The 1-2-3 Punch to Play BIG!By Krista Moore<strong>Independent</strong> businesses, regardless oftheir industry, are constantly looking forways to compete against the big box retailersor larger-than-life mammoth competitors.This is nothing new, but everchanging in the office products industry.As the big seemingly get bigger andnew competitors emerge, it becomes increasinglymore difficult to compete andgrow profitably.In the past, many independents “owned”their markets.These days, with mergers,acquisitions, online retailers and larger independents,ownership or market shareseems a thing of the past. Everyone isgoing after the small and mid-size accountsthat once were loyal to the small,local independents.Your customers and prospects are bombardedwith messages, marketing, andsales reps vying for their trust and business,making it even more difficult to retainaccounts and compete. They havemore choices than ever: big vs. small, onlinevs. local, personal vs. virtual. Small,independent dealers have to demonstratethat they can compete in this larger andbusier arena.Every day we work with small businessesin a variety of industries that face thesame challenges. We see at first hand theimpact competition has on their business,company morale and income. We also seeaggressive companies that don’t want tosit idly on the sidelines reminiscing aboutthe good old days, hoping that their circumstancesor the economy will changeto their advantage. Successful independentsrealize that if they want somethingto change, then they have to change first.The following is what we call the 1-2-3Punch to Play BIG!Plan to Win: With the impending mergerof Office Depot and OfficeMax, what isyour plan to capture market share? Willyou target the accounts that you know willbe impacted by this merger? Will you goafter their top sales reps and offer them abetter option for employment? With Amazonand other online retailers capturingyour customers’ attention with low pricesand ease of ordering, what are you goingto do to counter these competitive pressures?What’s your plan?Plan to Win is about preparing for thechanges taking place, and determiningwhat and how you need to be better ordifferent to stay competitive and continueto grow your business.It is about creating a business model andsales strategies that are realistic, timelyand that you can implement easily. Wesuggest you begin creating your Planto Win by discovering what is currentlyhappening in your market, learning whatthe competition is really doing and identifyingyour current customers’ key wantsand needs.This knowledge will help you create an effectiveplan and Play BIG from a positionof strength. Your strengths!This might entail securing your marketand polishing your current business model,but it also likely will include reinventingyourself. What is your differentiator? Whatdo you do better than anyone else? Whatcan you add to your arsenal that the competitioncan’t? Are you building programsor product bundles that your customerscan’t easily Google and purchase online?Are you offering additional services orproduct categories that require personalintervention and require local accountmanagement?If you are serious about continuing andsucceeding in this business for the longhaul, then you must first Plan to Win.Build Relationships: If an independentwants to swim with the big fish and influenceits customers’ key buying decisions,then they have to establish relationshipsat the highest level within their customers’and prospects’ organizations.You know the old adage: “People buyfrom people.”At the end of the day, this isthe independents’ advantage, but only ifyou have built trusting relationships.Many independents have done businessin their local markets for decades, and therelationships they have within their communitieshave served them well. Are youcontinuing to network and socialize tocultivate these relationships? I challengeyou to ask yourself the following questionsand set a new, improved course forrelationship and partnership building withyour customers. And I challenge you to doit NOW!Do I personally know the decision makersin our top 30 accounts? If not, how canI find out more about them, get to knowthem and solidify our partnerships? If so,when was the last time I spoke with them,invited them to an event or took them tolunch or dinner?On average, how many people do our salesreps know within their accounts? How canI make them accountable to meet moreCONTINUED ON PAGE 47OCTOBER 2013 INDEPENDENT DEALER PAGE 46
1-2-3 Punch - continued from page 46people and establish relationships withmore end-users and influencers?Are we using all angles and avenues ofsales and marketing to establish and buildrelationships with our prospects? Whathave we been doing to personally nurtureour leads and prospects? Do they knowwho we are before we visit them? If not,what are we going to do about it?When we talk about playing BIG from aposition of strength, relationship buildingis certainly one approach you can easilywrap around your Plan to Win. Let’s justsee how an online retailer or a big boxplayer can compete on the personal relationshiplevel!Pull No Punches: If you truly want to runwith the big dogs, then it is time to get creative,be aggressive and go to market withconfidence and style! Your approach togaining business and retaining accountsis likely going to need a makeover—insome cases an extreme makeover.This may involve a rebranding campaign,a new, more professional website, documentedsales processes, power messagesfor employees to use, new professionalsales reps or, better, more targeted marketing.If so, then DO IT!Your big dog competitors have moremoney for marketing and advertising andmore creative flexibility when it comes tobid proposals and responses.Explore your own creative possibilities.Offer rebates and incentives to motivateand influence customer behavior. Demonstrateyour value rather than just talkingand telling your story. Present your customersor prospects with formal writtenproposals aligned to their needs andshow them the real impact your companywill have on their business success.Prove that you are price-competitive andillustrate for them your knowledge andcapacity for remaining price-competitiveby revealing the systems, analytics,wholesaler distribution centers and buyinggroup relationships you have.My goal with1-2-3 Punch to Play Big wasto highlight the key components to stayingcompetitive and relevant in today’smarket. We all understand the effort andcomplexity underlying these strategiesand tactics and I’m not trying to oversimplifythese efforts.It’s important to be aware, however, ofthe importance of change and the needto forge a strong position while creating aplan and making it happen!Krista Moore is president of K.Coaching, Inc, anexecutive coaching and consulting practice thathas helped literally hundreds of independent dealersmaximize their full potential through enhancingtheir sales strategies, sales training and leadershipdevelopment. For more information, visit K.Coaching’sweb site at www.kcoaching.com.OCTOBER 2013 INDEPENDENT DEALER PAGE 47
Change language