Giuseppe Poso “on the road”

Customer contact is an excellent opportunity to convince with personality, professionalism, and expertise. Giuseppe Poso has been responsible for the development and expansion of external sales of Building Radar since 2017. The sales expert can reflect upon 25 years of sales experience. We spoke with him about his tips for success, his work experience, and working techniques:

Paul Indinger, Giuseppe Poso, Leopold Neuerburg

Building Radar: Giuseppe, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. How long have you been in sales and what attracts you to this field of business?

Giuseppe Poso: I've been in sales for more than 25 years. I am still looking forward to meeting new companies and clients. Also, I appreciate hearing about different products, sales processes, and successes. And of course, I am excited to improve the companies construction project search with our services.

Building Radar: As senior account manager and head of key account management, you have accompanied the development of many sales representatives. How do salespeople often sabotage their own success?

Giuseppe Poso: The worst is when a sales representative starts a meeting with: "And now I will show you how we can help you." Without a dialog, you don’t know the customer's markets or their sales processes. The sales representative cannot know what the customer is interested in. The result: The presentation feels rehearsed and unappealing!

Building Radar: Since 2017, you are responsible for the development and expansion of the external sales at Building Radar. What pieces of advice do you share with your employees?

Giuseppe Poso: I try to teach that reliability is important, and promises have to be delivered. A successful sales meeting requires a bond of trust and honest interest in the customer's products and needs.

Building Radar: How do you keep yourself sharp during a long car ride?

Giuseppe Poso: I like to listen to online courses of universities or to audiobooks. Also, modern car provides very well-functioning hands-free kits. I use these to clarify tasks and ownership with my colleagues. Sharing successes and experiences also is a vital exchange. I believe we should refrain from non-verbal forms of communication such as emails, WhatsApp as often as possible. Dialogs should not only take place electronically. I've heard that it's so much easier to convey emotions in a personal conversation ;-).

Building Radar: Do you spend more time actively talking to customers, or on the street?

Giuseppe Poso: I would like to say that I spend most of my time in interesting discussions with customers. Unfortunately, the truth is that my colleagues and I spend more time inside the vehicle than with our wife, children or the own bed. Therefore, dear employer, always provide a good car ;-).

Building Radar: How important is the preparation before an appointment on site?

Giuseppe Poso: Very important! However, you should never assume to know everything about a customer and their products. I have seen salespeople who thought they knew everything about a customer. The budget was estimated before the meetings, offers were prepared, and discounts applied. A big mistake! It is fatal not to ask the customer directly about his secret of success, about his visions and structure of the sales department. A website does not provide any of this information... and it is also much more fun to ask these things in dialogue.

Building Radar: Your day is packed with meetings. How do you remember the details of each customer discussion?

Giuseppe Poso: I note the first impression of the customer appointment with a notepad. Afterwards, I use our mobile CRM App to provide the information to the whole team. To offer the best customer service, everyone in the company needs the access to the current status of the negotiations.

Building Radar: You are rarely in the office and spend most of your time on the road. How do you access customer data?

Giuseppe Poso: Salesforce provides an excellent mobile app for the CRM system. As a result, I'm up to date very quickly and can just check back shortly before an appointment.

Building Radar: Giuseppe, you deal with a great variety of people and situations every day. Can you tell us about a special experience?

Giuseppe Poso: Every appointment is something special. Nevertheless, there are of course some funny anecdotes. I was once invited to a Doornkaat liquor at 10 o'clock in the morning to get the meeting started. Factory tours are always special to me. The huge machines are impressive. A manufacturer of fittings offered the possibility to test the shower on the factory site. There are so many exciting things if you keep your eyes open and be curious.

Building Radar: 25 years are a long time. How has the job of the field sales force changed during this period?

Giuseppe Poso: Digitization has changed a lot. Not so long ago everything was slower and manual. I had to use street maps to find the right route to my next meeting. Also, I had to start the PC in the car and needed at least two people to carry the video projector :-). Nowadays, hardly anyone can imagine that. It just happened so much in the last twenty years. What did not chan, is that it is important to listen to the other person. This has not changed in the whole years and it will not change as long as people talk to people.

Building Radar: Mistakes happen, even to sales professionals. What is your most memorable blooper during a customer visit?

Giuseppe Poso: A major mistake was that we had a misunderstanding about the meeting place. I headed to the office of the customer. In the same time the customer drove to our office - probably we have seen us in the middle of the highway. Also, you are never safe from technical problems. That led once to the situation that I had to draw and explain the platform on a sheet of paper :-).

Building Radar: What personal characteristics must a sales representative have?

Giuseppe Poso: Salespeople must be persistent, self-motivated and able to handle failure as well as celebrating success. Having a goal in mind is extremely important to the inner drive. It is not easy to find such employees! Not everyone can take a constant stream of “no's” and call after the 10th rejection the eleventh contact.