Pour It On

Tips for being a sales-savvy business owner

It's not so easy being a coffee roaster in the land oflatte--a.k.a. Seattle.If you want your business to amount to morethan a hill of beans, you need topour on the sales savvy.Otherwise, you're just another face in a verypopulatedcrowd.

That's why Dillanos Coffee Roasters LLC in Sumner,Washington, goes full steamahead with its own blend of marketingmoxie. "The key is differentiatingyourself," says DavidMorris, co-founder of the company. For Dillanos, thesecret iscommunicating with customers. Here's how:

For the record. Dillanos puts tape recorders inside eachof its deliverytrucks so the drivers can record comments about eachinteraction with customerswhile it's still fresh in theirminds.

Seeing is believing. Since potential customers can'talways come to theroasting facility to check it out, Dillanosbrings the facility to them via alively sales video. Says Morris,whose 15-minute video showcases smilingemployees and coffeeseminars sponsored by the company, "It'sworkedtremendously."

In the loop. Another tactic the $4 million company usesis simplykeeping customers informed about things like the Mondaymorning office meetingdress code that requires staffers to wearT-shirts featuring their clients'logos.