Saturday, March 21, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
It's a new world, adjust. (warning: mild rant) (but there's hope)
Maybe it's because I used to be in sales, but in the last week I have been annoyed by salespeople who don't have a grasp of the very basics, and I think it's going to get worse before it gets better.
First, let me list the two instances in particular that I'm thinking of.
1) A (very sketchy looking) guy comes into the office last week wanting to get me to lease filtered water coolers (no bottles). So before asking me anything he launches into how it's a much greener option than using bottles. Yes, I know the benefits, as we currently have this type of system in our office. I tell him this. He keeps going on about how green it is to not use bottles, and hands me a brochure detailing why filtered water systems are better than bottled. He leaves me a message today reminding me of our chat and wanting to tell me more about how filtered water systems are so green, and so much better than bottles.
2) A guy comes in today saying, "Hi, I have a citric cleaner, who's the right person to talk to?" Now granted, even though I'm pretty sure I know what he's getting at, I don't like to make assumptions, so I say, "the right person to talk to...for what?" He basically repeats his previous statement/question, but also pulls out the bottle to show me. Alright, we'll go with the assumption, "I'm the right person to talk to, and we use a janitorial service," as I'm sure most other offices do (I leave out the last part). He informs me that we surely must clean sometimes, like our windows and such, and that his product is "green" and non-toxic! I tell him we use Simple Green to clean our counters between janitorial services, and he goes away without a fight.
Here's my beef(s): LISTEN TO YOUR TARGET CUSTOMER!!! Or, alternatively, use common sense before you even approach your target customer! Why is the water guy still trying to sell me on how filtered water systems are better than bottles after I told him we weren't using a bottled water system to begin with? Why is the green cleaner guy coming up to a Berkeley business with a Certified Green Business sticker in the window, and telling us about his green cleaner, without having a way to tell us how it's any better than any of the many other non-toxic and/or biodegradable cleaners out there? (Note to anybody selling a non-toxic/"green"/ biodegradable cleaner to customers who may already be well-versed in this sort of thing: Non-toxic cleaners are not new. Ever heard of vinegar?)
These guys are not alone here. The solar company I work for (and the one I worked for before they sold us off) makes the same mistake. Their marketing materials do a great job of selling solar, but do a terrible job of differentiating themselves from their competitors. What's that, you say, that's a job for the sales people? Indeed it is! But they're not prepared.
Why is this happening? I have a couple theories and recommendations.
a) Times are tough. The economy is in the crapper. It's hard to make a sale. Doom and gloom, blah blah blah. But are people/companies really getting so desperate that they're forgetting the fundamentals? It's kind of like Maslow's hierarchy: in order to make a tougher sale, you've got to have a solid foundation and build off that, and you won't get anywhere without those fundamentals. Now here's the sucky part for the water guy: I'm sure he goes around all day long and people tell him they're not looking for a water cooler. But I AM looking for a water cooler! One without bottles! That filters water straight out of the tap! Basically, exactly the product he offers! Am I going to lease from him? Not a chance in hell, thanks to his awesome listening skills.
b) (and here's the good news) More people and businesses are aware of their impact on the environment than ever before, and are already taking steps to reduce it! Therefore, the idea of a product being environmentally friendly is losing it's cache as a selling point. As customers become more savvy regarding a certain product, the approach has to change.
Normally, there is a lag before changing customer knowledge and attitudes hit the sales approach, and we're still used playing catch-up mode. But we can't afford that right lag right now. Companies have got to be ahead of the curve if they expect to survive, let alone thrive. We need to make a giant leap forward if we're going to have any kind of control over this economic situation. The companies that can bridge the lag gap are going to come out on top, and we'll all have better products and services for it.
Now, can you guys please hurry it up already??
First, let me list the two instances in particular that I'm thinking of.
1) A (very sketchy looking) guy comes into the office last week wanting to get me to lease filtered water coolers (no bottles). So before asking me anything he launches into how it's a much greener option than using bottles. Yes, I know the benefits, as we currently have this type of system in our office. I tell him this. He keeps going on about how green it is to not use bottles, and hands me a brochure detailing why filtered water systems are better than bottled. He leaves me a message today reminding me of our chat and wanting to tell me more about how filtered water systems are so green, and so much better than bottles.
2) A guy comes in today saying, "Hi, I have a citric cleaner, who's the right person to talk to?" Now granted, even though I'm pretty sure I know what he's getting at, I don't like to make assumptions, so I say, "the right person to talk to...for what?" He basically repeats his previous statement/question, but also pulls out the bottle to show me. Alright, we'll go with the assumption, "I'm the right person to talk to, and we use a janitorial service," as I'm sure most other offices do (I leave out the last part). He informs me that we surely must clean sometimes, like our windows and such, and that his product is "green" and non-toxic! I tell him we use Simple Green to clean our counters between janitorial services, and he goes away without a fight.
Here's my beef(s): LISTEN TO YOUR TARGET CUSTOMER!!! Or, alternatively, use common sense before you even approach your target customer! Why is the water guy still trying to sell me on how filtered water systems are better than bottles after I told him we weren't using a bottled water system to begin with? Why is the green cleaner guy coming up to a Berkeley business with a Certified Green Business sticker in the window, and telling us about his green cleaner, without having a way to tell us how it's any better than any of the many other non-toxic and/or biodegradable cleaners out there? (Note to anybody selling a non-toxic/"green"/ biodegradable cleaner to customers who may already be well-versed in this sort of thing: Non-toxic cleaners are not new. Ever heard of vinegar?)
These guys are not alone here. The solar company I work for (and the one I worked for before they sold us off) makes the same mistake. Their marketing materials do a great job of selling solar, but do a terrible job of differentiating themselves from their competitors. What's that, you say, that's a job for the sales people? Indeed it is! But they're not prepared.
Why is this happening? I have a couple theories and recommendations.
a) Times are tough. The economy is in the crapper. It's hard to make a sale. Doom and gloom, blah blah blah. But are people/companies really getting so desperate that they're forgetting the fundamentals? It's kind of like Maslow's hierarchy: in order to make a tougher sale, you've got to have a solid foundation and build off that, and you won't get anywhere without those fundamentals. Now here's the sucky part for the water guy: I'm sure he goes around all day long and people tell him they're not looking for a water cooler. But I AM looking for a water cooler! One without bottles! That filters water straight out of the tap! Basically, exactly the product he offers! Am I going to lease from him? Not a chance in hell, thanks to his awesome listening skills.
b) (and here's the good news) More people and businesses are aware of their impact on the environment than ever before, and are already taking steps to reduce it! Therefore, the idea of a product being environmentally friendly is losing it's cache as a selling point. As customers become more savvy regarding a certain product, the approach has to change.
Normally, there is a lag before changing customer knowledge and attitudes hit the sales approach, and we're still used playing catch-up mode. But we can't afford that right lag right now. Companies have got to be ahead of the curve if they expect to survive, let alone thrive. We need to make a giant leap forward if we're going to have any kind of control over this economic situation. The companies that can bridge the lag gap are going to come out on top, and we'll all have better products and services for it.
Now, can you guys please hurry it up already??
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