The price is of course a core, more critical, and customer-focused issue, but it is often the customer's later card. If the sales manager is so "candid" and "direct hit" with the customer every time, then the two sides are not far from breaking up.
Worry for customers
Sales of large customers are a classic topic in channel management. How to maintain the relationship between development and big customers? Simply put, the factory's key account manager only needs to do one thing: spend 80% of the time and energy to study how to meet the needs of 20% of large customers.
I think that the way to meet the needs of customers is to do small things that can be touched by customers, special, and difficult for opponents to imitate and surpass.
Last August, a typhoon that was not seen in Taizhou in Zhejiang for 50 years, made the big account manager Xiao Zhang and the customer Ma boss become a life and death.
Ma’s warehouse is located 40 meters from the seawall. Due to the special location, even the insurance company refused to accept insurance. After the typhoon warning was released, Xiao Zhang repeatedly warned the Ma boss that he had to change the warehouse and participate in insurance. However, the horse owner had a lucky feeling that the typhoon might not land in the local area and had not been concerned. Before the typhoon, Xiao Zhang rushed to Taizhou, and once again advised Ma boss, must immediately transfer the goods to a safe place, this time the horse boss finally listened to the advice.
Subsequent facts proved that Xiao Zhang was right. Because in the same warehouse, competitors' customers suffered from the catastrophe, and more than 1 million products were all rushed into the sea. The horse owner only spent more than 10,000 warehousing and handling fees, and saved more than 600,000 goods.
Ma boss is very grateful to Xiao Zhang: "In fact, your manufacturer can completely ignore this matter, because this is completely the goods that our dealers bought out, regardless of whether the loss or not has nothing to do with the manufacturer. But you really treat me as a family. Now, what other reasons do I have to cooperate with your manufacturers in the future? What is the relationship between a few cents and a few cents in price?"
Give the customer a face
If the experience of the big account manager Xiao Zhang is difficult for the opponent to imitate, then it is difficult for the opponent to surpass the special needs like Zhou Bo. Mr. Zhou is a potential customer of our company in Hubei. His chain warehouse-type hypermarket has been very successful in Hubei Province. He is also a recognized leader in the industry and intends to enter the local political development.
In September last year, Zhou’s chain store-style hypermarket opened its 3rd anniversary celebration. Zhou’s boss cordially invited local party and government leaders, business friends and manufacturers suppliers to attend the celebration, and invited representatives of our company to participate.
Zhou Bo is a person who loves his face very much. He heard that the president of our company's Asia-Pacific region happened to be in Guangzhou, so he discussed with our big account manager and hoped to come to his celebration. Because the high-nosed blue-eyed foreigners are rare in the local area, and the local government is vigorously carrying out investment promotion activities, the world's top 500 foreigners come to his company, no matter what the purpose, for Zhou boss is a A very beautiful thing may have an impact on his career.
At that time, the big account manager was very embarrassed because it was completely out of plan for the president's trip to China, and he had to go through the boss of his boss's boss.
Later, the account manager was fortunate enough to invite the president of the Asia-Pacific region to attend the celebration of the boss of Zhou, and also delivered a warm speech. Local newspapers are rushing to interview and report. Zhou Boss not only had a face in front of local government officials and guests, but the newspaper also advertised his company for free. After the event, the boss was very pleased to say to our account manager: "Your company gives me face, which is better than giving me 5 more points!"
To meet the special needs of Zhou Boss, general SMEs can't do it, but it is possible to provide value-added services to large customers on small things. To do small things is to do the details; to do a small thing that big customers care about is that you have touched God.
However, the move is only moving, and the price controversy is often the latter level of management of large customers, and it is also a difficult one.
Value-added services avoid price disputes
Large customers usually ask for price concessions based on the number of purchases. Our big account managers also like to rely on this way to maintain customer loyalty. But the problem is: competitors can even open a lower price than his own original dealer to win big customers. Maybe you can use the annual deduction point to constrain the big customers, but this condition based on price concessions can only maintain the customer's loyalty for one year, so what should be done after one year?
Visiting a large customer is a daily job of the account manager. If we ask the major account manager to visit a fixed customer at a fixed time every week, there is no need to make an appointment with the customer, in the face of this agreement that will not be easily changed. What do big customers think?
Doing a small thing is actually doing the details of marketing. This system, which is very rigid in the eyes of ordinary people, has several advantages: one is to regulate the actions of sales personnel; the other is that customers believe that the brand he represents is a compliance commitment. The third is the subtle influence, and the customer will develop a good habit of obeying the promise.
In fact, big customers' demand for added value is far greater than the demand for price. For example, priority delivery in the peak season, employee training programs, and communication channels with the company's upper levels and departments. Therefore, we should avoid price disputes with major customers, focusing on services, quality, delivery, technical capabilities and other factors that generate new value, and provide products and services that competitors do not have.
A dealer is an important customer of our company in Zhejiang, and shipping is its main mode of arrival. Last year, the big problem affecting the sales and profits of A dealers was that our company's shipping schedule could not be guaranteed, and the phenomenon of out-of-stocks occurred frequently. Especially in the typhoon season, the contradiction of transportation was more prominent, and this was precisely the peak season for sales. A dealer claimed that due to the unsatisfactory arrival of our company last year, it caused economic losses to the dealer. If the transportation situation has not improved this year, I hope to give corresponding price compensation.
From this case, we can see that simply giving big customers a price discount is not based on the front position, nor is it a better solution to the problem. In fact, price issues are often the bottom line for big customers.
In the above cases, our company's major account manager should negotiate and discuss with the company's logistics department. After obtaining the support of the company's upper level, it can be changed to ship transportation in the typhoon season. This may increase the transportation cost of the company, but I think that for large customers, such investment is worthwhile, which is much more beneficial than simply lowering the price and giving the deduction point, because of the added value of the service level and other added value. To maintain customer loyalty, safer and more effective. Customers are also very satisfied with this process.
There are many products operated by large customers, especially large distributors. It is impossible for him to know the inventory and sales status of each product. Or take the A dealer as an example: A dealer warehouse sales sales of thousands of square meters, must use closed-circuit television to manage his goods. Therefore, our company's major account manager will help A dealers to place orders according to product market trends and inventory conditions, and then signed and approved by A dealers.
Think about it, a dealer who enjoys the so close service of the manufacturer, how much courage does he have to leave you and put in the arms of Others?
If the company does a great job in meeting the value-added needs of large customers, and pays more attention to the emotional investment of big customers, doing every little thing for the customers, and forming a work system, then the big customers will have a strong dependence on the company. Sex, the difficulty for competitors to imitate and replace you becomes bigger. Even if competitors have the same quality and lower bids as your products, big customers may be concerned about the increased communication costs with new manufacturers and affect channel operations. After all, I am familiar with the old and the old, and it is better to be cooked than to be old, or to be an old brand.
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