If the prospect is a real one, is worth the time and resource investment, and is (or can be) as invested in your growth as you are, the real work begins. Getting the right product assortment in, following up on the product once it arrives (for example: making a phone call a week after they get their opening order is a great touch and shows you haven’t sold them and forgot them) and revisiting the strategy they laid out when you asked about their “best vendor” are all critical to not losing the space you’ve gained.
Nothing will counterfeit the grace and positive momentum you’ve built up with the account like silence. Do what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it and be the kind of company that the account told you they wanted to do business with. Focusing on the account with this type of deliberate, client-sourced approach will ensure that strong numbers, growth and more space will quickly follow.
This story first appeared in the September/October 2021 issue of Tobacco Business magazine. Members of the tobacco industry are eligible for a complimentary subscription to our magazine. Click here for details.
– Contributed by Jarrid Trudeau, vice president of sales at Kristoff Cigars
