Timing Is Everything

       I saw a couple of great tweets this past week from Eric J. von Hofen of Riviera CC:

I really wish every salesperson used #Twitter or social media to follow me and see I'm in the middle of two large projects. I can't see you!

Then later....

Now time to thank all the sales people that do follow, help out and promote what we are doing. Others should follow your lead.

This is a great example of the conundrum that salesmen run into that is the tricky question of when to visit. While you have a job to do by making sure that people know the products that your company has to provide, you also need to respect the hectic schedule that a turf manager has going on each day, especially during the growing season or doing a large project. Obviously, there is not an easy answer. Depending on what part of the world you are in, the amount of visitors you get will vary. I know here in the Philly area, between equipment, chemicals & other products, my guess would be there are somewhere in the high twenties number of Reps. Everyone is competing for a piece of a smaller pie and the sales process has become much longer in most instances. I know for me,there is more texting and emails, but you hope you are doing your job correctly when you are told one of your competitors calls everyday asking if the decision has been made. Obviously,good communication in the relationship is one of the hardest parts to keep flowing with how busy things can get. I think it is a pretty inventive idea, using social media to get the word out that right now is not the best time to stop in for a visit.


WJC