There’s a fine line between following up with a sales prospect and driving that prospect nuts.
By now, you all probably know we’re building a new building. If you have never done a project like this, it is overwhelming at times. We need all kinds of new equipment, and the last thing I need is someone pushing me.
We bought a new high-pressure compressor and tanks for $47,000. In the middle of the project, the compressor house changed the outside salesman on me. NOT GOOD.
They presented us with a new type of air system for our house air and included a price for the installation of the system, which would take four to five weeks. They also priced us items to take the water out of the air system. I realize our new building looks like something Donald Trump would build, but let’s not get carried away on my dime.
Then the driving me nuts phase started. Hey, let’s go out to lunch. Sorry, I don’t have time. I got an email at 8 a.m. that he was coming over with bagels. I had a meeting at 8:30, so I didn’t really care when he showed up with his bagels. He came over with his boss to close the deal. WRONG.
I hate pushy salesmen, but we did buy another $10,000 worth of equipment from them. To be honest, I just didn’t have the time to go look elsewhere.
At NASVI, we won’t push, but we will take care of you. There is a ton of competition out there but we will help you from one location.
We have one of the largest inventories of safety valves in the world. Too many actually, which is why we need a new building.
We sell new ones, and we sell surplus valves. Some of the surplus valves are new but most are used. We clean them up and make them look like new. They come with a two-year warranty on workmanship and parts where a new valve only comes with a one-year warranty.
We can repair them as well – in our shop or out in the field. Offering to repair safety valves is a selling opportunity for you. We can turn a normal repair around in a couple of weeks. If a customer wants little valves repaired, this gives you a shot at selling new ones. Sometimes the valves need too many replacement parts, and we can offer you a remanufactured valve in its place. This way the customer doesn’t have sticker shock like I did when the piping contractor quoted us a price to pipe up our 1,500 psig test boiler.
Let’s not be afraid of selling remanufactured valves – they are jewels. In 42 years, we have never had a problem that was our fault or the fault of a safety valve. We once sold a 3/4” brass liquid valve to a company in New York City. The valve was put in the basement of a 70-story building, but the contractor didn’t pipe it away to a drain. The valve relieved and flooded the basement causing $17,000 worth of damage. The contractor took care of the damage and turned it over to his insurance company. They blindly paid the claim and sued us, the manufacturer, and the distributor that sold him the valve. After a deposition, the matter was dropped. The valve did its job.
Then there was the time we sold a 3/4” brass valve for low-pressure steam in Boston. The valve was so smart, it was put in place at Harvard University. Again, it was placed in a basement and piped away this time. A brick was knocked out of the wall at street level and the outlet pipe was stuck through the hole. The brick was left there on the walkway through the university. Steam was coming out, so someone moved the brick and blocked the hole. Probably an engineering major. Needless to say, there was a mess but it all worked out. The valve did its job.
Now please do your job and get us some business. We appreciate what you do for us and we hope, in turn, you appreciate us. Stay healthy and happy. Hopefully the next newsletter will be about our new building and that we are settled in.