Traceparts

In the world of sales, human qualities make a difference. 

Whether you’re selling electric motors, valves, sensors or any other mechanical/electronic component, the company’s internal human resources are the foundation of many successful companies. 

They achieve this thanks to their expertise, awareness, and ability to understand the customer’s requirements. 

I want to present this premise to you for an important reason: because I don’t want you to think even for one moment that I underestimate the effort and professionalism of the individual. Companies employ professionals who work in teams, something that can never be replaced by any computer. 

Having said that, there are situations where investing in innovative solutions can mark a real turning-point for a company. In cases where deploying technology can result in great leaps forward. Obviously, we’re all aware of the potential of technology… until the moment when it isn’t going to be applied to areas that have always required human intervention, which is when the doubts and skepticism arise. 

What I’m referring to and why it affects you directly 

In an increasingly global market where boundaries and distances are transcended by technology, if you’re not geared up properly, it means that you’ll lose sales. Lose quotations, lose market share – no matter how you prefer to say it, the result is the same. 

In practice, a prospective customer who could have bought from you did not do so, preferring to give their money to a company which had a single advantage over yours: it could be reached via the means and in the times required by the customer.

What happens in reality 

Many companies underestimate the huge contribution that technology could offer the company. They see every change as impractical, ignoring the evidence that is before their very eyes. 

In this case, the evidence is based on companies that buy and sell every day, thanks to 3D catalogs, on the back of commercial relations which operate in every part of the world at any time of day. Commercial relations that don’t know any time zones, public holidays or linguistic misunderstandings. 

These companies make smart use of technology. Nothing says they can’t send an email as confirmation or to ask a technical query. Nothing says either that they can’t pick up the phone to contact the supplier. But when the information is made available in the correct formats and according to the specified standards (therefore, when they really harness the potential of online technology), all this becomes redundant. 

The immediate upshot of this is that they save time and resources, while still having a constant commercial presence. In fact, this enables them to make a purchase at any time of day, without enduring the typical communication delays associated with the old systems. 

Utilizing 3D cataloging to buy and sell components means: 

  • cutting times 
  • reducing costs (as fewer resources are used) 
  • accessing precise information (data that follow a standard protocol) 
  • having detailed statistics available for implementing the commercial strategy 
  • always being accessible and available 

We’ve always done it like this (and then the company closes down) 

Giving “we’ve always done it like this” as a justification is usually the stage before the company closes down. It’s the start of the decline and I hear this, in many cases, as the response given, but the sad truth is that it is the wrong response. Hiding behind personal convictions that do not match the reality is the death knell for any activity and one which will not spare either the most useful products or patents. 

Selling components “the old way” 

How have components been purchased and sold until now in the mechatronic sector? The old catalog – whether in published or electronic form – has become the trusty weapon of salesforces. I said that it doesn’t matter whether “in published or electronic form” because, although the electronic format is helpful, it becomes ineffective the moment when: 

  • it fails to reach a real range of interested buyers (if it’s only on your website, it has little impact as it fails to reach a real range of users. Just to give you a figure, the TraceParts 3D cataloging system reaches more than 3 million users worldwide, with 72,000 registered in Italy alone) 
  • it’s not produced according to precise standards, and not updated and adapted for the various CAD design formats 
  • human intervention is always required (for receiving orders, providing explanations, confirming orders, etc.) 
  • linguistic and commercial skills are required to make up for the lack of information (who replies to a request email in Japanese at 3 o’clock in the morning?) 

Investing in 3D catalogs means that you have a salesperson working 24/7 (including weekends) and who speaks 25 languages. This is the solution offered by , a solution that I’m very familiar with and have seen close up providing assistance for more than 10 years to those selling and buying components online using the most advanced 3D cataloging systems.

P.S. excellent commercial relations based on human contact (responding to phone calls or emails or shaking hands during a meeting) are and will always be key. But this must not exclude many customers, who are under pressure from deadlines approaching ever faster in very demanding projects, preferring to access information which they look for in total freedom, skipping any pleasantries. This also applies to anyone from the other side of the world and who doesn’t speak our language. 

Accessing standard characteristics and specifications is the right option in this case, which will help your company to increase its sales by reaching new customers. 

Would you like a more exact figure? Do you want to know how many qualified contacts a 3D catalog generates for companies (in your sector) every year, which feature on TraceParts? 

Just get in touch with me and I’ll provide you with all the data you need! 

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Gian Paolo Lodi
Gian Paolo Lodi

Sales Account Manager Part Catalog Services, TraceParts

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