The Truth About Selling Steel: Lead Generation

I recently had dinner with the owner of a Midwest based flat rolled steel service center. During the course of the conversation the subject of steel sales and, specifically, the development of new sales leads came up. I am sure this is a topic that many service center managers reflect upon on an almost daily basis. They wonder, as our dinner companion did, how do I get my sales team to bring in more “qualified” customers?

The discussion I had was centered on the frustration this particular service center owner had with a sales person who brought in an inquiry on a product which was not part of their direct portfolio of products sold into the marketplace.