PACK – Presentation, Availability. Cross Selling and Service, Knowledge!

Posted on September 26, 2013 by RFM

This has been reported as the focus for staff training in the new Marks and Spencer regime, reeling from criticism in the ladieswear section.  In addition to the new ranges, they embarking on a customer service programme  The lessons for this major retailer are relevant in many industry sectors not just retail.

Presentation – the first impression, –  the look the brand
Availability – on shelf availability, having the product in stock when the customer wants – managing your channel management etc
Cross selling and service – not just selling but cross selling – ensuring you some something additional to offer the customer – often this is at full price and at this point of the sale added value does not always mean  price sensitive.
Knowledge – knowing products, playing with price cuts, knowing the good and bad points vis a vis the competition.

It is often the internal team who are the ones who have to represent  the products at the point of the sale.  Knowledge is power and it also brings  confidence  – remote sales team will always gravitate to the products they know well.

If you would like to consider the RFM style of PACK training for your organisation  contact russ@rfm.co.uk.

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Don’t Worry , Be Appy!

Posted on September 26, 2013 by RFM

Just amazed at the number of life easing actions you can now do on your phone – sat nav, translation  for overseas guests, pounce on a table at the last minute, gain product information etc.  It is the way forward and every business looking to grow and to engage with both consumers and business to business customers, needs to be mindful of the  way in which we consume information.

If it is not in your radar at the moment, it certainly has to be considered.  If apps , mobile sites, phone and tablet ordering is the way your customers wish to trade, you have to be there.  In business to business it also shows that you are ahead of the game, interested and aware of the new order.

Many years ago, companies used to prepare brochures and then  often keep most of them in the cupboard, – not much use to anyone!   A more modern version of the same issue arose recently. .  A client  in the textile trade had created an app – fantastic piece  of work, superbly crafted, well designed to appeal to many different types of user.  In  research,  key customers were either unaware of or had not downloaded the app.    When we change the way we communicate,  we have to make it habit  forming.  Getting the app is the first thing, creating awareness and usage is the next.

For more information on the various types of marketing and business generation processes, contact russ@rfm.co.uk.

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How Men Buy, How Women Buy

Posted on September 26, 2013 by RFM

Research shows that women make decisions about consumer purchases differently from men.  In general, the fair sex likes to browse, evaluate and see a range before a decision.  Men more often just want  2 or 3 options and to make a decision quickly.

Recent research from Deloittes considers whether this is true in Business to business environments.   Interviews with buyers from large organisations reveal similar gender differences. These are exemplified by the difference in the way women treat presentations from service providers: women regard such occasions as an opportunity for exploring options while men prefer to narrow the options and reach a decision.

This has to have an effect on sales presentation styles and approaches.  Meet the buyer presentations tend to have an X factor element to them – You have to get it right first time or you are off stage and quickly forgotten!

For more information on maximising sales opportunities, contact russ@rfm.co.uk.

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Understanding the Sports Fan

Posted on September 20, 2013 by RFM

I found notification on this paper on the CIM website.  The paper seeks to provide marketers with insights into: identifying sports fans that will be most responsive to their marketing efforts; where to find these fans; how to communicate with them to achieve maximum impact with sponsorship; and how to invest marketing budgets more efficiently. Currently, many brands in sports marketing are investing in a marketing mix that does not provide the best solution.
This is what marketing is all about.  Understanding how a target market thinks, how they can be segmented and when to contact them.  It can help you position your business more effectively as well as save time and resource by targeting in the correct way.  That is exactly what we do, all day every day!
Source Journal of Brand Strategy, Vol 2(2) 2013, pp146-154 (Reisman and Eccleston)
For more information on this topic, contact russ@rfm.co.uk

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Windows of Opportunity

Posted on September 20, 2013 by RFM

There was a very interesting article in the press last weekend about the challenges facing M&S in the textile sector.  They have developed a new collection in ladies wear and have some high profile hitters promoting the range.  However, on the sales floor, where the customer decision is really made, they have approximately 24 minutes to get it right and to sell before the lady shopper tires and walks out the store.  So say the statistics of a research piece carried out by the store on shopping patterns.
In every business, there are moments of opportunity when the customer eyes are on us and no one else – at an exhibition when a customer walks past, on a telephone call with an interested party, at a meet the buyer event or a face to face meeting in an office.
Knowing the key points of what to say and how to present your key usp and point of difference is crucial.  Not all organisations really plan for this.
For more information on this topic, contact russ@rfm.co.uk or check out our site – www.rfm.co.uk

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Selling – The Skill, the Practice,The Art

Posted on September 20, 2013 by RFM

The Skill – understanding the sales process, the Sales Ladder to follow and how to work it for your business.
The Practice – just like any skill – golf, guitar, cycling etc practise makes perfect and makes it look easy
The Art – a combination of the skill and the practice in to a style which is smooth, seamless, builds rapport, builds relationships, knows the right time to ask  ‘commitment question’s, how to counter objections and negotiation
In larger organisations, there are sales teams who are trained and experienced in this area of business .  In many more technical and owner managed businesses, it is up to the MD, Production and Technical staff to sell in the product and take the orders. This is not always a core skill!!
Learn the skill – Practise the structure – then hone the Art.  For information on this topic and a range of bespoke programmes, contact russ@rfm.co.uk

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Total Cost of Ownership – Competing with the East

Posted on September 6, 2013 by RFM

When thinking about how to compete with other countries with a lower cost manufacturing base, think of the total cost of ownership of using someone in the UK.  UK can often deliver better quality, faster turnaround, more innovative product developments with technical backup on the ground – – all of this can be costed and laid out in both written and verbal presentations wherever they may be found – online, blogs etc.  Real savings may be made  in terms of cash flow, productivity,  time and speed to market.
Most people will say they need to buy on price but in fact most organisations are looking for value and continuity.  The economy seems to be ‘hell bent’ on driving down the cost of everything and for this you cannot expect to get the same quality.  Quality can be costed and a very cogent argument made for showing how buying the right blend of quality and value is important.
For more information on defending the price argument for your organisation, contact russ@rfm.co.uk

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Building Awareness in External Markets

Posted on September 6, 2013 by RFM

Read a very interesting article in the Sunday Telegraph last Sunday about Glasgow, City of Sport.  It was on a Discover Scotland pull-out, beautifully written with great photos. According to the media pack of the newspaper, this paper would reach 1,372,000 readers on a circulation of 429,000.  The places listed to stay were Citizen M – very new and minimalist, Hotel Indigo and Blythswood Hotel.   Places to eat covered Mother India café, Crabshakk and Ubiquitous Chip, – the only ones mentioned. The only visitor attractions talked of were the SSE Hydro – very new and exciting and Barrowland.  Good on them for getting their copy and wording onto the desk of the journalist sitting in an office in London!
The marketing point is that out in the big world out there, there will be people writing about Glasgow in the run up to the Commonwealth games and the opportunity is there to get coverage at no cost from the journalists.  All journalists need good copy and stories to sell their newspapers, and journals, both online and offline.  Seems to me this is a bit of a no brainer.
There are always opportunities out there if someone is allowed the time to dig around a little to find them.  In this particular case, there must be companies who would have benefited from this opportunity for no cost awareness.
Sometimes, we spend too much time navel gazing internally at what we are doing instead of getting out there and building opportunities.
For more information on raising awareness of your business, contact russ@rfm.co.uk

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Real Customer Insight – they may tell us what they will not tell you!

Posted on September 6, 2013 by RFM

A small amount of customer insight into key buyers will yield you hugely powerful information to improve the service and generate more business leads.  Sometimes customers will not tell you directly about the issues that annoy them but they are happy to talk to a 3rd party, particularly if they are well briefed and understand something of the business.
We have just completed a short programme for a customer doing just this.  It has unearthed issues around service levels, keeping the existing customers happy – the easiest way to keep your business strong.  We also found out a lot about desired formats of communication when customer like to be communicated to, their propensity to use online and offline, their purchasing habits etc.
As an exercise amongst a small sample of key buyers, it is incredibly insightful and provides a number of key activities to implement in the short term at little cost to improve , retain and nurture new business.
For more information on our research and insight services, contact russ@rfm.co.uk

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Hiding your Light – Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams

Posted on August 30, 2013 by RFM

Our technical IT guru/whizz provides a ‘plug in IT service’ for bands,  concerts, and festivals, working at huge venues all over the UK and Europe.  The superstars mentioned above are only a few of his previous clients and he is known as ‘Amazing Alan’ in the business.  In a general discussion in the office, he indicated he was worried about boasting who he was working for.  We did set him straight and suggested he polish up his key messages!
Be true to yourself, – be true to your business and make sure your message is honest and truthful but also shows you in the best possible light.  Developing good wording, copy etc that can then be adapted for various forms of marketing collateral brings excellent benefit to any business.
For information on good wording, linked to the key benefits of your target market, contact russ@rfm.co.uk

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