Our Sales team is not being well received by prospects. And it’s getting harder to secure more meetings. For some reason, titles like Sales Executive, Associate, or even Manager are taken negatively. We tried adding the word ‘Senior’ to some of their titles, but not much has improved. How can we solve this problem?

When you walk into a shop, you wouldn’t care much if you were served by a salesperson or by the owners as long as the service is satisfying to your standards or exceeding them. The titles in this case don’t matter much, unless you’re in a car showroom and your sales executive gave you the, “Let me talk to the Manager and see what we can do” speech, your mind gets trained that bigger titles equal more discounts.

When it comes to corporate sales it’s a different story. In many transactions, the prospect never steps into a showroom. Sometimes, with products like bricks, for example, customers might not find them exciting – unless you’re Ben Grimm The Thing, from Fantastic Four, who has a rock-like exterior – or simply, wouldn’t be emotionally connected to them. Often, the whole transaction takes place at the prospect’s office. All they can see is a ‘Sales Blah Blah Blah’ person who’s dressed to impress (some sales people don’t even bother doing that.) At this moment, your prospect believes that this person is only interested in making a commission by closing whatever deal he can. Who can blame him? When you see a title like Sales Something it’s usually about the prospect paying. Mentally, that’s not a benefit even if they’re getting something in return.

The reason behind the negative thinking is that the term ‘Sales’ reflects what’s important for the company, not what’s important for the customer. Try something different. Surprise the prospect with titles that will pleasantly confuse them (just a bit) and make it difficult for them to classify your team into stereotypes. Who cares if your Sales Manager’s new title was Customers Coach, for example? Either way, they’ll bring back the gold if they’re good enough. However, a title as crazy as ‘Customer Coach’, reflects care for the customer and development for his business, which is the first step for a profitable long-term relationship…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: sales target blues
• two cents: I say quality, you say price
• two cents: the good, the bad and the lier

It’s really difficult being in sales when quality and price are in a constant fight in this market! We work with a high profile quality brand. Customers don’t understand the value of our products, how they’re made, or what makes them special. How can I sell quality to price buyers?

Some people purchase clothes that are not worth 20% of their original price, yet they feel delighted and smart for having got them at 50% off. Others would rather pay for one item instead of two of the same at a discount because paying for one means less money out of their pocket today. Of course, there are always those who would say, “If you have this car in black and silver, I’ll take them both right now.” People are just different. It could be that you were chasing price-buyers instead of those who are loyal to quality brands. It will take you a lot more effort to persuade the first type simply because they have to go against their DNA, which is something uncomfortable for most people.

Having said that, if you’re in a small market, chances are you can’t afford to only target those who would appreciate the brand’s story. If a customer doesn’t understand or is not aware of the value of your brand, it’s not his/her fault. It’s yours. You are the one with information. Use it well. Tell good, engaging, aspiring and honest stories about what makes your brand stand tall among the rest. As simple as it may sound, it requires great skill to be authentic in sales, a quality rarely discussed these days. You might need to ask the gorgeous person in the mirror about whether or not you believe in the brand you’re trying to sell. If your heart is not into it, hunt for something you’re passionate about. You’ll feel effortlessly natural and more satisfied, which means more success for you, for the brand and for the customer…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: promo in wonderland
• two cents: sales target blues
• two cents: he said some important stuff, I think

Our sales target is a nightmare. We keep dropping the price but it seems we’re still far from reaching our goals. Any tips?

How does the offer ‘Pay nothing and get two’ sound like? Keep dropping your prices and that’s what you most likely will end up offering to your customers. Using discount to close deals may be due to one of three problems or a combination of them:

1. Your pricing strategy is too high compared to your direct competitors.
2. You are desperate to get your commission or to avoid corporate pressure.
3. You and your customers are not talking ‘value’. So, if it’s a pricing strategy, keep your price just above competition but don’t go too high. Use the difference as a reason to explain why your product is better. This approach will change the conversation to point number three, ‘value’, which is where you always want to be.

However, if desperation is the reason, push your price by 5-10% higher to give yourself a chance to negotiate without losing sweat.

If you are responsible for setting the targets, remember that sales targets are quite useless and in fact damaging to the business. Sales targets force the team to focus on the overall quota without paying much attention to profitability. Year after year, the business will pay the price thanks to shrinking profits and increasing expenses. A more useful approach is Profit Targets. When the sales team thinks profit, dropping the price will hurt their commissions and bonuses. They will think twice before giving away their own money…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: I say quality, you say price
• two cents: when your title kills your career
• two cents: promo in wonderland

Almost for the entire retail market, summer season means sale, discounts and promotions. The financial crisis forced us to lower our prices below the norm. We can’t afford to go lower one more time. And if we don’t, competition will. We’re stuck. What do you think?

Once upon a time, there was one grocery store in each neighborhood selling soap, cheese, bread and oil. When customers wanted soap, they asked for… you guessed it, soap! There were no ‘brands’. But then, competition got involved and ‘brands’ were developed to help customers differentiate between products. With time, customers couldn’t see the difference between these products so they went by price. This is where the first war price was ever born. As prices started to go down, maintaining healthy margins that can help the companies to grow became almost nonexistent. When the situation got so unbearable, brands focused on adding more value to their products so they can justify increasing the price.

Slowly, the rest of the market started to follow and before you knew it brands were competing on benefits and features, value, lifestyle and experience. This cycle repeats itself every now and then for different reasons and influences. This time, it’s the financial crisis that caused the dip in margins. If you want to get out of it, don’t focus on price. Focus on introducing new products, adding more value and on developing unique customer experiences. And if you feel that a promo is an avoidable, make them fun and engaging so that customers gladly pay you…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: sales target blues
• two cents: I say quality, you say price
• two cents: crisis? freeze

Steve Jobs and the iPad © AP photo

Steve Jobs is a master in presenting with passion.  He comes across as a genuine geek who changed the way many people and businesses on this planet live, work and play.  Not a bad line to add to one’s CV.  However, Job’s presentation skills are not the topic of discussion.  It’s Job’s presentation structure for the iPad. If you’ve seen the Apple Keynote presentation for the iPad, you’ll notice that Steve Jobs and his sidekick presenters demonstrated the product’s features and benefits very well.  They told us what the iPad does, its technical capacity and about all the collaborators onboard.  Yet, I was left wondering, “If I already have a MacBook Pro and an iPhone, what is the iPad good for? And if I buy one today, what can it add to my lifestyle or business?”

By breaking down Steve Job’s presentation I noticed that there were two elements missing to close the deal: inform and customize.  The presentation failed to inform existing customers how to make the iPad part of their lives.  I’m sure a Mac head or the folks from Apple reading this line will say, “What?! Haven’t you seen the presentation? What about using email, browsing the internet, iWork, the apps, etc?”  All that is fine and wonderful, but I can do all that on my MacBook Pro and iPhone.  Yes, doing all these activities without using a mouse or a physical keyboard is creative, but Apple could’ve just developed more and introduce it as a new Mac computer that’s independent, portable, mouseless and keyboardless. Think of it as a smaller size iMac without the need for a mouse or physical keyboard.

For me, as of today, the iPad means Apple’s answer to Amazon on e-books reader devices.  Having an e-book reader in color and in Apple technology is a brilliant choice!  If the new iBookstore has all the books Kindle offers, then I’m sold.  Some might argue that Apple did their job by enabling us to do whatever we desire with it and it’s up to us to think of how we want to use it.  No, not really.  When a brand introduces a new product that doesn’t have a clear screaming need and demand, then the brand must be very creative in laying down the possibilities and uses and suggest to consumers innovative ways to use the product so they can close the deal faster; especially for those who have MacBooks and iPhones.  Did Apple hit or miss?  They hit it with the product.  They missed in the sales pitch.
It’s not what you sell, Apple. It’s how you sell it.

The question is: Will Apple pay attention and fix their sales pitch or will they think, “We’re good. Very good!”, and do nothing about it?read what others have read

• tribute to Steve Jobs
• two cents: I say quality, you say price
• two cents: unread plans