Marketing guru Seth Godin is the author of helpful hints, which are useful not only for marketers, but also for sales people. Therefore, the authors of About Sales adapted them especially for sales staff.
- The best customers are worth far more than average customers. It applies approximately in the ratio of 80/20. The best are usually those who order repeatedly without recquiring much assistance. Therefore, sales people should prioritize satisfaction of this group of clients. Send them a thank you card, birthday cards, gift for a larger order, etc. In short, let them know that you appreciate them.
- "The wallet share" is usually a more effective measure than market share. If you sell more products, an important measure of success is the number of products that the customer owns from you. If they incidentally use only one product from your brand, it's not a very good score. On the other hand, such a person represents a good business opportunity.
- Low price is the key to success in the commodities market. This does not apply in marketing. If you sell a non-commodity product, you should offer the best value in the market, not necessarily the best price. The value means everything the customer gets for their money.
- You can not fool people. And if so, not for long. So if you harm your reputation, scars remain forever. This is true both, for the company as a whole, and for individual sellers as well.
- People do not buy what they need. They buy what they want. Sale is therefore more about emotions than logic. That is why it is appropriate to focus on the product benefits rather than on its objective parameters. "Wanting" may have a dual rationale: People really want to own something, or they want to prevent losing the possibility or opportunity to gain something. Sales people should start with from this point of view.
- B2B marketing is marketing to consumers having a company to pay for them. This means that B2B sales is in a way very similar to B2C. The difference is that B2B usually means dealing with more people within a predetermined structure.
-th-