Lead Generation: Fiberglass Grating
Client: Chemgrate Corp. of Woodinville, Wash. manufactured fiberglass grating used for walking and working surfaces in slippery or corrosive processing environments. Note: Chemgrate was acquired by their major competitor Fibergrate of Dallas in 1990’s.
Situation: Chemgrate had recently signed on a new representative organization to sell the company’s products in Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. “We rely a great deal on our sales reps. They’re the backbone of our business,” said Dan Guy, Jr., Chemgrate’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Richard Martin was referred to us by Kistler-Morse. After meeting with him, you could tell that he understood the challenges our company faces. He proposed to investigate and qualify sales opportunities in Oklahoma and Texas. It was what we’d been looking for. We always like to get things started on the right foot with our new sales reps.”
Execution: Martin identified 377 industrial plants in the region that were potential Chemgrate customers. He interviewed engineers at each site, including firms such as Weyerhaeuser, Georgia Pacific, Hormel, Asarco, Stone Container, American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Phillips 66, Kerr-McGee, Pepsi Cola and Ralston Purina. Immediate sales opportunities were forwarded to the new Oklahoma representatives.
Situation: Chemgrate had recently signed on a new representative organization to sell the company’s products in Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. “We rely a great deal on our sales reps. They’re the backbone of our business,” said Dan Guy, Jr., Chemgrate’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Richard Martin was referred to us by Kistler-Morse. After meeting with him, you could tell that he understood the challenges our company faces. He proposed to investigate and qualify sales opportunities in Oklahoma and Texas. It was what we’d been looking for. We always like to get things started on the right foot with our new sales reps.”
Execution: Martin identified 377 industrial plants in the region that were potential Chemgrate customers. He interviewed engineers at each site, including firms such as Weyerhaeuser, Georgia Pacific, Hormel, Asarco, Stone Container, American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Phillips 66, Kerr-McGee, Pepsi Cola and Ralston Purina. Immediate sales opportunities were forwarded to the new Oklahoma representatives.
Results: “I took the final report to Tulsa, Oklahoma and went over the sales leads with the two partners of our rep firm,” Dan Guy, Jr. said. “When we were finished, one of them told me, ‘Dan, I’ve been in this business over 25 years and we’re always asking our suppliers for help in providing qualified leads. This is the first time I’ve seen a company that actually followed through.’” Dan Guy Jr. concluded with a smile: “I’d say we got the business with them off on the right foot.”
