This could be a potentialDeal Killer! Imagine all of those accounts you have acquired through the years and you do not have that one Fortune 100 or Fortune 500 reference! What can you do? Well you could call your manager or call all of the other reps in your place. They may have one or two or they may not. If you work for the mid size dealer, your company may not have any at all!
Our economy is now Global, years ago a customer was more likely to spend his money locally (50 miles or so, in surburbia). We used to hear the question, "Were is your service and parts location"? Local deals were easy, once you were more than 50 miles away, a customer tended to go with a "local source".
Now, with email/pda ordering, and service/parts facility centers for the manufacturers at key regional points in the country. The question of local service and local support seems to have little impact on the buyers decesion making process.
More and more potential clients want to know if the solution was successful in their industry or with another company of there size. Since we (salespeople) are territory based, we can only draw references or Sucess Stories from our territory another reps territory.
A few weeks ago I posted a great sucess story named "Killer Success Story". Wouldn't you know I did the deal two weeks before the Aficio League announced there new Success Story Contest!
Anyhow, I think if all us posted our own personal SuccesS Story here (complete with pictures), we could have a great source for references from all over the world!
It's a shame I can't offer money like the Aficio league, however our Success Stories will be posted for all of us to read and use.
Imagine being in the customers office when that question is tendered the next time. My respone will be, "Do you have internet access here?" "Mind if I show you something? I then log on to the P4P Hotel and tell him about our Network of RFG people from all over the globe. Then I show him the ten or twenty success stories or references that he needs. The customer is overwhelmed with your response, the web site and the success stories that he either gives you the order on the spot or you are now considered the front runner!!!!!!
PLEASE POST YOUR SUCCESS STORIES HERE FOR ALL OF US TO USE!
Art