Steel Buyers Basics: The First Sales Call

This article is part of a series of articles written by John Packard originally under the heading “Steel Buyers Basics.” Recent articles have focused on the steel sales process, but sales and purchasing are connected. The fact that my experience is associated with the flat rolled steel markets and products does not detract from the need to understand basic sales concepts when trying to sell virtually any product or material. The same angst exists for those salespeople trying to learn to sell bars and angles, copper or brass, stainless steel or aluminum as those selling hot rolled, cold rolled or galvanized coils and sheets. The beginning is just that, the beginning of a long process to learn and prosper in a sales career.

Every new salesperson has to go through the same rite of passage – the first time you take your newly learned product and marketing skills into the field to meet a living, breathing purchasing agent. Most of us leave the office totally unprepared for “battle” not realizing that Sales is a competitive endeavor and not for the weak at heart.