What kind of prep work do you do in advance of a sales call?
Having a good conversation with a retail buyer about why they should stock your brand’s products is the heart of the selling process. A strong relationship is important, but so is being able to convince the buyer that carrying your products will help them make money. Spending some time getting ready for a conversation can make for a more successful sales call.
Pistil gives you the information you need to prepare for an effective sales conversation. With Pistil on your mobile phone, you can even find quick info in the car or while waiting to speak to the buyer. In fact, some of our clients get their best market intelligence while sitting in dispensary parking lots!
Sales Director for Albert Einstones, Sunny Simms will tell you that using Pistil to prep is a sure-fire approach to a mutually productive sales conversation. Says Sunny, “There are more products on the market than there are dispensaries right now, so if you can get in front of a new customer, preparing in advance for a great sales call is key.”
Sunny and his team use data supplied by Pistil to efficiently and effectively prepare for sales meetings and use their customer’s time and that opportunity wisely.
For instance, Pistil Leaders lets his reps drill down into their territory to find insights such as the top 25 brands in any category. Not only do they know where their brand stands with respect to competitive offerings, but they can also share this information with prospective buyers to start a conversation about what might be missing from their menu.
Says Sunny, “We’ve used Pistil for just about a year now. It replaces the man-hours we have traditionally spent doing product and prospecting research, like searching WeedMaps, Dutchie, and scouring in-store menus to find holes we can fill. We need to know which products (ours and competitors) are doing well and which ones are doing poorly. Pistil is invaluable because it brings all that information directly to our fingertips. It’s been great for helping a small team juggle all the tasks on our plate and stay at the top of our game.”
Pistil also helps Albert Einstones find new dispensaries to call on and close more business every month. Sunny and his sales reps are on the customer front lines and with Pistil get regular detail on how specific products are performing in a dispensary and territory.
“If something is not hitting with a SKU; if the customer doesn’t understand the product or if they aren’t aware of it, then that’s on us,” says Sunny. “Having Pistil gather all that intelligence on the back end is the very best scenario for everyone. It allows us to know where our dispensary customers stand, which saves us a lot of time. It also saves our retailers time because they don’t have to spend valuable time gathering up product performance information and sending us reports.”
Here are some ways that you can use sales intelligence to drive more sales.
- Know the store menu. Every store menu is like a fingerprint. What kind of customer/patient does the store serve? How is the store positioned relative to stores nearby? What kinds of relationships does the store have with other brands? Knowing the answers to these questions by familiarizing yourself with their store menu is important for a great conversation with a buyer.
- Target a hole. You can often find a unique selling proposition for your brand by targeting a hole in the retailer's menu.
- Use price as a lever. Finding a selling proposition based on price doesn’t have to mean a race to the bottom. By familiarizing yourself with the retail prices of the products the retailer carries, sometimes you can find an opportunity to show that your product is an even better deal for the retailer and their customers.
- Arrive at a sales meeting prepared to knock your competitor off the shelf. Pistil will show you which brands dispensaries carry and which brands/products are currently out-of-stock. Make your competitor’s Winback opportunity your sales opportunity.
If you want to hear more about how Pistil can help you get in new doors, expand shelf space, and get faster reorders, request a demo below or contact your customer success representative.
