SALES

S SUCCESS STO
ORY

Why did
d Dickman Supply
S
two new business units?
u
createe
Dickm
D man n Ind
dustrrial &
Ellectrric Supp
S ply
To hanndle new busiiness generatted
by its Sandler-train
S ed engineers.

COMP
PANY PROFILE
Sanddler Training helpedd
Dickm man Supply is an
a electrical annd industrial prroducts wholesaaler that providdes engineered
our sales
s grow
w to the produuct solutions annd value-added services to the electrical contrracting, industrrial MRO and
OEM machine-building markets. It also provides retailr showroom ms and expert sales
s consultannts
poinnt where we
w had to
for coonsumers tryingg to make decissions about toolls, electrical peeripherals and lighting fixturess.
hire more peoople, add Basedd in western Ohhio, the companny employs 90 people, includiing seven electrrical engineers,
and it operates facilities in Sidney, Greenville andd Celina.
locaations, expaand our
CHALLLENGE
facillities and start
s two
Tim Geise,
G presidentt, had a clear viision for Dickmman Supply. Hee envisioned a major
m companyy
new
w business units. with exceptional
e exppertise and multtiple facilities. It
I would be ablle to respond too market demannd
for staandard shelf iteems and providde customized solutions,
s such as product kittting for just-in-
Thesse are goood problem
ms time manufacturing,
m custom-fabricaated electrical controls
c and wiire harness systtems. Unless
sales performance
p im
mproved, this viision was unatttainable.
to haave.
Whenn Doug Borcherrs joined Dickm man as vice preesident and salees manager, he assessed the
situatiion. The sales team
t consisted of several salesspeople plus thhree young electtrical engineerss
Tim Geise
who were
w highly com mpetent in theirr technical speccialties. Sales performance
p waas steady, but
Presiddent
stuck in the $10 to $15
$ million rangge. Doug wresttled with severaal questions: Could
C the electriccal
engineeers sell? Could the team grow sales? Could increased sales bee sustained longg term? He
soughht expert help too obtain the rigght training andd coaching for his
h team.

SOLUT
TIONS

Initiallly, Doug and Tim

T enrolled fivve salespeople/engineers in thhe President’s Club
C sales
traininng program. Thhe goal was to help them deveelop the skills to
t take sales to the next level.

Doug attended class and learned neew skills and teechniques alonggside his team. A graduate of
other training systemms, he was interrested from thee first session. Recognizing
R thaat change
couldnn’t occur in a vacuum,
v he creaated a campaign of ongoing reeinforcement. Every
E sales
meetinng included a debrief
d segmentt, where a salessperson could describe
d a succeess or failure,
and thhe team would dissect, analyzee and share feeedback about whatw worked, whhat didn’t and
why. He
H incorporateed Sandler remiinders into everry sales discusssion and providded personal
coachhing in betweenn customer callss with his salesppeople.

Sandler works. Sure, it
seems expensive at first.
But when you see the
results and the
confidence it gives your
salespeople, you
understand what it’s
worth.
Bob and the Sandler
system helped us reach
our goals and achieve
extraordinary growth.
We’re excited about the
possibility to go to an
even higher level now.
Doug Borchers
Vice President & Sales Manager
To learn more about Dickman Industrial &
Electric Supply, contact:
Doug Borchers
Vice President & Sales Manager
Phone: (937) 492-6166
Email: dborchers@dickmansupply.com
Web: www.dickmansupply.com
RESULTS
After a few short months, the Dickman salespeople began to muster their courage and apply
the Sandler techniques. They had learned how to gather information and ask powerful
discovery questions that helped customers more precisely define their most urgent problems.
As a result, the sales engineers could apply their
expertise and target solutions in ways customers
valued. This collaborative, problem-solving approach
helped customers feel in control and able to buy
without feeling “sold.” The salespeople began to
experience significant sales breakthroughs, and on
average, their monthly sales increased by 10 to 20%.
By the end of the first year, annual sales grew to $17
million. As revenues increased, Dickman expanded. It
created a wire assembly division to build wire
harnesses and custom wire leads. It moved the Union
City store to the larger community of Greenville. It opened a third branch in Celina and
created Electro-Controls, Inc. as a separate corporation, to handle the growing custom
electrical controls business. It added employees and launched a well-designed and highly
functional website that included an online retail component.
In 2008, annual sales reached $38 million, a $25 million increase in less than 10 years — in
large part due to the sales team and electrical engineers who understood that successful selling
meant solving the right problems for the right customers. The initial goals Tim and Doug
defined have been realized, and they’re refining their vision for the future.
BOTTOM LINE
The people of Dickman Supply effectively leveraged the Sandler Training and translated it into
increased sales, physical expansion, new corporate entities and a growing workforce. How did
they do this? They made important commitments in response to three simple questions:
ƒ Will you invest the money? Dickman leadership committed funds for in depth, ongoing
training and development — and they followed through.
ƒ Will you use what you learn? Participants committed to apply the Sandler techniques —
and they followed through.
ƒ Will you show up? Participants committed to attend the weekly sessions — and they
followed through.
Not every company can triple sales revenues in 10 years, but most see significant, measurable
gains in less than a year. Why? They have a clear vision of success. They’re willing to take
decisive action. And finally, they’re determined to turn the impossible into the possible.
Crossbridge Communications, LLC
develops results-based communication
solutions. To learn more, contact:
Robert Chapman
The Roger Wentworth Group, Inc. Barbara Spencer Hawk, President
Phone: 937.231.9517 Phone: 937.299.6489
Email: bobc.sandler@prodigy.net Email: hawk@crossbridge1.com
Web: www.roger.sandler.com Web: www.crossbridge1.com

How do you turnn
sales challengess
into sales
s resultss?
Bob and the Sandler
Selling System
m have far
exceeeded my
expeectations. My
know
wledge of how to bee
a beetter businessman is
far greater,
g annd I now
undeerstand hoow my
actioons and atttitude plaay
a siggnificant roole in my
succcess.
If yoou care aboout
yourrself and want
w to seee
succcess on youur horizon,,
invitte Bob intoo your life.
Jarrodd Shell
Sales Representative
R e
Kitcheens by Design
SALES
S SUCCESS STO
ORY
Im
mpo
ossib
ble Task
T k
Yo
ou Ask?
A ?
CHALLLENGE
Are yoou turning sales challenges intto sales results?? Hundreds of our clients havve found
meaniingful ways to distinguish
d themmselves from thheir competitioon. They’ve learrned to sell
ratherr than negotiatee. They’ve discoovered how to make
m the sale without
w slashinng prices or
spillinng their candy in the lobby. Thhey’ve masteredd techniques thhat help custommers buy withouut
feelingg sold. They’vee found effective ways to handdle cold calls annd prospects whho say “no” or
“I’ll thhink about it.”
RESULLTS
ƒ John Covin
ngton never thought his compaany would secuure a single $1,7700,000
consulting contract
c with one visit to the prospective
p clieent.
ƒ Bob Kenneddy never expected he would have
h sales peoplle earning $1000,000 a year wiith
commissionns based on maargins.
ƒ John Grinn
nell didn’t expecct Grinnell Leaadership Solutioons would be teeaching
leadership skills
s to the larggest constructioon companies in
i the world.
ƒ George Hum
mmel never thoought a prospecct would pay hiis salesman $3,,000 to make a
sales call.
ƒ Daryl Kulakk never expecteed that followin
ng his first mornning of Sandlerr training, he’d
place one phone call, acquuire $15,000 off committed connsulting contraacts and
eventually start
s his own traaining institute.
ƒ Jeff Barker never anticipatted he’d not on
nly make cold saales calls, he’d take fuel oil
customers away
a from his competition.
c
ƒ Bob Kuzmicck, our first clieent thirteen yeaars ago, never expected
e to plaace three more
sales peoplee in our Sandlerr training.
ƒ Clara Schap
ppe never prediicted that, afterr opting out of a receptionist job
j to pursue a
newly createed sales positioon, she’d becom
me one of the toop ten Prudentiial agents in the
country.
ƒ Bob Kenneddy never imagin
ned his companny could get paaid by a prospecct for a needs
analysis.
 ƒ Doug Borchers and Tim Geise never anticipated that two young electrical engineers
Bob and the Sandler would generate so much business they’d have to create two new companies to handle
the growth.
system helped us reach
ƒ Steve Langer asked if we could help develop his twenty-two year old son into an
our goals and achieve effective sales person. Eight months later, Andrew was signing up accounts for their
steel servicing business.
extraordinary growth.
ƒ Greg McAfee never thought he would disqualify a prospect for his business. Today,
We’re excited about the Greg’s sales people focus solely on qualified prospects, because their time is too
valuable.
possibility to go to an
ƒ Byron Kentner never expected our sales training would help his accountants
even higher level now. communicate more effectively on a day-to-day basis with their clients.

Doug Borchers
Vice President & Sales Manager
Dickman Industrial & Electric Supply
ƒ Dave Doerman didn’t anticipate that our training could enhance his method of selling
for IBM.
ƒ Steve Waible wasn’t sure what our training could do for a pastor. He was used to
working with the invisible, now, he’s turning the impossible into the possible.

ƒ Ralph Quinter wasn’t sure his sales manager would be able to learn the competition’s
prices when he called on customers, but now customers readily share the price sheets.

ƒ Charlie Puissegur never expected to get paid by a prospect to demonstrate a computer

software program.

ƒ Ron Wiley never expected he could stop taking “think-it-overs” and start making
money.

ƒ Carolyn Chisano never envisioned making a sales call without her portfolio, until she
walked into a significant prospect’s office without it and walked out the door with a
new client.

BOTTOM LINE

How did all these people accomplish what they once believed was impossible?

They were willing to create a clear vision of success. They were prepared to take action. They
made important commitments in response to four simple questions:
ƒ Will you invest the money?
ƒ Will you use what you learn?
ƒ Will you show up?
ƒ Will you risk doing something different?

Sandler isn’t for everyone. It’s not easy. It takes time. It’s expensive. It works.

Crossbridge Communications, LLC

develops results-based communication
solutions. To learn more, contact:
Robert Chapman
The Roger Wentworth Group, Inc. Barbara Spencer Hawk, President
Phone: 937.231.9517 Phone: 937.299.6489
Email: bobc.sandler@prodigy.net Email: hawk@crossbridge1.com
Web: www.roger.sandler.com Web: www.crossbridge1.com