Selling is Dead!

Selling is dead. Long live help!

I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject and have come to the consensus that "no one likes salespeople."  If you just said, "Duh!" bear with me.  No one likes salespeople because of the implied confrontation.  You KNOW they want you to make a purchase.  The whole reason they are talking to you is BECAUSE they want you to make a purchase. Now, I have no problems with people making money. I have quotas too. HOWEVER, if someone is going to make a profit off me, they better be providing a real service.

For example; I do NOT count a store clerk checking the warehouse for stock as a service.  If the shelves don't contain the right size, color, etc.. well that's the locations fault and I'm not going to feel any sort of obligation to purchase just because "you had to go in the back." Nor do I consider a salesperson "knowledgeable' when they simply read the product details off the label. However, if a commission-based agent knows where to find the exact product I looking for; EVEN IF IT IS IN A COMPETITORS store, that is service.  Contrary to popular belief; I will be more likely to become a regular customer of a company that is obsessed with solving my problems.

As the saying goes, "you can't fool an ol' fooler" and I can spot BS a mile away. I'm not alone. The public is becoming more and more skeptical.  Persuading a customer to buy a product that doesn't meet their needs is like shooting yourself in the foot.  Once the customer gets home, realizes they were sold upriver and experience the pang of buyers remorse; you've lost.  It doesn't matter if they return the product or not.  You've lost them.  They don't trust you.  Engendering trust it what it comes down to.  It is much better to lose out on a purchase today then lose a profit stream for life.

I'm not expecting to win you for the "help" team overnight.  I'm sure there will be mobile salesmen and car dealers for many years to come; but do we really want them? Think about it.

Six Things All VIP Customers Want

While most of my experience with VIP customers is in the Casino Gaming sphere, below are some general needs -I believe- every industry should meet to stay competitive and properly reward loyalty amongst VIP clients. This is in no way an exhaustive list, bust a basic framework to get you thinking in the right direction. First; before applying these techniques, decide what level of business warrants VIP status. Once you know that, decide that the following will only apply to those that have achieved VIP status.  Allowing ANYONE else to take advantage of these services -as a rule- devalues their desirability. Be very firm in adherence to your criteria.  In the age of social media, any exceptions will make their way out into the public sphere.

• VIP's want corporate recognition. This can come in any form as long as other customers are aware of the tiers existence and gravitas.
• VIP's want an inside connection. This should ideally be ONE PERSON -inside the company- who handles their business and requests.
• VIP's want 24/7 access. This can take the form of a designated voice mail, escalated email or extended business hours.
• VIP's want personalized rewards.  This will rely heavily on your knowledge of their habits and preferences.
• VIP's want immediate results. There is NO reason why requests can't be handled same day. Don't make excuses. They don't care who you have to wake up. VIP clients know their value.
• VIP's want exclusive products.  If you won't let them beta test, first run or pre-order; don't worry... your competitors will.

Remember to apply the above in ways that can be easily tracked for ROI purposes.  "All VIP customers will receive a reply via email in 1 hour" is traceable. "All VIP customers will receive prompt service" is not.

Channel Partners: Just like marriage?

Thinking of co-branding or forming a strategic partnership? Time to air out all the dirty laundry.

Too often, companies don't do their due diligence when vetting potential partners.  It is much akin to early romantic relationships where; all a-flutter- with stars in their eyes, two people totally overlook each others flaws in the name of love.  Then; when the romance fades and life kicks in, all that rubbish comes out.

Take Apple and Foxconn; a very profitable match- on paper, who have been in the headlines lately for appalling working conditions in their Chinese factory. Proper research into Foxconn's practices would have lead Apple to make a more suitable partnership.  And what about Nike?  No stranger to distribution chain scandal; they still maintain buildings named after disgraced professional athletes and coaches.

To think, all of this trouble could have been avoided with just a little more research.  I believe this excerpt from CBI Consulting hits the nail on the head (click here to read the full article):
    

• Proper due diligence must be conducted. You would investigate your domestic business partners, so why not your overseas partners? Due diligence in Asia should, however, be done on a more thorough level, including researching the company’s debt history and verification of hard assets. Some effort must be made to verify the company has the equipment, personnel, and time to produce your orders. Otherwise, it’s possible the company will lead your order through an endless maze of subcontractors, some of which might not conform to the high standards you expect.
• Contact should be initiated with the potential supplier’s customers — and its own suppliers. If a supplier says it can product your order in 30 days, does it mean 40 days is close enough?
• Unannounced, pretext visits must be made — but NOT BY YOU. If you can read
  this in English, you will probably stand out in an Asian crowd, and if you visit a factory, you will not see things the way they really are; you will see what the principal want you to see. Visits must be made periodically by local people. If you have a branch near your potential associate, ask a local worker to visit for you. If you don’t have a branch in Asia, find professionals you can trust.
• The partners’ reputation in the media should not be ignored. Most Western companies are keen to the role the media plays in business, and few things sting like being criticized in the press. Find a market researcher or hire a consultant, but learn what the local newspapers are saying about your potential partner.
• Finally, remember Ignorance Is No Excuse. When in doubt, imagine how your CEO will look with a microphone in his face explaining that he really didn’t know the soccer balls were being made by nine year olds chained to sewing machines.
• CBI Consulting, March 28th, 2011

Soft Market Research: Leveraging the front line.

Think about your favorite client or a regular at your business... What do you know about their preferences?  Do they always come for the same thing?  Shop for others?  Have they ever made a off-hand negative comment about their experience?

Target market analysis is a very important part of market research.  These days it seems covert and impersonal when done by online companies like Google or though reward programs at retailers.  Whatever happened to leveraging the front line?

Every day your front line employees are servicing regulars and viewing shopper trends first hand.  Why is it that their insights are never valued?  I could tell you in five minutes the favorite products of all of my regulars and why.  I could tell you what they wish was improved. I could tell you personal information about other products they use.

I believe that when marketers have a theory about a new business opportunity the first line of defense for testing that idea should be front line staff. They could gather information on your current customer base in the most gentle and inconspicuous manner. A simple poll, completed online by salepeople, front line managers and account specialists would be a very efficient way to scrap long-shot ideas without alerting ones consumer base.