Eddie Davis, VP of Sales and Business Development with Legacy Maintenance Services started his career with the company while he was in college at Ohio State, working part-time in the maintenance division of Legacy Commercial Flooring. After graduating from the Fisher College of Business, he considered positions in the financial industry, but took his current position at Legacy in January of 2007. The maintenance services division has outside sales reps and account managers, but Eddie also employs an inside sales rep, something a bit unusual in the commercial flooring maintenance industry. He explains how that one rep drives opportunities for new business for the entire maintenance division.
Within his business development role at Legacy, Eddie focuses on effectively marketing and presenting the organization’s brand. Consistency in messaging is key – who they are, what services they provide, and how they effectively provide them. “We’re creating life-long relationships, and that comes with a high level of trust,” he notes.
Eddie also points out the fundamental truth in sales – people buy from people they like. Because of this, he doesn’t believe in a systematic sales approach.
“Everyone has their own personality and each individual needs to find what it is that makes them a successful salesperson.”
He believes that when salespeople are forced into a specific mold, they are ultimately unsuccessful. He allows reps the opportunity to discover their personal brand and their own unique sales approach with customers.
In the past, Legacy relied on traditional sales methods, such as networking, cold-calling and even knocking on doors to pursue new accounts. While obviously successful, the information gained from those pursuits, however, wasn’t being utilized to its fullest potential. “There was nowhere to put any of that data,” Eddie mentions. “It was in everybody’s minds or in a manila folder in someone’s desk drawer.” He wanted the ability to capture the data, analyze it, and, through a sales process, make his sales reps more efficient and successful. He notes, “In today’s day and age, it’s all about efficiency.”
By breaking with tradition and introducing newer, 21st century sales and marketing tools within the organization, Eddie has created an effective sales process and, as he notes, “It all starts with the technology.”
At the heart of Legacy’s sales methodology is their CRM, Salesforce. Salesforce is a worldwide recognized leader in customer relationship management. Available online and through a mobile app, sales reps are able to login to Salesforce and view information on all of the organization’s customers, contacts and leads. They can also see their own sales pipeline, an incredibly valuable feature in Eddie’s opinion.
“I’m a firm believer that if you can visualize and see it, it’s a lot easier to achieve it.”
Salesforce also retains other beneficial data. Opportunities, quotes, close rates, average deal sizes, and market segmentation – just to name a few – can be viewed, analyzed and extracted from the platform. Eddie notes that there was some pushback from senior sales reps when the technology was first introduced at Legacy, but, as he points out, “Salesforce is so easy to use, within a few months you’re rocking and rolling.”
Through personal experience, Eddie realized that some customers respond better to emails, while others prefer phone calls. He wanted to maximize efficiency on both ends without hiring a team to do both. He utilizes two platforms to achieve that goal. The first is Constant Contact, an email marketing program that Eddie uses to update current and potential customers on what’s happening at Legacy. Emails detailing service offerings and newly completed projects are blasted to the organization’s database.
The second marketing platform Eddie utilizes is Click2Sell. It is a more personalized email approach to introduce individuals to Legacy and generate new opportunities from leads. It also provides email drip functionality, which means that if someone doesn’t respond to the first email, they’ll continue to receive follow up emails a week apart over the next four weeks. “Usually everyone responds by the fourth email,” Eddie states.
Both platforms utilize existing leads and contacts from Eddie’s Salesforce database. One of the most intriguing features in Salesforce is subscription access to Data.com, a compilation from trusted sources like Dun & Bradstreet. Along with pertinent company information, organizational contacts are also listed, providing access to emails and phone numbers. Eddie downloads leads into Legacy’s Salesforce database and then uses the contact info for emails through Click2Sell and phone calls from his inside sales rep. Eddie notes, “Even if you have the wrong person, there’s a good chance they’ll respond back and give you the name and contact info of the person you need to reach out to.”
Eighteen months into this new sales process and Eddie says it’s been very successful.
“I can say we’ve closed on business that we probably, otherwise, wouldn’t have.”
While cost is always a factor, the investment in a new sales methodology also takes time and commitment. “This helps you get a lot more accomplished in a short amount of time,” Eddie states. And, as he points out, he hasn’t really changed Legacy’s existing process. He simply added to it. “Most people are already calling or emailing. This is just adding to the arsenal to gain opportunities to close business.”
Consider utilizing a marketing company for initial setup of the platforms and staff training. “When it comes down to cost, it’s pretty cheap,” Eddie notes. “The software itself isn’t terribly expensive.” The size of your company shouldn’t be a limiting factor when implementing new technology. If you have a small business, Eddie believes that introducing this new process is the way to advance to the next level.
About Legacy Maintenance Services
Legacy Maintenance Services is the leading provider of commercial floor care and restoration maintenance services in the Midwest. Learn more today!