Potential Customers who have the Blinders on.

rkstrat

Dear SUN members,
   I have a bit of a dilemma. I am reping a new product,patent pending.  They are brake rotors that have been temper treated which will allow them to last at least two -three times longer han any other rotors on the market.  Presently we are marketing police vehicles, busses, and trash hauling vehicles.  Any type vehicle that put alot of wear and tear on their brake systems.
   The biggest problem is trying to get these police mechanics to switch over to our product.  We have been sending out free samples to all police departments and then contacting them a few months later to see how the trials worked out.  Some have been a home run but there are many where we wasted alot of time and money on parts and shipping.  Any ideas on how to get the blinders off and buy into this great product?
Thanks, Russ Kandalaft [email protected]

rkstrat

I have been in touch with many of the decision makers.  They seem to have a tendency to pass it on, and then it gets thrown in limbo.  The guys who have actually kept track and monitored the parts are giving me some great feedback.  Breaking the old routine with these guys is tough.  We have offered a 5% rebate to all purchases from Jan1st for a full year the money will be donated to The Fallen Policemans` Fund of their city or town.  We have all kinds of tests taken by independent companies and we come out ahead every time.
   It`s hard to deal with these head mechanics who don`t understand the safety features and the durablity can save them alot of time and money. 

nevadascul

Hi all,
Just my thoughts on the matter.  You are selling to people that may have pre-existing accounts with large companies that offer large discounts.  Or, they may have a bulk order contract.  In these type of accounts, the customer signs a year or two year contract with a parts provider.  The customer then can only buy parts through that provider for the length of the contract.  In exchange, the customer gets bulk rate pricing on all orders regardless of size of the order. 
Your competitor may also be offering your potential customer consignment parts inventories.  In this setup the provider puts parts inventory on site and bills only for what the customer uses. 
New products are also hard to sell to "older" shop people.  They pretty much stick to brands they`ve used in the past.
One suggestion is to make personal contact with some of these people your trying to sell to.  Don`t use the worn out "We`re the best product on the market" line.  It doesn`t sell anything.  Provide Potential new customers with testimonials from customers that have used your product.  You need to emphasize cost savings and time saved by not having to replace rotors as often.