SALES
Selling in Price Driven Markets
Requires Strategy, Process and
Discipline
TAMPA, FL – The focus of the 2013
NARSA Business Seminar was on selling.
And featured sales trainer and business
development specialist Rod Eichhorn impressed with his “Sellonomics” workshop.
The two-day session, held at the
Wyndham Westshore here in January,
stressed the need for a methodical and disciplined approach to selling and the reinvention of the company with an emphasis
on differentiation. In today’s price driven
market, sales efforts need to position a company to be more than “just another guy.”
The process starts with hard look at
your company, what it is and what it wants
to be. It takes time and energy. Eichhorn
cautioned the group to approach the development of the new sales process by focusing on one thing at time to insure a better
success rate.
He spoke of product and service realignments and bundling. He said businesses need to be more than just a radiator
shop or distributor. They need to be product and service innovators, problem solvers, and solution providers.
Eichhorn said it is imperative that the
seller gain the buyer’s confidence and that,
typically, your get one shot at it. To increase your chance of success with that
one shot, he recommends planning and
careful preparation. Planning should include proper and creative messaging, targeting the right person, and sales differentiation. He provided several insightful
tools including the price wheel belief system to help the seller visualize the buyer
mindset and prepare to deal with it.
He reminded the group that change is
happening faster than ever before and that
change is resulting in global market spaces
and a price driven market for many products
– not just those for heating and cooling.
He advised the group to make sure the
back shop and front office are on the
same page. All sides of the business
need to know what they are about and
need to be in synch with each other. He
said that if a business wants higher margins they need to think more than just
product and services. Eichhorn recommended moving away from selling on
benefits and features – and into developing messages and methods that resolve
customer pain and will positively impact
the customer’s own business.
In developing messaging, he suggested
staying away from generalities and bearing down on the specifics to power impact
marketing. He said that you need to know
NARSA business seminars are designed to provide small, intensive business education for the owners
and managers of thermal management businesses.
Rod Eichhorn says the price driven market is not
going away.
what the market needs, and sales people
need to know the questions to ask.
He encouraged everyone to define their
space and to reinvent their businesses using language that they currently don’t – a
clean break so to speak. Once the new
definition is in place, he encouraged them
to make sure that the rest of the company
is aligned with the new message. One example he used was expert versus specialist.
He spoke of dollarization and how one
needs to show on paper what you are really saving the customer over the requested discount. He suggested annualizing
numbers to offset short term fluctuations
and increase the impact of the message.
Also important, he said, was to have the
right people in the room when making the
pitch.
In building a sales program, he recommended: creating a dynamic vision statement; setting attainable objectives; developing a realistic timeline; monitoring
monthly and quarterly performance; dedicating adequate resources and time; reviewing weekly progress; developing actions not activities; and staying the course.
His summary was that there are no easy
answers and selling in a price driven market requires creative messaging, strategic
planning, disciplined processes, energy
and stamina.
For more information regarding Rod
Eichhorn and Sellonomics go to: www.
sellonomics.com.
NARSA is planning to hold its next
Business Seminar February 6 and 7, 2014.
Details including location and subject
matter will be announced in July.
the cooling journal • march 2013
17