104. The New Way of Selling 2

Dear Erik,
The new way of selling does not depend on the internet. The internet is just a tool, in the same way that a brochure, mailshot, seminar, or exhibition is. The new way of selling has its roots not in the internet, but rather is a result of the crisis of 2009. This crisis forced many companies to deliver more with fewer staff at lower cost and with higher quality and lower margins.

Achieving a healthy margin under such market conditions while continuing in the same way as before the crisis was not possible. Many things had to be much better organized. In 2008, our company had a turnover of €26 million with 350 employees, i.e. €74,285 per person. In 2014, we had a turnover of €50 million with 210 employees – €238,095 per person. An increase in productivity by a factor of 3.2!

An essential component of the new sales is total control of all internal business processes. They must operate as flawlessly as possible. Because every mistake costs time and money and you cannot afford a mistake if you have limited staff and razor-thin margins. The processes must therefore be very well thought out and need to be continuously improved. Choices must also be made, as not everything is possible. The result is that not every request by a client can be met.

A second essential component is the content of the service or product that you are selling. It is necessary to know exactly what the customer is looking for and what you want to deliver. This is extremely difficult to determine. And if you know this, you will be aware that you cannot do everything and so you have to make choices which will all be decisive in determining success or failure. To be successful you need to determine the correct mix of content and quality and to know what is important and what does not matter. In this way, the product will be exactly right and the service will completely meet the expectations of the customer or user.

But this is not all. There is a third essential component. The experience of the user, i.e. the customer, must be great. Everything should be thought out as regards contact with the customer. Nothing should be overlooked and every opportunity must be addressed in order to give the customer a great experience.

If you can achieve this then you will be rewarded with long lines of waiting customers who are willing to pay extra and to refer you to their relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Regards,

Gerard