As someone who works with salespeople on both the contractor and the distribution sides of the roofing industry, John DeRosa, director of contractor training at SRS Distribution, is often asked what the best advice or tip is for salespeople. While the answer is multi-faceted, he provides a snapshot with RSP Publisher Jill Bloom in this chat.

“You ultimately are the person that is responsible for whether you win or whether you lose,” DeRosa said.

The advice might sound misleading, as salespeople don’t always have control over aspects like pricing and availability. However, DeRosa said they should take a step back and examine the outcomes.

“Granted, [the customer] may have really wanted to buy from you, but they didn't want to buy from you bad enough that they were willing to pay the additional cost required to buy from you, and that means that there was a disconnect in the value proposition,” he said. “We need to find a way to create a condition that compels them to really what to do business with you.”

In a moment of practicing what he preaches, DeRosa acknowledges that a lot of distributors are selling similar products to customers, so the differentiator has to be what the salesperson and their company can offer.

“It’s got to be way outside what you’re delivering in your truck … what we really need to try to figure out is are we developing the relationship necessary for us to take that deep dive with the customer to really figure out how we can help that customer win,” he said.

As part of that, DeRosa shares his advice on how written goals can be a major motivator and provides examples of what to keep in mind when creating those goals.

View the full video here, or visit our podcast page to download the episode and listen on the go.