Going the Extra Mile – Doug Jensen, US Sales Director at Rotary Power

What does your job entail?

As a sales director, my main job is to look for opportunities where Rotary Power can sell its products through customers or distributors. Once I have identified opportunities, I need to be able to qualify and quantify the opportunity. This means I need to be able to understand where Rotary Power’s products will be used and under what circumstances they will be operating. The best way for me to be able to do this is to visit the end user or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and understand the demands of the application.

How do you manage distributors?

I cover North and South America, which is a rather large area. In order to help me cover this area, Rotary Power has over 50 distributors in America alone. The challenge for me here is that distributors sometimes sell over 500+ products, including competitors and I need to make sure that when an opportunity arises, the distributor thinks of a Rotary Power product before any other.

I find the best way for me to manage distributors is to create and maintain relationships. I provide product training, including pros and cons as well as application training. Helping a distributor understand where Rotary Power’s products work is vital, especially if I want them to remember Rotary Power when an opportunity arises.

How did you come to work for Rotary Power?

I am from an agricultural background where problem solving is key and that’s something I have always enjoyed. I went to college to study fluid power, which covered everything from engineering, sales, service and maintenance of products. When I graduated I was always looking for an opportunity where long term growth in the industry was possible. Rotary Power offered that opportunity and I have worked for Rotary Power for 24 years’ now.

What did you do before this role?

Before my role with Rotary Power, I was working as a clerk at UPS whilst studying for my degree in fluid power.

You get to travel a lot, why and where do you go?

I think about 70% of my time is spent traveling to visit customers, distributors, and sometimes end users, across North and South America. Visits can take place for a number of reasons including introducing Rotary Power to new customers, after sales follow ups to check the customer is happy with the products and prototype testing. Whatever the reason for the visit my main aim is to make sure that I have built a strong and long lasting relationship with the customer. I want them to understand who Rotary Power is, what we do and how we benefit them when working together.

It’s also important for them to know that even if I can’t offer them a product for a problem, if they ever have an issue, they can come to me for help and advice.

How would you describe a good salesman?

I would say a good salesman always has a certain type of personality; friendly, talkative and have a sense of humor. They should also be flexible to accommodate customers and open minded, willing to go the extra mile you might say. I guess ultimately, they should always want to help solve the customer’s problem, even if the solution doesn’t lie in the product they sell.

What is your key tactic as a salesman?

Well, I would have thought that was obvious by now, relationships. To me it is the most important thing; it helps people remember you and your product.