SnapDragon Associates, LLC’s Post

Looking for a career in sales? Understanding the difference between working for a principal company versus a distributor company can make a big difference. Principal companies have more control over branding, marketing, and pricing strategies, potentially leading to higher profit margins. However, they also have the responsibility of managing and overseeing distribution processes, which can be complex. On the other hand, distributor companies have wider market reach and provide logistical support but have limited control over the principal company's branding and pricing strategies. The profit margins are also lower compared to principal companies. So, which side are you on? #SalesCareer #PrincipalVsDistributor

So, you might have seen this post from a couple of weeks ago.   One would think that it would be quite easy to find a decent BDM, but no!   This is because sales is an innate skill. It requires passion, communication, organisational ability, IT skills, self motivation AND to put on a brave face every single day! We have searched high and low to find the right candidate. 🙂   Glad to say we are now interviewing a few promising ones 😊   Still not too late to apply 🤔 #businessdevelopmentjobs #sales #recruitment

𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐛𝐚 (𝐔𝐒) 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟎𝟎$ 𝐭𝐨 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎$ 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭. Why are you all choosing those products whose monthly sales are 300, 500, or 700? And your equity sales are only 150, 200, or 250 units per month. Why are you not choosing those products whose monthly sales are 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, or 5,000 or more? And your equity sales are more than 1,000, 1,500, or 2,000 units per month. Why are you not thinking outside the box? Everyone is following the same criteria and choosing products with low sales, so it will become difficult and have tough competition in the end. Listen to me. Please start hunting those brands and distributors that require a high MOQ, and their products sell well on Amazon. Contact them for approval and tell them that we can complete your MOQ; we will buy your products with a high budget. They will surely accept your approval because you are investing a high budget in their products. "Main kisi ko paise deta hoon aur woh mujhe products nahi dega," is it possible? If the product price is $10 and the monthly sales of this product are more than 2,000, your equity should easily be 700 to 800 units per month. If you are buying 700 units, you will invest $7,000 in one product. The profit margin is 20%. You can easily earn $1,400 in one product in one month. If you choose 2 products like this, you will invest $14,000, and the return will be $1,800. The sales manager of every brand wants to sell their products, but they are choosing those buyers who are buying in high quantities and following their MOQ criteria. If you have a high budget and you tell them that I am investing this budget in your products, they will say, "Aaiye, hamen aap hi ka intezaar tha, batao konsi products chahiye, kitni products chahiye." That's the technique you will use to get approval from big brands and distributors. I repeat once again, "woh products bechnay ke liye rakhte hain, lekin aapko marketing ka tareeka aana chahiye." Think outside the box.

Do companies lose touch with their end goal when becoming too big? I have been in sales my entire life. I actually feel I may have been born as a sales specialist. Imagine taking your sales approach back to its adolescence. When we were children we “begged” our parents for material items without realizing we were actually selling. Like a mature and successful sales specialist, we didn’t take no for an answer. We begged while the store clerk pushed for your success because they were selling too. Their job was to have a product and supply that product to the consumer. This brings me to my point. If a small but important business like a convenience store can have a product on the shelf, how can a large company be so out of touch that they have the product but it isn’t available in your region?? Do companies become so large that they lose touch with their end goal? If you have viewed my profile you know I am in the tire and maintenance business. My employer has multiple locations from Indianapolis through Ohio into eastern PA, as well as Erie, PA to Rochester, New York. I won’t mention the large company I am speaking about to minimize any possible discord between my employer and this major tire company, but here is the scenario. I ordered (4) commercial tires for a client in July. These tires were said to be 8 weeks away from our suppliers distribution center when we put them on back order. 8 weeks later we call to check the status of our back order and we are told they should arrive by the third week of October. Because we have multiple locations I decide to call my shop in Pennsylvania and see if they can check the status. Okay, they order from a different warehouse but we are both in the Midwest region. My colleague calls me and says there are 300 of these tires available to him from the same company at a different warehouse. I proceed to have him order these tires and have them transferred internally to my Ohio store. I will receive these tires next week from my PA store via my corporate warehouse. So, has this tire company become so big they have lost touch with their suppliers who provide their product to the end user? If I wasnt the type of sales specialist who “doesn’t take no for an answer” I may be waiting until mid-October for my customers tires. Or worse, losing a sale to another sales representative who has a tire available. My point here is that these tires were available from my supplier,one state over, and they have become so large they are losing sales because….they don’t know what they have available. In the 21st century a large company should know what products are on back order, for one of their largest suppliers, which they have sitting in one of their own warehouses today.

Meet the Team - Callum Walton - Sales Manager Our company Sales Manager, Callum Walton, talks about his experiences with networking, career progression and his sales approach in this week's Meet the Team! Cal began his journey back in 2022 as a Warehouse Operative for our sister company, GameVerge, and quickly progressed to Warehouse Manager in a matter of months. By combining his previous retail management experience with his newfound knowledge, Cal went on to become the head of our sales arm with the launch of Verge Distribution. "How do you engage in industry networking to expand your connections and stay informed about market trends?" I would consider myself lucky that both of these job aspects can be achieved via LinkedIn, especially by joining some of the groups you find on here. There's the opportunity to join a niche group and network with like-minded professionals who you can then connect with, converse with and learn from. "What attracted you to sales and, specifically, to working with Verge Distribution?" Before working with Alex at GameVerge, my career path was based almost entirely around retail. I used to thoroughly enjoy the service aspect in retail, however, during my time as GameVerge’s Warehouse Manager I acquired a deep knowledge of the company's products and operations. It was only natural for me to progress further into the role of Sales Manager following the launch of Verge Distribution! I genuinely feel helpful in this role with our target market being smaller retailers. My job allows me to not just sell items to customers, but help them understand how our products can fit into their portfolio and what steps they can take to maximise performance. "In what ways do you incorporate the brand's values into your sales approach?" At Verge Distribution we value any success we can help our customers achieve and by upholding high standards when it comes to the stock we offer and the service we provide, we’re always looking to inspire. Not only do we provide a whole range of products, but we also provide this range with no minimum order quantity. Our no-MOQ policy has been purposely chosen so our customers can tailor any orders to fit right into their portfolio. This allows the freedom to trial all kinds of products, giving customers the opportunity to test new lines with as much or as little stock as they wish. #b2b #digitalmarketing #wholesale #sales

Business Development Tip For HVAC Wholesale Territory Managers: MANAGING THE EGO-MANIAC CONTRATOR I'm sure most of you have customers that exhibit very strong ego-maniac tendencies from time to time. I have identified ten strategies to cope and "manage" these customers. Number seven on the list is: Ignore Sarcasm and Drama. Unfortunately, some customers can be difficult. Without being rude, do not bite on the Egomaniac drama and sarcasm bait. This is a constant battle as the Egomaniac draws her energy from this interaction. Territory Managers who bite the hook on this are usually used as fodder for the Egomaniac brief enjoyment and quickly discarded.  Make sure you listen carefully, but do not comment in any way to perpetuate or continue the conversation. Let the drama and sarcasm die a natural death in the conversation and never respond in kind or be complicit to the Egomaniac angle. Let it be is your best bet here. Be on guard as the Egomaniac may press you to spill the beans on something they have heard regarding another of your accounts. They may expect you to demonstrate some loyalty dynamic by corroborating some drama floating around the local industry, etc. Do not do it, and when the sarcasm flows remember to bite your tongue, smile and let it pass. Contact me anytime at 480-388-0575 or [email protected]

NOTICE TO OUR WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS - After some serious deliberation, Paragon Brands, one of the UK's leading spirits distributors, have taken the decision to apply the following Supply rules to our Wholesale and Cash & Carry customers: 1. You must appreciate premium spirits and want to stock an interesting and engaging range 2. You Must want to offer your customers a range of products that offer premium quality and good Value 3. You will have to accept being called on regularly by our Professional - and often friendly account managers (you will need to offer them a coffee occasionally!) 4. You will have to be willing to accept bespoke promotional support designed to help grow our mutual business 5. You WONT need to spend £2m per year with us to receive all of the above (we don't have a minimum annual spend!) SO... if you are unhappy with anyone else's 'Rules' give us a call... we'd be happy to come along and force our rules on you.... drop a line to: Chris Baker-Pigram or James Robinson to see what we can do for your business Alex Trotman Geoff Watts Sam Showering

Sales is more like problem finding then weaving and tailoring your products and services around the solution.

I'm in sales, but I don't try and SELL anyone anything. I try to solve your problem as it pertains to logistics. Here's a story that is an exact parallel to how I can make life easier for my retailers. So I have a 14 year old boy, who has a gaggle of 14 year old friends. I am often their chauffer to every school event, football game, friends parties, etc. I'm also a hockey mom. So my car is always filled with hockey gear, sticks, skates, gloves, smelly jerseys etc. I drive an 11 year old Range Rover that looks like I haul a gaggle of 14 year old kids around on the regular. It's a piece, and I finally decided I need a new car for fear of a wheel falling off... BUT I cannot stand or fathom sitting at the car place ALL DAY LONG. So I found one online, spoke to this nice man named Karl at Plaza BMW in St. Louis (shout out to Karl).... and told him I'm in the middle of moving my house, but I want this car. Karl's response... "How about if I bring it to you today, you can test drive it, and if you like it I'll have it detailed, and come back Monday with all of the paperwork. I'll pick up your trade in and you'll have your new whip (that's what the kids call a car these days)." So I'm like, "Right on Karl, let's do it." and we did. Karl will be dropping off my car later today. Karl took the headache out of my car buying experience. Karl made my life EASIER. I communicated clearly with Karl as to what I wanted, and Karl made it happen. I paid a fair price for an excellent service. I'm sure I could have went to the dealer and haggled another 1k off, but no. I wanted fair and excellent - not the cheapest. And, that's what I got. If you're a retailer, and have logistical headaches.... let me be your Karl. I'll get you a solid solution, at a fair price with excellent service. Or I'll tell you I can't so you don't waste your time. Either way, what do you have to lose with a phone call? I build high performing final mile distribution networks throughout the U.S. Connecting with me is free. [email protected] 314.713.4703 Happy Monday Folks, Love Karl... I mean Carrie