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Professional customers are an equipment dealer's bread and butter, so to speak. They buy high-end equipment year after year and frequently require service and spare parts. Attracting and retaining their business is difficult, however, since every dealer in an area is competing for the same professionals. So, how can one align their marketing and business practices to maximize their chance of 'growing the pros?' Without further ado, here are twenty-six things a dealer can do to try and sell to more professional customers.

 

1. Add or expand marketing channels

 

 

Today there are so many ways to advertise and many are relatively cheap, so sticking to what you've always done just doesn't make sense. Furthermore, by changing up the advertising you already have (for example moving billboards or placing ads in different publications) you can reach a new audience while still spending the same amount of money. Giving your marketing materials a metaphorical 'fresh coat of paint' can't hurt either.

 

2. Embrace social media

 

 

Having a social media presence is a must these days. Customers want to see that your business is active and 'in touch' with how things run today. Plus, social media accounts give you the chance to humanize your business and present a positive image. You absolutely don't have to make your private life public, but offering potential customers a glimpse into your operations will help build trust.

 

3. Perfect the art of soft-selling

 

 

Newspapers, magazines, TV stations, and websites are always looking for story ideas and having one do a piece on you is a great way to get exposure. If you donate to charities, host events, or offer apprenticeships that would be the sort of thing reporters would be interested in and would help guarantee they portray you in a positive light.

 

4. Implement more loyalty programs

 

 

Loyalty programs are incentives that not only help you retain your existing customers better, they also help bring more customers in the door. The perks don't even have to be that substantial; if given two identical quotes but one comes with a free cooler, the customer will go with the free cooler.

 

5. Train employees better

 

 

It helps when everyone is on the same page. Making sure that each of your sales, customer service, and logistics employees can identify and respond accordingly to professional customers is paramount to 'growing the pros.' The most important message to your staff should be that professionals are your most important customers.

 

6. Hire people with field experience

 

 

The best salespeople know what it's like to be the customer. People with experience working in the field can understand professional customers' needs better because they have used the equipment and have gained general knowledge of the industry. After all, people are more likely to trust you if you have been in their shoes.

 

7. Join trade associations

 

 

Joining trade associations is the fastest way to network in your industry. Doing so grants you access to members-only publications and may garner you leads. Furthermore, speaking to other dealers who are in your situation may help you learn strategies and discover new tactics to deploy.

 

8. Improve the service department

 

 

Nothing is more of a bonus to professionals than a good service department. Professionals' equipment goes through the worst wear-and-tear so having a thick conduit to replacement parts and good technicians is a huge plus.

 

9. Enhance logistics

 

 

With a more streamlined warehouse, you can fufill large and complicated orders more rapidly. Additionally, with delivery trucks that are better equipped and more informed you can assure that the right products get to the right places at the right time. Professional customers rely on having the right equipment and having it in working order to turn a profit, so they must be able to depend on their supplier/service provider.

 

10. Stay on the ball

 

 

A single mistake can ruin your reputation. The last thought you want to cross their mind is 'I wonder what it would be like if I changed dealers?' Therefore, you never want to give them a reason to have that thought.

 

11. Be flexible

 

 

Not every professional customer may want things a certain way. Attracting the most professional customers means being open to how they would like to do business and adapting to each of their specific preferences. For instance, one may ask for their equipment to come pre-assembled. Just because you don't do that for the rest of your customers doesn't mean you should forgo their business.

 

12. Be friendly

 

 

There is a lot of communication between professionals and their dealers. They need to finalize deals, coordinate deliveries, and swap product information. If at any point you act rude or unprofessional towards a professional customer, you risk losing their business for good, so watch your p's and q's.

 

13. Be conservative

 

 

There's a lot of things dealers can do to grow the pros, but they should never try doing everything at once. Marketing budgets can only be stretched so far and manager's days are only so long. A better approach is to try one method, measure your results, and then move on to trying something else.

 

14. Maintain solid relationships with OEMs

 

 

Professionals rely on dealers for information about the products they buy, and dealers rely on manufacturers for information on the products they stock. If a dealer has to wait a while for information regarding a recall or a repair from the manufacturer, that means the customer has to wait too. Having the manufacturer's ear means you can better serve your customers.

 

15. Know the products

 

 

A good dealer knows the products they sell like the back of their hand. Obviously, the professionals will know exactly which products they want and how many more often than not, but it helps set a good impression if your sales staff can demonstrate a familiarity to rival their own.

 

16. Know the industry

 

 

Keeping abreast of the challenges they are facing and the lingo that they use makes communication breakdown less likely and sets you up for making a good impression. Try to put yourself in a professional's place: what would they want out of a dealer? what do they want for equipment? are there extra services you can provide that would make their lives easier?

 

17. Know your competition

 

 

It is impossible to make yourself stand out if you don't know what exactly you are trying to stand out from. It is in no way against the law to walk into competing dealers and have a look around. You can also ask professional customers why they chose you if they went to other dealers before.

 

18. Go the extra mile

 

 

In addition to never letting them down, you should always go above and beyond professional customers' expectations in order to retain them as customers. This will set you apart from other dealers and increase the chances that professional customers will recommend you.

 

19. Offer more products

 

 

Professional customers can save on time and money when they can buy multiple products from the same vendor. Stocking more items may tempt your new and existing professional customers to purchase more from you. In other words, it gives you more opportunities to cross-sell/upsell.

 

20. Offer more services

 

 

There are plenty of ways you can make your dealer of use to professionals. You can start renting equipment; you can start hosting training sessions; you can advertise their services. Even handing out complimentary beverages in your store can help make your dealership stand out.

 

21. Pass the torch

 

 

Unfortunately, sometimes old dogs can't learn new tricks. It potentially might be time for the reins to be transferred to someone younger who can adapt quicker and has more energy to spearhead change.

 

22. Ask for feedback

 

 

Just because you landed professional customers doesn't mean you know why you landed them, and having that answer is useful. The next time you speak with a professional customer you should ask them why they chose you over other dealers. You can leverage that information in creating changes to attract more professionals.

 

23. Be organized

 

 

For speedy turnaround, nothing helps more than organization. Having to search for information makes the invoicing process harder and more time-consuming. Furthermore, if you stay on top of filing all of the information you have on your professional customers, it will be easier to analyze that data and glean selling insights.

 

24. Stay in the present

 

 

While studying your performance in the past and coming up with plans for what you'll do in the future, you should also be mindful of what is happening now. Focusing too much on analyzing a survey or creating a timeline for a marketing campaign may cause you to drop the ball on a sale, so be careful.

 

25. Study what worked in the past

 

 

Granted you keep accurate and well-organized records, you can learn from the past how to improve your selling methods moving forward. This goes for professional customers that you lost, too, since you may find out by looking at your records what caused them to reconsider.

 

26. Plan for the future

 

 

The way to keep continuously improving is to always know what you are going to work on next. After trying a method to attract more professional customers, you should immediately try using another one regardless of whether the first one worked or not. It is always in your interest to learn more and to try new things.