Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
USP September edition
Citation preview
NEW COLLECTIONIntroducing a new look line up for
2011-2012
...FOR FELLOWES LAMINATORSThis summer our award-winning range of laminators is getting something of a makeover as we launch 10 new models featuring Fellowes trademark style and innovation.
For more information call Fellowes on 00800 1810 1810
www.fellowes.com
A STYLISH NEW LOOK...
august 2011 IssuE 95
USP
PrEsEnt and corrEctWhy presentation equipment could be a sales goldmine
HEat of tHE momEntSelling summertime cooling solutions to your clients
Hold on tIgHtHow to keep hold of your existing customers
HP’s new LTO Ultrium Eco Case is made of moulded recycled paper instead of polypropylene, which uses two-thirds less oil to produce. It’s a small thing, but by making the switch, you could make a big difference.
Get your free sample at www.hp.com/uk/ecocase Scan the QR code to find out more about the Eco Case
© 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. *For information on how this was calculated and on how to switch to HP LTO Ultrium Eco Case, please visit www.hp.com/uk/ecocase
HP’s new LTO Ultrium Eco Case is made of moulded recycled paper instead of polypropylene, which uses two-thirds less oil to produce. It’s a small thing, but by making the switch, you could make a big difference.
Get your free sample at www.hp.com/uk/ecocase Scan the QR code to find out more about the Eco Case
© 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. *For information on how this was calculated and on how to switch to HP LTO Ultrium Eco Case, please visit www.hp.com/uk/ecocase
HP_EcoCase_OilCarPoster_0.10.indd 2 08/07/2011 12:25
Contents
on the Cover 05 heat of the momentSelling summertime cooling solutions to your clients
06 Present and CorreCtWhy presentation equipment could be a sales goldmine
12 hold on tightHow to keep hold of your existing customers
news04 PitCh invaders
The latest news and products to help you deliver the perfect sales pitch
marKetPlaCe05 heat of the moment
Making the most out of summertime cooling solutions
06 Present and CorreCtWhy presentation equipment could be a sales goldmine
10 forward PlanningSelling diaries and planners in a digital age
sales aCademY12 hold on tight
How to keep hold of your existing customers
live it14 sPending time
Goodies from films to gadgets – spend your break right here
the editor’s letter
As I write my letter for this month’s column, the sun is baking the London streets outside and
the park is filling up with skiving office staff wearing rolled-up sleeves and shielding their eyes
from the light. It feels like summer has landed, but we only say this in a whisper for fear of
scaring it away.
Fortunately, my office is a haven of cool, with the air-conditioning keeping the heat at bay
and the water fountain in keen demand. The summer brings many options for office supplies
salespeople, a seasonal trend that is worth exploring as companies seek to invest in ways to
keep their workers temperatures down and productivity up. We look at some areas for you to
consider on page 5.
Another seasonal peak will see demand for diaries and planners increase this month, and
we take a look at the latest options (p10), as well as investigate how to get the most out of
presentation equipment (p.6).
We have also got the usual Sales Academy feature on page 12, which this month looks at
how to keep hold of existing customers.
Hopefully that will keep you informed during these summer days, and if there is still
nothing here to take your fancy, you can always use the magazine to fan yourself down in
the heat.
Enjoy.
USP magazine is published by...Intelligent Media Solutions | Suite 223 | Business Design Centre | 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QHtel: 0207 288 6833 | fax: 0207 288 6834 | email: [email protected] | web: www.uspmagazine.com
Follow USP on Twitter at Twitter.com/uspmagazinePrinted in the UK by Buxton Press www.buxtonpress.co.uk
matt jane
editormatt jane | [email protected]
managing editorjulia dennison | [email protected]
CommerCial direCtorviCKi baloCh | [email protected]
senior aCCount manager – media solutionsmatthew moore | [email protected]
aCCount exeCutive – media solutionsKrYstle davis | [email protected]
designersarah Chivers | [email protected]
ProduCtion assistantsinead CoffeY | [email protected]
Publishing assistant/ CirCulations managernatalia johnston | [email protected]
Publisherdavid Collingbourne | [email protected]
digital managerdan PriCe | [email protected]
USP2418
Matt JaneEditor
neWs pitcH inVaDers
USP august 2011
04
PIT
CH
IN
VAD
ER
SAl
l the
pro
duct
s an
d de
velo
pmen
ts y
ou n
eed
to d
eliv
er th
e pe
rfec
t sal
es p
itch
NEWS Robert Horne Group had a great result at this
year’s Nemo Group conference, taking the award for the
best stand and, crucially, Wholesaler of the Year 2011.
Paul Farrell, director, reseller division, comments: “It’s
great to get this recognition from Nemo. We’ve worked
really hard over the last 12 months to build our relationship
with the group and this shows that we are going in the
right direction. We’re looking to further develop our
relationship over the next year and move from our current
status of a secondary supplier to Nemo to lead.”
For more information call 08457 210 297,
email [email protected]
or visit www.roberthorne.co.uk.
NEWS OEM-compatibles supplier Katun has adopted
the cloud computing solution for its dedicated
management print services (MPS) program: KATUN Dealer
Fleet Management.
“There are so many benefits for our dealers with this
highly secured cloud computing solution. The access is
secured via Internet and they are no additional costs
associated in terms of IT management, IT equipment or
servers’ renewal and ongoing maintenance fees,” says
Christophe Capony, general manager strategic
development at Katun.
Katun Dealer Fleet Management is a comprehensive
solution that enables the remote management of copiers,
printers and MFPs from all OEM printing systems and
allows dealers to automate and simplify service alerts.
www.katun.com
NEWS Alpha International has launched a renewed
website and webshop in collaboration with Iceshop.
“Since the last update to the website at the end of
2010, there have been so many developments in the field
of e-commerce that it was once again time for new and
improved website functionalities. In addition, we used
Google Analytics to investigate our clients’ search
behaviour, and used this as a basis to introduce a
number of important improvements,” says Niek von Reth,
Alpha International marketing and e-commerce manager.
The computer supplies distributor now offers features
including order placement by uploading an Excel form,
intuitive navigation and an insight into electronic invoices,
outstanding orders, and expected delivery dates.
www.alpha-international.eu
ALPHA INTERNATIONAL
A WINNING FORMULA AT NEMO
KATUN
PRODUCT Stationery supplier BIC has introduced two
new products to its office stationery range. The 4-Colours
Grip Pro, and the Atlantis Easy Glide 1.6 continue the BIC
tradition of providing quality products at a price for
every budget.
The new 4-Colours Grip Pro is the latest addition to
the iconic 4-Colour family that first came onto the market
40 years ago. The Grip Pro has a premium black and
silver barrel with cushioned grip, with a lanyard ring on
the barrel for easy transporting. The four colour options
mean it is the only pen office workers will need to carry,
and with over 1,500m of smooth quick drying writing, it
is better for the environment and can be refilled.
The new Atlantis Easy Glide 1.6 is the perfect choice
for office workers. The innovative easy glide ink system
delivers a 35% smoother performance, and the
retractable nib comes in black, blue and red, making
it ideal for home or office use. The cushioned grip is
also perfect for writing
minutes or
drafting notes.
www.bic.co.uk
BIC LAUNCHES NEW PENS
USP
marketplace cooling 05
august 2011
Heat of tHe momentThe summer sunshine gives salespeople a great opportunity to provide some cooling solutions to hot workers. Matt Jane considers the options
As the shirt sleeves get shorter, the lunch breaks
get longer and the ice cream van’s jingle becomes
the most commonly whistled tune in town,
salespeople should be looking to their seasonal
offering and the potentially lucrative ways to
help British workers survive the summer.
While the British summertime is often
maligned for its ability to disappoint sun-
worshipers, the office space can easily become
a sweat box of inactivity with just the slightest
rise in temperature. While some studies suggest
workers are more productive in slightly warmer
offices, if the temperature exceeds certain levels
it can result in lethargy and mistakes, something
that companies will obviously be keen to avoid.
HOT TO TROTThere is no maximum temperature in a
workplace, but the HSE states it should be
“reasonable” for workers. One of the biggest
areas for office supplies salespeople to consider
for this is air-conditioning units, which are
commonly used in offices of all sizes and have
the added advantage of being useful in both hot
and cool weather. It is important to consider that
some units are more suited to larger spaces and
if the wrong unit is sold to a smaller company,
it could result in half the workers being too
warm and the other half sitting in an arctic blast.
Smaller companies may prefer desktop, pedestal
or ceiling-mounted fans for individual workers
or clusters of desks. These allow for movement
of air and a more bespoke cooling solution
for employees.
The environmental impact of large air
conditioning units is well-documented and
many organisations want more sustainable
cooling methods. Simple solutions such as
insulating machines and hot pipes will help
reduce thermal output, while placing blinds,
shading or reflective film around windows that
get direct sunlight will similarly help keep heat
out. These may be fairly simple solutions for
salespeople as they involve fairly little technical
knowledge, but depending on the size of the
organisation, could be nonetheless profitable.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORSHeat in an office is affected by a number of
factors, one of which is humidity. In higher
humidity (anything over 80%), where there
is a lot of vapour in the air, sweat cannot
be evaporated, causing workers to become
uncomfortable. Similarly, if the air is very
dry, it can lead to itchy eyes or static shocks.
Humidifiers or dehumidifiers will help stabilise
the office atmosphere and can be a focus for
companies throughout the year, rather than just
a summer solution.
In terms of keeping workers healthy and
comfortable, drinks will be a key focus during
the summer months. Even the smallest level
of dehydration can affect worker effectiveness,
with performance dropping by around 10%
once a person feels thirsty. There is scope
for salespeople to provide drinking water
dispensers, with companies being legally
obliged to provide adequate supplies of drinking
water. With disposable cups, servicing, refills and
upgrades to existing systems, water can deliver
long-term sales opportunities, certainly making
a refreshing addition to sales figures.
THIRST FOR FACTS Men should drink around three
litres of water each day, women should have 2.2 litres.
Productivity drops by 10% once a worker feels thirsty.
Nineteen per cent of the water people need comes from food.
USP august 2011
06 presentationsmarKetpLaCe
Present and correctPresentation equipment gives salespeople a great opportunity to offer customers a wide range of innovative solutions. Matt Jane considers some of the options to make presentations more exciting
USP
07
august 2011
presentationsmarKetpLaCe
Delivering memorable and interesting
presentations involves more than just a well-
rehearsed speech and some well-timed one-
liners. Modern gadgets and accessories ensure
that audiences are engaged and informed
by presentations, while helping to
differentiate companies by providing more
interesting experiences.
The days of standing in front of a passive
crowd while lecturing them about facts and
figures on reams of flip-chart paper are a thing of
the past and office supplies salespeople should
be at the forefront of helping their customers
deliver cutting-edge presentations that portray
them in a positive light and ensure their message
is delivered in style. “Regardless of the
presentation content, be it for training, updating,
selling, or idea generation, the required outcome
will always be productivity and efficiency,” says
Neale Williams, business development manager
for digital media and cinema products at NEC
Display Solutions. “Collaboration is an essential
means to achieve productivity and good use of
the latest interactive AV equipment will help
stimulate and engage with your audience helping
to achieve full participation and inclusion.”
The technology available ensures
presentations now have the potential to
be stimulating and engaging events. “Over
recent years, there have been many advances
in technology that allow presenters to be
more creative and interactive with their
audience,” suggests Lydia Bonser from
Mitsubishi Electronics.
The rapidly developing technology in the
presentation market provides salespeople with
a great opportunity to make this a highly
lucrative area. Martine Dodwell-Bennett, sales
and marketing director at Steljes, says it allows
for interactive collaborative solutions that help
bring presentations to ‘life’. “They do not
require you to book out the company
projector,” she explains. “Often the latter is not
working, has to be turned off during the
presentation as the lamp is getting too hot, or
can’t be found as someone else has taken it
without filling out the necessary forms.”
One of the key buzzwords in presentation
technology is interactivity, with touchscreen
technology helping to increase efficiencies and
improve audience participation in discussions.
“Short-throw projectors combined with
whiteboards are another solution, particularly for
smaller meeting rooms,” explains Williams.
He also believes there is a growing interest in
3D technology as it is now a more accessible
solution for everyday work places. “Up until
now, this has priced many people out of the
market but there are lower priced products
available now that do not require expensive
accessories such as screens and glasses. This
could be of great interest to users involved in
design and architecture.”
PRESENTING THE OPTIONSThe scope of products in the projector and
presentation market means there are more
products becoming accessible to a wider
customer base. David Hobbs for Vivitech points
to the fact that projectors are now available in
price ranges from a couple of hundred pounds
to thousands.
There is also a growing demand for smaller,
compact projectors as improved technology
makes them a more realistic option for
presentations. “The pocket projector is
expected to be among the most sought-after
projectors in the immediate future, for despite
being heralded as the ‘next big thing’ since
their introduction in 2008, there has been very
little evidence of their penetration into the
mainstream market until now,” says Hobbs.
“For where, not so long ago, you would fail to
find portable projectors with any helpful
features or indeed one with enough brightness
to actually be watchable, they are now
becoming genuinely useful.”
Another area of presentations that
salespeople could look to sell into is digital
dictation as a means to capture or rehearse
speeches. “Often the preparation can become a
long process, which is where digital dictation
has proven to be a vital step,” says Georgina
Pavelin, marketing product specialist at
Olympus. Notes and presentation plans can be
recorded to help speakers prepare. “On the day,
it is often important to make a record of the
event and information provided as a reference
or to provide to those who may not be able to
attend, once again a digital voice recorder is
ideal to capture the entire event to share via
email or a network.”
Another area to consider is the hand-outs
and presentation packs that often form part
of the presentation. While loosely stapled
sheets of PowerPoint print-outs may have
once been the norm, it is increasingly
important to provide the audience with
USP august 2011
08 presentationsmarKetpLaCe
well-presented, professional documents that
enhance the experience. Again, this gives
salespeople a good opportunity to discuss
another product set, in binding and
laminating equipment.
Having professionally bound and
laminated hand-out materials will help form a
more coherent company message and ensure a
business is presented in the best possible light.
One of the main advantages of selling binding
and laminating equipment is that their use
is not confined to the presentation arena and
will have benefits throughout an
organisation and can help professionalise all
outgoing correspondence.
SELLING THE BENEFITSAnother key advantage for salespeople in
considering presentation solutions is the
opportunities to increase the sales value of
deals. For example, when selling dictation
conference equipment, Pavelin suggests selling
additional microphones to capture “not only
the speaker but also any audience participation
or input”. There are also accessories such
as tie-clip microphones that presenters
could find useful.
With projectors or interactive equipment,
there is great scope for selling additional
training or value-adding services, such as
integration with existing AV equipment,
enhanced warranties, or support packages. “As
customers become more sophisticated in their
usage of the technology, data and video
conferencing could easily be included in
the sale,” says Dodwell-Bennett. “Such
technologies enable customers to link their
offices to each other and allow even more
people to ‘attend’ the presentation without the
travel and costs involved.”
There are also long-term advantages for
salespeople, such as the ability to engage
customers in ongoing AV and technical
solutions. Williams tells salespeople to keep in
touch with their clients. “Where equipment is
networked, there is a feature that sends an email
should an error occur or notifying admin of
lamp life remaining. A supplier could programme
his own email address and be on hand should
any maintenance or new lamps be required.”
Sales of projectors can also open doors to
discuss other areas of an organisation and also
to promote the flexibility of the equipment.
“Projectors are conventionally used in meeting
rooms and board rooms, however, this is
starting to change,” says Bonser. “As the world
looks more toward the digital means of
communication, it is no surprise to see
projectors and LCDs being used for digital
signage and advertising.”
There is also scope to upgrade customers as
the latest accessories are unveiled that will
Having professionally-bound and laminated hand-out
materials will help form a more coherent company message and ensure a business is presented
in the best possible light
further enhance the presentation experience.
As customers become more familiar with their
presentation solutions, they will be looking to
continually improve their offering. “This opens
the door to selling accessory products such as
visualisers and voting systems – all of which can
be used to make a presentation more interactive
and memorable for the audience,” says
Dodwell-Bennett.
It is also important to promote the
advantages of investing in higher quality
products or longer lasting solutions. “Price
isn’t everything,” says Williams. “You are likely
to get what you pay for, so quality, durability
and innovative features will not come at the
cheapest end of the market. Similarly, the
actual product price does not reflect the total
cost of ownership.” He warns that customers
should consider issues such as energy
consumption, warranty, and length of
lamp life.
With so much to consider when delivering
a quality presentation, from projectors and
interactive technology to high-quality bound
and laminated hand-outs, salespeople should
be able to suggest suitable solutions no matter
what their customer’s requirements are. It is up
to salespeople to ensure that no business
commits the death by PowerPoint sin again,
but instead engages its audiences and clients
with exciting and professional presentations.
Claim up to £70 cash back on selected Ricoh Printers!
Valid from 1st July – 31st September 2011 Terms and Conditions apply. To find out more visit
www.ricoh-cashback.com/uk
IT Services Office Solutions Production Printing Managed Document Services
HOTSUMMER
CASH BACKBACKBACK
Colour Laser Printer & MFPColour Laser Printer & MFP
up to £70
SP C231SF - £35 cash back
SP C232SF - £40 cash back
SP C320DN - £60 cash back
SP C430DN - £50 cash back
SP C820DN - £70 cash back
GelSprinter
GX e3350n - £20 cash back
GelSprinter
up to
£20
Mono Laser Printer & MFP
SP 3400N - £20 cash back
GelSprinterGelSprinter
Mono Laser Printer & MFP
up to
£20
MOre FOr tHe OFFICeIntroducing new laminator models from Fellowes
For more information about the new laminators from Fellowes please contact your Account Representative or call 01302 836835
Fellowes is proud of its track record of constant consumer based product development, and this year it launches 15 new laminator models.
Fellowes first major innovation was the development of their 100% Jam Free system, giving consumers the confidence to use laminating creatively without the worry of jamming.
HOME OR HOME OFFICEThe new Lunar A4 and Lunar A3 is ideal for home users and offers the 100% Jam Free* promise, at a very attractive price.
The new Cosmic2 machines are the latest version of Fellowes award winning home range. There are a host of great features including HeatGuard, Fellowes revolutionary patented heat protection system that reduced surface temperature.
MORE FOR THE OFFICE USERS, LARGE AND SMALLThe new Saturn 2 offers all the features of the Saturn, plus push button controls for cold, 75, 100 and 125 micron settings. Used in combination with Fellowes high quality pouches, the Saturn 2 offers stunning results.
There is also a new two roller laminator, the Callisto, available in A4 and A3, which offers the benefits of the Saturn with the added feature of Hotswap, allowing users to swap between 75 to 125 micron in seconds.
For more frequent users, the Vega2 A3 and Neptune2 A3 bring a new level of performance in a compact design. The four roller machines offer speed and quality, plus an auto reverse feature that stops creased or mis-fed laminates from going too far into the machine, ensuring the rollers are not damaged and maintaining Jam Free* performance.
MACHINES FOR THE MOST DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTSFellowes has also launched a range topping model called Proteus A3, designed with large office and copy centres in mind. This six roller model is ultra-tough, ultra flexible, offering a wide range of heat and speed settings.
*100% Jam Free when used with Fellowes brand pouches
MOre FOr tHe OFFICeMOre FOr tHe OFFICeMOre FOr tHe OFFICe
USP august 2011
10 diariesmarKetPLaCe
Being organised is an ongoing challenge for many professionals, with the
constant inundation of messages, meetings, appointments and personal
activities to keep on top of. Fortunately, office supplies salespeople
come armed with tried and trusted products to help their customers
stay ahead of the game and on top of their busy schedules, in the form
of diaries and planners.
While most people have adopted electronic devices into their daily
lives, with smartphones, PDAs and tablets now commonplace, there is
still a definite demand for traditional diaries. Many workers will use their
diary or planner as a complimentary product with their PDA as a means
of noting down important dates or memos that come through in their
daily emails. The ease of use of flicking through a page and quickly adding
or erasing an appointment is still a huge driving factor for diary sales.
One of the key areas for
diary and planner sales is the
academic year, with students
keen to get ahead of their
busy workloads and plan
their assignments. There is
traditionally a seasonal peak in
academic planner sales, with
highs in late July and August as students and parents prepare their back
to school investments.
Customers will be looking for different content from their diaries.
Students may look for products that include key dates highlighted,
important phone numbers, personal information pages, or more specific
information, such as a scientific periodic table for reference. Business
people might be keen on a diary that includes information such as
international dialling codes or world time differences.
Given the personal nature of a diary or planner, it allows consumers the
opportunity for some individuality. While a senior executive of a company
may want a plain, simple diary, a young student will most likely be swayed
more towards a colourful and vibrant product, and one that reflects their
personality or even a planner that they can personalise. Younger pupils
may want products that are designed around the latest craze in music
or film. Another big area of demand is for products that are related to
charitable causes, such as pink diaries to support breast cancer awareness.
Unit costs of diaries and planners may be relatively low, but there
are some easy cross-selling opportunities for salespeople to consider.
Given that organisation is the key to demand in this area, there may be
scope to sell divider labels for easy access to pages, or colour coding
stickers that can be used to differentiate the various appointment
topics, such as client meetings,
personal appointments or key
dates. Also, ask customers
whether they need pens for
writing in or colour coding their
planners. There is also scope to
discuss products such as wall or
desktop calendars and planners
to complete customers’ organisational demands, and of course, the
beauty of all these products is the need for annual renewal, meaning
ongoing sales opportunities.
There is a huge range of products to consider in the diary and
planners market. With demand for academic planners peaking at this
time of year, salespeople should consider their offering and their client
base, while planning ahead for the end of the calendar year, when
demand will be set to surge once more.
Another big area of demand is for products that are related to charitable causes, such as pink diaries to support breast cancer awareness
Diaries and planners provide salespeople with great opportunities every year. Matt Jane considers why now is the time to take advantage of these products
Dear diaries
advertorial
STRICTLY BACK TO SCHOOL FOR UNI-BALL
advertorial
IT’S A wRAp! SCOTCH TApe pASS THe pARCeL gAme SCOOpS TOp AwARdS
reinventing the classic children’s party game ‘Pass the Parcel’ and
turning it into a fun and innovative viral game has led to 3M receiving top
accolades at the 2011 National institute of Promotional Marketing awards.
Capturing the excitement of unwrapping gifts, the game, which
formed part of the on-going ‘Say it with Scotch’ marketing campaign, was
played by more than 450,000 consumers.
the game was used to promote Scotch
Pop-up tape by encouraging consumers
to unwrap a virtual parcel in the hope of
winning a range of prizes, Scotch brand
products or money off coupons.
Naturally, the parcel was wrapped
with Scotch Pop-up tape and the game
featured an animated demonstration
of this. designed for hassle-free gift
wrapping Scotch Pop-up tape comes
with an ingenious hand-band dispenser
and pre-cut strips to leave both hands
free to fold, dispense, stick and wrap.
For more information, visit
www.3m.com
Uni-ball has officially launched its
consumer Back to School campaign
with a little help from Strictly Come
Dancing star anton du Beke.
the super smooth tv personality
was on hand at london’s Holland
Park School to tell pupils about a
magical new writing competition to promote the uni-ball fanthom.
“the idea behind the campaign is to get kids writing over the school
holidays by encouraging them to evoke their imagination and tell us how
they would spend a day with their favourite storybook character,” said
Stuart Barker, uni-ball’s marketing manager. “alongside anton, we have
received some high profile support for the campaign and will be hitting
the headlines over the coming weeks.”
“the uni-ball fanthom has a magical feel about it. it’s smooth to write
with and makes light work of erasing any mistakes,” commented du Beke.
He continued, “Working in partnership with uni-ball, i want kids to get
away from their computer consoles and television sets. Keeping the art of
handwriting alive has never been so important. it brings so many benefits to
youngsters and when linked to reading can reinforce achievement.”
For further information visit www.uniball.co.uk, follow @uniball_uk
on twitter or like www.facebook.com/uniballfanpage
The UK’s favourite diary brand has, yet again, thrilled the market withanother outstanding collection. Packed full of new titles plus all your oldfavourites, you’ll find it impossible not to fall in with the fantasticnew range of COLLINS 2012 Diaries.
Ensure you are stocking the UK’s favourite brand - call COLLINS today
0141 300 8500
Fax: 0141 300 8600 Email: [email protected]
www.collinsdebden.co.uk
Collins 2012Diary
USP august 2011
sales academy keeping customers12
Dr Bill Nichols is a former chair of service businesses and is senior lecturer in marketing at Buckinghamshire New University.
aUthor Bio
USPaugust 2011
13sales academy keeping customers
It is almost four years since the banking crisis and
most UK market is still flat or going backwards.
The ‘R’ word is everywhere: not recession but
retention, the feeling that what we have, we
hold. Smart management teams pay it as much
attention as acquisition and prospecting. They
realise that it’s far from expensive lunches, deep
discounts, or over-servicing. I refer to a five-step
retention guide, which I call GEMMA.
G for GoodwillFirst, understand your currency. If you just track
satisfaction, it’s a bit like driving a car with
only a petrol gauge for guidance. The complete
dashboard, which emerged from detailed research
over several years, is ‘goodwill’.
In any considered market, where there is
an extended sales cycle, regular contact creates
perceptions. These perceptions flow from
assessments of how you provide (weakest first)
six key factors: general service, product utility,
brand value, commitment, fair treatment and
enjoyment. If a customer actually enjoys dealing
with you, it’s your most powerful retention tactic.
Collectively, these perceptions pay into and
create your goodwill bank account. Defensively,
keep each account nicely wadded with goodwill
and you will ride out unanticipated issues like
slack service response, delivery delay, quality
problem or procurement review. Conversely,
run the account down carelessly and one
small incident may be terminal. On the upside,
escalating deposits encourage desirable customer
behaviours from retention and preference
to recommendation.
E for EnGaGEmEnt None of this adds up to a relationship, which
is a serially-abused word. Not all long-cycle
customers are relationally-orientated. But, over
time, goodwill factors can generate rapport, the
substance of a strong relationship. Real business
relationships mimic the complexity of personal
ones. The major goodwill contributors are
constructed from some very basic components.
Hard, practical rapport, for example, is generated
by consistent cross-firm process and presentation,
effective and proactive reporting and, not
least, clear strategic engagement in terms of
problem recognition.
As in personal life, it’s deceptively simple:
your ‘partner’ wants consistency, transparency
and to believe that you really understand them.
And, as in life, these things don’t just happen.
Managing each component requires the discipline
you’d bring to traditional acquisition marketing
activities, such as a product launch or new
season’s promotional campaign. In practice, if
you truly want positive engagement, ensure that
every touch-point actually engages smoothly and
effectively. No amount of social media magic can
permanently offset the rude delivery driver or
careless technician.
m for mEasurEmEntIt’s a management cliché but commonly what
isn’t measured, isn’t pursued. You can track
goodwill attitudinally, in behavioural terms
(repeat, frequency) or financially – retained
as opposed to new revenue. It can also align
to financial modelling via the classic equation
that market capitalisation less net assets
equals goodwill.
The goodwill model also helps you value
an existing customer-base by conducting a new
form of goodwill-based segmentation. Precise
profiles vary but there are common types. Many
will recognise the siren voice of the ‘relationship
seeker’ (aka midnight caller). Often senior,
knowledgeable and demanding, he expects high-
level contact and immediate responsiveness. Yet
they may switch emotionally and without notice.
Cherish, rather, ‘old reliable’. Senior but
older, his commitment is sometimes inertia.
He generates at best only average revenue
and appears uninterested in firm, service or
relationships. But he is a regularly overlooked
strong suit and advocate in the client base.
m is also for motivationFor many, motivating target sales behaviour
– maximum sales, optimum margin, most
valuable segment – is a black art. Compounded
across product-line or divisional silo, how do
you motivate D-Division’s sales guy to facilitate
retention of A-Division’s major customer?
Certainly it’s about effective management
of cross-hairs or incentive triangulation. But it’s
also about evangelising retention. Too often, it’s
afterthought. Try making it the hero. Ring the bell
louder for the fifth annual contract renewal than
for that possibly flaky new conversion.
a is for advocacyThe last step puts all willing customers to work as
your auxiliary word-of-mouth or advocacy sales-
force. Research suggests up to 50% of next year’s
B2B/B2P new business is advocacy-based and that
for every existing advocate another will surface
if prompted effectively. Advocates like basics
they trust: high utilitarian and general service
satisfaction. The positioning of the advocacy
response at the least-engaged base of the goodwill
hierarchy explains the strange phenomenon
of the ‘ex-client advocate’. Satisfaction drives
advocacy but does not guarantee retention.
Think goodwill.
Hold on tightRetaining customers is essential for developing business. Dr Bill Nichols offers some top tips
USP
live it The best way to spend your free time and money
14
august 2011
skinny dippingSkinny dipping in the seas around south Wales takes, to pardon the pun, balls. But for one group of hardened naked swimmers, the chance to be in the Guinness Book of Records was enough persuasion to have a dip in the buff. In total 400 people took part in the skinny dipping event at Rhossili Beach in Wales to set the new record. One swimmer said: “It was great fun – I have never seen so many happy smiling faces.” In that cold water, there probably wasn’t much else to see.
good
bad
Cowboys and aliensIf you say the words “classic Western movie”, you will instantly have the attention of one group of die-hard fans. Equally if you mention an alien film, certain other cinema fans’ ears will prick up. Similarly, if you say the names Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig, two very different sets of followers will be alerted. Now if you put this combination together, you will have a veritable crowd of interested parties, all eager to see what sort of gun-slinging, spaceship flying, Indiana Jones, James Bond combo is conjured up.
This latest offering from filmmaker Jon Favreau puts all those elements into the blender for this all-action thriller that stars Craig playing the part of a stranger with amnesia who wanders into a desert town of Absolution in 1873. He soon discovers that he is about as welcome as a blocked nose at a cocaine party, with Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford) controlling residents with an iron-fist.
Then it all kicks off when Absolution is attacked by an alien force that begins abducting helpless residents one by one. Enter Craig, the once shunned outcast, who suddenly remembers that he knows a thing or two about fighting aliens. He teams up with a merry band of cowboys, outlaws, and Apache warriors and sets about on a fairly epic battle for survival.
While the concept of Cowboys and aliens sounds bizarre, this film delivers a great deal of excitement and thrills. Craig delivers the same steely-eyed tenacity that made him such a hit as James Bond, while Ford is always at home in a Stetson. It all makes for great viewing.
Out August 19
Florian lunaire
Film
music
godminster vodkadrink
BiT OF BAnTEr
As we enjoy the closing stages of summer, you need some laid back beats to play a soundtrack to the last of the long, lazy days. Spring – Summer 2011 is a wonderfully relaxed EP from Florian Lunaire, who admits his songs form natural seasons, hence the shorter nature of his releases. ‘Forever Young’ is an upbeat reflection of easy summer living, in which Lunaire demonstrates his lyrical
prowess over chirpy pianos, while the opening track ‘Capture/release’ is a much more stripped back affair but nonetheless ideal for enjoying one last summer sunset. Out now
If you thought vodka was bland and flavourless, you will soon be converted by the distinctive range of flavoured vodkas from Godminster. By infusing plain English vodka with flavours such as elderflower, cucumber or quince, the good people from Godminster Farm in Somerset certainly succeed in making it a more interesting drink. While the flavours may take a little getting used to (which is no bad thing for an alcoholic drink), they create some excellent cocktails, such as cucumber vodka in place of Pimms or elderflower and ginger ale. Available from www.organic-cheese.co.uk
loveBeing a fan of Scottish band The Proclaimers might be bad enough, but it was even worse for the partner of one fan from China. Ling Hsueh told her boyfriend Liu Peiwen that she would only marry him if he took up the Scottish duo’s challenge to walk 500 miles, then walk 500 more. Proving that he would do anything for love, Peiwen set off on the 1,000 mile trip from Henan province to his fiancé’s hometown in Guangdong province. Hopefully he has something better than The Proclaimers on his iPod for the journey.
Honestly, tHe t-sHirt tan lines are really
not tHat bad
TERMS & CONDITIONS
*USP magazine is free to those who qualify: sales managers and executives, sales staff, marketing and purchasing employees in dealers, wholesalers and distributors supplying office products. For those who do not qualify, annual fee is £68.
EvEry good salEspErson knows that knowlEdgE is powEr
And ThAT’s where UsP comes in.
Every month, this industry focused-magazine brings you everything
you need to know about the latest products and key trends in
the office supplies market, as well as quality advice from leading
experts on how to become a better salesperson and brush up
on those sales techniques.
There are also inspirational interviews with leading figures from
the world of business, television, sport and film and our Live It
lifestyle bible, showcasing the latest gadgets on which to spend
your commission. Also, USP will be giving away some top prizes
every month – for FREE.
Subscribe today for your free monthly update - it’s very easy and
won’t take a minute. Why not invite all your sales colleagues to
sign up as well? That way everyone in the team is up to speed!
To clAim yoUr free sUbscriPTion
cAll: 0207 288 6833
emAil: [email protected]
web: www.UsPmAgAzine.com/sUbscribe/
Want to stand
out in the crowd?
sign up noW
USP
