Winning business in person: the lost art of showing up

Andrew Scott, MD of Purplex Marketing, explains why face-to-face selling still opens doors and how traditional sales tactics remain essential in a digital world.

Is the age of the travelling sales rep dead? Some of us (and in the digital age, it really is just some of us) will recall the days of the salesman in his Ford Sierra, a half-eaten service station pasty gently easing past its ‘best-before’ date on the passenger seat as our man wrestles with a battered UK atlas and a bout of chronic road-weariness.

The arrival of email and virtual meet-ups meant there was less need for salespeople to be out and about. What was the point of travelling from Bristol to Aberdeen in the hope of clinching a sale, and taking three days to do it, when the same negotiations could be held via the web in a matter of minutes?

Companies with one eye on costs quickly grounded their sales staff, saving a fortune in pool cars, budget hotels and yes, service station cuisine. And so began the death of the salesman. Or did it?

In the early days of Purplex, I was constantly out on the road, talking up our consultancy (and later) marketing services to anyone who’d listen. I spent days and weeks flogging my old BMW along the highways and byways of the UK and, slowly but surely, I began to pull in work and build my business.

There’s an old saying that 80% of success in any field is simply showing up. In business, I’ve found it’s more like 100%. Being present, in person, is often the single most important thing you can do to win new customers and build lasting relationships.

It’s a simple idea, but one that’s been neglected. Although the fenestration industry is often a notable exception, with reps still travelling to in-person appointments, sales teams across many industries have become comfortable hiding behind screens.

Video calls, emails, LinkedIn messages – they all have their place. But none of them replace the impact of shaking someone’s hand, looking them in the eye and having a real conversation. And then sealing a deal because of that human contact.

At Purplex, we believe in going back to basics. I like to see our salespeople out on the road, knocking on doors, visiting customers and prospects. It’s a philosophy that has served us well. While others have been waiting for the phone to ring, we’ve been out there making things happen.

During the pandemic, demand for the construction and fenestration sectors was high, and many salespeople became order takers. But now the landscape has shifted. Markets are tougher, competition is fiercer and businesses need to work harder to secure every opportunity. It’s time to remember what sales is really about – people, relationships and persistence.

I really think we underestimate how valuable personal contact still is. People want to do business with those they trust, and trust is built through human interaction. Without a relationship, all you’re left with is a transaction, which doesn’t necessarily guarantee loyalty when things get difficult.

There’s another layer to this approach – direct marketing. A personalised letter, a well-designed brochure or even a simple postcard can lay the groundwork for a face-to-face meeting. It’s about creating familiarity before you arrive and reinforcing it afterwards.

Blending traditional sales techniques with targeted marketing is a powerful formula. It’s not about abandoning digital tools but using them to support real-world relationships. For example, our sister company Insight Data has Salestracker, a marketing intelligence tool that gives subscribers the ability to track company performance and verify businesses, making sure that no physical journey is wasted on a company that isn’t performing.

I’ve always believed that business is won in person. It’s how you build trust, earn referrals and create partnerships that last beyond a single sale. At Purplex, this approach has been central to our success, and I see it working every day.

In uncertain times, going back to basics is often the smartest move. Get out there, meet people, and make yourself known. Because when you show up, good things happen.