After 40 years in the Industrial Electrical business, I’ve learned something important:
The best salespeople don’t really sell
The people who succeed long term in this Industry are usually the ones who: ✔ answer the phone ✔ solve problems ✔ follow up ✔ know the products ✔ understand the application ✔ and help customers when things go wrong or before they do
Because in this business, relationships are built over years…sometimes decades.
Customers remember:
- who helped them during shutdowns
- who found a solution when lead times were impossible
- Who ran to a UPS or FedEx box at 7pm
- who called back
- who showed up and followed up
- who carried the inventory
- who actually understood the problem and solved it
Over the years, I’ve also learned that technical knowledge matters. But trust matters more.
There are plenty of companies selling similar products.
What separates people in this industry is: ⚡ responsiveness ⚡ reliability ⚡ consistency ⚡ and credibility
I’ve seen technologies change dramatically over four decades:
- automation
- PLCs
- push-in terminals
- wire processing
- smart manufacturing
- AI
But the fundamentals of good business haven’t changed much at all. People still want to work with people they trust.
And in my experience, the companies and salespeople who focus on helping instead of selling are usually the ones still around years later.
At American Electrical, Inc., we pride ourselves on being flexible, accurate, responsive, and acting as a team in an ethical and respectful way! Trust US ! Call us today at 804.379.2899 or visit us at www.americanelectrical.com
-Tom McCormick
