CHARLOTTE, NC – The secret to success is not rocket science according to John Van Ruitenbeek of Briggs Construction Equipment, David Shea of Top Lift Enterprises and Lee Gibson of Gibson Machinery. These three organizations were recently announced as the top three distributors in North America for 2005 by Erich Sennebogen Jr. managing partner of SENNEBOGEN GmbH and Constantino Lannes, President of SENNEBOGEN America at a recent Distributor meeting.

Interviewed separately, they all agreed that the reason for their success was that they had done their homework in their territory. Each had done a survey of machine requirements independently and had placed orders for their inventory based on the results of the survey. The second step in this process for each of them was to make sure that they had individuals focused on the SENNEBOGEN product line.

As well as agreeing on the tactics they used to make it happen, they were unanimous in their praise of the product. According to Alex D’Agnillo, Briggs’ SENNEBOGEN salesman of the year, “From a salesman’s perspective, these machines are great to present to the customer because whatever we say they can do, they do.”

According to Van Ruitenbeek, our sales people will tell a client that we only want to sell them one machine. “One yard operator said he was looking at acquiring a few machines and wondered why we only wanted to sell him one. He explained that after the first one, the SENNEBOGEN machine would sell itself. It happens all the time.”

“Doing a demo is critical, and you cannot do a demo without inventory,” says Gibson. “Once we get it on site, the SENNEBOGEN machine performs flawlessly and the customer is sold on the product. They are impressed from a productivity standpoint as well as from a service perspective. They love the fact that these machines do not have a computer on-board.”

David Shea, Managing Director of Top Lift Enterprises Inc., indicated that his sales team headed by Joel Paiken has been hard at work every day. “Joel’s hard work led to the sale of the first 850 machine built by the company along with the first electric pedestal unit on this continent.”

The Team Makes The Difference
The other ingredient that they agreed on was the quality of the individuals on the SENNEBOGEN team. “Constantino has assembled an unbelievable group of people. Each one is absolutely perfect,” continued David Shea of Top Lift, Canada. “From Zach (Zach Jordan - Parts Manager) and Jim (Jim Westlake - Service Manager) in Charlotte, we can pick up the phone and get the correct answer anytime. Even with his busy schedule, Constantino was always available to assist Joel and me. Our combined efforts made it possible for us to deliver the first stationary electric unit in North America, and the fact that it was going to be delivered to Winnipeg in the middle of the Canadian winter didn’t bother Jim Westlake at all.”

They all agreed that SENNEBOGEN America had created an atmosphere of success and that success brings success. “We are very fortunate to have been one of SENNEBOGEN’s top 3 distributors,” said Van Ruitenbeek. “I look at all the distributors that Constantino has invited to be part of the SENNEBOGEN network and see that we are in excellent company. Almost all of us have been in business for a long time and everyone understands what it takes to build a business: confidence in the product; trust that the manufacturer shares your business values and philosophy and if there is a problem, they will stand behind their product. SENNEBOGEN delivers on all fronts.”

They are all #1
Constantino Lannes indicated during the presentation that the difference between first and sixth was very small and that he was extremely proud and pleased with the efforts made by all the distributors without exception.

“We know that some distributors,” said Erich Sennebogen, “Due to the size of their territory may never be in the Top 5, but they represent the product as if they were the #1 distributor. The fact is, in their territory, they are the #1 distributor with the number one product.” Mr. Sennebogen indicated that this business philosophy is the same around the world. “These are the types of organizations that succeed in our business environment.”

As well, according to Lannes, each one is pulling for the other as the distributor reputation in one region can affect the decision in another region. Lannes explained that with mergers, acquitions and the multi-national nature of the industry, good service can reflect positively on the whole network. “That’s why we take such care in finding the right dealer, not just any dealer can be a SENNEBOGEN dealer,” concluded Lannes.

SENNEBOGEN has been a leading name in the global material handling industry for more than 50 years. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, SENNEBOGEN America offers a complete range of purpose-built machines to suit virtually any heavy lift or "pick & carry" application. A growing network of distributors supports SENNEBOGEN sales and service across the Americas, ensuring the highest standard of professional machine support and parts availability.

Constantino Lannes, President, Sennebogen North America
2835 Jeff Adams Drive, Charlotte, NC 28206
Call toll free 1-877-309-0099 or fax 704-347-8894
Email: sales@sennebogen-na.com
Visit the web site at www.sennebogen-na.com