Turning employees into counter pros

STAFDA’s Counter Pro training handbook is a hit with distributors of all sizes.

by Rich Vurva

Regardless of whether they’re large or small, distributors face a common problem when it comes to training inside sales and counter personnel. Small distributors seek high-quality training at an affordable price. Large distributors are equally concerned about keeping costs in line, but also need a program that can help deliver a consistent message across multiple branch locations.

STAFDA’s new Counter Pro training handbook is proving to be the answer that distributors of all sizes have been looking for.

“As a small independent, it’s tough to lay your hands on good training material. Any time we can keep our costs in line and come across some tools that will help us grow our staff, those are huge positive benefits,” says Jack Enns of Adams Supply in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

His company bought copies of the training handbook as soon as they became available. STAFDA purchased the rights to Counter Pro from the National Association of Electrical Distributors and customized the book to better fit the specialty tool and fastener distributor market. Enns says the book will help his employees gain a better understanding of the distribution business.

“It’s difficult to empower people and to get them to look at the business in the same way owners do. I’d like to think that most of my staff, when they get a chance to go through this, will have a better understanding of the critical role they play in the business,” he says.

The handbook reviews the multiple tasks a counter pro faces while serving customers and working with other company departments. A short quiz or exercise at the end of most of the 15 chapters in the 140-page handbook helps the reader gauge his or her understanding before proceeding to the next section.

Enns once worked as an instructor at a vocational training school, so he realizes that employees don’t all learn at the same pace. He says Counter Pro offers his employees a way to complete the training on their own, and is written in an easy-to-read style.

“It gives readers an understanding of customer service, inventory management, warehousing and product handling and their role in
all of that. It covers all of the
critical points and is a fairly easy read,” he says.

Large distributors like it too
Saul Mazur of A.H. Harris of Newington, Conn., which operates 40 branches in New England, New York, New Jersey and Virginia, also appreciates the self-study aspect of Counter Pro. The company bought enough copies to provide one handbook to each branch, which will be shared among counter personnel and inside salespeople.

“It is extremely difficult to find good materials that can be self-administered, giving the individual a chance to learn the material at their own pace,” he says.

A.H. Harris employees each have three weeks to finish the handbook, then must turn in the completed assignments to their manager and to Mazur, who heads the company’s sales training effort. If he feels an employee needs additional help in order to master a topic, he’ll work with that employee to customize training.

“What impressed me most about Counter Pro was that it is a comprehensive, easy-to-use training program. My greatest hope is that employees will pick up on the cross-selling and companion selling concept. It addresses that topic very well,”
he says.

The handbook is divided into sections that cover topics such as up-selling products to dramatically improve a company’s bottom line, solving problems and turning complaints into positive encounters, preventing returns before the purchase is made, and choosing the best method of delivery for customers without compromising profit.

Putting it to use
Companies are taking different approaches to incorporate Counter Pro into their training regimen. Some distributors require employees to read the entire handbook, while others pick and choose chapters most appropriate to their business.

Empire Machinery and Supply vice president Jim Sands says his plan is to select sections of the book that are most applicable to an employee’s daily job and ask that individual to complete those sections. When employees finish the training, they’ll receive a small stipend.

The Norfolk, Va.-based company used a similar approach when it required employees to participate in computer training. Employees earned $25 for completing each module in the seven-disc training program, and earned an additional $25 bonus after finishing the entire series.

“We offer the compensation to complete the training because we’re asking them to do it outside of work,” he says.

Rinker Materials, with 10 locations in the Palm Beach, Fla., region, has held several small classes to lead inside counter salespeople through the entire handbook. It takes about 8 hours to complete the book, according to Joe Lesstino, manager of the building materials division. He says Counter Pro complements other training that Rinker offers employees, including a program called Building Blocks that focuses on product knowledge.

Rinker developed its own customer service class called Customer First that focuses on customer-driven issues. When employees finish the Counter Pro training, they’ll move on to STAFDA’s Advanced Inside Sales training three-module CD-ROM course.

“This is a nice way to augment our own training. If we were to develop this internally, it would take a long time. This is a good tool,” he says. “The good thing about Counter Pro is that it goes into the expectations from the manufacturer to the distributor, and from the distributor to the customer.”

STAFDA provided members with one complimentary copy and sells additional copies for $25 each. Members can earn discounts for purchasing multiple copies.

“We encourage members to give each counterperson a personal copy,” says STAFDA executive director Georgia Foley. “It’s a small price to pay for training counter pros and a sound investment in a company’s future.”

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2005 issue of Progressive Distributor. Copyright 2005.

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