Part 3 of 3-Part Interview

It’s often said, but many times forgotten… to make it in sales, you need to be yourself.   If you’re a greenhorn, don’t try to act like a veteran (customers will appreciate the honesty).    On the other hand, veterans who’ve lost the selling spirit better get re-invigorated or find a new job. 

If you’re struggling right now, the best place to start looking for help is the person you face in the mirror, says  Ozzie Calhoun, a U.S. Foodservice Territory Manager with 25 years in foodservice sales. 

Staying in for the long haul means being true to yourself and your customers… phonies are quickly discovered.

And nothing tests your stick-to-it attitude than collecting money.  Dealing with  A/R  issues upfront to find a solution when hard times hit is the route for both you and your customers to succeed.

Ozzie also talks about finding great recipe ideas from manufacturers’ websites that he then modifies to help his customers with specific menu challenges. 

And DSR Dave and Ozzie go on a rant about tired old sales meetings… and some ideas to make ‘em better… 

Ozzie Calhoun, a U.S. Foodservice Territory Manager with 25 years in foodservice sales, says he has no problems getting samples!  Why?  He’s built a strong reputation with brokers that he won’t abuse the privilege.  But, he warns, he also doesn’t  over-promise on samples to set himself up for failure with customers.

Ozzie also has one simple secret to selling in today’s economic climate:  ”Shut up and listen!” Customers will tell you exactly what to do, so don’t try to force your agenda on them.  

Ozzie debunks the myth that there’s a magical number of calls to make before breaking into an account.  Sometimes, he can tell in three calls if the opportunity is a waste of time.   In other cases, he’ll work for years if he believes the account is highly valuable.

Finally… Ozzie explains why you should be respectful when an operator and competitor have a strong relationship… and what to do if you really want the account any way.

In Part 1, he talks about:  What drives loyalty with his customers, the reality of DSRs and loyalty programs, and why being a “yes” person to your customers is a recipe for disaster.

Traditional thinking is “hey, we have 10,000 products in our warehouse… we can cover whatever an operator needs.”   Except invariably the operator wants a product that is the one item not stocked!

Conversely,  slow-moving items sit for months in the warehouse until management rings the alarm and tells the DSRs to go fire sale things to clear out some space.  

Now, with redistributors like Dot Foods, DSRs can forget inventory issues for the most part and gladly place one-case orders with confidence. 

DSR Dave Miesse, guest co-host John Buchy of Buchy Foodservice and Dave DeWalt, a supply chain expert, talk about why DSRs need to understand how to use redistributors to their advantage… especially these days as competition heats up for fewer customers.

DeWalt’s Franklin-Associates consulting group has unique perspective on supply chain issues that affect sales at every level… having literally written the book about redistribution.  Dave’s free monthly newsletter also has become a popular resource for manufacturers, distributors and brokers on how to exploit the redistribution model for larger profits.

Much of the success stems from classic marketing techniques applied to the sales situation… whoever can communicate and prove the best value will win the customers’ heart.  So, there!  Who said marketing doesn’t understand sales… maybe it’s the other way around!

Phyllis has played most roles in foodservice… from operator, chef,  manufacturer and now distributor executive.  She’s connecting the dots to help drive fundamental shifts in how Sysco MA’s get positioned to become the key player in customer accounts.

OK, so you’re having your coffee break… here’s part 2 on ideas to motivate yourself if your foodservice sales are choking! 

Your mind right now might be like an overgrown forest of product information.  It’s cluttered with weeds of information about slow-moving products that have sprouted along the way.  Clean up your mind and get focused on “evergreen products” that everybody wants. 

You know which ones… those are the products most people are already buying!  Become the expert on these precious best sellers… every detail, story and application idea…  so nobody can outsell you on them.  The combination of your knowledge and their popularity as best sellers will eliminate most questions about pricing. 

You’ll get a fair price… but more importantly, you’ll get an opportunity to add in a few surprises that your competition won’t see coming.  You’ll make your customers happy and your competitors spinning circles.  Click to listen to the episode.

Whew!  This sales stuff is hard.  Lucky for you, however… you work in the grocery business!  Taking a coffee break should be, uhmmm… kinda mandatory.  The first thing you might want to do every morning is to go sip some java… IF you want to grow your business. 

DSR Live co-hosts DSR Dave Miesse and Bill Hornung yak about the single-easiest way to start your sales engine every day.  Brings a whole new meaning to “want a refill?”

AFDR President Todd Hauser and DSR Dave chat about getting more for less (items) when it comes to working with customers on menu planning.  The holy grail is to stock the fewest number of products that can create the optimum number of menu items.  The Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) principle is important now more than ever as operators scramble to stay profitable… yet keep the customer experience exciting and diverse.  Todd and Dave talk about realistic ways to make menu analysis an effective DSR sales tool.

Want to get a snapshot of everything that is RIGHT and WRONG in foodservice sales… go to a distributor food show.  You get giddy operators, stressed out DSRs and exhausted brokers/corporate reps who tell it like it is…   … like what to sell to “adult entertainment businesses”, trying to break into an account when the company’s reputation is suffering and the one thing that separates food shows hosted by Distributor A and Distributor B.     The DSR Live crew is often invited to distributor food shows to capture the pulse of what’s happening in the market.  Here are some short segments from a recent show we attended… most of the names and places have been changed to protect the innocent and guilty.

DSR Live’s newest full-length show is being released later this fall… Product Focus: The Good, Bad… and get that away from me! (OK, we’re still working on the title…).

Here’s a sneak peek featuring two of the top DSRs (and AFDR Board Members) featured on the show… Ralph Owens from Sysco Arizona… and Patti Rangel, Zanios Foods, Albuquerque, a district manager and an ID Magazine DSR of the Year. DSR Live co-hosts DSR Dave Miesse and Bill Hornung also join in the conversation.

Meet Dennis Lucas, an 8-year DSR veteran who recently joined PFG Northcenter in Maine… and also AFDR’s $500 Grand Prize Winner during our recent survey conducted by Technomic.  Dennis and DSR Dave yak about opening new accounts, how to use AFDR’s Top 200 List and a few “sampling stories” that’ll get you chuckling.

How do you give ‘em enough rope to run full speed… without giving up too much control that everybody else complains that the Wild Bunch isn’t following the rules? DSR Dave has some ideas (wow, what are the odds of that?).  CLICK BELOW TO PLAY SHOW!

Seafood is often the most “unloved protein”… yet is becoming wildly popular among those DSRs who know how to sell these animals of the sea.  Bob Vogel, seafood specialist with FSA in Boise, breaks down some basic hints on selling salmon and other seafood products.  Hey, do you know your wild steelhead from your Norwegian salmon?  Now you will!

Many DSRs have a “hands off” attitude about big third-party accounts like Sodexo and Aramark.  Wrong-o… these accounts can offer great opportunities for DSRs who take the right approach.  Most of these operators need other distributors to provide everything they need. 

First there was the New York Times Best Seller’s List.  Now welcome to the AFDR’s Top 200 list… a quarterly snapshot of the best-selling items from around the country organized by dry, refrigerated and frozen!  A great place to start when you’re looking for dependable, highly popular products to suggest to your operator customers.  DSR Dave and Bill discuss ways to use the list… and some other updates about the AFDR website.

And don’t think the list only features products from the Big Boys!  Note the number of companies represented in each temperature category:

• Refrigerated:  33

• Frozen:  61

• Dry:  68

Call it what you want… but getting the inside scoop about a prospect is the key to opening new accounts.  And that’s through good old fashion detective work, not being a salesperson… as DSR Dave and FSA Sales Manager and Trainer Tina Haugland discuss in this week’s show.

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