Aleksandr ORLOV explains Simples Advertising More Th>n Freeman

VCCP the advertising agency responsible for creating the talking Meerkat Alekandr Meerkat is also the creative powerhouse behind" More Th>n Freeman"

Lord Tim Bell whose PR firm Chime Communications bought VCCP in 2005 described some of the changes in advertising :-

" In the 1980s it was all about slogans and catchphrases and humour. Now advertising is about communicating the concept of a visual narrative. More th>n Freeman, like the Meerkat is a visual narrative"

Alekandr Orlov Junior (AOJ) learns about Simples advertising from Uncle Alekandr Orlov (AO)


AOJ"What business are you in?"

AO"I am account executive in ad and & PR agency"











AOJ"Do you write ads?"

AO"No, copywriters do that"











AOJ"Do you create ads?"

AO"No , art directors do that"











AOJ"Do you handle press releases and product launches?"

AO"No, P.R. specialists do that"











AOJ"Sounds like fun job"

AO"It's not that easy - we do lot of research"











AOJ"Do you do research?

AO"No, we have research people for that"











AOJ"Forgive me Uncle, but WHAT IS your job?"

AO"Well it's marketing really"











AOJ"You do marketing for the clients?"

AO"No, not exactly they do it themselves"











AOJ"Are you in management?"

AOJ"No, but I soon will be"







AOJ"Wow, what great job Uncle Alekandr!"




Click for Official Comparethemeerkat.com site trading name of BISL Ltd

When outsourcing costs more,is bad value and when the RFQ or RFP is too inflexible is Selling ever Buying's " keeper"?

Most stories of commercial poor practice that hit the news focus on bad behaviour on the Selling side. These stories should be told of course but excessive media coverage does taint the reputation of the majority of those in the profession who try to do a good job for their customer, for their companies and for themselves.

Stories abound about pensions miss-selling, preying loan sharks in the current recession or stories churned out on BBC TV's "Watchdog" or Radio 4 " You and Yours" stereotyping dodgy double glazing selling or mobile phone contract scams abound.

But before we in Selling get any sense of vindictive satisfaction in reading a story for once of Buyers 'getting a good kicking' we should remember the customer in the M25 extension fiasco is the nation.

You would think that if a commercial project was running to time , was under budget and one that will complete its critical deadline of national importance ( London 2012 Games) that all would be well and good.

Indeed as a set of metrics it might suggest good buying and good selling had taken place.

Yet in the report published 8th February 2011, the Public Accounts Committee have cited, “poor cost estimation” and a lack of “robust information” as key flaws in the handling of the project, describing it as “poor value for money for the taxpayer”.

The case in question is the massive construction project to widen London’s M25 orbital road between junctions 16-23. The Buyer in this case-( the Highways Agency) has been heavily criticised by the Public accounts committee of the UK Parliament.

On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme chair of the committee Labour MP Margaret Hodge said

“They have got it completely wrong.”

She derided the 30-year, £3.4bn private finance contract for widening the M25 and said the mishandling had cost the taxpayer as much as an extra £1bn.

She urged ministers to renegotiate the contract, whose management costs she said were "far too high" following "appallingly bad estimations" produced by consultants employed by the Department of Transport.

Margaret Hodge said "The taxpayers have been the main loser. Road users have had to tolerate constant traffic jams, and the only beneficiaries have really been consultants and advisers."
"The public accounts committee had been "shocked" to learn that £80m was spent on consultants to advise the department on "how to build a road".

This report from Parliament follows the National Audit Office (NAO) report of last year on the project

"Lessons to be learnt" has been the PR soundbite from the criticised buyers but there will ramifications of course for those Selling to the public sector from hereon. The NAO recommended the following for the Buyer in this case - The Highways Agency:-

1. The agency was criticised for being too slow to investigate potentially cheaper alternatives, such as allowing traffic to use the hard shoulder.

2. The NAO study said: “The agency should have adopted a more agile approach to procurement, recognising the potential for making savings using an alternative method of relieving congestion: hard shoulder running.”

3. It estimates this could have saved between £400 million and £1.1 billion. It said slow progress on testing hard shoulder running and the agency’s commitment to widening the motorway limited its options and provided less value for money.
4. An 18-month delay in preparing and finalising the procurement work to widen the road meant the contract was let in May 2009, at the height of the credit crisis. This increased the cost of the deal by almost a quarter to £3.4 billion.
5. The report also described “shortcomings in its cost estimation process”. The Highways Agency’s cost estimates were 27-43 % higher than the bids it received. The NAO recommended the agency investigate the reasons for the difference.

Outsourcing is not always the answer it seems.

The NAO also called on the agency to develop its in-house skills in procurement and contract management because it is “over-reliant” on consultants.
“The agency has not reviewed the total costs of its procurement to identify lessons for future projects,” said the NAO.

“The agency continues to rely on advisers for contract management support and documentation about the procurement."
“The agency’s reliance on advisers has built up over time and in part reflects insufficient commercial and technical skills within the agency.”

The Highways Agency spent £80 million (7.5 per cent of the capital value) on advice and support from external organisations, including £45 million on technical advice, during the course of the procurement for the road widening.

Caveat emptor "Let the buyer beware" one might think . It is the Buyer's lookout but there is always Caveat venditor "let the seller beware" to consider.

Should Selling take responsibility for the product and be discouraged from selling products or services ( including consultancy) that are unreasonable or unsuitable ?

The dilemma here was for those suppliers who wanted to suggest the cheaper hard shoulder option. Their suggestion would probably have run the risk of being rejected because such a suggestion may not have kept within the strictures of the terms and conditions of the request for proposal RFP.

The Buyers Views of Salespeople Survey has also identified additional changes in Purchasing practice. 15% of the sample had increased their outsourcing. But as we see from the M25 extension case this may not mean best value.
Click for free executive summary of the Buyers Views of salespeople research study
Readers might also find the increase in purchasers' consideration of sustainability issues, local sourcing and changes in the number of suppliers used interesting

The Selling sign of our times Neon and Sir William Ramsay's plaque unveiling

2011 has been nominated the International year of Chemistry.

What better way than to remember a great scientist?!

On Wednesday 9th of February English Heritage unveiled one their blue plaques at No 12 Arundel Gardens Notting Hill London W11 - the house which the first Briton to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1904 lived. No 12 was the home from 1887-1916 of the chemist and discoverer of noble gases, Sir William Ramsay.

The crowd who had come to witness the event were in the main Chemists from University College London and members of the Royal Society of Chemistry. I suppose I could claim to be to be a Chemist although it is some 35 years ago since I studied chemistry! - but I felt among friends.


Most people in the industrialized world will nightly or daily have their attention grabbed as a result of Ramsay's discovery.

From the neon illuminating advertising signs to the xenon that trigger photographic flash bulbs his discoveries touch our daily lives.


It was while living at No 12 that Ramsay made his sensational discovery of noble gases. It was in his study at his home that he and his colleague Morris Travers wrote a joint paper for the Royal society on their discovery of neon. This post box was the one Sir William used to post his groundbreaking paper on Argon.


The name neon comes from the Greek ‘neos’ meaning new. The early developments of neon lighting in advertising probably goes back to Georges Claude.

In 1913 a large sign for the vermouth Cinzano illuminated the night sky in Paris, and by 1919 the entrance to the Paris Opera was adorned with neon tube lighting according to Wikipedia.
The first neon sign in the UK was probably at Piccadilly Circus was for Bovril – the beef tea drink.


Whether used by independent retailers or big chain global franchise operations, like Subway, Neon signs abound even in the era of LED.

Dr Andrea Sella, Inorganic Chemist at UCL Chemistry Department said “ Ramsay was a groundbreaking chemist and built up an outstanding research department at UCL. Nicknamed " the Chief”, he was an inspirational teacher and revered by his students . He maintained that his greatest contribution to science was not the chemistry but his students that he had produced."

To commemorate Sir William, a group of chemists led by Dr Sella cycled Sir William’s cycle route to UCL from his former house to the University. A route he would have cycled over cobbled roads on a rigid bike. In a letter to his aunt not long after moving int o the house he wrote “…I go to town on a bicycle.! Right along the Bayswater road to Oxford and to Gower Street. This morning I was at College in 18 minutes from the house."




Dr Sella and fellow chemists cycle the Ramsay cycle route.

Click for year of Chemistry 2011


Click for English heritage

Show me - 4 types of Sales Demonstration and how best to use them face to face and or line

One the criticisms of salespeople that has been repeated over the 12 years of the Buyers views of salespeople study is that many of us "talk too much." Maybe like the suitor in My fair Lady we should listen and read our buyers better.

"….Sing me no song ,rhyme no rhyme
Don’t waste my time show me.Don’t talk of June, Don’t talk of fall
Don’t talk at all – Show meNever do I ever want to hear another word
There isn’t one I haven’t heard…."

Elisa Doolittle from My fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe to the hapless suitor Freddy Eynsford-Hill

54% of Buyers said that their buying groups found demonstrations as a media to receive a supplier presentation. (Source: Buyers Views of Salespeople see below)
The use of sales aids must be planned along with the content of each of your sales presentations.

Your sales aids are not a substitute for a well-structured presentation - they are a complement to it.
4 Different types of sales aids

• Interest 'stimulators' which engage one of your client’s other senses (i.e. apart from hearing), an aid which brings in sight, smell, touch or taste can be an excellent ‘attention getter’.

• Trust builders such as testimonials, newspaper articles, white papers or independent test reports will reduce any doubts a prospect may feel about the wisdom and safety of purchasing from you.

• Visuals such as diagrams, photographs or advertisements help to communicate facts or explanations, and add variety to the presentation.

• Laptops help you make your whole presentation logical, complete and well ordered; for example, a well-structured PowerPoint presentation, Video Web Conference with ‘on screen’ you appeal, combined with good graphics, can be very persuasive.

Your own sales literature may encompass some or all of these aids or may simply be a summary or a reference document to leave with your client.

Remember not to hand over literature to a client until the stage in the presentation where the objective of the literature is the same as the next objective in the presentation. *If they wish to look at the interest by all means hand it over but stop talking over it because they may not take in your messages.
Similarly when using PowerPoint blank (toggle key B) or white ( toggle key W) the screen until you are describing what's on the screen.




Demonstrations act as an
• explanation of what your product is or does
• proof that it works and is effective and relevant to your client
• motivation of your prospect to want it after seeing it in action or using it
• trial/practice in advance somewhere where mistakes do not matter


Prepare carefully giving yourself time to resolving any problems - for example:-




Ensure you find appropriate location of your demonstration can make all the difference; if possible arrange to demonstrate in a typical “user location”; if not, it is wise check in advance what facilities are available and gear your demonstration accordingly ( or if using web conferencing all the equipment is compatible)



Pace your demonstration so that you explain sufficiently what is happening without being so slow as to sound laboured.



Professionalism means presenting in a way that has impact and is memorable, but ensuring that your “showmanship” is subtle and not glib or “flashy”



Engage your prospect(s) in the demonstration through their active participation . It makes an enormous difference; plan how to achieve involvement without losing control of the demonstration


Some guidelines

Sales aids and samples used in face to face situations need to be kept clean and in good order.


If you are using them regularly you may not notice their deterioration and gradually looking ‘tired’ but your clients will. Dusting your laptop from time to time is worth doing. They do attract a lot of dust through static.

During your presentation you must keep control of all aids or they may become a distraction from you rather than an advantage to you.



e.g., if you are using a brochure make sure that you are turning the pages as and when you want them turned rather than allowing your client to flick over the pages while you are talking about something different. ( but see * above if they are holding the brochure try not to talk over a brochure which is being read/flicked through by a buyer )

Design and use each aid for a specific objective. Once that objective is attained put the aid to one side or away from your client and out of sight.
Click for free executive summary of the Buyers Views of salespeople research study

Why should sales exhibit? Are exhibitions like old horses only good for the knackers yard?

40% of Buyers said they used exhibitions as a location to meet with supplier sales people over the last twelve months. ( Scroll down to end of post for link to free copy of executive summary of Buyers' survey of Salespeople)
Click to register for Modern Selling.com

Adam Ginty Marketing Manager at Lyme Media & Events Ltd set the debate going by questioning the value of face to face at exhibition encounters in the modern selling era.

In a later thread he wrote

“For the vast majority of (field-based) salespeople, attending exhibitions either as an exhibitor or as a punter ( exhibitions) will be a very rare event compared to the frequency with which they could/should be prospects and customers."

Measurement of return of marketing investment (ROMI) was also mooted by many forum contributors.
“We've tried and tested the merits and costs of each tactic and can apply these on a sale by sale basis."
Some forum members employ cost per sale targets, but they have found there is a spread and some sales are more involved at a higher cost compared to some which are way under Cost per Sale targets, - so they also monitor average cost per sale to analyse overall Gross Profit
As sales professionals in the Selling 2.0 era, we have got bag of tools to use as and when the situation dictates a particular tactic.

This has been described as ranging FROM; Tweet, Re-tweet, email, phone call, proposal then close (and an add on Linked In) - TO; Phone call, email, meeting, (a series of) phone calls etc. etc. to close.





A number of the discussion forum members raised additional “horses for courses” type arguments. But maybe to continue the equine metaphor we in sales need to “avoid putting the cart before the horse” before we even enter and run the race!

So here are some fundamental questions to help clarify our thinking:

1. How important is it for you to meet people with the power to make decisions?


2. How well attended-is the show for your industry?


3. Will it give you the opportunity to meet more key buyers?
   
   Past attendance visitor attendance data are worth considering but how were they audited? ( ABC measured?).
   
   
   
   If you are investing in the exhibition to generate new business leads

What does the show’s marketing campaign consist of? (before, during and after the event)
e.g. advertising, ticket inserts, direct mail and electronic marketing, how does it target its audience

As an exhibitor you will be exposed to actively interested buyers, before, during and after the show.

Exhibiting at an exhibition enables you to meet more professionals at one time and gives you access to new prospects.

Buyers come to you
Well of course your stand presence needs to be attractive

An exhibition is the place buyers come to compare, contrast, source and select new venues and services

. The decision-makers and influencers who are your customers take time out of their busy schedules to come to see you.

Face-to-face contact is one of the most effective sales channels and at an exhibition you can meet more customers than at any other event. This makes an exhibition both cost effective and time efficient, resulting in one of the highest returns on marketing investment.

Customer retention
With the number of conventional face to face one on one meetings reducing in B2B sales exhibitions are a way to meet and nurture clients.

Meeting your existing customers can be part of retaining and developing business. At an exhibition you can benefit from a networking environment in which you can consolidate and develop existing business relationships, as well as gain new business leads and build your brand.

If your competitors are at the show do you need to be too? Your presence can remind your existing customers why they buy from you.

So there is life in the 'old horse' of exhibitions yet. Exhibitions will have to fight for their place in the ever widening array of marketing communications channels available in the selling 2.0 era - whether selling competes 'on the flat or 'over the fences'.

Click for free executive summary of the Buyers Views of salespeople research study

Do Clothes make the Sales person? Dress Code for sales

Do clothes make the sales person? Dress Code for Sales

The red (orange) swimsuit that helped make "Charlie's Angels" actress Farrah Fawcett a 1970s icon became part of the USA's Smithsonian's collection this week 4th Feb 2011


Whether we might see entrepreneur Peter Jones of Dragons' den donate his iconic snazzy socks to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London in their business dress collection – should they have such a thing is just conjecture - but dress code is for sure a regular topic in the business press.

Swiss bank revises 'no garlic code'

was the headline of a recent article in the Business Press.

A Swiss bank, UBS, had revised its dress code after coming under fire for suggesting its employees avoid garlic breath, shun beards and wear skin coloured underwear.

UBS employees did not take kindly to being told to how to their ties and apply their make up.














Yet the importance of dress is an everyday fact 'bigged-up' by dress gurus such as 'TV’s Trish and Susannah , and Channel 4’s Gok Wan

http://www.gokwan.com/


We are all being encouraged to consider the effect of our clothing more seriously and be happier about our bodies.




No dress code can cover all contingencies for sales professionals but we must exert a certain amount of judgment in our choice of clothing to wear to sales meetings.

Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.


Epictetus AD 55 -AD135



Certain days in the sales office ( if you do not work from home like the majority of field sales people nowadays) are declared as 'dress down' days -generally Fridays.

On these days, jeans and other more casual clothing, although never clothing potentially offensive to others, are allowed but

what should visiting sales professionals wear?

In the Buyers Views of Salespeople Survey over the last 13 years we have asked such questions and the slide below shows their responses. If in doubt veer towards the formal side.






If we need smart casual some questions come to mind:

What is appropriate business casual attire for sales people?






What items are not appropriate for salespeople in the office?







Some Companies that sales professionals are likely to visit are taking this issue of corporate dress increasingly seriously.






So here are some views taken from an HR handbook from the USA which might interest readers of this blog. I have also interspersed this abstract with some quotes regarding clothing which might amuse or even provoke!
Does anyone know of a company who specifically stipulates dress for salespeople? Years ago IBM used to have their sales people wear a code of dress that became known as the Big Blue.






Clearly the following directives are gender dependant and will vary from national as well as market sector norms. I leave it to readers to discern this! - My question is -

Should Sales dress Code be as prescriptive?
Please post your comments, views and advice

Slacks, Trousers etc.
Slacks that are similar to Dockers and other makers of cotton or synthetic material pants, wool pants, flannel trousers, and nice looking dress synthetic trousers are acceptable.





Inappropriate slacks or trousers include jeans, sweatpants, exercise pants, Bermuda shorts, short shorts, shorts, bib overalls, leggings, and any spandex or other form-fitting pants such as people wear for biking.

I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans:
the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant.
They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.


Yves Saint Laurent

Skirts, Dresses, and Skirted Suits
Casual dresses and skirts, and skirts that are split at or below the knee are acceptable. Dress and skirt length should be at a length at which you can sit comfortably in public. Short, tight skirts that ride halfway up the thigh are inappropriate for work. Mini-skirts, skirts, sun dresses, beach dresses, and spaghetti-strap dresses are inappropriate for the office.








Shirts, Tops, Blouses, and Jackets
Casual shirts, dress shirts, sweaters, tops, golf-type shirts, and turtlenecks are acceptable attire for work. Most suit jackets or sport jackets are also acceptable attire for the office, if they violate none of the listed guidelines. Inappropriate attire for work includes tank tops; midriff tops; shirts with potentially offensive words, terms, logos, pictures, cartoons, or slogans; halter-tops; tops with bare shoulders; sweatshirts, and t-shirts unless worn under another blouse, shirt, jacket, or dress.






Shoes and Footwear
Conservative athletic or walking shoes, loafers, clogs, sneakers, boots, flats, dress heels, and leather deck-type shoes are acceptable for work. Wearing no stockings is acceptable in warm weather. Flashy athletic shoes, thongs, flip-flops, slippers, and any shoe with an open toe are not acceptable in the office. Closed toe and closed heel shoes are required in the manufacturing operation area.








Jewelry, Makeup, Perfume, and CologneShould be in good taste, with limited visible body piercing. Remember, that some employees are allergic to the chemicals in perfumes and make-up, so wear these substances with restraint.








Hats and Head Covering
Hats are not appropriate in the office. Head Covers that are required for religious purposes or to honour cultural tradition are allowed.






The conclusion from this handbook warn in draconian manner employees that:-
If clothing fails to meet these standards, as determined by the employee’s supervisor and Human Resources staff, the employee will be asked not to wear the inappropriate item to work again.




If the problem persists, the employee may be sent home to change clothes and will receive a verbal warning for the first offense.




All other policies about personal time use will apply. Progressive disciplinary action will be applied if dress code violations continue.




Disclaimer ( The lawyers obviously had the last word here!):
This sample policy is provided for guidance only. The provided information, while authoritative, is not guaranteed for accuracy and legality. Please seek legal assistance, or assistance from State, Federal, or International governmental resources, to make certain your legal interpretation and decisions are correct.

Seldom do people discern Eloquence under a threadbare cloak.


Juvenal late 1st - early 2nd century

I am no expert on commercial sartorial rectitude as both friends and foes will attest;but there are specialists who advise on such skills e.g. "Dress for success" http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?pageid=1&sisid=37


and Colour Me Beautiful








http://www.cmbimage.co.uk/ 66 the business centre, 15-17 Ingate place, London, SW8 3NS
tel: +44 (0)20 7627 5211 +44 (0)20 7627 5211 fax: +44 (0)20 7627 5680 email: corporate@cmb.co.uk




Click for free executive summary of the Buyers Views of salespeople research study

Related Links:

Business Dress Code in UK 2012

Formal Corporate Hospitality Wear in UK 2012

Clothes that sell or portray an image

Selling hoisted by its own petard? - The new power of Modern Buying

There is a line given to Hamlet by Shakespeare:

"For tis the sport to have the enginer Hoist with his owne petar".

The phrase is often cited as 'hoist by one's own petar[d]'. A petard was a small engine of war used to blow breaches in gates or walls. The significant feature was that they were full of gunpowder - basically a bomb. The device was used by the military forces of all the major European fighting nations by the 16th century and was highly successful but it could 'backfire'.
Salespeople as with military engineers, should be careful with their instruments of success.

A salutary lesson which might well resonate with a number of Key Account Development Execs, Dealer/Distributor Managers and the like, who follow this blog cropped up in Marketing Week magazine 27th January 2011 in the column by marketing insider the "Secret Marketer" (SM).

Our clandestine hero is currently doing the rounds with his account executives for shared brand planning meetings with the highly influential top four retailers in the UK.

" We share our our brand plan with retailers and they then tell us how much it is going to cost to secure their participation".

SM goes on to describe how such meetings are linked in with the "over rider" structure, whereby brands have to write a further cheque at the end of the year for doing very little more than what they had already promised to do..

SM wrote that certain bonus compliance metrics include such 'challenging' items as the retailer actually selling the products in the sames number of stores as the head office had promised, and affording the brand supplier the privilege of implementing a number of price cut promotions where the supplier fully funds the discount on offer. ( Money for old rope as some might view it)
SM was somewhat miffed to then experience how the retailer in the meeting re-interpreted what he saw ( from a brand supplier's perspective) as success clearly due to identifiable new packaging design which had brought about the entire growth in the category sector in a very well established brand that he represented.

Unabashed the Buyer agreed that her figures were indeed the same as the suppliers and then unashamedly said

" Yes I have to say it has been a good year for this brand. We have grown it for you by a third. (!) You do understand that we need to agree some kind of compensation to reflect the growth we have delivered for you."

To further rub salt into the wound......

When the supplier moved on in their presentation to the introduction of new products the buyer advised that she did not wish to try any of the products, but would list them anyway if the supplier agreed to a further cheque!

Success here it seemed had many parents!

The story also illustrates the part that leadership skills play in selling today.

As the great communist leader of China, Mao Tse Tung ( Zedong) once said

" When a good leader has finished his work, his people will say "We did it ourselves".

So also it appears it is with buyers perhaps - they will seldom credit success with the supplier salesperson