Idea #1 - PMA 2003 Alert!
We hear from reliable sources there will be a NASCAR event in Las Vegas the same
time DIMA/PMA is going on. Folks in the know suggest you get your hotel and air
reservations now, before the economical rooms/flights book up. If you're
uncertain whether or not you will attend, just go! If you're in Imaging, you
have to be at PMA 2003. And come improve your marketing results with Bill
McCurry in these sessions -
* Saturday, March 1 - 1:00 - #D53 - Digital Marketing for Retail in Tough Times
or Super Effective Digital Marketing without a lot of cash
* Immediately following at 2:30 on Saturday - #D63 - Marketing Idea Exchange -
bring an idea to share and take away actionable ideas for immediate profit
improvement.
* Monday, March 3 - 7:00 - 9:50 - N5 Guerrilla Marketing Night School - Each
attendee will receive a copy of the NEW Digital Guerrilla Marketing book
Idea #2 - Your customers' success equates to your success - Bill McCurry
Publisher's prerogative - We interrupt our normal idea
exchange of subscriber's idea for an observation from Bill McCurry.
In the last two weeks I've had the joy of visiting with
dealers from over 16 states. What I heard will make the difference between a
so-so holiday season and a Joyous Holiday.
Problem: My salespeople aren't adding on items to the sale,
they aren't suggesting and selling, they aren't maximizing the customer.
Reality: Recognize that today's salespeople probably won't
embrace the concept of "add on selling". . . Why?
- Younger people think it is dishonest to "push" products onto
people
- Salespeople think that the customer makes as much money as they do and
therefore can't afford to spend that much.
- They are afraid of rejection; if they don't ask the customer to buy then
they'll never be told "No"
- Seinfeld said that no mother wants their son to grow up to be a
"salesman" so they aren't one of those.
Question: With this environment, How can my business gain
the maximum revenue possible to survive, prosper and grow?
Answer: Change your orientation, change the way you
approach your salespeople, change the way you look at every customer
relationship.
First, your new goal is to make your customer successful!
Help them reach success in solving the problem they came to your organization
for.
Secondly, refocus your salespeople that their job is to
give the customer just enough information so the customer can make an
intelligent decision about solving their problem. (Don't overload the customer
with non-critical information - just enough information so the customer can
understand how they will be successful with their purchase.)
Example: The customer comes in for a digital camera in
anticipation of taking a trip. Rather than immediately grabbing a camera the
salesperson congratulates the customer on the trip, inquires about the
destination, departure date, and makes short but general conversation to
understand what types of pictures the customer wants to have as memories of this
event in the customer's life.
When a camera is finally brought out to show to the customer
it is the model that the salesperson is confident will fill the customer's
needs. This confidence is based on the questions asked and the answers the
salesperson so carefully listened to. It is at this point, under your old way of
thinking you're hoping your salesperson will "add on" lots of
profitable accessories. And it is here, that under the old thinking the
salesperson would have said to themselves, "Wow, that's a lot of money
they're spending. They better not spend much more now; they can get the
accessories later." And under the old thinking the customer wouldn't have
the success they should with their new purchase.
Under your new thinking, and the new orientation of your
salespeople, the conversation takes a different turn. The salesperson will say
something like, "You've made a good investment in the camera we've
selected. Let's talk for a minute about how you're going to use it on your
vacation. You know the media is reusable. The challenge comes as to when and
where you're going to unload the images so you can reuse the card. Imagine
leaving the Eiffel Tower and having your memory card full of pictures . . .
then, on a Paris street you see a beautiful scene and have to decide which image
you're going to erase so you can capture the scene in front of you? Is this
something you'd like to do a couple times a day on your vacation, every single
night, or wait until you get back from your vacation and do it all at once?
What just happened, using the customer's success as the
motivator, you've allowed the salesperson to let the customer make their own
decision as to how much extra media should be purchased with the camera. The
difference between the "old" and "new" way is the fact the
customer has now been mentally placed in the daily act of using what they're
buying. Especially with a product like a digital camera, the customer doesn't
know all the little nuances . . . like "Memory Card Full" or
"Battery Low". For the customer to be successful with their digital
camera, they have to understand how these new issues will impact their success.
By painting a picture with the customer in the scene, by making the "Memory
Card Full" a personal experience, the customer can understand the need for
additional media immediately.
When customers are given this information they will invest in
extra batteries, additional memories and other necessary items. Your salespeople
won't be "sales" people but they'll be coaches that help educate the
customer to intelligent purchasing of necessary items.
Your bottom line will increase because your customer will
leave more money in your store, they'll return because they were successful with
their purchase, they'll tell their friends and everyone lives happily ever
after.
This can be a Fairy Tale or a Dream Come True in your store -
it depends solely on your attitude and the approach your people take. Change
your approach to customers today! It works, Guaranteed.
Christmas Break . . . Next week is the last 2002 edition of McCurry Marketing
Idea Exchange. The next edition will be out January 8. Keep your ideas coming;
we will share them with everyone in the upcoming editions.
