Becoming a Trusted Advisor, Not Just Another Vendor
“My biggest win with BDR has been watching contractors go from living paycheck to paycheck, to actually achieving their dreams and goals. If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is.”
Marc Gavin, Sales Manager
Koch Air
Learn more about how Sales Manager Marc Gavin and the team at Koch Air increased productivity, efficiency, and profitability, all while building better relationships with their customers through BDR Training.
What were your business challenges before BDR Training?
My name is Marc Gavin, and I am the Sales Manager at Koch Air, Indianapolis. When I first learned of BDR, I was a territory manager in the Indianapolis market, and I did not really know what to expect.
I had been to a lot of training and felt that a lot of what got covered was the same. A lot of those training programs were frustrating, but from moment one with BDR, our dealers were engaged because the content was more meaningful.
BDR was a breath of fresh air because you are learning from people who have been there and done that. From that perspective, it brought them a lot of credibility.
How has your distribution business grown?
From a distribution perspective, I think that BDR is a game-changer. It has had major implications on productivity, efficiency, and profitability.
We have now enrolled in a program BDR has just introduced called Counter Intelligence. We are going to train our counter team to help them understand how a contracting business should operate.
We have also made a significant investment in our territory managers so that they understand how to read financials and coach their contractors. All in all, working with BDR has made us a better business. Our customers are happier, and I can’t say enough good things.
Educating sales teams on how to be better partners with dealers
This isn’t all about price; it is about building relationships. We are communicating more about our brand and what it can do for you.
On a deeper level, it is about how to sell in the marketplace to better your life and provide a better solution for your customers. BDR stands on five pillars that I have printed in my office to this day.
Those pillars are: sell up, sell accessories, manage labor, excellence in billing, and excellence in collection. As simple as they seem on the outside, once you really learn those, it is life-changing for a contractor.
This experience that the contractors went through with us really changed me from another vendor to a trusted advisor.
Was working with BDR Training worth the investment?
I think BDR really pays back in many ways, not just on the financial end, although that certainly is the case. I think it also brings peace of mind and a better quality of life to a contractor, territory manager, sales manager, or end user.
I do not think that those benefits should be overlooked. The financial part is the only piece that we focus on sometimes. When all the other things fall into place, the financial impact often takes care of itself. BDR really is a life-changing program.
Would you recommend BDR Training?
I continue to refer people to BDR on a monthly basis. I think I have sent over two referrals in the past 30 days! The reason I am able to do that with confidence is because I know it works.
I have seen it in action a hundred times now, and there has never been a failure unless someone doesn’t want to implement the change.
I can still remember one of Barry Burnett’s quotes when I first started engaging with BDR; he said, “An implementation is worth a thousand starts.”
I have never let that go. Barry was a wise man, and I miss him. This is why I am able to refer BDR to just about any contractor or distributor today.
Interested in providing ongoing sales team development for your organization and seeing how it can improve your and your dealer’s results?
Schedule a call with Candy Cunningham, BDR’s Distributor Relationship Specialist – to learn about BDR’s industry-leading training programs!