Category Archives: heavy equipment sales

Heavy equipment sell by performance or by mere brand name

One of the most important component that has the potential to keep the construction industry moving is heavy equipment. For a person who wants to buy a heavy equipment, he is often baffled with the question if he should be buying an equipment that has a history of good performance or something that simply has a good brand name to back it up. Not all the famous and big brands have produced the best of machines and not all the low market brands have manufactured vulnerable machine is a point worth noting. Though brands like CAT, John Deere, Hitachi and alike are famous for producing real good machines but there are not so famous brands that have produced some machines surpassing the ones produced by the famous brands. In other words, one must go by a brand name as that develops a kind of confidence in the minds of the buyers but simultaneously, if one gets to know that a local company has come up with a real good machine, then they should also show interest in buying that.

We will discuss how a machine with a brand name is an easier selling product than the one without the name of a famous brand.

Brand creates confidence and trust in the mind of buyers:-

What happens when somebody tries to sell you a product that you have not even heard of? The product may be exceptional in terms of quality and performance but you do not know that. This means that the product though being highly productive and excellent in quality lacks the most important feature which works as a constraint from getting it sold. The product lacks a brand and people buy things that has a brand name attached with it. The reason they go for a brand is that other have used the product of this brand and they are content with the quality which in a way suggests that this brand produces goods of high quality and one can easily lay their trust on it.

Brands give importance to the quality of equipment:-

Since brands know that people have huge expectations from their products, they will not want to play with the quality of the equipments. They will want to give the best to the clients. However, knowing the needs of the clients become a must. They can’t produce stuffs that are overtly expensive and that no one is ready to buy it.  They try to maximize the feature components in the machine and try to offer it to the buyers at a reasonable amount.

Performance is more important than just the name of the brand:-

Without a brand’s name, you will find it almost impossible to sell a heavy equipment. Similarly, one can also create a brand name by producing quality machines. It is not that the famous brands were born famous. They had to make their way in. If they stop manufacturing quality machines that gives importance to performance, you will soon find them to be history and they will be replaced by someone who sells machines based on its performance.

Selling heavy equipment – Must to have a mentor

We all want to excel in our career and lead a prosperous life and for that we try and do everything under the sun to make that happen. One such profession where you need not be ultra-qualified is being a salesman. However, that does not imply that anybody can become a good salesman. It requires lot of hard work and determination without which it will be futile to dream of a prosperous life. Now when we are talking about sales, we are dealing with a difficult chapter. When you are into selling something, you are winning someone’s trust first and then selling him the product. This also means that if in any case the product goes faulty, the person will lose his trust from you for eternity.

Therefore it is important that you sell the right stuff to the right person. But when you are a beginner you do not know how to deal with situations and how to crack a deal. This is where the need of a mentor surfaces. Ideally, you be a part of any industry, the need of a mentor is always required there but it is probably more needed in the profession of sale because you are not only dealing with the reputation of the company but also with the trust of people and you just can’t allow that to go for a toss.

For people who are selling heavy equipment, the need of a mentor increases in their case. One can just imagine the situation of a newbie who after graduating gets into selling heavy equipment about which he knows nothing. He must be having nightmares to come to office every day and may even think of moving to some other job or some other industry. Well for people like these, there must a guy who will guide them with the things he is supposed to do and the things he should stay out of. Since he will be completely new to this environment, he should first meet his mentor before his starts working for the day. No wonder his mentor will fill him up with positivity and will try to clear any hurdles that he must have experienced during the sale.

Selling heavy equipment may not be as simple as selling some financial product but it is also not a very difficult job. It just depends on how well you take it and the kind of support you get from your mentor. You should be sharing possibly everything pertaining to the job with him. Right from meeting the client to the kind of questions that were asked to you by the client and also the answers you gave should be said to the mentor. By that he will judge the areas where you are lacking and will give necessary advices to work on. You should take them positively and hone your skills further. It takes time to become a good heavy equipment salesman but with the help of your mentor, you can do it without much effort.

Selling heavy equipment that are on the verge of becoming obsolete

Heavy equipment being so expensive, we use them to the fullest and then when we see no further use we try to sell it off to someone who may need it in his business. But as years passes by, we see a lot of changes in the technology of a machine and people ideally do not wish to buy something that is very old. They like to go with heavy equipment that are known to the operators and they do not experience a hard time to work on it. Now in a situation like this, if you have a machine that has been with you for decades and now it just can’t be used at all, you are perhaps left with no other option than to sell it as scrap. A person with a sane mind will never buy it with the intention of using it in his construction business. It will simply not work.

In case, you sell the heavy equipment as scrap, you are not getting anything out of it. Just few hundred dollars and you are done. But what if a company is ready to pay few thousand dollars for the same piece of metal. It sound to be unrealistic but as a matter of fact there are some companies that deal with age old heavy equipment and buy them by paying decent amount of money which a person selling it can’t even expect to get for that old stuff. These companies are always in the hunt of old heavy equipment that people are happily willing to do away with.

The modus operandi of these companies is to buy the machines at real cheap rate and change their parts with newer ones. They work to give it an altogether new look and also installs gadgets that are currently in demand. Overall, they make it look like a brand new heavy equipment and sell it at a price much less than the ones that you normally buy from the heavy equipment manufacturing companies. These companies have engineers working for them. These engineers have loads of experience in producing heavy equipments. They are also provided with all the equipments that are required to manufacture construction machines. It is just that they can’t use the name of the brand on the machines or else they mostly produce machines which are a bit less than par to the original ones.

It makes a lot of sense to sell old heavy equipment to these companies. They are ready to buy machines that are not bought by anybody. So before you plan to sell it off to such companies, it is better that you first check the number of such companies available in your city. You can contact them and check the price they are ready to pay. Do not commit to anybody but speak with as many people as you can and know the price they are ready to pay you. You can then sell the machine to the person who can pay you the most. In this way, you can get rid of very old heavy equipment and can still make decent money from it.

Applying solid techniques can make selling of heavy equipment an easier job

Many people have found selling to be the most difficult work and they usually give it up in just few days from taking a job that involves them to sell the products. They somehow do not find it convenient and remain unhappy with their job. It is only during the time when they are able to make a sale that they get a bit charged up but most of the time they are haunted with the thought of quitting the job and taking something else in its place. Truly, selling is not everybody’s cup of tea. Though it is a requirement that all should be comfortable doing with but the fact is that only a handful of men and women are good in sales and the rest takes up some other job.

Well, life becomes more difficult when one is linked to selling heavy equipment. Selling heavy equipment not only requires good skill but one should adopt some solid techniques to ensure that he converts the possibility of a sale into a definite one. So just mastering the skill to sell might not be enough when it comes to selling heavy equipment but one has to move an extra mile and also learn the “solid techniques”.

Let’s talk in brief about the techniques one can use while selling heavy equipment.

Keep your presentations simple and use more pictures and diagrams:-

If you feel that you have a great job by preparing a presentation that includes jargons which is understood by people from the construction industry then you will be surprised to know that your work has higher chances of backfiring. Please understand everybody likes to understand things in a simpler way. If you make it look complex you have simply lost it. Try and show your work with the help of diagrams and pictures which will relate easily with what you want to explain. Speak only to the point. You need not explain every detail as they may not be interested to know every small thing. So focus on what the users want and it will be transformed into a closed deal.

Make use of social media to reach out to a good chunk of people:-

This is an important technique and a must use when you are into selling of heavy equipment. People should know about you. You can’t knock the door of every construction company checking if they are in need of any heavy equipment. What best you can do is create a business profile in a popular social networking website and add people who are connected to this industry. This will work big time for you and you will see people talking you whenever they see a need to buy a machine.

Keep posting pictures of any new arrivals on your company’s website:-

People are usually attracted to know if there are any new arrivals in the market. You can update pictures of machines that have been just launched by the company and also state on your website the offers/discounts that you can offer. This will let others come to you to buy the machines.

 

 

Used equipment can be economically viable for your company

Buying used construction equipment or a brand new one has been the topic of debate for years. Many experts feel that one should go for brand new equipment as they are installed with latest technology and one may find it far convenient to work on a new machine than a used one. However, others share a different opinion altogether. They feel that for new construction companies, it would be rather difficult to buy new machines as that can push them towards financial debts if they are unable to pay their monthly installments. Even if they manage to buy the machine outright, there are still high chances that they may drain away all their resources and end up borrowing to meet other business requirements.

It is difficult to judge what one should be doing as decisions should be taken based on the circumstances in which a person is. Let us assume that the construction business owner has surplus reserves and will have no problem if he pays the entire money in cash. Well, in this situation, he needs to analyze if he may need to pull out anything from the surplus to meet any of his business requirement for the next 9-12 months. In case if he feels that there may be a need for him to take some cash out and by investing the money in buying equipment can lead to financial difficulties later on, he should abort his plan to buy the equipment outright. But if he sees no encumbrances then he can make his way ahead to buy the machine.

Small construction companies should primarily focus on buying used equipment as that will not cost much to them. Used construction equipment can be bought at a reasonable price which they can easily afford. Nevertheless, the drawback a used construction equipment will have is that it will not have the advanced technologies installed in it that a brand new equipment will have. This will be a bit of pain to the operator and slightly more pain if he is accustomed with operating on new machines. He may not find it convenient to operate the machine like he used to with the newer ones. But if the operator can work on both old as well as new equipment, he will only need some days to get accustomed to the older version.

The other hurdle that a small construction company experiences quite often is with managing its finances. If they are not so financially stable, then it is never recommended for them to buy a new machine. That will only increase their business debts and it takes a long time to clear them all. They also have to do a bit of research work trying to know the lender who can offer them loan at the most affordable rate of interest. Now most of the small construction company does not have the time to do any of these research works. Therefore, it is prudent that they stick to the used machines and once they feel that they are getting financially stable that they should think of going for a new one.

Selling heavy equipment is driven by passion

In order to do any kind of work, it has to be driven by passion. If there is no passion in a work, the end result will not be a fabulous one. You will not put that effort in your work if you do not have the passion for it and therefore you should do things that interests you and not out of coercion. Working as a salesman requires a lot of that component in you. If you do not have passion to sell things, you will perhaps have to find something else that suits you and when you are selling heavy equipment you need to be more passionate towards the stuff you are doing. You can achieve good results only if you like the job. For many the subject of heavy equipment does not comes with any interest. They find this topic to be very boring and when you start talking about earth moving machines, there is a tendency that it may drive away the interest of people. Such men are just not suitable for selling heavy equipment even if they can sell anything in this planet.

As a matter of fact, the subject of heavy equipment is indeed a boring one but guys who find it to be interesting, they can see their place in selling heavy equipment. Though it offers good money to the salesmen who are able to crack the deal, but this does not mean that the guy who feels bored by hearing about earth moving machines can find his place there. He can’t be a part of this profession just because it offers good money on a successful deal. He simply will not be able to survive in it for long. He will face a lot of hardships down his way which will make him realize that this industry is just not for him. However, for people who love to talk about heavy equipment and have the urge to learn more about it, they can see themselves as a part of this industry.

Selling heavy equipment requires lot of passion to do this work. Guys who love machines often experience tough time to sell machines. They feel that this is just not their cup of tea. However, there are also examples of people who have excelled like anything. They feel that they can’t do anything better than selling heavy equipment. Now this is the passion that is required to sell machines.

Selling is often considered as an art but it is believed that people who have mastered this art have at times found hard to sell machines. Selling cars is certainly different from selling heavy equipment as there may be more takers for cars but it will be only some industry specific guys who want to deal with heavy equipment. You can’t sell machines to anybody but to only those who need it and it is perhaps the passion that you have for this profession that will lead you to those kinds of men.

Follow the basics to sell heavy equipment

We often have the notion that in order to become a good seller, one need to be ultra-smart and should have the confidence that he can sell anything to anybody. Well, this notion is completely wrong. You can’t sell anything to anybody as long as the person does not see any need for that product. You can’t catch hold of anybody by his throat and compel him to by your product. That is just not the way how one can become a good seller.

Selling heavy equipment can become more difficult if you believe the notion of “anything can be sold to anybody”. You can’t step out to sell a crawler to a guy who works in a bank working as a home loan officer. It might even happen that he will pitch his home loan products and you may go for it. Simultaneously, if you try and push a guy to buy the machine, even if he has the need for it, he will not buy it from you. People usually dislike salesman who are pushy and prefer to buy stuffs from guys who will give them proper suggestion rather than pushing them hard to buy the equipment.

It is very crucial that you follow the basics of salesmanship and you will not find it a tough job. The skill to sell a product is equally important but even if you just stick to the basics, you may see that things are gradually falling place and in no time you will start hitting good sales figure. Let us discuss the basics of salesmanship and what one should know in order to become a master in selling heavy equipment.

Knowing your product well:-

You can sell something only when you are confident that whatever you are pitching to the prospect makes sense to him and for that you got to keep your product knowledge sharp and your communication concise. Do not over say anything as that may get you into unnecessary trouble and definitely do not say anything that you are not sure about. You try to take your prospect on a ride will only result in him taking you on a ride. Try to gain as much knowledge you can about the machines you are dealing with. Knowing the features should be sufficient if you are newly appointed by your company but as you stay in for a longer period try to learn the technical aspects as well. Experiences will always tech you more on how you can deal with different kinds of clients.

Understanding your prospects wants will fetch you a sale:-

You do not have to try anything harder to make a sale. The only requirement is you need to understand his needs. If possible take a tour of the equipment that he procures so that you make your ground strong and also buy the time to understand the areas where the prospect needs help. Most of the time, the prospect does not know what he is lacking and he will be really grateful to you if you bring him anywhere closer to that realization and eventually ending it up by buying the product.

 

New into selling heavy equipment – Learn your stuff well

It has been observed that the profession of sales is in itself a tough one and it becomes tougher when one has to sell heavy equipment. It is a testing period for the beginners who came attracted into this profession whether they will be able to carry on with this for long. Not many want to be a part of this industry as they find it extremely difficult to sell heavy earth moving machines. It is not that there are no takers for the equipment. It is just that they need to put a lot of effort in order to learn things and then apply it in their line of business.

What is of utter importance if you want to make it big is to know what you are dealing with. Well, yes you are dealing with heavy equipment but to know a bit more about them will take you a long way from where you are. You do not have to know things as much as the guys who produced the machine knows but knowing the salient features and few technical stuffs always helps when you are trying to sell it to a tough consumer.

Be with the technician to upgrade your knowledge:-

The technician is perhaps the only person who knows the in an out of the heavy equipment and he can tell you the good and the flaws of the machine. You got to be with him while he is working with the equipment or just in case you can manage to get in touch with an operator, he can teach you a lot of stuff about the machine. These guys are regulars with the equipment and they carry loads of information which you find quite handy when you reach out to clients to sell.

Watch training videos:-

Training videos also help big time to learn about different types of heavy equipment. If you are given to sell an excavator or a grader or crawler, all you need to do is watch some training videos that are available online. It will help you a great deal and will make life simpler. When you know a lot about things, you will feel confident and will also comprehend the jargons that are thrown at you by some clients. The client also generates a sort of trust when he gets to know that you are not just any salesman but a guy who have done his homework well and know your stuff well.

Take help of your seniors:-

It makes lot of sense to spend enough time with your seniors and discuss things with them. Since heavy equipment is a far too complex subject and takes time for one to learn it, discussing things with your seniors often helps and clears out lot of doubts. They will also give you good advices to sell heavy equipment and the challenges that a salesman often experiences. In order to grow in this profession one needs a good mentor and therefore finding one amongst the seniors should be your priority.

Learning heavy equipment doesn’t end for an experienced salesperson

There is probably very little profession that is simple to do or as a matter of fact there is virtually no profession that one can find to be simple. It always gives you the scope to learn something new every day. You may come to a point where you will feel that you have probably known everything about the business you are involved in but the reality can be starker especially when it comes to the profession of being a salesperson and that too of heavy equipment. An experienced person may not find it difficult to sell heavy equipment but he may also experience a tough time during his visit with a client who knows about machines better than him. It will then be difficult for him to tackle the situation with just his ability to persuade one to buy machines. He then has to make use of the knowledge he has garnered over the years to bail him out or else the meeting will turn out to be a disaster.

The ground rule for every salesperson who is dealing with heavy equipment irrespective of him being a newbie or an experienced guy is to keep learning about machines. You have to keep yourself updated with the latest technology that comes up in the market. The upgrading of knowledge is also taken care of by the heavy equipment companies as they conduct training sessions for everyone whenever there has been a new product that is being launched in the market. So the sales guy does not have to do too much of hard work from their end. They only need to ensure that they keep on updating themselves with what is going on in the heavy equipment industry.

The heavy equipment company also expects more from a tenured guy for which they pay him dearly. They believe that the veteran will make the most sales for them as he has been in this line of business for the last many years. The high hopes that the company has from the veteran also displays the kind of confidence that the company has on the person. They will definitely want him to perform and be the best salesman in the company.

In order to come true to the hopes, he got to constantly work on learning more about the equipment. He probably had experience in selling one particular type of machine but now he is being asked to sell something else that he has not much heard of or read about. That comes as a big challenge to the veteran and this is where he has to sit with books pertaining to that machine and do his research. Browsing training videos will also help him big time. This is how he can prepare himself for the next challenge in life and prove his metal. Learning is a never ending process and when it is about a vast subject like heavy equipment, learning becomes an ocean for you. More you dive deeper, the more you will get to learn.

Hiring ace salesman for 2016

Heavy equipment companies have by now realized that the year 2016 will be a wonderful year for them as far as the sale of heavy equipment is concerned and perhaps this is why they are recruiting salesman in high numbers. They need qualified as well as experienced people who can do the high pressure work with ease and also guys who will stick to their company for years. People who have studied from management schools are welcomed.

There is a huge requirement of people who have studied sales and marketing and know a bit about heavy equipment. Guys belonging from heavy equipment industry can also expect fat packages thus making it an awesome opportunity for everyone. Heavy equipment companies are not only hiring salesman for North America but also for European and Middle East countries. The businesses in Africa are also catching up and therefore there are also opportunities available in these countries.

Since the construction, mining and oil industry are doing well all over the globe, there has been a rise in the employment of salesman. One of the important criteria is that the candidate should be ready to travel and he may have to stay out of station for months and could be even years. Though such candidates will be paid more than the others but they got to be tough and should not feel homesick. Getting such guys is real tough and therefore people who are approaching these companies for interviews should make up their mind in advance and also should be ready to move in case they are being asked to.

There are also certain prerequisites that these heavy equipment companies have from the aspirants. They want them to have some degree of knowledge in heavy equipment. They may not know about the technical aspect as that will not be needed much when you are trying to sell machines but knowing them will always help. You may come across few companies that want their aspirants to even know about the technical aspect. If not in complete detail but definitely should have sound knowledge about what they are dealing with. For instance, if they are trying to sell a machine that is used to extract oil, then ideally companies prefer the salesperson to know the basics of the machine and in case if he manages to gather more information then he stands a fair chance to get quick promotion. So the knowledge he has about the subject can fetch him good results.

Countries like Saudi Arabia, Dubai and other Gulf nations are busy constructing sky touching buildings. The construction companies out there want hi-tech machines that simply the job of the operator in many ways and also help to get the work done in a shorter time. Here the role of a knowledgeable salesman becomes quite essential. He will then not sell machines that are being asked to him to sell. He will rather try to understand the requirement of the client and pitch his products accordingly. This approach of his will be highly appreciated by the company and he will have a higher chance to sell more equipment. Overall, the year 2016 will be a good one for heavy equipment salesman.