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Hmmm… what to do with those non-stop, push-the-limit, hard-to-control DSRs… who also happen to be the top sellers at the company! They are a special lot that need different care, feeding… and, most of all lots of space. Hey, they’re bringing in the goods!

How do you give ‘em enough rope to run full speed… without giving up too much control that everybody else complains that the Wild Bunch isn’t following the rules? DSR Dave has some ideas (wow, what are the odds of that?).  CLICK BELOW TO PLAY SHOW!

Issue 234

Seafood is often the most “unloved protein”… yet is becoming wildly popular among those DSRs who know how to sell these animals of the sea.  Bob Vogel, seafood specialist with FSA in Boise, breaks down some basic hints on selling salmon and other seafood products.  Hey, do you know your wild steelhead from your Norwegian salmon?  Now you will!

Issue 233

Many DSRs have a “hands off” attitude about big third-party accounts like Sodexo and Aramark.  Wrong-o… these accounts can offer great opportunities for DSRs who take the right approach.  Most of these operators need other distributors to provide everything they need. 

Issue 232

First there was the New York Times Best Seller’s List.  Now welcome to the AFDR’s Top 200 list… a quarterly snapshot of the best-selling items from around the country organized by dry, refrigerated and frozen!  A great place to start when you’re looking for dependable, highly popular products to suggest to your operator customers.  DSR Dave and Bill discuss ways to use the list… and some other updates about the AFDR website.

And don’t think the list only features products from the Big Boys!  Note the number of companies represented in each temperature category:

• Refrigerated:  33

• Frozen:  61

• Dry:  68

Show 231

Call it what you want… but getting the inside scoop about a prospect is the key to opening new accounts.  And that’s through good old fashion detective work, not being a salesperson… as DSR Dave and FSA Sales Manager and Trainer Tina Haugland discuss in this week’s show.

Issue 299 Tis the season for reviewing sales plans… because, hey, what’s more fun than scrolling through a spreadsheet to see if you’re making your goals?  OK, even better is being told the obvious… “open more accounts, bring the margin up, go get a haircut…!”  The missing ingredient for most sales plans is including the “how” of making the plan work.  “How” do I open more accounts?  “How” to I drive margin?  A few bits of important information can go a long way towards revealing the “how.”

For most, business remains slow… so what better time than to start selling a higher priced frying oil?  Really!  Bunge Oil’s new Nutra-Clear™ Omega 9 oil may cost a bit more per case, but last 2-3 times longer than commodity oils.  Bunge’s Tom Coover and Bill McCullough, along with Dow AgroSciences explain how to use Omega 9 (also heart healthy) as a competitive advantage during these times. 

Also visit: FitFrying.com TransFatSolutions.com

In the final part on our DSR vacation series… Joe the DSR and DSR Live hosts DSR Dave and Bill Hornung tell tales of how many DSRs leave themselves open for trouble when taking a few days off.  And they discuss an idea on how sales managers can leverage vacations to do a powerful business review.

Joe the DSR returns for an encore to discuss with DSR Live hosts DSR Dave and Bill Hornung the upsides and downsides of running somebody else’s route.  How to make the best of it… and an easy way to make sure another DSR never asks you to cover his or her route again!

Part 3 of 3-part series:  DSRs often hear from operators that Restaurant Depot, Costco and Sam’s Club offer great bargains that full-line foodservice distributors can’t match.  Of course, broad line distributors also offer convenience, broader selection, delivery and financial terms that the Big Box stores don’t.  But selling many operators on the economics of buying from foodservice distributors can be tough at times… but there is another way to keep operators out of the Big Box stores…

Part 2 of 3-part series:  Distributors operate on less-than-2% profit margin… so every returned case costs your company (and, ultimately, you) big dollars!  How about $65-$275 for a single case!  Lower your rate of returns and increase your profits… it’s all in the math.  Click “play” button at right to listen!

Part 1 of 3-part series:  Why are operating margins stuck at 17%?  Could it be that 60% of the DSRs are new to distribution sales and have no clue about the costs involved?  Selling down to “cost” is easy way out…!

Issue 220 … worry about getting the FIRST ORDER! Joe the DSR, a rep who started in the business two years ago, discusses with DSR Dave the frustration of getting new customer accounts opened… but then everything quickly stalls because the operator won’t make an opening order.  And news spreads fast that a sales maverick is in town which only increases the competitor’s focus on the customer.  What’s the Greenhorn to do? 

Issue 219 … they don’t ask for the order!  Most aerosol whipped cream is delivered by local dairies.  But non-aerosol whipped topping, such as Rich’s On Top, is a simple add-on sale for most broad line DSRs.  Plus, whipped topping in pastry bags is environmentally safe, doesn’t blow up when near a flame, and provides better  yield. And, what about food safety issues and employees inhaling the nitrous oxide?  Rich’s sales management team Mike Baker, Travis King and Chris Edkins explain!  Login to Resource Center for extended interviews with Rich’s, including three other easy add-on sales most DSRs miss.

Issue 218 One of the first DSR Live interviews ever conducted was with operator Charlie Mansir whose run some of the largest chains to small independents.  We get requests frequently to hear the wisdom from Charlie… so, here’s the classic interview with DSR Live co-host Steve Dahl, where we touch on many topics:  brands vs. private labels, what makes a great DSR… and what drives him crazy!

Issue 217

DSR Live co-hosts DSR Dave Miesse and Bill Hornung yak about how many distributors and DSRs waste operators’ time doing annual business reviews.  Operators don’t care much how your business is going with them… they only care about their own operations.  Wow… what a concept!  Make the business review about the operator’s business… and end up selling more stuff

Issue 216

In Part 2 in our interview with RestaurantOwner.com Founder Jim Laube and Vice President Joe Erickson, explain what separates successful foodservice operations from those struggling.  It comes down to understanding business fundamentals and have simple systems that drive consistency.  One simple step:  work with DSRs to develop a prime cost report that provides a snapshot of an operation’s health.

Issue 215 DSRs and their customers are fast becoming operations experts by digging through the RestaurantOwners.com website.  It’s become a popular destination to find answers ranging from how to make profits during tough times to surviving in business after a kitchen fire.  Yeah, the everyday stuff.  RestaurantOwner.com Founder Jim Laube and Vice President Joe Erickson in Part 1 of a two-part series on how DSRs can become the life saver for their struggling customers by using some ready-made financial tools.

Issue 214 Sara Lee was a pioneer in pre-sliced pies… and training DSRs online through AFDR’s DSRSmart program.  Brand Manager Sue Bietsch now provides a sneak peek of a new “affordable indulgence” idea that Sara Lee believes will be the next big thing to keep building check averages during these wacky economic times. 

Issue 206

In Part 2 of a three-part series, Ohio operator John “Guido” Magnacca speaks to our DSR Live hosts about how a sales relationship can end quickly by going over the chef’s head when a DSR isn’t getting the “yes” he or she wants!  Magnacca owns and runs Vito’s Italian Pub, a small regional chain, as well manages foodservice operations at two area golf clubs.

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