Success Strategies forSuccess Strategies forIndirect & National RetailIndirect & National Retail

Alan HurdAlan Hurd678-462-6000678-462-6000alan@alanhurd.comalan@alanhurd.com

Differentiation

How Will You Stand Out From The Crowd How Will You Stand Out From The Crowd and Gain Mind Share?and Gain Mind Share?

Building Relationships in Indirect

• Building Relationships is a Core Fundamental for Success.

• Frequent Contact Keeps You and Your Product Top of Mind.

• When They Sell Your Product, Do They Want to Call You and Brag? (They Should)

• Always be Available for Questions and to Celebrate Their Wins.

• The Most Effective Indirect Account Executive is a Welcomed Visitor within Indirect and National Retail Doors.

• Greet with Enthusiasm and Remain Product Passionate

• Be Considered as an Employee of the Retailer and a Part of Their Team

Formal vs. Informal Relationships

• Formal Relationships are Defined by an Organization• Informal Relationships are Defined by Peer Influence and

Leadership– Informal Relationships are Far More Influential and Powerful

• Formal relationships are, “you do it because you have to”• Informal relationships are, “you do it because you Want to”

Influencing the Informal Structure

• Find out Who the Informal Leaders are in the Organization, whether an Indirect Agent Manager / Team Lead or District Manager in National Retail

• Find out the Top Manager and Sales Associates

• Begin Building Relationships at All Levels

Winning Hearts and Minds

1. Know as Much as You can about the People who Sell for You:– Likes and Dislikes

– Hobbies and Interests

– Family

2. Get New Employees Started off on the Right Foot:– Be present when new employees start

– Prepare a welcome packet

– Prioritize Clearwire into their game plan

– This will pay big dividends long term

Winning Hearts and Minds

3. For most people “Recognition” is the #1 Motivator• Recognize with Plaques, certificates (even AE made) traveling

trophies, public recognition in front of peers, thank you notes, and phone calls

• Make Recognition Memorable:

– When Presenting an award, relate what it means in their terms and what is important to their company at that time

– Example: “By selling the Most Subscriptions, you added $2500 to your sales which meant a 3% sales gain and improved your dollar per SKU by $3.50”

Nothing Happens without the DM

In National Retail Not Much Happens Without the Buy-In From the District Managers:

• Partner with District Managers, Regional Managers, Directors and VPs so that they will become your advocate.

• Have consistent communication with the DM.

• Review sales results with the DM.

• Attend every meeting possible. You want to be perceived as part of the team.

• If Scorecard Ranking exists be aware and strategize with DMs.

• Look for opportunities to get in front of employees: such as store meetings, social events, and informal trainings

Meetings: Recognize, Reward, and Teach

• When and How You Do Things can be More Important than What You Do.

• Win over Agents or National Retail Stores with Food, Public Recognition and “Quality” Training.

• Make your Presentations Fun and Upbeat.

• Gain a Sales Commitment from Each Person. (you must have an informal type relationship to ask for commitments)

• Develop Competition Between Team Members

• Challenge People to Strive for Higher Targets

– Individual challenges: sell xx for a dinner, movie, etc)

• When Attending a Meeting, Have Giveaways Based on Sales Recognition and Product Knowledge.

• At the end of the meeting you must be able to list 3 ways you know you made an impact.

• As a result of attending the meeting, ask yourself, what will be different?

National Retail – Senior Field Visits

• When Senior Management in National Retail Attends a Local Meeting, a Member of our Management Team Should Also Attend.

– It is a critical component to include Clear in the meeting agenda where possible.

– At the meetings, perform public recognition by taking pictures with Senior Management. Make the recognition an experience that the recipient will remember.

• It is all about the experience with public recognition and making it memorable

• Send a framed picture to the recognition recipient

Getting People to Want to Sell for You

• Speak their language:

– Terms like:

• Sales Gains

• Sales Quota

• Dollar per ticket

• Dollar per hour

• Lines per ticket

• Average number of transactions

• Sales Gain Bonus

• Find “Their” Language

• Understand How They are Evaluated and Compensated

• Understand Their Business

• Understand What is Important to Them

WIIFM

• Always Emphasize “What’s In It For Me!”

• What do Sales Associates Want?

• Answer the question, “Why should they sell our product and service?”

– Is it a spiff?

– For a sales gain bonus?

– Score card rankings?

– Is there a prize?

– Is it a competition against another person or store?

Find Their Personal Motivational Trigger!

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Utilize a High 5 Strategy for Store Visits:

Visit Objective: To Obtain Advocates and Users

Share Best Practices and Successes of other Dealers

Training and Demonstration on New Products & Services

Motivate, Stimulate, & Educate – Don’t leave without a “Wow”

Inventory Management & Problem Resolution

• Attend Dealer Meetings and Bring Breakfast.

• Attend Trade Shows, Expos and Festivals

• Partnerships: Gyms, Starbucks, & Customer Appreciation Events

• Advertise Weekly Stack Rankings for Rep Productivity with Recognition

• Coaching & Development for Reps not Trending 100% to quota

Strategy: Initiatives

Strategy: Indirect Rep Focal Points

• Focused Event Selling Time / Table Days

• Find Dealer’s Need Behind the Need. Goals and Objectives of their Business.

• Relationship Building - Create World Class Relationships; Destroy our Competition with Overwhelming Support

• Training and Development

• Provide Competitive Data and Feedback

• Push Promotions and Drive Contests

• Sales Data Gathering

• Merchandising and Collateral Support

• Whenever they are Open We are Open

• Attend All Special Events

CONFIDENTIAL 14

Strategy: Increasing Event Sales

• KNOW Our Product Benefits, Savings & Competition

• Location, Location, Location – Timing, Timing, Timing

• Qualify: Find the Needs and Show Features and “Benefits”

• Focus on Demonstrating to as many people as possible: More Demos, More Sales

• Know Traffic Patterns of your stores and plan TDs during peak traffic

• Sell Employees a device and gain a Motivated Advocate

• Make Environment Fun (host small contests)

• Get Employees Excited and Motivated with Clear

• Practice Objections with Employees

• Build an Extensive Value Proposition

• Flyer Campaigns outside of the Dealer Location

• Know and Push ALL Promotions

The Five Buying Decisions

 

They Occur in this Psychological Order: 

1.       About you the Salesperson (Trust your integrity and judgment)

 

2.       About your company (Good reputation and deliver on promises)

 

3.       About your Product or Service (Does it solve my problemDoes it solve my problem)

 

4.       About your price (They want value)

 

5.       About the Time to Buy (When to replace the “worn tire”)

 

People buy because it’s clear to them that the seller truly believes

in what his or her company offers. This conviction is more

important to buyers than all the facts in the presentation.

Visibility Lower CPGALower CPGA Recognition MoneyMoney Growth Security Presidents ClubPresidents Club Aspirations of the CompanyAspirations of the Company Self Satisfaction Personal GrowthPersonal Growth Success Success Breeds Success Breeds Success Be an Asset Reputation Build a Customer Build a Customer

BaseBase Company Health Leverage for Expenditures Be where Everyone Be where Everyone Else Wants to BeElse Wants to Be IT’S FUN AT IT’S FUN AT

THE TOPTHE TOP !

What does it take to be a Super Star? Get What does it take to be a Super Star? Get • A little better with Building Relationships• A little better in Executing your Strategy• A little better Sales Pitch• A little better Closing Skills• A little better with Motivating• A little better with Follow Up• A little better with Handling Objections• A little better with Product Knowledge

Why Achieve Number 1 Status?

Thank You

• Ensure you are Thanking the Retailer for their Sales, Support and Advocacy:

– Thank You Cards

– Plaques

– Certificates

– Take them to Lunch

– Bring in Lunch

– Give Small Trinkets

– Show Appreciation

Contests and Incentives

• Utilize a Weekend Contest that hosts a manned conference bridge. When a Rep makes a sale, they call it in to the Conference Bridge to spin for a prize.

• 90% must “want to win the prize” for it to be effective.

• Participants must understand the contest, thus it needs to be simple.

• Over-advertise the contest and the rules.

• Contests should have multi-layer winners, from Managers to Reps.

• Fewer winners means less interest.

• Issue frequent updates and rankings.

• Winners and Results must be expediently announced.

• Host more prizes and fewer grand prizes.

Contests and Incentives

• Be prepared to introduce a 2nd half or strong finish contest.

• Contests need to be hosted within a short time frame.

• Remember not all prizes appeal to everyone. Gain consensus on what people desire to win.

• Be prepared with tie breakers.

Summary

• Building relationships

– Strong informal relationships

– Influence the informal structure

• Win the hearts and minds of people who sell and promote

– Recognition is a #1 motivator

– Know as much as you can about the people who sell for you

• Nothing Happens Unless the Owner or DM Makes it Happen

• Senior Management & Meetings

• WIIFM

• Strategy: Initiatives, Rep Focus, Event Selling, 5 Buying Patterns

• Why Achieve Number 1 Status

• Thank You Rewards

• Contests