Sales and Service come together during COVID-19

CITY Rental Sales Representative Hildy Webb recently changed her usual sales role to accommodate the changing economic times during COVID-19 and jumped on route service trucks throughout the Des Moines metro region.

“It’s rejuvenating because I’ve been stuck at home for so long,” Hildy said. “It helped boost my energy level and made me aware again of what it is we are doing and why we are building relationships. I love it.”

COVID-19 led Hildy and many other CITY sales representatives to operate out of their home office, limiting her contact with what she calls the most fun part of the day, her customers. Having been in sales since her early 20s, the unique situation of having to quarantine at home forced her into unfamiliar territory. What remains familiar however is her goal of serving her customers. By partnering with a CITY Route Service Representative [RSR], it allowed Hildy access to help promote the CITY cleaning and sanitation product line to keep businesses clean and safe.

“It’s continuing to build those relationships and making contacts where you can,” Hildy said. “I’ve been on the phone a lot and talking to people as often as I can and being as prepared as I can for when everything returns to normal.”

Hildy’s new normal also didn’t stop her from taking on the new challenge of waking up early and jumping on different routes with CITY’s RSRs. Mark Ballo, CITY’s Des Moines Regional Sales Manager, decided to get his sales staff on routes to continue to connect with customers and Hildy believes it has helped her understand what businesses need right now to keep running.

“The number one priority for businesses right now is maintaining the safety and health of employees and their families,” Hildy said. “We can help support that priority with sanitizer, paper products and anything cleaning and disinfecting. A lot of businesses were excited to know that we’re making deliveries to them every week already with those products to make sure they can stay safe.”

Just as Hildy builds relationships with her customers across Des Moines, she also learned a lot about her RSRs coworkers. Some even know the same people as her and others have been friends for years. Hildy says building a rapport with the service team helps her in getting even closer to customers. She says RSRs are the key in maintaining the customer relationships that were originally signed by sales representatives and especially during COVID-19, building relationships, even those that already existed, remains important.

“The main goal is to take care of our clients,” Hildy said. “Getting to see people and talk with them is the most fun part of my day and I get to do that on the routes. It’s great to reconnect with people, let them know I’m still around and if they need anything, they can always call me.”

COVID-19 is profoundly impacting communities around the country but that’s not stopping CITY President Colin Wetlaufer from ensuring customers can count on safe, fresh and clean products to keep their businesses running.

“We want people to know that they’re going to get the right product, processed the right way,” Colin said. “Part of our mission is to be as responsive as possible and we’ll give guidance to businesses about what’s best for them, to make sure that everything is navigated correctly.”

For more information on CITY’s product line or services, visit our COVID Response page.