health and sales

I love the idea both for healthy food promotion and sales increase!

Lunch Line Redesign by the New York Times.

salestaff motivation

I'm having a chat with my client now aboput sales staff motivation. It is normal for sales people to claim for more clients and more clients' satisfaction. Normally sales compensation is a percentage of sales to motivate people sell more and to give the opportunity to be paid on the basis of their efforts. Well, I understand that effort doesn't mean sale or result, but th classical payment system is more or less adequate.

What do we have now in Russia? The only lesson on career build-up process young graduates know is to get a good payment. They've been told that companies have money, that salaries are high and the higher starting salary is the better for you - you will get dramatical rise only if you change a job. Which is true in most cases.

But for fix salaries.

Young sales people here in Russia normally ask for high fix salary. Which means that they don't want to work. And that is not the right person for a salesteam.

attention, please

Last saturday I came from th business trip. I had 6 meetings within 2 days to get known to our clients and collect their impressions about our program (just to check if they need it). During those meeting I made some notes about not only words I heard, but also about the things the CEO's like. E.g. I know that one of the clients loves Eastern culture (katanas on the wall, expensive herbal tea, china on the shelves). I know that another CEO has little space in her study, but crazy about small girlish souvenirs. To know your client better you need just to open your eyes.

One more thing. Durng all the meetings before I leave, I used to give a 'free advice' - if the company just started planning website creation process, I provided them a link to a good newsletter about the components of the project. Another company received a hint to read a very useful book about 'micromarketing' - cheap basic steps anyone needs to implement if (s)he wants results without big investment.

Just open your eyes. And be eager to know your client better.

visualization

It is very hard to sell a service idea. It is easily to sell the thing behind the idea.

Compare:

Our program includes a consulting service to optimize your business.

to:

During our program after carefull analysis you will receive the recommendation pack and visual communication templates kit (website to be customized, presentation and information letter template) which can increase your communication level and sales ability if you use this.

And to:

You will have a website* for free and a draft of your sales presentation. It will increase your rewvenue and will cost nothing.

* we haven't mention that a website will be slightly customized (colors, fonts, size, logo) from universal template and will cost little to the provider company.

That's why educational programs sell books and CDs with information. That's why hospital has VIP rooms. Extra profit for visualization. People want to pay more for what they can see and touch. Much more than this costs.