[BC] Sales Techniques (Was Motorola RAZR)

[mark@shander.com]

--- Rich Wood <richwood at pobox.com> wrote:

> ------ At 03:04 PM 12/30/2005, mark at shander.com wrote: -------
> 
> >But have you sold phones?  ;-)
> >
> >It has a lot to do with the carrier and who your salesperson is. 
> The
> >salesperson can make it a very pleasant experience if s/he's
> empowered
> >to do so.
> 
> No. The only thing I've sold retail is audio equipment in Harvard 
> Square, Cambridge. I've actually had very good luck with Cellular 
> salespeople. Once they realize you know something about the product 
> the power is better balanced.
> 
> Rich
> 
> Rich Wood
> Rich Wood Multimedia
> Phone: 413-303-9084
> FAX: 413-480-0010

Hi Rich,

That's kind of what I mean - you shouldn't have to feel that way - it
shouldn't be a power issue.  Your sales person should ask questions to
learn a little about how you work, and give you some helpful options to
make the best decision for yourself.

There are several solutions that all do about the same thing - for
instance, in getting email away from the station, there's a Blackberry
unit, a Palm Treo unit, a Microsoft PDA or two, a handset with full
keyboard and wireless sync that pushes email for a Blackberry-like user
experience, BREW applications on regular handsets that synchronize with
Outlook or Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition.  Most of the people
I speak with know what they're running, but they don't know what their
options are, and why one might be better than another.

Educating the customer and making suggestions and recommendations so
s/he can make the best decision is, in my opinion, the best way to
sell, whether it's brokered time to hosts, sponsorship packages or
commercial airtime packages for radio or TV.

For wireless carrier I'm with, I handle the wireless telecom and data
service needs for Phoenix and surrounding stations owned by the two
largest national radio companies in the country, as well as many of the
smaller ones - even some LPFM and Part 15 stations in Arizona.  My
broadcast background has helped me suggest solutions, but it's always
the customer that makes the decision.

For instance, I always encourge stations to involve their engineering
departments in overall wireless deployment decisions, not just sales,
marketing or office management, which is usually the case when we
initially meet.  It rarely turns into a power-play situation internally
(which is what I initially expected would happen) - it almost always
results in several different equipment and service configurations
depending on the needs of a particular department.
 
After learning how they work, I can make recommendations for outside
sales, show some engineering solutions, suggest equipment and service
for management and staff that helps everyone keep in touch, and in an
emergency, for instance, might serve as a backup feed for a live
remote.  Integrating wireless data and phone solutions through me gives
stations a competitive communications advantage.

This is the way the company I'm with trains its business account
executives.  It's not the way most other wireless companies work, and
your experience is very common because of that.  

When the right salesperson is assigned to the right vertical market
based on his or her interests and background, the customer is the real
winner, and it's a pleasant experience to acquire 55-400 lines of
required service for your company.  Or, in some cases, just one line. 
If you are using a Business Account Executive rather than speaking with
an employee in a retail store, your experience should be wonderful.  If
it isn't, try another carrier.

On the used car front, I completely agree that it can be a horrible
experience, though I've had great experiences too.  Long story short,
sales tactics designed to make sure no money is left on the table
causes more harm for car customers than good.

Regards,

Mark