MARKETING GUIDELINES - SECTION THREE
1.
Never sell your commodity products on a price basis
unless it is a straight value-added, low service content bid, or it is your
competitive strategy (a “skimmer”).
a.
Achieve, measure and sell top quality execution and
services - not the generic commodity.
b.
Have “automated reminders” about the benefits
of all service elements.
c.
To keep from being stripped and shopped: segment
customers and treat differently; bundle some extra services to performance and
withdraw if necessary; and unbundle services for value-added bid contracts.
d.
Keep creating new extra services as competitors
copy the older ones.
2.
Weave your commodities and value added services
into purchasing systems that are tested, measured and sold on total economic or
procurement value.
--- Use the “nine steps” of
systems selling to create win-win deals for you and the customer. Measure
success and get testimonials and referrals.
3.
Focus on “whales” and achieve large orders in a
systematic, repeat basis that generate win/win economics.
a.
Team-sell target accounts to penetrate, maintain
and build “ropes”.
b.
Install systems on a base of service excellence,
relationship equity and partnership trust.
c.
Measure and document “switching costs”.
d.
Lower prices when total economics allow it
to stimulate demand and drive out and keep out competitors.
e.
Key account development is a long term process.
4.
Handle “minnows” in a firm, low-cost most effective
and profitable manner.
--- Raise minimums and/or
pricing schedule; tighten terms; strip out or automate services; let customer
do work - cash-n-carry.
5.
Build your customers’ business and economic value,
don’t just sell to them, sell through him.
a.
(e.g.: Seminars; educational bulletins; systems;
consultative salesmen.
b.
See them as subsidiaries and treat them as
stakeholders.
6.
Multiply your selling by turning suppliers and
customers into activated testimonials and business growers for you.
a.
Help them measurable win.
b.
Ask for testimonials and referrals.
c.
Turn on customers’ employees to grow their
business; which grows ours.
7.
Remain “close to the customer”: always.
a.
Team-selling (MBWA)
b.
Management has a few accounts
c.
Customer advisory group.
d.
Surveys.
e.
Practice “positive relationship management”.
f.
Determine what the customer values and will pay
for. Main source of new services.
8.
Build your services to meet “enoughness and
sufficiency” - only what the customer can be educated to value and pay for.
--- Prototypes with measuring
systems prevent over-engineering services.
9.
Remember the degrees of difficulty of the four
generic types of pro-active selling.
a.
More old items to old customers (difficult - x)
b.
New items to old customers (3x tougher).
c.
Old items to new customers (10x).
d.
New items to new customers (15x).
10. Never
underestimate the difficulty of getting your people to “fall in love” with a
new product (for them).
a.
Rule of 5 - 6.
b.
Don’t leave men on base at the end of the inning.
11. Never
underestimate the difficulty of breaking old customer buying habits and forming
new ones.
a.
Most will rationalize that they buy for “price,
service, availability”.
b.
In focus groups, they don’t really know why. No hot
buttons, Buy for emotional comfort, out of habit and laziness.
12. Recruit
fewer, but better (tiger) salesmen:
a.
Fan their ego-drive, but achieve team cooperation.
b.
Pay more for penetration than maintenance.
c.
Must first sell service value; then TPC purchasing
systems; and then be a consulting to grow them.
d.
Must be able to teach and discipline customers into
being “partners” and not strip and shoppers.
13. Developing,
testing, measuring, packaging and selling extra services and getting something
for them is tough.
a.
Have a few good test customers; over invest and
educate to get results and testimonials.
b.
Work the bell-shaped curve of innovative customers
from most to the “herd”. Many testimonials are necessary. It takes time.
c.
But improvements in basic service excellence never
to out of style.
14. If you
are big, act small by decentralizing all service capabilities as much as
possible to the local marketplace.
Marketing Guidelines - SECTION THREE