I have worked for HMG coatings (south) ltd for well over a decade now. In the early years I would
deliver paint, box up paint, order paint and spill paint - sometimes even watch paint dry. One
day, things changed.
My boss took me to one side and asked; “Dave, how would you feel about going out on the road
selling?” My immediate response was “I don’t think I can do that.” I was asked to sleep on it.
www.hmgcoatings.com 1HMG coatings (south) ltd 18 March 2021
That evening I sat on my sofa trying to imagine a scenario where I am a “salesman”. It takes a
certain type of person to gain clients and sell product, right? I’m not that kind of person. Suit
and tie? Clean shaven? Super confident? Driven by £££? I had convinced myself that these are
the key ingredients to becoming a good salesman. Despite this, I decided I had nothing to lose
and took the plunge.
On my first day, I was handed a list of potential clients and some business cards with my name
on them (which felt awesome) and off I went. I had spent weeks studying our paint products and
pricing - I was ready! I pulled up at my first potential customer not knowing what to expect. Will
they welcome me with open arms? Will they politely decline my service? What if I am told to go
away in front of all their staff? I am now sat in the car park, palms are sweaty, brains getting
foggy. I have decided I am not up to this. I searched the car for some inspiration. The only thing
available was my 6 year olds double disc “00s kids party anthems” as I sat there building up the
courage to get out of the car, 5 guys came out to have a smoke. One came over and asked if he
could help me. I awkwardly turned down Mr blobby so I could hear him better, explained who I
was and left.
Needless to say, it didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but that didn’t matter. I managed to make it
into the building without embarrassment on my second call that day. Managed to have a brief
chat with a friendly receptionist who told me the person I need to speak to is “in a meeting” so
left my card. Visits like this continued for a while, at times I felt deflated at the lack of results,
even questioning my own ability. I would try special offers in emails, I would try to call the
relevant person to gain an appointment. Even if I did gain an appointment I was rarely successful
in the beginning.
All it took was one enquiry from one of these potential clients to change my perspective. I
jumped at the opportunity to offer a solution to the problem they had. A paint job had gone
horribly wrong on site and their usual supplier could not supply replacement paint in time. We
were able to step in and resolve the issue in good time. We developed a close relationship as a
result of this and now they phone regularly.
I started to build more relationships with clients and I soon realised that nobody wants a
salesman pushing them to buy something. Nobody wants emails or phone calls pushing special
offers every week. What people want is someone they can trust to offer a solution. A friendly
face they can rely on to supply good products and service.
That’s what we strive for at HMG coatings.
Feel free to add your experiences out on the road, or experiences you have had as consumers.
