DSR Live!

Owner/operator, Chad Beardon of Click’s Steakhouse in Pawnee, Oklahoma tells how he runs his day-to-day operations.  Since 1962, Click’s Steakhouse has been serving up steaks, seafood, and burgers, plus breading their own mushrooms and onion rings, along with making their own desserts.

Chad talks about:  

·         How many Distributors he uses, and how much he purchases per week

·         Not using Social Media

·         Not knowing the name of one Broker who reps any of the products he buys

·         Receiving information on products and trends through EMAIL

·         Using Ben E. Keith’s, KeithNet and their COP Specialist’s videos on YouTube for ideas

·         Brand websites, he does not have time to visit many, but did use one recently

·         What bothers him about DSRs

·         How fast he would like a call-back from a DSR

Listen to the show for Beardon’s thoughts on the above and hear if he is more loyal to his DSRs or the Distributors they work for J.

Click’s Steakhouse, Pawnee, Oklahoma, Chad Beardon:

http://www.clickssteakhouse.com/ 

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If you’re looking for ideas on selling any specialty products, listen up.

Chef Kyle Bernstein, was on The Food Network’s “Chopped” and is also a DSR at a Petrossian, a Specialty Distributor in NY who specializes in caviar, smoked fish, foie gras, cheeses, chocolates and more. 

She does a lot of phone sales, but is also out on the streets for making cold calls, sampling product and wait staff training.  She covers NYC, the Northeast and Midwest.  Kyle educates her customers through wait staff training on how to sell caviar to their patrons.  She uses Google search to find caviar on menus, and subscribes to blogs and local publications that have restaurant openings and closings.

Check this show out!

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Mike Mahr of Feesers Food Distributors, Harrisburg PA, is the latest inductee into the AFDR DSR Hall of Fame.  Mahr was a Chef for 30 years in his own kitchens before expanding his experiences and expertise into dozens of his customer’s kitchens.   Staying active in the ACF (American Culinary Federation) helps this DSR of the Month keep current with trends and new products.

Mike likes to start with the soup in his customer’s operations to determine what level of experience they might have, and then sell his customers the right product for the purpose.  He explains that some customers are better off buying a frozen product versus making it from scratch.

Most of his customers have learned that Mahr has a ton of experience and many of them are tapping into his knowledge using it in their operations.

Mahr tells how he manages the daily routine in South Central PA and Northern Maryland with prospecting, cold calling, A/R, and with relationships with drivers and other peers.  It has really paid off that Mike, from the start, has always tried to listen to his new and existing customers to seek their needs before prescribing what he thought they needed.  This has really helped him gain their trust.  Many times he has seen his customers using a product that was not really the right product for the purpose, but he waited until the time was right to sample a product he thought might work better.

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As a local Mom & Pop restaurant, Bouser's Barn Restaurant & Catering buys from five (5) distributors and takes on the big chains that have all the resources!  This Union City, Indiana restaurant has been part of the local scene since 1963 when Keith Bousman’s mother started a small pizza and sub shop.  They decorated the place with hometown memorabilia because that appealed to their local customer base.  One booth is named “Hang on Sloopy” after the local band who made it a hit.  Keith explains the different services they have added when they were in a position of needing more sales throughout the years, such as a drive-up window, home delivery service, and catering.

Bousman tells how a good distributor driver can make or break the relationship with an operator, and he passes along to distributors a few tips on rewarding drivers. 

Samples are a really big deal to this operator. One of Bousman’s distributors gives him a FULL CASE of samples, and he discusses what a difference it makes when it comes to the purchasing decision.

If Keith has a choice between two different brands of products, he usually chooses the one that gives him TABLE TENTS and other marketing tools to help him sell the products to his patrons.

Bouser’s Barn Restaurant & Catering

Highway 32 W

Union City, IN

Telephone:  765-964-6259

Listen to the show...

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Ms. Kile gives DSR Dave and guest hosts Steve Dahl and Bill Hornung great insights into what DSRs need to be working on with their hospital customers. 

Carolyn gives many great examples of the kinds of products she needs to run all the different operations inside of one hospital.  Kile not only manages the in-patient services, she also helps with the cafeteria, upscale special functions, elderly feeding meals, Head Start program for children and an offsite operation.  She counts on her DSRs to bring in ideas to help it all stay on trend and let her know what’s going on outside of the Hospital.

DSR Dave, Steve and Bill discuss accounts like hospitals, nursing homes, K-12 and just about any operation that has a captive audience that has been segmented by folks in the industry as “Non-Commercial” accounts.  DSRs, on the other hand, consider them just another account.  These accounts are great for DSRs to call on and pick up a couple thousand dollars a week because many of them are under contract with GPOs and/or fall under the “big account” department at many of the larger distributors and don’t have Sales Reps calling on them weekly. 

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Mr. Hirsch had been in the food industry for 28 years making his way and making a difference.  He was a founding board member of AFDR (Association for Foodservice Distributor Representatives) and wanted to give back to the industry in which he had found such success.  Hirsch won many DSR sales awards in his career, and is the only DSR to win the most prestigious “DSR of the Decade” award at Ben E Keith.

Now he is being honored for his passion, dedication and professionalism as a DSR in the Foodservice Industry.  Michael Hirsch has made his mark on many and earned his place in AFDR’s DSR Hall of Fame.   

As you listen to these rare interviews with Michael, you’ll understand why he was so successful personally, and why his customers placed their businesses in his hands.  We interviewed some of his customers and peers so you might learn more about a man who, in his words, “Was in it, to Win it,” and who “Never gave up on the Dream” of success.

Also on the program                                            

From Ben E Keith:                                                  Customers:

John Pierce                                                              Morris of Salerno’s

Doug Swick                                                              Domonic of Daddy Jacks

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Art Goodwin has been running his independent restaurant since 1979 in Circleville, Ohio, and says that he’s had three or four really good DSRs in that time frame.   Goodwin also explains that he could never buy from just one distributor because NO distributor carries all the Branded products that he uses in his operation.  Art says that DSRs are always trying to sell him “their version” of the Branded item he wants, but there’s nothing like the real thing.

This operator explains to DSRs that if they’re calling on him to sell him products, they’ll have to work within the terms he’s presently working under.  Credit terms happen to be one subject that comes up often when DSRs come calling.  He says that he tells the DSR that they’re the one who wants to sell him; he did not ask them to call on him, so if they want to sell him, he presents the terms he needs.  Meaning if he was paying in 30 days with his current distributor, then he wants the same terms if he switches to you.   

Goodwin also says he wants credits to be written within the same time frame that he pays his bills.

Sell Something!

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Martin Bros. DSR, Todd Hauser a.k.a. President of AFDR, explains how he moves a prospect from price shopping to taking money to the bank.

If you show a prospect right off the bat that you’re there to help them make money (DON’T ACT LIKE A SALESMAN), in most cases they won’t treat you like a salesman and will open up and accept some of the help you’re offering.

Hauser says that many of the times he’s done this with a prospect, he’s helping with things like garbage pickup charges or accounting/tax costs.  This approach helps show the prospect that you’re really trying to help them make money.

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Know and build on your personal “Brand Identity” to make yourself more valuable to your customers.

Guest host Tom Shea from Upper Crust Enterprises Inc. and DSR Dave discuss how DSRs need to have their own twist that separates them from the DSR herd. 

What special value do you bring to your customers?  Shea will explain how building your own “brand” will separate you from the DSR crowd.  

DSR Dave agrees with Tom, that almost all of the really good DSRs he’s worked with over the years have built their own brand identity.  Miesse says that DSRs who understand this concept usually have a much better MARGIN and also successful customers to boot!

Tom explains how to figure out what you and your “brand/value” stand for.  Then surround yourself with accounts that will benefit from your expertise in that area and build a network of people that help you be your brand.  As some of us heard from a parent or mentor when we were young, “If you don’t stand for something, you don’t stand for anything.”

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Todd Utley receives AFDR’s DSR of the Month honors for March 2013, and is inducted into the AFDR, DSR Hall of Fame.  He is based in Bowling Green, KY with Southern Foods.

Todd began his foodservice career while working his way through college at restaurants learning firsthand the importance of an operator/DSR relationship.  This became something he would eventually develop as he became a DSR with his own customers and potential customers whom he now works with weekly.  While learning from the operator’s side, this Hall of Famer was fortunate to meet some of the DSRs and folks from Southern Foods which led him to being hired as a DSR.

Todd says that he’s learned that getting the “whole team” of Southern Foods involved has made all the difference in reaching his business and personal goals.

Utley and DSR Dave discuss how Todd helps his customers weekly with anything they are working on and tries to help them REALLY understand how important P & L statements are to their business.  Todd advises DSRs out there that if you just have a “Clipboard” relationship with your customers, you’re probably not going to be around very long.

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