Viewing page 45 of 80

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Ask Your Customers
[[image - large blue question mark]][[image - man holding up 3 fingers next to sign titled "BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION"]]

THREE LITTLE QUESTIONS!

By W. J. WOODS, IN CHARGE OF INDUSTRIAL DIVISIONS, BUFFALO OFFICE

[[column 1]]
  One day Forie Craton walked into the Buffalo Office to discuss diesel-electric locomotives.  He won our attention because he talked of the strange characteristics of our customers' plants--railroad tracks in and around their plants--car movements in and out, and what moved the cars.  As discussion continued, it became apparent that these tracks would lead to many prospects, so we accepted the challenge to do a real job on diesel-electrics.
  In undertaking the sale of diesel-electrics we had to know the answers to two tough questions: (1) "Where are the prospective buyers?" and (2) "What is the potential business?"  The first try for answers brought us face to face with "old man survey."  A survey is one of the finest sales tools, yet there is a limit to a man's time.  Could our sales organization possibly make a survey of our territory and take on the work of selling diesel-electrics in addition to the load it was carrying?  We were doubtful.
  In discussing and reviewing the problem, we came up with two basic fundamentals; (1) all industrial plants are prospects for diesel-electrics until proven otherwise, and (2) all industrial plants of any size have already been sounded out by our sales group.  We decided that the first step would be to obtain from the sales group all of the information we could about our customers' plants.  Using the assigned list of customers, we sat down with our district locomotive specialist and the sales engineers, and discussed each industrial plant.  The completion of

[[/column 1]]
[[column 2]]

this review presented a good, long list of prospects which could be divided into four categories; (1) excellent, (2) good, (3) fair, and (4) doubtful.  One tough question was nearly answered.  We had located 80 per cent of the prospective buyers [[italic]]without leaving the office.[[/italic]]
  Now would it also be possible for this same sales engineer [[italic]]in the course of his regular work[[/italic]] to obtain enough information to answer the other question, "What is the potential market?"  We felt that it could be obtained merely by asking three simple questions.  After discussing switch-gear, motors, transformers, or other apparatus with his customer, he could then ask:
  1. The number of miles of track in the plant.
  2. The number of cars moved in and out per day.
  3. What moves these cars.
  This plan looked good, and did not involve any additional time or work for the sales group.  Keep in mind that this was still a plan [[italic]]only to collect information from prospective buyers.[[/italic]]  However, when we put it into operation, some of our experiences were astonishing.
  We had in mind taking the information we obtained, compiling it, studying it, and then [[italic]]laying out a sales plan[[/italic]] to really go after this diesel-electric business.  But it did not work out that way.  From the time we set out to collect information, by asking a few simple questions, [[italic]]we began to sell diesel-electric locomotives.[[/italic]]

[[/column 2]]