SOLD!
“ There’s a sucker born every minute,” is a phrase that
has been closely associated to P.T. Barnum, the
American showman from the mid-19th century. And
while that may hold true for numerous industries,
many will argue that the construction industry isn’t one
of them.
Those in the deep foundation construction industry
know a thing or two about what works – and what doesn’t.
The stakes (and expenses) are simply too high to act impulsively
– especially when making a purchase – particularly if
it is for a large piece of equipment in a project located in a
remote area.
We all know what a bad sales pitch is. When the sales
rep offers a one-size-fits-all presentation; is too aggressive;
doesn’t listen to what you say; and basically annoys you so
much that you can’t show them the door quickly enough.
But what makes a good sale pitch?
In today’s extremely competitive business climate, an
effective pitch isn’t really a “pitch,” but rather a two-way street
– a conversation where the sales agent listens to the buyer,
asks real questions and offers a solution to a challenge their
prospective customer is experiencing.
Piling Canada recently sat down with four contractors
across the country – Jeff Rakochy, safety and resource manager
for Formula Contractors, which has three offices in
British Columbia; Banain Cote, vice president of Innovative
Piling Solutions, which is based in Martensville, Sask.;
Joe Trottier, president of Trottier Piling in Winnipeg; and
James McNally, equipment manager of Deep Foundations
Contractors Inc. of Stouffville, Ont. – and asked them what
has convinced them to buy from a particular sales rep or
company.
Each gentleman was unabashedly candid about what
seals the deal for them or turns them off. Here is what they
had to say.
What does your company most frequently
purchase or rent for your job sites?
Jeff Rakochy: We mainly purchase materials, third-party
services and consumable/tooling items for our job sites.
Common materials such as bridges, large treated timbers,
structural steel, buildings, internal structures, all forms of
piling and concrete. The services we purchase include waste
management, all forms of freight, engineering services,
environmental monitoring, NDT inspections, equipment certifications,
fleet repair, insurance and traffic control.
We also rent small compaction equipment because typically
these items are expensive to purchase and tend to have
a lot of problems due to the constant vibrations. We have
seen the rental price of these items climb in the last few
years due to the maintenance costs associated with ownership.
With respect to aerial work platforms, there are many
sizes available and usually you will select a specific machine
for a specific job site. So, rather than own each size class, we
choose to rent the ones we need. Generally, I will look at the
expected cost of rental and the price of equipment, and if we
SLANAPOTAM, C12, ZSOLT BICZO, SERGEYSHIBUT / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Canadian contractors tell us what convinces them to buy
By Lisa Kopochinski
28 Q3 2017 www.pilingcanada.ca
/www.pilingcanada.ca
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