Strategic Marketing 101
Strategic Marketing is all about analyzing business opportunities and attempts to answer the following basic questions for a business:
• What might we do?
• Who do we do best?
• What must we do?
Take it or Leave it
Maybe the most aggressive tactic for a negotiator to take is to say “take it or leave it”; this stance is cocky, unequivocal, and mean. Aggressive negotiators use this tactic because weaker negotiators give in and it works. Yet, many times it is just a bluff.
This tactic sends a strong signal that the aggressive party has a strong BATNA (i.e. other options if this agreement does not come together). At least that is what they want to believe. They will say things like, “This is the best I can do. You can take it or leave it”. Frequently, they will also have a short deadline for you to respond, which is yet another aggressive tactic. They will say, “I need your answer by 5 PM today”.
Cherry Picking: An Aggressive Negotiation Tactic
You submitted your proposal to your customer two weeks ago and reluctantly presented it with line-item detail like the bid required; you also submitted a package price. Finally, you sit down with the grim-faced buyer, who pronounces the pricing too high by citing lower line-item prices from the competition. “If want the business, you need to lower your prices,” declares the buyer. This is called cherry picking.
Traditional Retail Advertising is Ineffective
A recent online study by Deloitte and Touche uncovered that two thirds of store visits during the 2006 holiday season were not influenced by holiday advertising. It turns out that most consumers picked stores because of their pre-existing familiarity with the stores and the stores locations. Additionally, the products purchased were researched on the internet.
Call Me on My Cell Phone
Cell phone usage has radically changed over the past five years. It was not that long ago that corporate usage of cell phones was considered a luxury and their usage was closely scrutinized for cost reasons since it was so expensive. It is an understatement to say that cell phone usage today is ubiquitous.
More on E-mail
My recent blogs regarding e-mail and selling created quite a stir with my readers. Apparently, e-mail is a very thorny issue for many sales people. Sales people are increasing forced to sell through e-mails; customers seem to hide behind their PCs.
Writing effective e-mails is hard work and there is also confusion about when to e-mail and when to call (or leave a voicemail).
Emotion and Negotiation
Emotion in negotiation is a very common thing. Yet, many negotiation authorities suggest that being emotional is a sign of a weakness or is the behavior of an unsophisticated negotiator; some say that emotions must be repressed. While it is possible to manage your emotions, it can be nearly impossible to hide from them. In fact, doing so would be really dumb, in my opinion.
Article Marketing is Free and Easy
Article marketing is one of the best ways to optimize your website, create new sales leads, and to garner new publicity. The really good news is that it is free and easy (OK, it does take some time and a few brain cells).
How to Retain Top Sales Reps
Top sales reps need special care and feeding; as mentioned in the last post, giving them too much space can be a prescription to lose them to the competition. Instead, create a strategy to keep them on your team.
Why Top Sales Reps Quit
Every sales manager’s worst nightmare is the surprise resignation of a top sales rep. Sooner or later it happens. So, what went wrong?