Sales Skillls Development, at home – in export

Posted on August 26, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

Whether working in transactional sales or transformational sales, the topic covers a multitude of activities and skill sets.  Here is a starter for 10:

  • Finding leads
  • Making initial contacts with the right people
  • Understanding the customers business and what they might want
  • Asking the right questions
  • Exhibitions, Meet the Buyer events – being effective
  • Making great presentations
  • Seizing the opportunity – ahead of the competition
  • Buying signals – clues
  • Closing techniques – effective techniques
  • Negotiation – I need it cheaper!!
  • Up selling, Link Selling
  • Marketing Support
  • The use of www.

Marketing is shaping your products for the conditions in individual markets.  Selling is that face to face interaction to make an impression.  In UK, we are great innovators and great creators.  We are not so good at getting in front of customers and presenting our products.

If you are planning to sell or trade at home or overseas in export markets, these skills have to be tailored, trained and ingrained in individuals.

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Groupon – another route to market!

Posted on August 26, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

A great way for companies to sell product fast.  Based on offering huge discounts for group purchasing bought in a short time frame, Groupon focusses on the consumer habit of ‘impulse purchase’. From a marketing point of view, it allows an organisation to create footfall to their business and then (if their staff are well trained), sell on linked and additional product as well as building data for repeat sales.

Today’s batch includes 2 night Dinner B&B for 2 For £199 (56 sales), Samsung camera at half price (116 bought) car service – £49 ( 4 bought), also gastric bands and spray tans, neither of which interest me at present! (Maybe later in the year!)

The concept means that once they have had a number of bids, the offer goes live.  Interesting to note that the deals now seem to go live with only 1 bid!  Sign of the times.

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Channel marketing – Buying where and when you want

Posted on August 26, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

Channel marketing is all about focussing on customers and creating easier and more access to purchase. For example, Coke had, and indeed may still have, a mission that no one should ever be more than 10 steps from a being able to purchase a Coca Cola.

Tesco are about to trial a virtual supermarket on the London underground.  This will allow shoppers to order ‘on the hoof’ while going to work or for the next train.  In a time pressed society it will be interesting to see the effect.  Trialled elsewhere in the world, the virtual supermarket resembles a ‘wall’ of products which you select and scan with your mobile phone app.  The products will then be delivered to your door at a time that you want.  Clever!

 

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Question. What do the following have in common?

Posted on August 9, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

 Weibo, QQ, Youku, Dovban, Kaixin 001, Ren Ren.

Answer. They are all names of social networking sites in China, each targeting different sectors of the community, just like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, but bigger in size!!

A ‘must understand’ for new entrants into this market.

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Men’s grooming goes mainstream

Posted on August 9, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

Well gents, the ultimate cosmetic product for men has arrived – a new cooling rollerball gel that massages away undereye bags, perfect for the morning after the night before!  The ad for this new bloke’s cosmetic by Clinique, appeared in page 11 of the Metro on Wednesday 3rd August.  Page 10 had an advertisement for 20% off spirits at Sainsbury’s, page 12 had an advertisement for Kronenbourg 1664. Good media buying – or what!

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Manning your stand- getting prime contact customers to come to you!

Posted on August 9, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

‘76% of visitors to business to business exhibitions have decided which stands they will visit before they go’. (Centre for Exhibition Industry Research).

So, ways to attract key buyers to your stand are:

  • By inviting existing, potential, and lapsed customers prior to the show
  • Upskilling your team on how to man the stand to maximise every opportunity

Remember, you only have 1/10th of a second to attract the visitor. This and a variety of other techniques, can make it easy for your customers to say yes!

 

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Marketing in today’s Economy

Posted on August 3, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

Marketing in 2011 and in the second decade of the 21st century is changing. It is no longer enough to have products and services focused on customer needs, there is now the additional issue of being totally aligned with the product and service needs of customers.  The product and service is almost a ‘given’ with other elements of the marketing mix being ‘decision makers’ or ‘decision breakers’ in the business – brand, image, customer service, ease of interaction, proactive account management etc.  For businesses that are totally aligned with the objectives of their various customer groups, this leads to: –

  • Increased opportunities with new customers
  • Retained opportunities with existing business, often at increased margin

These outcomes require the ability to understand the new communication options and how they resonate with todays and the future consumer and business to business buyer in both private and public sector.  However, the start point of this process is a clarity of thinking required to segment markets and understand the customer process within each segment.

 

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The last 10 yards – more important than you think!

Posted on July 6, 2011 by rfmblogadmin

This phrase is used by producers and manufacturers in the supermarket sector, – how to get your product from the store room onto the shelf, well presented on shelf and then into the customers basket. Considering that most customers choose products in a few seconds, it is of vital importance.

The same principle applies to other channels, – engineering products, industrial products etc

How do you motivate and manage the staff of your distributor, wholesaler, agent to show and present your product alongside others?

How do you get your agent to give you the proper amount of ‘air time’ in front of a customer in an overseas market?

Most of the answers are around skill sets and communications.

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