Problem Solving is a Challenge that Fuels Sales Innovation

Sales has always been a challenge for me. By the time I reached 20, I already had a low opinion of sales people. Suddenly, I found myself unemployed with a wife and baby girl. I told my wife I would take any job but sales. My personal experiences with sales people had all been negative. One day I had a good sales job offer. I had just accepted a more physical job at a local Walmart before the call. My wife encouraged me to take the sales position and I followed her advice.

I decided after 5 years I needed to create my own sales paradigm because I could not be the talkative, features and benefits, pushy sales guy. That is when I started looking at what I do every day in a plumbing fixture showroom as problem solving. I feel like it helped me go down a path in sales that made me successful.

The Sales Problem

Customers come into your showroom, office or parts counter because they have a problem. Maybe they need a new toilet. Finding the right toilet to replace it with is the solution. This mindset made me approach sales from a completely different mind frame and also changed the way I spoke to my customer. The problem could be a simple one like a toilet or a more complex one like fixtures for a five-bathroom house.

Think of how your physician talks to you at a regular appointment. He will ask you a series of questions — where does it hurt, how long has it been hurting, does it hurt more when you do a particular thing? He does not come into the room with racks of drugs, ointments, back, knee and arm braces. He does not begin to tell you the value or features and benefits of each item hoping you will choose one. Doctors are some of the best problem solvers. They ask questions and narrow the specificity of the pain or malady as much as they can before writing a prescription or outlining a treatment.

When selling plumbing items, we need to treat the sales conversation more as a physician and less as a typical salesperson. I want to find the perfect solution to the customer’s problem. That may involve parameters including affordability, availability and feasibility. Ultimately you want to be listening more to the customer’s needs and less to your sales pitch. The transaction hopefully ends something like this: “Mrs. Smith I understand you want a toilet that is mid price range, taller, easier to clean, flushes great, has modern lines and a slow close seat. It sounds like the Kohler Corbelle fits those criteria. What do you think about that solution?”

This is a great formula for making customers happy and positively resolving sales problems.

The Parts Problem

Most plumbers (or HVAC technicians and other trades people) generally split into two categories: new construction and repair. Some straddle the line but most have a singular focus. The new construction group deals with new homes and new commercial projects. Their problems normally parallel those of sales problems above.

The repair plumbers are a different breed who work on repairing or replacing old items, things like a Kohler Niedecken shower faucet or a Kohler Rochelle toilet. It can be difficult for a homeowner to find a plumber to even look at these things, and many of those that do will simply recommend replacement. This can create another problem because something like a toilet may be in an old color that matches vanity sinks and a shower in the bathroom. Customers prefer to have it fixed and not invest in a newer model that will destroy the color symmetry in the bathroom.

I have my main plumbing trouble-shooters that I deal with, David’s Plumbing, CW Plumbing and Good Vibes Plumbing. David does mostly home warranty repairs. The insurance company he works with wants affordable and expedient solutions to problems. He will diligently try to save a fixture before replacing it. He will send me photos of items, or might stop by with an actual part off a fixture to help in identification. He’s patient and kind and excellent at solving parts problems.

CW Plumbing is my friend Charlie the plumber. I have never seen him turn away from any problem issues. He has a voracious appetite for them and he tackles them resolutely. One of his personal hobbies is collecting and restoring antique firearms, another field of problem solving. He may gripe occasionally about a difficult customer but he walks into a home confident he can solve whatever problem he finds.

My other great problem-solving plumber is Good Vibes Plumbing. He is in a different part of the state and we are restricted to pictures and talking on the phone for problem solving. The owner, Duke, runs into some unique problems in the primarily rural part of the state where he works.

One of our outside salesmen hooked me up with Duke because he could not find a supplier who would help him with his problems. One day earlier this year he asked me, “Am I the only one who runs into these strange situations?” I assured him he was not by any means.

Here’s my opportunity and your opportunity. If we build good bonds with these repair people, (plumbers, HVAC technicians, electricians and others) they become extremely loyal.

It’s not an easy task. I get stumped sometimes, but most of the time I can find them what they need. It’s research, (on the web or in old parts books), determination and creativity (is there an alternate part we could use).

The thing to keep in mind is that if you solve a big problem for these type of trades people, they will reward you by bringing you even bigger problems. That’s trust, the root of good customer relations. Keep in mind the potential profit. A rebuild kit for some older Kohler toilets is $300-plus, and you can make good margins on it. These customers are not going to price shop you; they just want to get their problem solved.

‘Houston, We Have Had a Problem’

Apollo 13 was on a flight to the moon on April 13, 1970. An explosion rattled the spacecraft and the men traveling in it. Commander Jim Lovell quickly contacted NASA with the famous words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” They experienced a catastrophic failure but fortunately made it back to earth safely.

Catastrophic problems happen in our business, too. I recently had a customer with a Brizo custom shower system that was plumbed incorrectly by the installer. Primarily the rain head, the centerpiece of the shower, would not function properly because of the installation.

My team and I put our heads together to come up with the least invasive solution to this problem. I even consulted with my Delta sales person. Ultimately, we put together a solution but it would involve removing some tile and getting into the installation from behind. The complete solution is still being played out right now.

These are the toughest problems. I tell my team that solving problems distinguishes us from the competition. I encourage them to run to problems and not away from problems. In my own personal rules of life, Rule No. 9 is “Problems are opportunities to excel.” They are not always easy or fun, but they are amazing opportunities. I had a great problem-solving mentor growing up: my Dad. I always felt like he could solve any problem. With practice, research and tenacity, you can too.

Nearly 30 years ago Alan Donahue declared to his wife he would “accept any career as long as it’s not in sales”. That was just prior to his accepting a sales position at Falk Plumbing Supply. Today, Donahue, Falk Plumbing Supply’s showroom manager, loves helping his staff learn to be great sales people by focusing on the customer’s needs instead of the sale.