The business landscape is ever changing and we, by the skin of our teeth, change with it. With competition growing and margins shrinking it is getting more and more difficult to build and maintain relationships with customers, unless you can almost immediately show value in what you have to offer. Because of this, so many are looking to the quick sale; playing outside the ethical lines to grow those profits. I can't. It's not in my makeup and it's not in DEL's makeup.
Sure, every sales person wants that quick sale. Walk in, sign some papers and land that elusive white whale. But that's not how this business is, and that's why we are teased and scolded for asking "questions the other guys never ask".
DEL views relationships with customers as a partnership. We do not succeed unless you do, and quite frankly, the better you do, the better we do. We don't want to simply be your one time provider of 'body x'. Selling something once is easy. Being your go to body consultant takes work and attention. Many times, those half dozen or so annoying extra questions flush out ideas and/or situations that would have been overlooked and potentially costly down the line. Often, we've been able to make an upfit package more efficient and/or easy to use with minimal to no extra cost, all made possible before the build. Those extra ten minutes of us peppering you with questions might save us all time, money and Tylenol.
In sales we're often told to 'protect the customer from themselves'; surprisingly, even the most astute and successful business person can become singularly focused or too stuck on appearance when it comes to an equipment purchase. While I agree with this in many cases, I also believe that we must protect the salespeople from themselves. As margins shrink, sales people are expected to grow sales volume. This can lead to rushing from one sale to the next, leaving details to fall through the cracks. Patience and taking time to flesh out all the needs and wants for each purchase, avoids so many potential problems; but it takes time, and time is money.
So not only is buying from DEL going to take a little more time, chances are, we won't always be the lowest price. Best Value? Almost always. Those dollars you see up front on our quotes and proposals are a real cost, a cost that may seem silly when upfront purchase price is the deciding factor. The question is: what does the cost of oversight add to that low, low purchase price over the life of that purchase?
The key to a successful partnership is trust. Building that trust requires some faith on both parts, and it should not be taken lightly. The reality is we are co-dependant. The days of buying solely on relationship are gone, the days of price above all seem to be taking their place; there needs to be a balance; A balance between buying the best equipment from the best manufacturer for the value. We can only give you the information and trust that you will make the best choice for you based on your needs. We can only give you that with a clear understanding of the scope of work you want to accomplish with the equipment.
Written by: Jacques Lamothe, Northern Ontario Sales
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