By Randy Chaffee
If I’ve learned anything in the 40 years I’ve been a sales rep in this industry, it’s the value of building relationships. I’ve been in the building material world my whole life. I grew up building grain bins and post-frame buildings with my dad, but most of my life has been selling products into this industry. I spent a short time as a purchasing agent for a lumber chain as a buyer. Then I realized that I got no juice from that. I really enjoyed being in the world of sales and being outward with customers.
I love the industry. My career has been built representing manufacturers over about a 10- to 12-state area as an old-school road warrior, kissing babies and having burgers and fries in the evening with people and developing business through relationships, one customer at a time. I loved the road, loved the hotels, loved the flights, loved the rental cars, which means I’m insane. But my wife was right about that too — about everything usually.
And then COVID happened. I’m a traveling guy, but all of a sudden, we hit that “two weeks of shutdown” that turned out to be much, much longer. I liked that two weeks off at the start because I had just come off 11 weeks on the road. So I was good with that. Nobody expected to see me. In fact, nobody wanted to see me.
And then for months, customers were saying, “You gotta call in because we’re not allowing anybody in the office.” I enjoyed that initial time off, but I quickly figured out that was not what Randy does. If I can’t see my people, how am I going to meet new people and build new relationships, because what I do is build relationships. I’m a B2B, long-term, relationship building kind of guy. It’s not just a quick two-hour presentation, and get an order, and go on down the road.
So I got involved with a Mastermind group, which is a peer mentoring organization. It involved people from all different industries. I highly recommend getting outside our normal circles. Get involved in associations within our industry, but also connect with groups outside our industry to get exposed to new ways of doing things. The problem with staying isolated within our industry is that we develop groupthink.
Learning to Think Outside the Box
Anyway, in this group we had to do a video to the group twice a day, talking about what we’re doing, what’s going on. Everybody got used to doing more video and virtual things. Shortly after that, a couple of people in the group started doing podcasts. I really didn’t even know what podcasting was at the time. They said to me, “Do you want to guest on one?” Not really, I thought, but I said, “Yeah, I guess.” So I did, and the funny thing is, I found I really like to talk and found it kind of fun.
Then I thought, Why don’t I podcast myself? That way I can be in front of customers when I can’t travel. While I was working on that, I started doing Zoom calls and meetings, and I was using Teams and Google Meet. I was doing Team meetings 10 times a day with customers and manufacturers. It’s so much better if we can see each other and we can really connect, way better than just on the phone.
I do video a lot now. I started picking up the phone, and if I wanted to call someone and ask what they thought about the samples I sent, I recorded a selfie video like this: “Joe, it’s Randy. What’s going on? Just checking in on the samples. What do you think? How do they look? I I think the one in the third box marked number three is the one that will really work for you.” And I start sending those selfie videos out, rather than doing what I would normally do in a phone call, which might go to voicemail, and then the person just quickly listens to it and it’s gone.
The impact of clients actually seeing me talking to them personally on video was huge. I got great feedback from them, so I started doing a lot of that. Probably nobody else that you’re competing against does that. It’s a real game changer to set yourself apart from what others are doing.
The Power of Hybrid Approach
I’m a firm believer that sales is all about building relationships. There’s somebody who’s a seller and somebody who is a buyer, and at the end of the day, it’s two people building some confidence level with each other, and it’s about making a deal. I see the value of building relationships, both virtually and in person. It’s a hybrid thing.
My understanding of hybrid came from growing up on the farm with my dad. He sold Pioneer hybrid seed corn, which is taking the old seed and new seed and crossing them to develop seed that works for different situations, such as for drought areas, for cold climates, for warm climates, and such. So that’s why I started “hybriding” my sales approach. I still do old school, which is meeting in person, going with clients to a burger place in the evening or getting coffee and donuts in the morning, doing presentations at the shop, riding out to the job sites. Those things are still hugely important.
A Force Multiplier
I love traveling. I can see five people in a day if I’m lucky and I really plan my schedule. I’m going to give the proper time to those people. I’m not giving them 13 minutes, then saying I’ve got to leave. That’s why I schedule these meetings. But when I’m working virtually, using social media and podcasting, I can reach thousands in a five-minute time slot. Then I can jump on a Teams call and talk to 10 people at another company and do that for 30 minutes, then get a coffee and get on another Team call, then do a podcast with somebody. Boom, boom, boom, all day long.
You can reach thousands and thousands of people in that same eight-hour period. Social media is a force multiplier. It can multiply what you’re doing by 1,000-fold or10,000-fold by continually putting your message out in front of people.
Online Visibility Versus Word of Mouth
If you don’t have a website where people can find you, you’ll lack credibility compared to someone who does. If I’m a consumer, I’m much more likely to call a company with a website than one without. The assumption is that the company with a website is better, even if that’s not necessarily the case. You might not like online marketing but it’s hard to argue with its effectiveness. Although word-of-mouth marketing can be powerful, it has limitations that social media and digital marketing can overcome.
Recently, I was talking with a builder at a meeting who relies only on his reputation and local word-of-mouth advertising. He said, “Well, I’m a lifer. I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I’m well known, so I get all my business word-of-mouth, and that’s the absolute best, right?”
No one will argue about the value of getting business that way. But here’s what can happen. You get a new builder who moves into the area. We’’ll call him Jimmy. He starts putting up some buildings, doing some nice jobs, and he’s all over social media. He’s posting every day about the new building he just finished and one he’s got started and his plans for the Smith family, and a great new commercial building he just put up. People are commenting that Jimmy does such great work, and this is going on day after day and week after week.
What happens? He becomes the expert in people’s eyes. He may not be anywhere near as good as the old-timer who has been doing it forever, but he’s being recognized as the expert because he’s establishing that by being on social media all the time. So when the day comes that a customer wants a building, who is he going to call? He’s been seeing Jimmy and his work all over the place. He’s elevated above the guy who might even be better but who is invisible online.
If You Ain’t Showing, They Ain’t Knowing!
There’s a saying I really like: “If you ain’t showing, they ain’t knowing.” One interesting thing I found from LinkedIn and other sources is that about 95% of B2B customers aren’t buying today. They’re not interested in what you’re selling right now. And I would guess that in the B2C post-frame market, even fewer customers are ready to buy a post-frame building today.
You have to be marketing today for the people who are ready to buy today, but those people who are ready to buy today were being prepped for that sale yesterday and last week and last month and last year. You need to be in front of these people so they’ve seen you 1,000 times over the last two or three or five years until they’re finally ready to build.
What we’re doing with social media is continually putting our message out there in a non salesy way. We’re not asking for an order; we’re not asking for anything. We’re just saying, hey, I’m here, look at what we’re doing, because when you tell people how good you are, you’re bragging. But when someone else says how good you are, that becomes fact.
The Exponential Impact of Social Media
You might think it’s not worth your time to do any social media with people outside your sales territory. After all, people in those areas are never going to buy from you. But there’s something you’re missing when it comes to social media. Let’s say each one of my followers has 1,000 followers. Every time I post something, I reach their 1,000 people. Out of those people, if they’re in this industry, they know somebody that’s a follower in my world. I can almost guarantee there’s going to be somebody, but that’s only part of it. That somebody likes my post, shares it, and comments on it. Then say it reaches three people in my territory from that one person who shared the post. Let’s say each one of those has 1,000 followers. And you can start extrapolating from there. The reach and impact become bigger real fast.
Visibility Equals Opportunity
There’s a saying that visibility equals opportunity. Don’t rely on having to do everything yourself all the time. Be visible through social media and let people come find you. Eventually, you become known and that builds credibility. Another thing I found interesting is that 70% to 75% of B2B buyers are influenced by social media. I think that’s even higher in the B2C segment of the building industry.
How Much Time Does Social Media Take?
Some people think I have to spend a lot of time doing social media. I do spend some time because, when you really believe it’s important to do, then you spend the time doing it. I also believe in spending the money to have a full-time person doing marketing for me. She often prepares things, and I post them, and it looks like I did it. But I do a lot of stuff myself too.
Many people have almost no social media presence, but here’s the easy part. At a minimum, get on social media and share other people’s stuff. If you’re a manufacturer’s agent like me, it’s easy because I’ll share things from every customer I follow. I’m not saying I don’t miss something here and there, but make a point to share what they do.
Make a comment like, “What another great, beautiful building by the folks at Country Building in in Shiloh, Ohio.” It takes just seconds to do that. If you’re a builder, post a picture of your project, breaking ground. People love to see the action stuff. They like to see what’s happening. Obviously, make sure your customers are OK with you doing that. Most of them are.
Follow your manufacturers and suppliers and have them follow you. Ask them to be involved with you and share what you do, and you share what they do. You don’t have to be a content developer. There’s a lot of content available just by sharing what other people are doing and commenting.
Take Advantage of Social Media Opportunities
I almost never turn down an opportunity to guest on a podcast. I’ve been on some that have no connection at all to my business, but I do it because, at the very least, it’s great practice. The more you do it, the better you get. Every time you do a presentation, every time you guest on a podcast, you become a better guest, and the more shows you host, the better host you become.
If you can get a chance to guest on a podcast, here’s what it’s going to do. First, it will establish your credibility and let people know that you’re an expert. Second, you’ll expand your reach dramatically. I’ve had the privilege of meeting incredible people I never would have met and become good personal friends with. Five years ago, I would have said there’s no way I would ever be personal friends with these people, and now we chat by text every day.
Content Tips to Get Started
Here are some tips to get started with social media. Be an opportunity seeker. There are so many opportunities for content — with your buildings, with your people, with what you do, the picnic you had for your group, whatever. For example, a while back, I was taking a long walk and I saw something I thought I might use someday, something to put in my library, so to speak. I saw a sign for boat launch, so I took a photo of a boat backing into the lake.
One day I wanted to do a post, but I was a little brain dead and didn’t have any ideas, so I flipped through my photos and came across that boat launch photo. I posted the photo with the caption, “Don’t wait for somebody to launch your boat. Launch your own boat.” I saw the photo and that saying just popped into my head, so I used it. That’s how easy it can be if you’re always looking for ideas for posts.
Whatever you do, get engaged. The more engaged you are, and the more you give, the more you’re going to get back, and the more people are going to come find you.
Keep your social media raw, organic, and natural. Don’t try to make it pretty. Remember that done is better than perfect because perfect doesn’t exist. The beauty of social media is that people don’t want Hollywood-scripted perfection. They just want to see you talking or posting something. They want your thoughts, but they want them to be authentic. They want the real you.
Don’t spend three hours on a post. If you have a photo and know what you want to say, you can post it in about 12 seconds. If you post something dumb occasionally, don’t worry about it. People see it and they move on because we’re a swipe-left society.
Always look for content. Post often and do videos. People want to see videos. Use the phone in your pocket. You can take many videos every day, especially at events like trade shows. It’s quick and easy. Walk up to a friend and ask them what they think about the show. Talk to the show promoter for a few minutes. People want to see that stuff.
If you’re a builder, the fact that you’re at a trade show and actively engaged in the industry establishes your credibility as an expert and widens your circle of influence. You’re passively selling them every day on the fact they ought to buy from you without ever getting their face or asking for anything.
There’s plenty of material to post every day. My challenge is that I have to settle down and not post as much as I would like to because I find stuff all day.
Finally, be a shameless self-promoter. I don’t mean that in a negative, prideful way. I’m just saying you need to be your own brand ambassador. I represent many manufacturers and I have a rep agency, so I’m an independent salesman contracted to represent these companies. My agency is Source One marketing. I never call and say this is Randy of Source One marketing. I just say, I’m Randy. I sell the brand of Randy. That’s what I sell everyday. And that’s what you need to do, too, and one of the best ways to do that is with social media. RB
This article is based on the social media seminar Randy Chaffee presented at the 2024 Post-Frame Builders Show in Branson, Missouri, June 19-20, 2024.
Randy Chaffee brings four-plus decades of experience to the post-frame and metal roofing industries. A board member for the Buckeye Frame Builders Association and the National Frame Builders Association, his podcast is available at facebook.com/BuildingWins. No web access? Call (814) 906-0001 at 1 p.m. Eastern on Mondays to listen.
