2007 State of the Industry
Water Quality Products
December 2007
By Water Quality Products
A current assessment of the water treatment industry
Are you Semiretired
Water Quality Products
September 2007
By Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
How to tell if you’re retired before you actually retire
PDF Version
The Cost of Lost Sales
Water Quality Products
June 2007
By Joe Helstrom
Secondary financing can help turn losses into profits
From Ring to Cha-Ching
Water Quality Products
February 2007
By Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
How to turn calls into appointments
From the Road
Water Quality Products
February 2007
Various
Jeff Roseman, CWS VI, owner of Aqua Ion Plus+ Technologies and member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Water Quality Products recently started driving a truck because business has been slow. On the road, Roseman has had the chance to see what is going on around the country and in different markets, and explore new opportunities that can expand his water treatment business. Water Quality Products asked Roseman to share his experiences and some of the new opportunities he sees for water dealers across the country.
Selling Outside the Box
Water Quality Products
January 2007
By Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
How to implement off-the-wall lead generation techniques
Facing a Downturn
Water Quality Products
December 2006
Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
How will changes in the economy affect your dealership?
The Role of Financing
Water Quality Products
December 2006
WQP asked Andrea Swiney, marketing manager for Aqua Finance, Inc., to discuss the benefits of a financing program vs. consumer credit cards for water dealers.
Survey Says...
Water Quality Products
November 2006
By Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
What do today’s customers want?
Jujitsu Selling
Water Quality Products
October 2006
By Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
Using customers’ own interests & desires as a fulcrum to make a sale
Just a Click of the Mouse Away
Water Quality Products
August 2006
Neda Simeonova
What dealers are saying about WQA’s Find a Water Professional online feature
Money Talks
Water Quality Products
June 2006
Compiled by Neda Simeonova
Financial programs play a key role in increasing sales and profits for water treatment dealers
Competing for Talent
Water Quality Products
May 2006
By Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
How to attract the new generation of salespeople
Buy Now, Pay Later
Water Quality Products
March 2006
By Tim Droogsma
Flexible financing options help water dealers grow their businesses
Establishing a Culture of Success
Water Quality Products
January 2006
By Ric Harry & Carl Davidson
Dealers must examine the message their words and actions send to their employees
Living up to Your Title
Water Quality Products
November 2005
If you were charged in a court of law with being a water equipment dealer, sales manager or a salesperson, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In other words, do your actions show that you are performing the job title you have acquired?
Sales & Management Training Seminar—A Success
Water Quality Products
September 2005
Neda Simeonova
Don’t miss the industry’s best Sales &Management Training Seminars featuring Carl Davidson coming up in Las Vegas on Sept. 22 & 23 and in Orlando on Nov. 17 &18 designed exclusively for sales people in the water equipment industry.
Earning & Keeping Customer Respect
Water Quality Products
August 2005
By Carl Davidson & Ric Harry
Here is an old-fashioned one. We suggest you call customers by their formal titles until they give you permission to use more familiar terms. No matter what their age, they may not want you to call them “guys” or use their first names.
Adopt Darwinian Marketing in a Soft Economy
Water Quality Products
July 2005
Kelly Howard
The economy is soft. Capital budgets are shrinking. Projections for growth remain conservative. Instead of adapting to change and seizing opportunities to strengthen market position, many businesses are committing one critical error—slashing marketing budgets.
PDF Version
Not What It Seems
Water Quality Products
July 2005
Carl Davidson
This article is about sales and management techniques that sound good but usually don’t work. You may think they will be successful in increasing sales and profits but in the end they fail. Take a look, maybe we can help you avoid trying them before you waste a lot of time and money.
PDF Version
Closing Techniques
Water Quality Products
May 2005
By Carl Davidson
Remember, no close or technique works unless you try it, and practice is essential to success.
PDF Version
The Phrase That Pays
Water Quality Products
March 2005
By Carl Davidson
Good salespeople choose phrases and words carefully, they constantly watch the customer in order to weed out the words and phrases that don’t work and emphasize the ones that do.
PDF Version
Opportunity in Las Vegas
Water Quality Products
February 2005
By Neda Simeonova
Water Quality Products recently spoke with
Peter J. Censky, executive director of the Water Quality Association, to find out more about the WQA Aquatech USA event to be held this spring in Las Vegas.
Beware of What You Take Pride In
Water Quality Products
January 2005
By Carl Davidson
They mistake certain aspects of their business for badges of honor when they are really signs of lack of proper sales and management.
PDF Version
Forget Your Title and Focus on the Job
Water Quality Products
December 2004
By G.A. "Andy" Marken
“Selling is cool. Selling is fun. Selling is good for your company’s long-term success and profitability. It is as true for engineering, accounting, legal, product planning, marketing, accounting, manufacturing and public relations as it is for the
sales department.”
PDF Version
Hot Button Selling
Water Quality Products
November 2004
By Carl Davidson
Other industries have already found that every customer buys for a reason as unique as their fingerprints…called hot buttons.
PDF Version
Heating up Your Demonstrations
Water Quality Products
September 2004
By Carl Davidson
Unless you have a demo that is so good the customer wants the system and wants it now, it is just not good enough.
PDF Version
Bad Credit? No Problem
Water Quality Products
June 2004
By Carl Davidson
Financing is the key to success in our industry, so do not leave home without it.
PDF Version
The Congratulations Close
Water Quality Products
April 2004
By Carl Davidson
Part of being a good closer is taking the time to learn good closes until they are smooth and automatic. It should just happen.
PDF Version
Optimism: The Unbeatable Secret to Sales
Water Quality Products
March 2004
Carl Davidson
Optimism is the number-one ingredient in success. How much do you have? The best way to develop optimism is to have a few key phrases ready to inject in things that happen on a regular basis during the sales process. Here are a few examples.
PDF Version
Great Salespeople Sell Themselves
Water Quality Products
February 2004
Carl Davidson
When a salesperson doesn't sell, you are losing about $10,000 per month that they should be bringing in through profit, you are losing face with current staff by allowing non-productive staff to stay, and you are burning leads that cost between $200 and $400 to generate. For all these reasons, it is important to get sales applicants off to a quick start. Here are a few steps you can do to help them make it or break it in a big hurry.
PDF Version
What Interests Your Customer?
Water Quality Products
January 2004
Carl Davidson
Many of us get hung up on only one or two reasons why people would be interested in our products. Too often, we get in the habit of using these reasons all the time and fail to customize our approach to each individual. Usually, the reasons are saving money for softeners and health for ROs. Are these the only reasons people might be interested? Is everyone interested in these benefits? Not at all. Let's take a look at other reasons that might interest and motivate potential buyers.
PDF Version
Taking the Lead
Water Quality Products
December 2003
Walt Denny
Not having a strategic sales lead management process in place inevitably results in lost opportunities. Consequences can range from drooping product sales to being driven out of business by eager competitors.
PDF Version
The Top 10 Things Messing Up Your Business
Water Quality Products
December 2003
Carl Davidson
I have listed the top 10 things we do to mess up our business. Take a look and see how many of them are hurting your business. Improving your business starts with seeing the problem and making a commitment to change these top 10--one at a time.
PDF Version
Going to 'Hell in a Hand Basket'
Water Quality Products
October 2003
Carl Davidson
The image in the media--more importantly, the image may have in ourselves--is that we are going to hell in a hand basket. We are seen as an industry full of charlatans, praying on the weak with high pressure tactics. Nothing could be further from the truth.
How to Choose Your Routing Software
Water Quality Products
October 2003
Lorraine Keating, Prism Visual Software, Inc.
There is sophisticated software written for the small to mid-sized businesses that conceptualizes bottled water delivery as a particular form of beverage delivery. The question is how to evaluate the quality of the various software products. So what should someone look for?
PDF Version
The Four Pillars of Closing
Water Quality Products
September 2003
Carl Davidson
There are four pillars to closing in our industry. Many salespeople leave out one or two and that greatly hampers their ability to get as many sales as they deserve. This article will discuss all four in an effort to remind new recruits and veterans of closing techniques that work.
PDF Version
Opportunities Bring Cash
Water Quality Products
August 2003
Wendi Hope King
As many of us wonder when the economy will make its massive turn around, others of us feel that maybe this will be as favorable as it gets for a long time. We must make the best of it. To assist you, we offer our Annual Buyer's Guide complete with supplier and product listings, a product/service guide and an index of associations and government entities that may help advance you even further down the road to prosperity.
PDF Version
Overcoming Obstacles
Water Quality Products
August 2003
Wendi Hope King, WQP Staff
During the course of a year, this industry sees many changes in standards and regulations. Some of them create quite a challenge for water treatment dealers, but still there are others that offer great opportunity to the dealer who knows how to use them correctly.
PDF Version
Lead Generation
Water Quality Products
August 2003
Carl Davidson, Sales & Management Solutions
Having enough leads allows you to attract and keep great salespeople. Nothing increases recruiting results like being able to say, "We provide the leads and appointments." It also increases production. Dealers who provide leads average twice the sales per salesperson as those who do not. The best thing you can do for your company is to lock yourself in a private room for a few hours and plan your marketing plan for the next 12 months. If you decide to do this exercise, here are a few areas you might consider.
PDF Version
Sales Survivor
Water Quality Products
June 2003
Carl Davidson
With the advent of the camcorder, many recorded everyday events as if they were news. That trend was compounded with the advent of reality TV. It is entertainment that just happens without rehearsal, planning or effort. But the belief that no rehearsal or script is necessary is untrue, and it is costing many of us sales--and lots of them.
Top 10 Signs Your Sales Career is Dying
Water Quality Products
May 2003
Carl Davidson
Here are the top 10 signs I have noticed over the years that are warnings your productivity as a salesperson is waning. I put them before you, not to be critical, but in the hope that recognizing the early warning signs may help you stay on top of your game for years to come.
PDF Version
Ethical Practices and the Media
Water Quality Products
April 2003
Wendi Hope King
It is so important to educate the public, government agencies and, most of all, the consumer media. We need to let them know that we are accessible to them as experts for comment in order for them to present fair and accurate stories.
PDF Version
Prospecting for Salespeople and Owners
Water Quality Products
April 2003
Carl Davidson
Prospecting is quite important to your career if you are in sales and to the company if you are in management. Often we get proficient at things we do not initially like if it is important. The following is a snapshot at just how important prospecting is.
PDF Version
Feeling Lucky? The Truth About 1099 Contractors
Water Quality Products
March 2003
Carl Davidson
I am surprised at seminars when people tell me they hire their salespeople as 1099 independent contractors. We do not recommend this for business and tax reasons. This article discusses why we believe you are at a disadvantage using this method of remuneration.
PDF Version
More Great Ideas from Great Salespeople
Water Quality Products
February 2003
Carl Davidson
In this article, I thought I would present some great ideas that have been shared with me recently. If you have a great idea you would like to share, email me at davidson@salesco.net. I'd love to hear from you.
PDF Version
Have You Hugged Your RO Today?
Water Quality Products
January 2003
Carl Davidson
You have to be completely sold and very enthusiastic about your product in order to be able to sell. I thought you might be interested in how I was made more aware of just how wonderful it is to own an RO system.
PDF Version
In Management, One Size Does Not Fit All
Water Quality Products
December 2002
Carl Davidson
Great salespeople learn to customize their sales presentations to the thousands of customer types. However, many owners and managers stop customizing when it comes to their employees. This article will look at some of the sales profiles you may have on your team and ways to get the most out of them.
PDF Version
If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get
Water Quality Products
November 2002
Carl Davidson
If we ask everyone we meet if they are doing anything to improve their water, we will be overrun with prospects and sales.
PDF Version
Straight Talk About Ethics
Water Quality Products
October 2002
Carl Davidson
Our industry seems racked with questions about ethics when, in my opinion, its real problems are problems of selling skills. But many market areas have seen fast-talking companies come in and turn the public against the water equipment industry. Let's take a look at the issues and the answers.
PDF Version
What Could Be Better Than Selling Water Equipment?
Water Quality Products
September 2002
Carl Davidson
The good news for us all is that everyone needs pure water, and they need it every day. We have the biggest population of people who need our product--everyone on earth. Couple this with the fact that only about 10 percent of U.S. homes have water improvement equipment and you have an unparalleled opportunity to sell.
PDF Version
The Critical Step
Water Quality Products
July 2002
Carl Davidson
I am always shocked to see how few salespeople use a value justification. In my view, this is a critical step in the selling process. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages this technique gives you and then we will look at the actual script for a justification.
PDF Version
Recipe to Outside Sales Success
Water Quality Products
June 2002
Jason B. Schell and Peter Strain, Water Depot University
There are 10 ingredients to a successful sales team. Read the following 10 items to see if your sales force measures up.
PDF Version
Cold or Gold?
Water Quality Products
June 2002
By Carl Davidson
Remember that opportunity is calling your company every day. Take a moment to ask who is answering and are they turning those calls into cold or gold?
PDF Version
Hedging Your Hiring Bets
Water Quality Products
May 2002
Carl Davidson
Whom you hire is an important decision. The right candidate will bring sales and profits to your company. The wrong one can mean serious losses and lawsuits. On average, you invest $20,000 in potential profit, training and payroll in each new candidate. Here are some tips from great sales managers as to how to make the right choice of whom to hire.
PDF Version
Are You Sold Enough to Sell?
Water Quality Products
April 2002
Carl Davidson
The truth is that enthusiasm is what you need to sell but some of us are sorely lacking in this precious commodity ... and it’s no wonder. How can you stay up and enthusiastic enough to sell?
PDF Version
Getting Paid to Listen
Water Quality Products
March 2002
Carl Davidson
Is there a job out there where you get paid big bucks to listen? I mean sitting with someone over a coffee and just listening? You may guess a psychiatrist or lawyer and that would be correct. The truth is, all of us in the sales profession get paid big bucks to listen.
The Need For Marketing
Water Quality Products
March 2002
Walt Denny
Starting and running a business without a marketing plan can be like trying to fly an airplane without radar—you might know what your destination is, but you haven’t a “road map” to get you there. Every company, whether it is established or still in the idea phase, needs a marketing plan that serves as an integral part of its overall business plan for company operations. A good marketing plan supports a company’s broader business goals by formulating a sound marketing strategy and an action plan (i.e., specific marketing activities such as web promotions, direct mail, etc.) that can carve a direct path to bolstered product sales, market share and long-term profitability and success.
Boost POE Sales by Leveraging the New Arsenic Standard
Water Quality Products
February 2002
Craig Winter, CWS-III, EnviroInvestigations &Remediation
Recent market research showed that more than 73 percent of consumers prefer to consult with a water treatment professional when dealing with arsenic. Combining this inclination with the preference for the POE approach, the treatment professional has a unique opportunity to generate significant new revenue from POE sales with minimal upfront effort.
PDF Version
If You Sell Just Water Softeners, You Could Be Making a Lot More Money
Water Quality Products
February 2002
Carl Davidson
Have you ever done a great demonstration only to find that the customer just isn’t interested? We all have that happen occasionally, but sometimes we cause their apathy by emphasizing the wrong things. What I mean is that people do not buy steel tanks, resin and valves, they buy emotions, dreams and love. Let me explain.
PDF Version
How Many Demos is a Full Day's Night?
Water Quality Products
January 2002
Carl Davidson
Recently, several salespeople and managers told me they don't believe a reasonable person can average a minimum of two demos per day as we recommend on our recorded training videos. Are we leaving out important practical considerations? This article will take a look at this issue and help you make this important decision. Your financial success is determined by the decisions you make, so choose wisely.
PDF Version
Can Technology Help You Sell More? Part 2
Water Quality Products
November 2001
By Carl Davidson
Last month, I discussed a few ideas on tossing your selling techniques into the new century by utilizing available technologies. This month lists a few more selling ideas that have proved themselves worthy of a salesman’s efforts.
PDF Version
In Need of an Economy Upswing
Water Quality Products
October 2001
G.A. Marken, Marken Communications, Inc.
Historically, the economy improves only when people are convinced that it is improving. Apparently, the Bush Administration hasn’t been all that convincing because the economy isn’t steadily improving. At least, not according to corporate managers and, most importantly, not according to consumers.
PDF Version
Can Technology Help You Sell More?
Water Quality Products
October 2001
Carl Davidson
Many of us went into sales because we were good with people and bad with paper work. As a result, many of us have shied away from changing technology during the last few decades.
PDF Version
Water Tests Protect Customers from Guilty Parties
Water Quality Products
September 2001
Wendi Hope King, WQP Staff
Despite the regulations set for treatment plants, the general public will find itself focusing on the negative and seeking additional treatment from our industry. This spells opportunity for water treatment dealers to illustrate how their services can benefit the public.
PDF Version
Free! Water Test
Water Quality Products
September 2001
Carl Davidson, Sales & Management Solutions
If you don?t believe in testing water, you?ll never make what you should be making in our industry. Despite this fact, many salespeople feel, deep down inside, that it?s just a gimmick to sell our product ... that asking to do the test is just a come on.
PDF Version
Packing and Positioning
Water Quality Products
June 2001
Carl Davidson
There are two pillars to success in our industry that some salespeople overlook. They make a big difference to sales and profits and deserve some study. They are what separates the big earners from the not-so-big earners.
PDF Version
Top 12 Things We All Do That Kill the Close
Water Quality Products
April 2001
Carl Davidson
Sometimes we are so close to the sale we can taste it until we do something that kills it in its tracks. To prevent us all from doing this, here are the top 12 things we all do sometimes to kill the sale.
PDF Version
I've Never Met a Rich Sharecropper
Water Quality Products
March 2001
Carl Davidson
Sharecroppers are poor tenant farmers. They farm the land for the owner in exchange for a share of or percentage of the crops they produce for the owner. They do what they are told and have no land to farm themselves.
PDF Version
We Ought to Be Committed
Water Quality Products
February 2001
Carl Davidson
We ought to be committed. No, that isn’t a comment on our mental stability but rather a comment addressing the fact that we ought to be totally committed to success if we intend to achieve it.
PDF Version
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Water Quality Products
January 2001
Carl Davidson
As the beginning of a new year rolls around, I think "Who wants to be a millionaire?" is an appropriate question to ask.
PDF Version
International Business: The Business Card
Water Quality Products
January 2001
Eric Aparnieks
Have you ever wondered why we carry business cards? If you ever stopped to think about it, they really are unique in many ways.
But How Much Is It?
Water Quality Products
January 2001
Carl Davidson
Could we get more of those people to allow us into their home for a demonstration? Here are a few tips from veterans of the phone wars.
PDF Version
Oh Yeah? Well, I Quit!
Water Quality Products
December 2000
Carl Davidson
I was giving a seminar last week when one of the managers attending said, "You can’t tell people to work hard in this job market or they just quit." The other managers agreed.
Who Are You Most Like?
Water Quality Products
November 2000
Carl Davidson
We have observed that great salespeople spend a lot of time examining their attitudes and habits and selling themselves everyday on the ones that lead to success. Success requires recharging and selling yourself everyday. Look at the chart and see which column best describes you.
The One Sales Secret I Hate to Reveal
Water Quality Products
October 2000
Carl Davidson
As someone who makes a living teaching people to sell, there is one sales secret I hate to reveal.
Cooking at the Boiling Point
Water Quality Products
September 2000
Carl Davidson
If you go for the close before or after the boiling point, you are much less likely to get a sale.
Dreaming the Dream, Selling the Show
Water Quality Products
July 2000
Carl Davidson
Last month, we discussed feeling customers' pain, which builds desire for change, but change to what? This month, we will discuss dreaming the dream, making the customer visualize enjoying the benefits of your products and services.
How Much Is a Salesperson Worth?
Water Quality Products
June 2000
Carl Davidson
Many companies want to have great salespeople but have trouble attracting and keeping them. How you value, attract and maintain your sales team is a harbinger of the health of your company.
Feeling Their Pain
Water Quality Products
May 2000
Carl Davidson
Marketing tests have shown that people will do more to avoid pain than to achieve pleasure. Pain and fear of loss are powerful motivators, and they can be used to make the sale.
Road Map to the Sale
Water Quality Products
April 2000
Carl Davidson
A top salesperson suggested trying a "road map" to close the sale by telling the customer what is going to happen at every stage and then lead them to the sale.
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