01.31.11
I didn’t know you sold that…
“I didn’t know you sold that….” The words roll off the lips of a customer so easily yet they are sure to infuriate a manager or business owner who is paying their sales reps to promote and sell all of their products. If you were to ask your customers what products you sell, my guess is that they would proudly state your top three to four brands and neglect to name a large portion of every product you distribute.
So how do you educate your customer about all of the products you offer? It is no secret that sales people go where the money is. If there is no incentive to focus on a certain product category that product may be doomed to a mediocre existence. Also, if there is no direct contact with the customer through marketing promotions, the customer may never know that you have a particular product. Here are some ideas that may help in getting the message to your customer.
· Design sales compensation to include an incentive for achieving a certain product mix, eg. Sales of hardwood flooring 70%, resilient/laminate flooring 25%, accessories 5%
· Promote directly to the dealer using marketing campaigns that encourage them to contact their rep or customer service regarding specific product info
· Ask your customers questions (this requires being in the field) to determine what they don’t know about your company
The next time you hear, “I didn’t know you sold that…”, refrain from blowing a gasket and take a moment to analyze why they don’t know and how you can get more people to know.
Regards,
Brian Boek
