Taking it up a notch

That’s a joke that perhaps you’ve even uttered in reference to the presentation after presentation we often endure at industry meetings. But to a beef salesperson, it really might feel like that.

“Most salesmen don’t have very long attention spans,” says Jose Sosa, who has been with Sysco South Florida for 16 years.

Kelly Murray knows that. She used to be one. That’s why when Kelly—now as assistant director of foodservice marketing for CAB–and the team were charged with bringing Certified Angus Beef ® brand education to sales forces across the country, they reinvented the typical training session by developing the CAB Meat Lab.

Attendees walk in past a fog machine into a room set up with lights and music; they “suit up” in frocks and hair nets.

“It’s theatre, it’s fun and a ton of education. It’s a time for a sales rep to feel as if they have been transported from a distribution house into a CAB Meat Lab,” Kelly says.

Dr. Phil is amped up to talk about beef. “What he does with the audience is pretty magical.”

One session squares on beef grading, putting the salesmen in the shoes of a USDA grader. They use different ribeye examples to practice on.

“We’ll ask, ‘Would this qualify for Certified Angus Beef or not? If not, what competitive box would it end up in?’” Kelly says. “That really pushes that sales person to fully understand and grasp competitive products in the market.”

With six years experience at a broadline distributor, Kelly knows the challenges associated with the job.

“They are inundated with all sorts of different things to sell, from green beans, to mashed potatoes to seafood and beef and everything in between,” she says.

Beef represents about 30% of Jose’s business, so it’s an important category to know. He says he’s used the newly acquired knowledge on the streets, offering substitute cuts and menu ideas.

The numbers suggest Jose is not alone. We’ve empowered sales forces at 10 labs across the country, with more in the works and in all cases, brand sales are up. Analyzing numbers prior to the meat lab and six months after indicates CAB purchases jumped anywhere from 3% with long-time licensees to 69% with newer partners.

“It’s really a re-energized group of sales people,” Kelly says. “They feel more comfortable with beef in general. They feel more like they’re a consultant to their customer, and really that’s a great success.” 

Less meeting-room boredom, and growing beef sales in tandem? Sounds like a double success story to me.

May your bottom line be filled with Black Ink,

Miranda

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