There are many analogies about sales, nearly all of which point to the ability of the salesperson, challenged to sell the most at the highest margin.

It might be said that someone ‘good’ at sales, could sell chocolate teapots; meaning they’re so masterly at the dark arts of their science, that they could make a prospective customer overlook the fact that the product is useless and will melt at first use. It is also suggested that a ‘bad’ sales representative couldn’t sell a boat to an islander; in other words, they’d be so poor at pointing out the benefits of a solution, even someone who desperately needs it wouldn’t see the value in the purchase.

I don’t like either of these adages, or any of the others that mean the same things. For me, a sale is a description of a transaction and not a skill or purpose. If you solve a problem that exists in the marketplace, price becomes less of a factor, and sales are not the motivation. In fact, focussing on sales versus customers is often where businesses go wrong.

Sadly, for many firms, price is the single driver. It’s the top line on every agenda and it’s the only metric that performance is measured against. It makes sense to a lot of workforces because they likely make many of their decisions in personal life based on price. The signs in grocery stores point to special offers and people talk over dinner about how they managed to achieve more for less that day. True enough, I’ll join in the light-hearted conversation when it comes to paper towels, napkins, or something used daily and thrown out after use. But why is the same theory applied so readily when lives are at stake?

This is the grim reality that is even evident in the lifting industry. Companies are out there that are more concerned about their investors than their customers. They are so motivated by cost that they forget to consider the user. The simplest example is when manufacturers move activities away from their own country; the likely consequence is reduced cost, yes, but sometimes at the expense of quality. We offset any potential quality issues by sourcing only from trusted manufacturers and testing all products in-house. Each product we sell comes with an individual serial number and test certificate.

There are many considerations that should be put before cost: first and foremost, is it safe? Does it meet the application requirements? Is it cost effective? Each of these questions should be answered in the affirmative before anything else is considered.

Here’s another question: what’s the price of life? That’s what businesses, especially in the manufacturing sector, are bargaining with. The irony is, most apparent in litigious societies, the cost of an accident can far outweigh the investment in greater diligence earlier in the process. Some cranes and hoists lift loads worth tens of thousands or even millions of dollars. Then there’s the burden of consciousness that a business owner and decision makers have to live with should a cut corner lead to someone not returning home to their family after a shift at work. You can’t substitute price for safety. It’s non-negotiable.

It’s why informed customers look for safety functions when making their purchasing decisions. Take our top-selling manual chain products, for example; they come equipped with overload systems, so in the event of a miscalculation of the weight of the load, our hoists will help prevent a catastrophic failure. Intelligent buyers think about traceability too. In the event of an incident, a manufacturer needs to retrace the steps of that product or component in question. Individual serial numbers are a must and being able to retrace production cycles is critical.

A commodity mindset should never be applied. While buying a material handling or lifting technology with state-of-the-art safety systems from a reputable manufacturer or vendor, will be more expensive than an alternative, the lifetime cost of ownership is typically much less. It’s true that you get what you pay for, most notably in terms of quality and safety. If budgets are an issue to the point where a cheaper alternative is favourable, speak to the seller to see if a payment plan is available. It’s better to have this conversation than pay the (ultimate) price later.

It pays to train

The same attitude should be applied to Continuing Professional Development (CPD), as failing to train a workforce or not constantly challenging best practices, will only have a short-term impact on the bottom line, and will lead to greater costs later. This is especially important during recessions and downturns in a marketplace, where budgets are stretched.

A training programme goes hand in hand with the sales process discussed above too. At my company, we work hard at solving a problem that exists in an application. If you can demonstrate that, users will come to appreciate and trust you as one that understands what they are up against in the field. To get a whole workforce up to speed takes an ongoing commitment to education and knowledge sharing. We can then solve problems that reoccur in the marketplace and cost has been secondary throughout the whole process.

CPD becomes even more crucial when a business is constantly evolving and innovating. If a company provides a single item, one might assume that it is straightforward for everyone to know everything about it. Every customer visit is the same, and the conversations repeat themselves. There are many reasons why I’d rather work at a dynamic, innovative company by comparison, but a consequence is that there are always new products, pain points, and guidances to understand. Every interface — trade show, video, article, search engine, webpage, etc. — must reflect a commitment to safe solutions.

Company culture benefits as a byproduct. When everyone is informed and energised by education, the sharing of information for continued improvement of best practices is more apparent. Senior staff have an important role to play because they can impart knowledge on younger team members or those with a requirement to understand the nuances of a new product or end-use application.

In conclusion, whether it is in relation to providing the best, safest solution, or supporting it with world-class CPD and training, the focus should always be on the customer, not cost.

Steve Napieralski has been in the lifting and rigging industry for 36 years — seven years working for a manufacturer of lifting equipment before setting up his own businesses. In 1995, he started as a manufacturer’s representative dedicated to the lifting and rigging industry, and in 2004 he founded OZ Lifting Products. He is a graduate of Winona State University and holds three patents. Napieralski has been affiliated with associations since 1992 with his membership in Associated Wire Rope Fabricators (AWRF).