SEPTEMBER 2012
USP POST-HOLIDAY
BLUES How to follow up on the summer holiday objection
KEEP IT REAL Combat ID fraud for good
LIVE IT
Spend your commission wisely
PITCH INVADERS
Deliver the perfect sales pitch
THE EDITOR’S LETTER CONTENTS
Welcome to the September edition of USP magazine. This month it’s all about helping out your customer. The best way to keep in your clients’ good books is by becoming a necessity. The more they need you, the less likely they are to look elsewhere. In our article on combating ID fraud (p4) in preparation for National Identity Fraud Prevention Week next month, we help you help your customer protect themselves against identity theft, which can run rife in the business world. If they’re a smaller business, much like many dealers’ businesses, one breach of security can bring a whole business falling down. Make sure you emphasise the importance of staying secure. Moving on, let me play out a scenario for you: you have a customer who is looking to spend, you come close to sealing the deal and then August rolls around and all of a sudden they drop the summer holiday excuse on you – then you can forget about sealing that deal for weeks if not ever. In our article on p8 from cold-calling expert Andy Preston we look at how to combat that holiday objection and get right back on the right path for September. Hope your first month back is peachy and, as always, please get in touch with any news stories or updates on editor@dealersupport.co.uk. Bye for now!
04 NEWS 03 PITCH INVADERS The latest news and products to help you deliver that perfect pitch
MARKETPLACE 04 ID FRAUD Combating ID fraud with your customers one step at a time
SALES ACADEMY 08 POST-HOLIDAY BLUES How to follow up on the summer holiday objection
LIVE IT 10 HOW TO SPEND IT
Managing editor
The latest film, music and technology to spend your commission on
USP MANAGING EDITOR JULIA DENNISON | julia.dennison@intelligentmedia.co.uk REPORTER GEORGE CAREY | george.carey@intelligentmedia.co.uk PUBLISHER VICKI BALOCH | vicki.baloch@intelligentmedia.co.uk SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER – MEDIA SOLUTIONS MATTHEW MOORE | matthew.moore@intelligentmedia.co.uk
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE – MEDIA SOLUTIONS KRYSTLE DAVIS | krystle.davis@intelligentmedia.co.uk DESIGNER SARAH CHIVERS | sarah.chivers@intelligentmedia.co.uk DESIGNER ,PRODUCTION PETER HOPE-PARRY | peter.hope-parry@intelligentmedia.co.uk CIRCULATIONS MANAGER NATALIA JOHNSTON | natalia.johnston@intelligentmedia.co.uk
USP magazine is published by... Intelligent Media Solutions | Suite 223 | Business Design Centre | 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH tel: 0207 288 6833 | fax: 0207 929 0089 | email: info@intelligenmedia.co.uk | web: www.uspmagazine.com Follow USP on Twitter at Twitter.com/uspmagazine Printed in the UK by Buxton Press www.buxtonpress.co.uk
PITCH INVADERS
All the products and developments you need to deliver the perfect sales pitch
SINCLAIRS UNDERGOES SALES FORCE RESHUFFLE NEWS With the retirement of Sinclairs’ respected and long-standing sales director, Alistair Kirkpatrick, the company is pleased to announce a couple of changes within its sales force. Firstly, a new addition to the team in the form of John Crompton, ex-Wallace Cameron, who will be taking over the role of national accounts manager, a position previously held by Jon Green, who in turn is progressing to the role of sales director. A spokesperson commented: “We’d like to take this opportunity to welcome John to the Sinclairs team in Our 175th Anniversary year and look forward to exciting new times ahead at Sinclairs. sinclairsproducts.com | Office: 01943 461144 j.crompton@sinclairsproducts.com | Mob 07803 378 554 j.green@sinclairsproducts.com | Mob 07525 764 641
SAVILLE AUDIO VISUAL TRIALS TRAINING COURSE NEWS Saville Audio Visual is the first UK-based NEC channel partner to invest in the display firm’s new Training Academy programme. The AV reseller has signed up two members of its technical sales team to the programme, which was launched to help NEC channel partners and their sales teams become experts and ambassadors of NEC solutions. It includes theoretical and hands-on training in a two-day tutorial, covering product features and benefits, together with practical advice on installations. Darren Pitt, head of business services and national accounts at Saville Audio Visual, commented: “Having worked closely with NEC for many years, we are an established NEC Authorised Integrator. The NEC brand consistently delivers quality and reliability so we have great confidence in working with their products. “I am confident that the NEC Training Academy will be highly effective and enable our staff to gain superior expertise to increase their effectiveness and performance on a day-to-day basis.” Neil Hartigan, channel director for NEC Display Solutions, said: “The NEC Training Academy was launched as an added value offering for our channel partners and a hands-on way to increase their knowledge of NEC solutions. The expertise gained through the NEC Training Academy will put Saville on a stronger footing to win and sustain business by helping them respond more effectively to customers’ needs.” Full details of dates, pricing and terms and conditions are on NEC’s Channel Partner portal website, which can be found at NEC-displaysolutions.com
NEW PUBLIC DISPLAY FROM NEC ROUNDS OUT PORTFOLIO PRODUCT NEC Display Solutions Europe has unveiled the MultiSync X401S, a 40-inch LCD public display that combines efficiency – thanks to its edge LED backlight – with elegance, due to its super-slim and light design. Being a best-in-class professional public display product with edge LED technology, the MultiSync X401S is an ideal solution for retail signage as well as mission-critical signage applications for airports/transportation, control room applications and even for QSR installations and solutions in totems and furniture. The X401S rounds out NEC’s hugely popular XS Series, and will join the 46- and 55-inch models in the same series. The high-definition 1080p resolution display’s edge LED backlight technology provides outstanding uniformity, while catering for the rigorous demands of 24/7 usage. This also makes the display incredibly slim and light, which enables integration in extremely slim cabinets and installations with space constraints. Furthermore, the programmable ambient light sensor ensures that the brightness is automatically adjusted as the light conditions change, thereby reducing power consumption while delivering eye-pleasing brightness levels. These features help make it more effective and environmentally friendly, as well as keeping operating costs low. Performance is maintained alongside these benefits, as the screen still produces 700cd/m2 brightness with a very low reflection panel and quality of picture is outstanding too due to optional colour calibration, which allows logos and images to be portrayed with incredible precision. Furthermore, the display is DICOM compliant, so can be used in medical applications. The MultiSync X401S also supports NEC’s heat management system, which enables the user to monitor and control the display’s heat.
TOSHIBA LAUNCHES TWO NEW A4 MONO MFPs PRODUCT Toshiba TEC has launched two new monochrome multifunctional A4 devices. The e-STUDIO332S and e-STUDIO403S support small and medium offices by offering professional document handling with affordable running costs. The print, scan, copy and automatic duplex functions come as a standard for both models and the e-STUDIO403S offers fax functions. With a print speed of up to 40 ppm and maximum paper capacity of 880 sheets, these new models help enhance the efficiency of daily business while keeping pace with the modern office environment. The colour scan function allows users to distribute documents within their network. They can either save them to a specific folder or send them directly by e-mail to any recipient using the supported LDAP (Local Directory Access Protocol) function. Both models comply with the Energy Star standards.
044 MARKETPLACE FRAUD PREVENTION
FIGHTING THE FRAUDSTERS The cost of fraud can be crippling for corporations but with increased vigilance and the right guidance, companies can greatly reduce their risks. GEORGE CAREY finds out how to beat the fraudsters
Fraud has been the scourge of the corporate world for as long as it has existed and shows no sign of abating. While there are some very technical and new-fangled methods around that need to be countered, it’s just as important to make sure that more traditional forms are combatted as well. So what legislation and technical tools or services are there to help the commercial giants of this world avoid this clandestine and potentially ruinous crime? LEGISLATION It’s important to have quality guidance from the legislature and industry bodies, to ensure that businesses have some idea of the
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SEPTEMBER 2012
help they require, and the major threats that they face. The Data Protection Act of 1998 is a key piece of legislation for any organisation keeping personal information, from HR records, to customer addresses and contact details. As modern business moves at an alarming rate towards complete digital document storage, the challenge of keeping information safe and within DPA legislation is greater now than ever before. Simon Ruggles, UK marketing & business development executive, Sentry Safe, points to the new Personal Information Promise promoted by the Information Commissioners Office: “It reinforces key legislation, and urges business and the public sector to go the extra mile to protect any
06 MARKETPLACE FRAUD PREVENTION
information it holds. In assessing potential privacy risks, which could lead to fraud, the promise encourages an innovative and forward thinking approach. The ICO has renewed its call for effective safeguards and good practice standards to protect personal information.” He points out that the promise also aims to highlight the need to prune databases, maintaining and holding only appropriate personal information, limiting the impact of any breach. Industry standards are also a very helpful indicator, which give companies a gold standard to aim for, when putting together their security plans. A good example of this is the new, pending DIN standard (66399) for the destruction of data carriers. This new standard will include shredders but for the first time will also include a security scale for comparing the effectiveness of electronic data carriers. On the subject of the new standard Marc Legge, UK marketing manager for IDEAL, says: “This will make it easier for businesses to choose products that will allow them to safely dispose of electronic data carriers such as computer hard disks which can contain mountains of information useful to a fraudster.” MOBILE DEVICES With smartphones and tablets now an established part of the business landscape, it’s vital to ensure that these devices are as well protected as more traditional office-based IT equipment. People have been predicting this for years, but in 2011 it actually started to happen. Expect more increases in exposed vulnerabilities from black hats and white hats in the coming year for mobile devices. Websense Security Labs estimate that in 2012 there will be more than 1,000 different variants of exploits, malicious applications, and botnets infecting that device glued to your hand and plugged into your head. Indeed, if application creators don’t protectively sandbox their apps, we’re also likely to see versions of malware that can access company accounts as well as other sensitive data on your phone. This includes your work documents and any cloud applications you may have on that handy device. We’ll also start seeing significantly more social engineering designed to specifically lure mobile users to infected apps and websites. SHREDDING While it’s easy to get bogged down in the myriad cyber threats posed to corporations, it’s worth remembering that we haven’t reached the supposed utopia of the paperless office yet and improperly disposed documents can still pose a serious threat. The trusty shredder still has a part to play. The higher the security level, the smaller the shred size. DIN 1 and DIN 2 shreds with strip widths of 12mm and 6mm respectively, are often still legible and can contain enough intelligible data to be of use to a thief or fraudster. This is why shredders working at those levels should only be used to destroy the least sensitive material. Shred size is dependent upon the shredding mode used. There are two modes - strip (or ribbon) cut and cross cut. Strip cut shredders produce strips or ribbons up to the length of the document shredded. Cross cut machines produce much shorter length strips down to the size of confetti at the highest security level. Strip cut shredders only work at the lower security levels. Higher levels of security can only be attained by using cross cut technology. As Ruggles puts it: “Our staff and dealers support the ‘secure what you need, shred what you don’t’ mentality, offering a number of physical security options to protect a range of potentially compromising items. From storing corporate stationary in a lockable security container, to ensuring all digital backups are locked in a fire and waterproof safe – the possibilities are almost endless.” Hard drives are another thing that need to be properly disposed of. Legge comments: “We have developed a Hard Drive Punch to dispose of computer hard disks. It is the same size as an office shredder and complies with Level 3 of the draft 66399 standard. It is designed for use in IT departments of corporate organisations who want in-house control of their data destruction.” With so many threats to corporate security, there are plenty of opportunities to talk to your customers about their situation and the ways that they can be extra-vigilant.
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SEPTEMBER 2012
May 2012 Issue 203
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08 SALES ACADEMY TOP TIPS
OBJECTION OVERRULED
Ever get the ‘call me after I get back from holiday’ brush-off right before you’re about to close the deal? ANDY PRESTON gives his five top tips on how to deal with the summer holiday objection better in future It’s always interesting as we head into the summer holiday period how many people fall for the “call me back after the summer holiday” objection. For most salespeople, this starts to rear its head from the middle of July onwards. The problem for most people is that when they call those people back after the break, they either still haven’t made a decision, they give another excuse, or even worse, you can’t seem to get hold of those people ever again. If you’re anything like the hordes of people that ask me what to do about the summer holiday problem every year, you probably get it quite a lot. SO WHY DO THEY DO IT? Why is it that the buyers and decision-makers give us the summer holiday objection? There are various reasons for this. Sometimes, there’s a genuine reason why they can’t proceed with the order, or appointment, until
USP
SEPTEMBER 2012
after the summer break – perhaps a colleague is away that needs to be involved, perhaps there isn’t a budget until later in the year, perhaps even that the person is so focused on delivering existing projects, they just can’t even think about another one. However as mentioned above – in a number of cases, decision-makers use the summer holiday objection as a convenient way of getting salespeople and business owners to go away – and they keep using it because it works! Far too many salespeople and business owners fall for this objection, take the decision-makers at their word – only to be surprised when they call back after the break and they can’t get hold of that person ever again. Unless you learn to do something about the summer holiday objection, you’re going to suffer the same problem year after year. So here are some ideas for you:
SALES ACADEMY TOP TIPS 09
BE PREPARED You know you’re going to start getting these sorts of objections from the end of June onwards so you need to prepare for them. Why not consider how you’re going to deal with them and practice your responses? This means working out your objection handles, then practicing them with friends, colleagues or even in meetings with the rest of the sales team. The better prepared you are for when the objection comes up, the better you’ll deal with them. Don’t leave this until the last few moments before your telephone call, client meeting – or even worse until you’re waiting in reception, do this in small chunks – a little bit at a time but done on a regular basis – that helps you remember and use the objection handles best. THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN Often when the buyer or decision-maker says the words “call me back after the summer holiday”, that phrase might have a different meaning than the one you’ve accepted at face value. Let’s face it – if everyone who said those to you either met with you or bought from you at the end of the break, then there wouldn’t be a problem, would there? So I’m talking here about the people that use that phrase but then don’t seem to necessarily follow through afterwards. Let’s think about this a little deeper – might some people use that phrase when actually what they really mean is “go away”? Or perhaps “you/ your offering/the appointment isn’t important enough for me to look at right now?” As someone who originally trained as a professional buyer, I can guarantee you that’s the case. Here’s a quick distinction – the more new business your telephone call or appointment is, the less rapport you have – therefore the likelihood of them fobbing you off is much higher. If you’re with an existing client you have personally a very good relationship with, it’s more likely that they’re telling the truth. MAKE YOUR CALL MORE COMPELLING If you are making new business calls in the holiday period, make them more compelling. Generally speaking, people will be busier as they’re either about to go on holiday, just back from holiday, or covering for someone else who’s on holiday. Whichever of those it is, they’re going to be time poor, so make sure your call is as good as it can be. Take a closer look at your voice tonality and your message. Does it sound as though you and your call are important? Does the outcome that you are suggesting sound like a must-do for the person receiving the call? What’s the conviction in your voice like? Is your close short and to the point? The more compelling you make your call the more likely it is that you’ll get the outcome you want. The less compelling it is, the more likely you’ll fall for the summer holiday fob-off. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS Most people I meet struggle with asking good questions. Questions that get them the information that their competitors don’t, questions that elevate the perception of you in the decision-maker’s eyes and questions that make the decision maker think. Most people seem to think that if the other person says call me after the summer holiday or something similar, that means that is the end of conversation/meeting. Not true. Before the end of this conversation or meeting you need to ask some more questions to get the information you need. The most important thing to find out here is if they’re trying to fob us off, without asking or accusing them directly. There are a number of ways you can do this, but the important thing to find out here is the motivation or urgency behind the project – if you haven’t already of course. If you can establish there are genuine reasons to put the order/project/appointment on hold until after the break, you’ve lessened your chances of being fobbed-off and it should be relatively easy to pick things up from where you left off come September. If on the other hand, if the decision-maker doesn’t appear to give specific reasons for the delay, they don’t seem as interested/motivated as they were, or they seem to want to get rid of you as fast as possible, that’s a pretty big sign they’re trying to fob you off. HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE The attitude of the salesperson or business owner is also vital in getting the results that you want here. I’ve seen far too many people trudge round on appointment after appointment, or from phone call to phone call looking and sounding like they’re terminally depressed. Not many people are going to buy from you in that state, are they? If you pick up the phone or walk into a meeting expecting the other person to say “call me back after the summer holiday” then guess what you’re probably going to get in most cases? If you’re in a competitive market you can bet that the buyer or decision-maker is talking to other suppliers, and all it takes is for the salesperson at one of those companies to be better at dealing with the summer holiday objection than you are...then when you ring back in September they’ve bought off someone else. The decision-maker might say: “Oh, we went with xyz firm because they had a better proposal.” Or: “We went with abc because they have us a cheaper price.” But in most cases what they mean is: “We went with xyz because they dealt with the summer holiday objection better than you did and that won them the business.” Now that you’re aware that’s often the case, you’re not going to let that happen to you in future are you? Follow the tips above and watch your sales soar.
SEPTEMBER 2012
USP
LIVE IT
The best way to spend your free time and money
FILM
BIT OF BANTER
THE CAMPAIGN
When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local tourism centre. At first Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about. As election day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other. In its ramped-up media-farce way, The Campaign leaves no satirical stone unturned. There are terrific parodies of the mud-bath unreality of negative advertising involved in the political process, plus great scandalous gags about outsourcing and house servants. Ferrell delivers his usual dose of slapstick petulant brilliance and Galifianakis does weird in the way that only he can. Vote with your feet and get yourself down to the cinema. Released Friday 28 September
MUSIC
FUN
THE XX - COEXIST
PUB QUIZ
The xx have finally released their muchanticipated second album. Inspired by the clubbing scene that the trio missed out on while touring, it owes something to producer Jamie xx’s hugely successful side project, We’re new here. Angels is a standout track, combining haunting vocals, with Jamie xx’s unmistakable production. Equally triumphant, is The reunion, a beautiful duet reminiscent of the previous album’s highlight: Islands. A cinic would say we’ve heard some of this before, but there’s plenty in here that’s new and exciting. Released Tuesday 11 September
Q1. Which chemical element has the shortest name - 3 letters? Q2. What is the state capital of Alaska? Q3. In mythology what was minerva the Goddess of? Q4. What does a soldier keep in a frog? Q5. Of whom did Adolf Hitler say, “He seemed such a nice old gentleman that I gave him my autograph as a souvenir”? Q6. Who is the last English born manager to coach an FA Cup winning side? Q7. Which is the only US state to begin with the letter ‘P’? Q8. Which spirit is the base for a Black Russian cocktail? Q9. Name three James Bond films that have a one-word title. Q10. Which is the largest Fresh water lake in the world?
USP
SEPTEMBER 2012
PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER
GOOD DIRTY PROTEST Australian beachgoers fed up with a lack of public toilets came up with a very literal way to show their displeasure: by bringing their own toilets to the beach. The protesters, dressed in top hats and suits, carried their toilets down to the shore at Henley Beach in Adelaide, dropped their pants and sat reading newspapers. Local artist Andrew Baines, took photographs and plans to paint the scene for an exhibition.
CARRY ON CABBING Two dim-witted robbers found themselves in a spot of bother in Staten Island, New York. After forcing their way into the home of a retired couple brandishing a gun, they rifled through the house, swiping jewelry, a knife and cash. So far so horrible. The pair’s stupidity only became apparent when they asked their victims for the number of a taxi firm. The victims were shut in a closet but got out and called the authorities, who were waiting for the doomed duo at their destination.
BAD
ANSWERS A1. Tin A2. Juneau A3. Wisdom A4. His bayonet A5. Neville ChamberlainA6. Joe Royle (1995 - Everton 1 Man. Utd. 0 A7. Pennsylvania A8. Vodka A9. “Goldfinger”, “Thunderball”, “Moonraker”, “Octopussy” and “Goldeneye” A10. Superior
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