calls. I’m motivated by the fact that I have a house payment to make. I want to succeed. As a trained geologist, I had never worked in sales. I want to prove the people who said I couldn’t sell, wrong. Sales is a learned talent. Persistence is a key. A lot of my success has been tied to remaining friendly with my customers. My customers open up to me. If I can get them to laugh, they will lower the walls and open up to me. It’s my job to listen to what my customer says is important. I tailor my presentation to the specific objectives and needs of each customer. I don’t waste my customer’s time, addressing objectives that aren’t important to my customer.” |
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| Matt Maddock Age 34 Sunbelt Industrial Trucks Dallas, TX On the job: 7 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “My day generally begins by 7:00 a.m. and I am usually in front of a customer by 7:30 a.m. The earlier my day starts, the more productive I feel. I am generally home by 7:00 p.m. I would rather do paperwork in the evenings or on a weekend in order to spend more time with customers. I’m motivated by money. The first sale I make is myself; the second is my company; the product is the last element of the transaction.” | ||
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Clayton Mangan Age 47 U.S. Materials Handling Corp.East Syracuse, NY On the job 25 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “Depending on whether or not I’ve scheduled appointments, my day can begin as early as 6:30 a.m. and end as late as 7:00 p.m. I’m usually in the field two or three days a week. You have to have perseverance and you must be service-oriented in order to develop a long-term relationship with a customer. I have a positive mental attitude. I am here to help my customer regardless if that customer is interested in a large order or a small order. I’m competitive. I want to win for both the monetary reward and for the sake of winning. Sometimes I am competing against the project itself, just to bring it to fruition.” |
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George Monarque Age 41 Modern Handling Equipment of New Jersey, Inc. Edison, NJ On the job: 7 years (with company 22 years in non-sales positions) Previous sales experience: None |
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| “If I make my customer’s job easier, it’s a win-win-win situation for me, my company and my customer. I generally work from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and do paperwork for at least an hour every evening. To succeed, you must invest time and effort. Twenty five percent of my calls are cold calls. I love the forklift business. I love my job. It’s simple: if you enjoy what you are doing, you’ll be good at it. I learn something new about people and about their businesses each day. During my career with Modern, I’ve worked as a driver, a welder, and a mechanic. My business card says that I am an Aftermarket Salesperson, but I consider myself a Customer Service Representative. There’s nothing worse than selling a product just to make the sale, with no regard for the customer’s needs.” (Ed. note: Sir George is a distinguished “Hyster Knight of Unisource.”) |
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Paul Neenan Age 53 Key Material Handling Equipment Co., Inc. Brooklyn, NY On the job: 8 years Previous sales experience: 19 years |
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| “My day typically starts at 9:00 a.m., and I generally make my last sales call at 4:30 p.m. I follow up on even the smallest details. There’s an expression: “If you think small, big things will happen.” I listen, to learn what the customer is trying to accomplish and then determine if I have a product that will meet those objectives. Most customers are available early or late in the day. I prefer to meet with them later in the day because they are less likely to be distracted. I’m motivated by a sense of competition.” |
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Mark Palmer
Age 40 Cisco-Eagle, Inc. Tulsa, OK On the job: 3 years Previous sales experience: 17 years |
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“I am typically working by 6:30 a.m. My day ends sometime between 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. It’s important to understand what your customer wants, what he expects, and to never let him down. I’m motivated by the satisfaction of doing a good job. I used to think I was motivated by money, but money is really secondary.”
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Jim Patterson Age 56 Springer Equipment Co., Inc. Birmingham, AL On the job: 5 years Previous sales experience: 30 years |
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| “I generally work from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. It’s important to realize that greed is not a dirty word. I am expected to command a certain percentage of market share. I personally don’t want to limit myself to that percentage of market share. I want it all! My employer’s management style is one of allowing me to ask for his forgiveness as opposed to his permission. He allows me to work as if I am self-employed. “There are several keys to success: First, I am part of a team that is focused on meeting the customer’s objectives. Second, I have absolute confidence in the manufacturers my company represents. Third, there is no substitute for forming a partnership with customers.” |
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Perry Patton
Age 35 The Bailey Company, Inc. Nashville, TN On the job: 16 years Previous sales experience: 2 years |
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| “My day starts by 8:00 a.m. and I remain focused until 5:00 p.m. I see a minimum of 10 customers a day, sometimes a combination of cold calls and existing customers. You have to show up every day and remain focused for those eight hours. I rely on our service manager Jimmy Ledford. He understands and can easily answer my customer’s mechanical questions and will often accompany me on a sales call.” |
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Jerry Ray Age 59 North West Handling Systems, Inc. Renton, WA On the job: 5 years Previous sales experience: 27 years |
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| “I work from 7:15 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. or later. If I’m working on a project I can easily work until 9:00 p.m. My average day is 10 hours. Customers trust me. My objective is to make them happy. They know that I want to provide them with a service at a reasonable profit. I make “reminder calls,” calling on customers that I’ve met over the years, but don’t necessarily speak with frequently. The challenge of making the sale motivates me. I want to become an integral part of my customer’s company. I want to help them to solve their problems. In 32 years, I’ve never had a boring day. Each day brings a new victory.” |
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Mark Santos
Age 40 Hy-Tek Material Handling, Inc. Columbus, OH On the job: 2 1/2 years Previous sales experience: 11 years |
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| “I start my day between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. and I don’t think it ever ends. While I try to close up by 5:00 or 6:00 p.m., I find myself working until as late as midnight, two or three times a week. Two years ago I was opening a new territory and had no base of customers. Today, only 15% of my calls are true cold calls. I work hard to provide each customer with the best possible solution and when I lose a sale, I really believe that the customer has lost.” |
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Dave Schaadt Age 43 W.T. Billard, Inc. Santa Fe Springs, CA On the job: 8 years Previous sales experience: None |
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| “I start extremely early in the day and am very organized. I start working, planning my day and doing work no later than 3:00 a.m. By 6:00 a.m., I’m on the road, ending my day at 5:00 p.m. I’m excited about what I do. I get a kick out of it. This is a relationship business. If I do happen to get into a funk, I can call on any one of a number of customers who are always there for me. My company has always been there for me as well. I am chasing partnerships with each of my clients. If I can provide them with a service and help them, I will; otherwise I have been known to refer a prospect to another company. I don’t have a job. I have a place I can go to each day and have a blast! Its not a job, it’s a career choice.” |
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Al Seguin Age 53 Peach State Integrated Technologies Norcross, GA On the job: 10 years Previous sales experience: 15 years |
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| “If you want to be at the top of your game, building quality relationships with your customers, you must put in longer hours. I’m on the road by 6:30-7:00 a.m. Depending on the day, I may have to be on the road as early as 5:00 a.m. My day ends as late as 7:00-7:30 p.m. I enjoy what I do. It’s always new and interesting.” | ||
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Ryan Sheehan Age 25 Automation Concepts, Inc. Lowell, MA On the job: 4 years Previous sales experience: 1 year |
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| “I am in the office by 8:00 a.m. My workload at night is a function of how much backlog my company has. I am motivated by winning. My work ethic has helped me to succeed. I am able to identify the individuals who influence the buying decision, and which of those individuals I have ‘nailed down.’ I exhaust myself finding the correct solution for my customer.” |
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Bill Spain
Age 44 Hyster New England, Inc. North Billerica, MA On the job: 10 years Previous sales experience: 12 years |
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| “I’m on the road by at least 6:30 a.m. and return home generally by 6:00 p.m. It’s easy for me to work from home and complete my paperwork during the evening and on the weekends. I have my own system for tracking my success and staying on target by keeping detailed records of every call I make. I know that for every 25 calls I make, one customer will place an order. During my conversations with customers, I ask lots of questions. Money’s a big part of what motivates me, but I really enjoy my work! In fact, it’s not work, it’s a lifestyle. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I find it hard to believe that other people aren’t paid on commission. I follow up on every detail related to my customer. Every day I have a list of 13 things I must do (13 is my lucky number). I try to see 4 or 5 customers every day and if I can, I make cold calls.” |
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Brian Williams Age 32 Fred Hill & Son Co. Philadelphia, PA On the job: 3 years Previous sales experience: 11 years |
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| “As an inside sales person, I work from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and sometimes through the lunch hour. My job is to support our outside sales personnel. My goal is to please the customer, providing them with the service they need. I use the Internet as a tool and spend at least an hour each day searching online for customers. Two websites which have been very productive are www.recycle.net and www.pallet-mall.com. I routinely work with customers from as far away as Nebraska.” |
