Alpha Business Consultants: 2011

Monday, May 2, 2011

Saturday, April 9, 2011

What is the Number 1 Mistake made by Sales People ?

What is the Number 1 Mistake made by Sales People ?

Why do some Sales People not Believe in their own product ?

          Recently I offered to help a female relative and her husband
          pickup their new Car ,
          as the husband had to work at the appointed time
          they had to receive their Car .

          I always like to Test Sales People
          to see if they really believe in their own product ,
          or whether they are just talking Sales jargon .

          The following conversation actually happened to me recently ,
          only the names and specific details have been changed .

          We will call the Sales person ' Jack ' ,

          Craig -   " Hi Jack , we are here to pickup the new Car for ...
          Jack -   That's great , this is a great choice of vehicle ,
                         one of our best sellers ,
                         and the Diesel provides excellent fuel economy .
                         I've been at this Dealership for many years ,
                         and this is one of the Best Vehicles we have ever produced .
                         Your ( relative ) has made a wise decision !
          Craig -    Ok Jack , tell me ,
                          do you drive this type of vehicle yourself ?
          Jack -     Well Yes , I do ,
                           but ................. ah ? ,
          Craig -    Yes ? What is it ?
          Jack   -    We drive this type of Vehicle ,
                           but ( in another brand - Brand X ) .
                           My family prefers ( Brand X ) ,
                           there is more interior room ,
                           we've had Brand X's for as long as I can remember .
                           We find the quality of Brand X to be superior .
           Craig -   But you don't work for Brand X ,
                           Jack ......

                           you work for this Brand , don't you ?
           Jack    -   Well Yes I do ,
                            but they turn a blind eye to my driving a Brand X ,
                            nobody seems to care ,
                            others do the same here .
                            Besides this is a great place to work .
                            Look ,
                            we have two children and a dog ,
                            by the time you include sports equipment
                            there just isn't enough room in our Brand model ,
                            that's why we go for Brand X , beautiful vehicle .
            Craig -   But my ( relative ) has two kids ,
                            a large dog and prams and so on ?
            Jack   -   They have bought the right Car , they will really enjoy it .
            Craig -   I appreciate your honesty about the Car your family uses Jack . "

Why do some Sales people not use their own product ?

          I appreciated the fact that Jack talked so openly
          about his own product preferences .
          But even though I hear this all the time as a Sales Trainer ,
          it still shocked me because this time it was personal ,
          involving my own family .

What is the Secret to Sales ?

         I have done 1000's of Sales Training sessions over the years ,
         and I always get asked the same question ,

         " What is the Number 1 Secret to Sales Success ? " .

         My answer is as follows ,

            " You can't handle the Truth about this Secret ,
               because it is a Secret ,
               and will remain a Secret ,
               even after you hear the answer in Black and White .
               The vast majority will never do it . "

         The Secret ingredient to the Answer ,
         and the ' catch ' is that it is a Twofold Answer ,

You have to Believe in your Product

            At this point everyone agrees and loudly claims that they already do so !!

    2.     You have to Buy and Use your own Product

            In response to this there is always a profound silence ,
            nobody utters a word of agreement ,
            or protest ,
            or anything else ,
            because everyone knows this to be True ,
            yet very few do it !

           Example 2 - Mobile Phones .

           Recently I received an email Flyer from my telecommunications provider ,
           letting me know that an advanced new Business Mobile Phone
           had just been released by the mobile phone company .
           There were great pictures ,
            but there was scarce detailed information .

           So I looked up the Company Website ,
           but there was no information featured yet ,
           as the Website was in the process
           of being uploaded with new data from the Mobile Brand .

           Then I went direct to the Mobile Brand website ,
           but it wasn't listed on the Brand Website yet ,
           because the shipment of new product
           had not yet arrived in our country .

           The next step was to call my Mobile telco provider
           and find out some very basic info about the phone .

          The following conversation also actually happened recently ,
          only the personal names and Brand identities have been changed .

          Craig - I'm calling about your flyer you sent me
                        about the new Brand A phone ,
                        what can you tell me about it ?
          Belle - I'm sorry , what do you mean ?
                        The info is on the email .
          Craig - Well no , there isn't any info on the flyer .
          Belle - Ok , for all these type of enquiries you need to refer to our Website,
                        Thank you .
          Craig - Wait , I already have been to your Website ,
                         and it has not been listed yet on your site ,
                         I just have some basic questions about Brand A .
                         Is it the Best phone you have for Business purposes ?
          Belle -   Well I wouldn't really know ,
                         I don't use that Brand ,
                         and now that you can get Brand X
                         everybody is switching over to Brand X anyway .
                         I use Brand X myself ,
                         and I think it's the best phone for any type of use .
           Craig - But your Company does not Sell Brand X , does it ?
                         So why are you telling me Brand X is better ?
                         Can I speak to someone else there who uses Brand A please ?
           Belle   - There isn't anyone else here who uses Brand A
                         that I know of ,
                         the majority are using Brand X now .
           Craig - How many Tele Sales / Customer Service Staff
                        are there with your Company ?
           Belle   - Several hundred ,
                         but we all talk to each other about our own phone features ,
                         and the latest apps and games .
                         We love what you can do with Brand X .
           Craig - Are you telling me that you don't know a single person
                         amongst 100's of Staff there ,
                         who uses your own Brand A Mobile product ?
           Belle - That's right , why should we ?
                         It's never been mentioned at any staff meeting ,
                         so I don't care .
           Craig - You don't care that not a single
                         Customer Service rep can recommend
                         your own Business Brand A Mobile phone ?
           Belle   - Nope , it doesn't effect my pay , so why should I ?
                         Forget Brand A , and get a Brand X mobile ,
                         like everyone else is doing .
           Craig - Thank You for your honesty Belle .

           Example 3 - Tablet Computers

           The following conversation actually happened to me recently ,
           only the personal names and Brand names have been changed .

           We were wanting to purchase the latest model of Tablet Computer
           that had just been released .
           We had heard about the great new features
           and were excited about the new updated version .
           We were really getting into all the internet
           and Social Media hype about the update .

          I decided to call a non-franchise store about the new Tablet .

          Craig - I'm calling about the new upgraded Tablet from Brand A
          Ned   - What is it that you want ?
          Craig - What do you mean ' What do I want ' ,
                        I just told you why I'm calling ,
                        I want to purchase the new Brand A Tablet .
          Ned   -   Look , take it from me because I happen to know
                        a lot about computers ,
                        there is no difference with the new Brand A Tablet ,
                        do you have the Brand A pre-upgrade ?
          Craig - Well , yes we do ,
                        but I have done my own research on this Brand A product ,
                        and I like the new features ,
                        and I want to purchase several of the new Tablets .
          Ned   -   Hey , I'm telling you there is no difference .
          Craig -  Aren't you supposed to be a Sales person
                        convincing me to Buy the new Product ?
                        What type of Tablet do you use ?
          Ned -    I use Brand X because they're the real deal .
          Craig -  Does your Company sell Brand X Tablets .
          Ned -    No , they don't sell Brand X because they're not very popular .




Copyright - Alpha Business Consultants - Craig Holme , Jeremy Reynolds - 2011

Friday, April 8, 2011

Why some Car Brands are getting it wrong on Social Media

Why some Car Brands are getting it wrong on Social Media - Part 21

Do you really want to read about tail light complaints of 1984 Models on the Page of your favourite Car maker ?

         I recently responded to an Ad on a Social Networking site
         about the latest model from an   iconic European Brand carmaker .
        The Ad emphasised the brilliant latest green technology .

        Enthusiasticly I clicked on the Ad
        and opened the Business Page for the Car Brand .
        What a disappointment !
        The Page was brilliantly designed ,
         had great Marketing appeal ,
         but .........................................

         the first thing I saw on the Page
         was an elaborate whinging session from someone who had
         just purchased a 1984 Model of the Brand
         and couldn't get a particular minor light working .
         This was then followed by endless back and forth drivel .

         The solution was finally given ,
         ring Customer Service on ..... .

         Next !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        In the words of John McEnroe ,
        " You cannot be serious !! " .

        Why go to all the expense of creating a fantastic Business Page ,
        if you are not going to Monitor properly
        the silly negativity posted by ' Jokers ' on your Page ?

        Why not privately deal with petty complaints ?

        Why does the trifling issue have to occupy centre stage on your Wall ?

        This does not show your Customers that you are prepared to interact
         with any complaint ,
        no matter how silly .

        It shows your Customers that you have a complete disregard
        for their valuable time .

        Nobody wants to trawl through endless diatribes about
        a light that won't work on a 40 year old Car .

       Stop listening to the ' Silly Social Media Experts '
       who are telling you to play with the ' Joker ' ,
       and start listening to your Customers .
       Just because you have a Business Page on a Social Network
       does not mean that you throw Common Sense out the Window .

       Deal with minor complaints through private DM's ,
       or by Direct phone call ,
       or by Email .
       Not on your Business Page Wall
       and lose valuable Customers .

      Copyright - Alpha Social Media - Craig Holme - 2011