That was the question Cavanaugh craved. He answered eagerly by describing in detail his company's culture and generous employee benefits. That struck a chord. Holliday mentioned some of her own company's perks. The executive assistant let down her defenses, revealing that she bought customer gifts in the spring and fall. "Well, I've got a few things I'd like to show you," Cavanaugh said. From the embroidered denim shirt to the sleek stainless-steel Fossil watch, there was an art to how he presented each item for her inspection. She laughed in delight at something called the Fun Floating Logo Liquid Motion Mouse Pad. "I've got to show this to my boss. This is going to make me look good," she said.
She quizzed Cavanaugh on some pricing. Satisfied with his answers, Holliday let him in on a secret: she's not satisfied with her current promotional-products supplier. There was the matter of an expensive pen that kept falling apart in customers' hands. "This would never happen with us," Cavanaugh said, examining the pen. Now they were on the same page, searching for a truly quality memento to impress customers with. They flipped through a catalog of classic-looking desk clocks, and she asked him to follow up with a quote for one art-deco-style model. He jotted it down in his Day-Timer and carefully repacked his bag. He left her office jubilant.
"Her whole tone changed in 20 minutes," he said in the parking lot. "It's like being on the basketball court. Guys are on top of you until they see you can dribble. Then they back up."
It's not that Pat Cavanaugh is a hotshot or particularly gregarious or gifted in the oratory department. It's OK to stutter a little, he tells sales reps practicing the phone script. "Be human," he stresses.
"You don't have to shoot every time you have the ball. Sometimes a sale is not in the best interests of our company."
Many CEOs cut back their personal sales as they build a sales force. Not Cavanaugh. On that point he's passionate. His reason for remaining so physically involved in sales is simple but not what you usually hear from top executives. Many CEOs stress the importance of staying in front of customers to garner additional sales and market research. But for Cavanaugh it's much more personal than that. He sells because it keeps him "competitive and sharp." There's another reason that speaks to the coach in Cavanaugh. You do it, he says, "because it helps you understand the challenges of your salespeople."
If it seems as if the CEO is running some sort of training camp for would-be sales stars, he is. His goal is to turn average reps into million-dollar sellers. In business, as in basketball, he's the player who keeps his eye on the whole court. And he believes completely in his vision.
From the beginning, Pat Cavanaugh has been laying the foundation for something much more substantial than merely selling caps, clocks, watches, and windbreakers. Rudy Frank, the manager of corporate advertising at Kennametal, a tool manufacturer headquartered in Latrobe, Pa., says he knew the little company that cold-called him five years ago had the potential to one day manage all his promotional business. And that's exactly what's happened. After 15 years on-site, the Kennametal company store -- serving 13,000 employees worldwide -- is now run by Cavanaugh and includes online sales. The store is expected ultimately to generate sales of $1 million a year.
"And I knew from day one Cavanaugh wanted that," says Frank.
Still, to hit the ultimate goal of $100 million in sales, the Cavanaugh company will have to net about 100 more accounts just like Kennametal. Pat Cavanaugh knows he personally can't keep up that sales pace forever. But for now he can. Which is why he was battling traffic on a sunny Friday afternoon to make his last sales appointment of the week. "This could be really huge," he was saying. He looked down the road, hoping to find a faster way to his destination. "Every moment counts right about now," he murmured.
Susan Greco is a senior writer at Inc.
Cavanaugh does Cleveland
2: Number of days in Cleveland on sales blitz
6: Number of sales reps participating, including CEO and sales manager
536: Number of initial leads identified
61: Number of direct-mail pieces sent to prospects
456: Number of phone calls made to prospects
114: Number of appointments
20 minutes: Average length of appointment
$25,168: Value of orders processed in two days
$2,983: Average order
$1,000: Average order in this industry
2,748: Miles driven by Cavanaugh staff
6: Average number of wrong turns made per day
0: Number of times reps asked for directions
1: Number of Elvis sightings at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
0: Number of Drew Carey sightings
Source: Kimball Smith, director of business development, Cavanaugh.
Click here for more tips on cold calls.
Please e-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.
