I have a millwork company (25 employees) and im trying to find a new sales member for my company. I do the sales myself, but its difficult to service/visit so many GC's. I have hired different sales people in the past but had little success. All our projects are tenders that we bid on, so the sales person's job is basically to do there best to befriend people at the General Contractor companies and to try and make sure that if we arent the lowest price that we can maybe match the low price etc... Anyway, its very hard to find Millwork sales people, i was wondering if anyone had any luck finding people from another market that transitioned easily into Millwork. Any advice on this would be great.
From contributor Mi
So you go in after a bid and offer to match a lower bid? Why dont you just save yourself a lot of time and tell the contractors you will match there lowest Bid? That way all the rest of us will eventually quit Bidding to them and you will ultimately be the only bidder to them and can actually charge them what you need to, not what the other guy bids..Save us all some time in the end...
From contributor os
Enzo snatch a job from you mike? I think if you can find a PM with a construction background that is good with people you might have a chance.6
From contributor ma
Yeah, I'm with Mike on this one. If you're chasing the bottom of the barrel, then the quality of your "sales" people isn't the problem.
From contributor Mi
Oscar,most likely he has,lots of Enzo's out there. BUT, I also have 10 to 30 year relationships with several generals and even at this point they don't shop my price either way. They will lay the quotes out after a job is awarded if asked, but wont give me a second chance even if I would ask, and I wont. My price is the best I can do for that particular job and if some one thinks they can do it for less, I am happy to give them the chance, even when I know for a fact that they dont even have the materials covered :) I did have a contractor ask me one time why some one else could do it so much cheaper than my quote. I told him thats not my job to find out, its his..And you just might if you take a lowball price that you know is to good to be true. We all have to be competitive, but I would never lower my price to meet some one else's and shoot myself in the foot doing it.
From contributor Ro
Lowest bid is not always the cheapest.
From contributor Ma
I would also add that if Enzo is dealing with guys who are willing to to screw their bidders over like that it wont be long before they do it to him as well.
It'd be like cheating on your wife and then wondering why she is cheating on you or filed for divorce.
