There was once an old man who sold hot dogs during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. This gentleman was blind. He managed to make good money from his humble lifestyle but, more importantly, enough to send his son to a prestigious university.
By Paul Naidoo
Following his graduation, the son returned home and visited his father’s hot dog stand. He was amazed at the snaking queue of hungry people waiting in line for his dad’s sumptuous hot dogs; proud to see how successful his dad was, even in a recession.
That evening at home, the conversation between the two men went like this:
Son: Dad, do you know that there is a recession going on?
Father: What is a recession, son?
Son: Don’t you read the news?
Father: I am blind son.
Son: Don’t you hear your friends talking about a recession?
Father: I am too busy serving my customers, son. I have no time to listen to friends. By the way, what is a recession?
Son: Dad, since you are blind and can’t read newspapers, I will buy you a radio and you can listen to the news.
Needless to say, the father started listening to the news on the radio and that was when his woes started, as he became spellbound by commentators’ views on the recession. In a short space of time, he was captivated by their opinions and views, and fear gripped him. No prizes for guessing what happened to his business.
I am not saying there is no recession in South Africa. I would prefer you absolutely refuse to participate in it. You can personalise the recession and you will find that “your recession” is negligible in the bigger scheme of things – if, and I stress if, you make a conscious decision to adopt a recession-beater programme that is well structured and formally executed.
The channel has no option but to refuse to participate in the recession. The vendors who initiate a recession-proof programme will, without a doubt, achieve their results.
Vendors are highly dependent on the salespeople who interact with the end customer. This year, a large part of sales success is dependent on “stealing your competitor’s lunch”. More than ever before, the customer experience will determine the sale.
Gone are the days of winging it. Salespeople need to have the necessary competence, expertise and skills to outdo their competitors. Most retailers and B2B resellers have a fair percentage of salespeople who can interact effectively with customers to close a sale.
Vendors spend huge amounts of marketing funds to help their resellers win the sale. However, a simple mystery shopping exercise will reveal some inconvenient truths. This year, those vendors who spend a portion of their marketing budgets to help reseller salespeople deliver a superior customer experience are the vendors who will consistently achieve and exceed their quarterly targets.
Marketing funds dictate the rules of the game, and the game-changer has to be the fact that vendors can depend on highly competent salespeople who will win the sale against their competitors. Previously, vendors graciously empowered all their partners and their respective salespeople in different and creative ways to win sales. In 2020, its back to basics. More than ever, salespeople need to make the sale. The days of order taking are over. Order making is the new rule of success in the channel.
By the same token, the vendor needs to be in control of exactly what’s happening in the marketplace. It’s a givers gain philosophy. The traditional approach of fighting for the deal with the reseller pushing for the best price does not always cut it. This is reactive. Joint pipeline management is now the minimum standard for winning sales. This initiative starts from inception. There are no sudden deals anymore. It is a process.
Some reseller salespeople prefer being secretive about the deals they are working on, until the last minute, which is the price war stage. Too late. Vendors invest several people resources to help resellers win the sale from day one. Too often, these highly qualified resources are under-utilised. More than ever, the high trust relationships between vendor resources and reseller people determines a journey of success, as opposed to winning deals on dismal margins.
Vendors need to be far more proactive in 2020. This is the year in which you and your reseller salespeople connect more, differentiate more, and create joint market credibility at every required level in the customer business.
The effective use of the digital content that you produce for social media should be used effectively by every reseller salesperson in the channel. A simple share or repost is not enough anymore. The order of the day is relevance. Customers live a multi-channel life and the new rules of marketing apply. Social selling is a critical part of successful sales. Vendors invest time and money in creating content. It’s time for every sales person to use this content to generate qualified leads and close sales.
Differentiate between activism and activity, bus-y-ness and business.
*X Factor – The Game Changer: A well-structured “recession-proof program” that is formally executed in the channel.