There is a lot of great technology available to contractors that distributors can provide, whether it’s distributor-centric apps or partnerships with developers, to optimize their business operations.

Top 3 Ways to Sell Digital Tools

A certain beer commercial urges customers to “stay thirsty, my friends.” John DeRosa, director of contractor training at SRS Distribution, has a different take that distributors can use to successfully sell customers on their software solutions: “stay curious longer.” Learn how to apply this mindset with three tips from DeRosa.

But even the best technology can’t help if a distributor can’t properly explain the benefits, says John DeRosa, director of contractor training at SRS Distribution. He goes on to explain many apps and software solutions are likely under-utilized because contractors may not know the true value they hold.

“More than often not, the sales rep is relying on the perceived value of those tools and not focusing on how the particular tool is going to solve a problem for the customer,” he said.

In this episode, DeRosa speaks about how distributors can give their customers a leg up by demonstrating the true value that technology can offer. For instance, instead of showing a customer how easy an app or software is to use, learn to ask questions about the needs of the customer.

“They tell us their problems, they tell us their difficulties, they tell us their dissatisfactions, and what we really need to do is listen to that,” he said. “I always like to use the phrase ‘stay curious longer’ — ask questions about those issues to really try to take a deep dive into exactly what’s really happening and, most importantly, to what the true cost of that problem is.”

To do this, DeRosa provides three tips salespeople can use to better understand the needs, such as the sales rep becoming an expert in the technology they are offering to customers. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean becoming an IT expert or software engineer.

“You need to be an expert where you need to understand not necessarily what the product does, but what it does represent [as] an advantage for the customer,” DeRosa said.

From there it’s honing what questions to ask, which DeRosa says tend to be “powerful, emotionally engaging” inquiries that speak to the customer’s desire to do better and faster business.

For more information, watch the full video here or download the podcast version and listen on the go.