Progressive Distributor - Cut to the selling points

Cut to the selling points

Basics every cutting tool distributor salesperson should know

It’s human nature for salespeople to steer clear of what they don’t understand and spend time on what they’re comfortable with. Salespeople usually have a small window of opportunity to assess the customer’s needs and make the sale. If they represent several product lines, they’ll sell the one they know most about.

“Cutting tools play a vital role with industrial distributors,” says Don DeJarnette, sales trainer and manager of technical services for Greenfield Industries. “And as a manufacturer, we have an obligation to train distributor salespeople on cutting tools so they can best sell them to their customers.”

Define the market
Cutting tools, like all other products, have target markets. Some tools are geared mainly for the automotive industry. Some excel in aerospace applications. Others are maintenance tools, while others are general purpose. The first thing a distributor salesperson should find out from the manufacturer is the target market for the tool.

Cutting tool terms defined
Classes of threads – Distance from each other by the amount of tolerance specified.

Cutter sweep – A portion of a tool removed when the grinding wheel or milling cutter enters or exits the flute.

Deflection – Deviation of an end mill from the normal or nominal path.

Hook – A term used to indicate a positive angle that is slightly curved.

Limits of size – Applicable minimum and maximum sizes.

Margin – The unrelieved land behind the cutting edge.

Pitch diameter – An imaginary cylinder that passes through the thread form at a point where the width of tooth is equal to the width of the space between the teeth.

Rake – A term used to indicate a straight cutting edge with no curve.

Relief – Space provided behind the edge of a cutting tool to reduce the contact with the work piece.

Rockwell hardness – A system designed to indicate the relative hardness of an alloy.

“Distributor salespeople rely on us to do the research, test products and seek out the applications to determine the best sales opportunities for cutting tools,” says DeJarnette. “It would be a waste of time for a salesperson to visit an automotive manufacturer with a tool designed to remove aluminum from an aircraft cavity. We provide them with this knowledge.”

Learn product advantages
There are several ways to drill a hole, profile or slot a workpiece, or thread a hole. It’s the distributor salesperson’s job to go onto a customer’s manufacturing floor and suggest the tool that will give him or her the best performance.

“As a manufacturer, it is our responsibility to arm distributor salespeople with the features and benefits that make our products stand out above the rest, and educate them on the best opportunities to display them,” DeJarnette says. “From coolant to coatings, materials to machining, tapping to thread milling, and surface feet per minute to feed per tooth, there is a reason to use one cutting tool over another. It’s our responsibility to convey that.”

Operating parameters
When customers buy cutting tools, they are buying more than just drills, taps, inserts, thread mills or end mills. They are buying performance, tool life, endurance, quality and efficiency. Once the tool is in hand, the customer must know how to run it on the machines to get the most out of it.

“Cutting tools are made to run at varied speeds and feeds on a wide range of machines,” says DeJarnette. “The distributor salesperson needs to know the operating parameters for the tools he or she is selling. Knowing how to marry speeds, feeds and coatings with the machine’s capabilities is key to application success.

“Some tools perform better at higher speeds and feeds, while some need to be toned down for the best results. Some tools and machines excel with mist coolants and coatings, and some perform better dry. Once again, as the manufacturer, it’s our responsibility to teach this.”

Technical knowledge and comparison testing
Seeing is believing, no matter the subject. If a distributor salesperson can go onto a customer’s manufacturing floor and not only tell him or her that a tool is better, but display it, the chances for a sale are much stronger.

“Distributor salespeople have to be technically oriented enough to work side-by-side with a customer on a machine to determine the best cutting tool and machining solution,” DeJarnette says.

You can tell whether a person is fluent in the cutting tool language by listening to him or her speak it for 30 seconds.

“When selling cutting tools, we feel it’s as important to know the industry jargon as it is to know the features of the tap, drill, end mill, insert, coatings or machines. The comfort and confidence levels of the distributor salesperson and the customer will be greater if both speak the same language,” says DeJarnette.

The training circle
Because research and development engineers continually find new applications, operating parameters and coatings for products, training is a never- ending circle.

Answers to common questions
Customers often rely on distributor salespeople for troubleshooting advice and to help solve specific cutting tool problems. Here are some questions you might be asked by customers.

What depth of cut is recommended for slotting?
When slotting in steels: 1/4 to 1/2 diameter of the end mill. When slotting in aluminum and non-ferrous materials: 1/2 to one diameter of the end mill.

What flute length should I use?
Always use the shortest full-length possible.

When is “climb milling” recommended?
Climb milling is recommended on all machining with carbide end mills.

When should I use a five-flute vs. a three-flute end mill?
Use a five-flute end mill for finish milling on all types of steel and a three-flute for roughing. Ramp milling is preferred over plunge milling.

My end mill cuts fine until I take a side cut, then it chatters. Any suggestions?
It sounds like the feed rate is too slow. Try doubling the feed rate in inches per minute, and then adjust the feed rate up or down until the cutter sounds right.

When should I use negative rake tooling and when should I use positive rake tooling?
Negative rake tooling is commonly used in steels and materials with similar hardness requiring a strong cutting edge. Negative rake tooling pushes the material apart, which is not good in soft materials. Positive rake tooling shears the material apart and is preferred for non-ferrous metals, non-metals and high-temperature alloys.

Source: Milacron Inc.

DeJarnette urges salespeople to take advantage of a variety of manufacturer-provided training opportunities to keep abreast of new technologies.

“Manufacturers offer several product training vehicles to benefit distributor salespeople,” he says. “Some offer distributor training schools where distributor salespeople, at all knowledge levels, visit a manufacturing location for classroom instruction and hands-on application work on several types of cutting tools.”

Another effective method is on-site seminars where a manufacturing sales representative visits a distributor partner and provides product-specific training. There’s also much to learn from product literature and technical guides.

“Manufacturing plant visits enable distributor salespeople to observe tool-making processes and learn first-hand about materials and quality inspections,” he says.

There are no boundaries to training opportunities. Remember the training circle. Train whenever and wherever possible.

“One thing’s for sure,” says DeJarnette. “If a distributor salesperson doesn’t know enough about his or her products, the customer will find one who does.”