Marketing fundamentals · Archive
Before you sell, give them a reason to stay.
A classroom thought experiment turns the sales-versus-marketing question on its head.
The conversation, in 6 slides.
Read the complete conversation below.
Sept 24th, 4.30 PM - I was preparing for an interview, and Mr. Kethan (M.R.K) posed the most obvious question ever!
M.R.KHave you ever attended a marketing interview, and uttered the word sales?
MeCountless times!
M.R.KAnd the interviewer jumps to “Tell me the difference between Sales & Marketing”?
MeYes, and we always had “pull and push” answer at the tip of our tongue!
M.R.KLet me give you a new perspective today! You have been a student all your life, right? Have you ever fallen asleep in a boring class?
MeI have done engineering and MBA!
M.R.KThanks! That answers my question. So, now imagine yourself in a class. Rules being – 1. No attendance criteria 2. Within the first 2 minutes of the class, you are allowed to walk-out of the class and nobody judges!
Me (thinking)I’m in!
M.R.KThink of the below scenarios –
Tell me what you and your friends think about it?
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MeThe results are out M.R.K!
M.R.KYou’ve got pretty studious friends, I must say! Anyway, let’s analyze these results in a simple manner; just to get an idea of what could have been the thoughts of these respondents. 195 responses: 54 unmoved by changes. Therefore, our study set: 141 50 out of 141 (>35%) prefer listening to a person with a smile on the face, rather than a frown. Acceptable, as you except a pleasant and promising time ahead!
Now, let us look at the most important set to us.
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We were able to change the minds of 78% of the people introducing a hope of excitement!
MeThat’s a good conversion, I guess!
M.R.KYou do? Now, let us apply this observation to sales. Replace a credible source (a lecturer) with an unknown salesperson. The smile is obvious, as it is the first rule of Sales! But, is every smiling salesperson entertained? The 45 who left seeing the textbook will now go up to 70 maybe!
How many times have you walked away before a salesman even approach you? It is all the more tough to convince a potential customer, without talking a word, to listen to you. And all this in spite of the busy schedule that they carry. With less than 2 minutes in the real-life scenario to make the first impact.
Now let us introduce a lucky draw coupon to the scenario (the balloons), quite a few would stop and fill that in the hope of something interesting. The levels of interest vary from person to person, and directly proportionate is the time they give.
This is where marketing concepts come in handy for a salesperson. Before you think of selling your product or service, think of how you can grab the attention of the potential customer!
Make your personality a PRODUCT, the way you look a POSITIONING, and the visible offering (a coupon, a freebie, or even a business card that can give you credibility) is the PROMOTION. Once all this falls in place, you have all the attention to convince him. Let the customer decide on the time he invests – that’s the PRICE!
Tom Peters, a master at branding has advised each person to become a “brand”!
So, just build yourself as a brand to the customer, and you’re no longer selling, but advising them on what to buy!
MeSeems far-fetched, man!
M.R.KBrand Ambassadors work on the same principles, man! They just got more time before the pitch! So, are they Selling or Marketing? Think about it! You’ll fetch it soon!