NZ Sales Manager Issue 77

NOVEMBER 2013 Issue 77

Supplier Appraisal:

A FLY ON THE WALL Why Transparency Demands Truth Q & A with Rob Berg Building Successful Budgets Leaving Effective Voicemails NZ’s e-mag for sales leaders 1 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

CONTENTS 6

THIS WEEK'S MUST READ Supplier Appraisal: A fly on the wall

12

Why Transparency Demands Truth - You can’t fake it

16

Q&A With Rob Berg, Owner of KND Consulting

19

Quick FIX Leaving Effective Voicemails It’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell

20

Two Minute Top Up Building Successful Sales Budgets From the bottom up

22

Resource corner 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling Proven Actions You Must Take to Make Easier, Faster, Bigger Sales....

Now & Forever

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 2

23

NZSM CODE OF PROFESSIONAL SELLING

25

CALENDAR

27

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FROM THE EDITOR

I

Sales Manager is a free e-magazine delivering thought provoking and enlightening articles, and industry news and information to forwardthinking sales managers, business owners and sales professionals.

EDITOR / Paul Newsom

always enjoy reading

from this article therefore is to

ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson

articles by procurement

develop your questioning strategy

GRAPHIC DESIGNER / Sevim Dogru Ozan

expert Paul Rogers. In this

to understand what it is that the

GROUP EDITOR / Nick Harley

customer is really buying.

CONTENT ENQUIRIES /

issue, we have a ‘fly on the wall’ perspective from Paul of how the buyer should go about doing supplier appraisals. There is valuable insight here for any sales professional that will help with understanding the criteria and process that might be used.

It certainly isn’t the first time that I will say, that to know how to sell, we first must understand how our customers buy, and how they make decisions. Knowing how your customers evaluate suppliers, and conduct their supplier appraisals

Using this insight, you will see that

is a vital part of your account

knowing how you rate against

management plan.

the customer’s ‘high bar’ and positioning yourself against these criteria, can be more important than

Phone Paul on 04 586 4733 or email pauln@nzsalesmanager.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Richard on 09 522 7257 or email richardl@espiremedia.com ADDRESS / NZ Sales Manager, C/- Espire Media, PO Box 99758, Newmarket, Auckland 1151, NZ WEBSITE / nzsalesmanager.co.nz

Happy Selling Paul

ISSN 2230-4762

comparing your company against your competitors. A key take away

NZ Sales Manager would like to acknowledge the support of our major partners

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 4

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MUST READ

Supplier Appraisal:

A FLY ON THE WALL

T

By Paul Rogers

he disappointment gap is the difference between what the seller promised, and the performance the client actually received. Most buyers try to explore

the real capability of potential suppliers before they do any business, a process buyers call supplier appraisal. Our ‘fly on the wall’ shares the inside story.

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 6

Supplier appraisal is a structured evaluation process to help buyers assess the technical, commercial and financial suitability of a potential source of supply. How do buyers do this? Mostly from the comfort of their desk, but there are some common processes. Many buyers have a standard checklist to evaluate potential sources of supply, in the same

Supplier appraisal is a structured evaluation process to help buyers assess the technical, commercial and financial suitability of a potential source of supply.

way that you probably assess a prospect for credit worthiness and likely revenue potential. But some buyers look beyond the desk-bound ‘tick box’ approach, as this can reduce the exercise to a clerical task, whereas supplier appraisal done well, can create opportunities for both the buyer and supplier.

While much sales training focuses upon how the sales person can define the prospect’s real needs, professional buyers see their role as understanding what they really need, and then matching the value propositions of the suppliers in the market to those needs. So it is crucial for you as a sales person that the buyer understands not just your product or service, but your organisational capability and capacity as well.

category. You might think this is obvious, but if the buyer is seeking a “commercial off the shelf” solution, known as COTS to buyers, then the capability of the supplier is much less critical than if the buyer is seeking to acquire a service from you that will grant them competitive advantage over their rivals. Let’s look at an example. I am working with a hospital group who found that they are using more than seventy types of cup across the network, from sputum cups to drinking cups. They are seeking to rationalise the variety of cups they

Professional buyers will vary the rigour of the

buy, of course, but what they want from a supplier is

appraisal based upon the complexity of the

three key things;

7 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

MUST READ

•

•

•

possible (a ‘one-stop-shop’ would be ideal)

WHAT DRIVES SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE?

The ability to propose opportunities for variety

So when you meet a prospect who has not yet

reduction and participate in driving down variety

started their supplier appraisal process, consider

The ability to supply as many types of cups as

The ability to hold stock, pick, pack and deliver in a variety of units of sale, perhaps down to inner cartons, with a high degree of reliability

carefully what are the key outcomes the prospect needs from this category. Because the buyer will use these outcomes to identify the

drivers that enable superior performance by a

If you are a cup distributor you might be getting

supplier. Here are some clues that you might pick up

excited! But imagine if you are a supplier who’s

in the sales interview:

value proposition is that you offer low pricing based

The buyer says “we are losing market share, and we

upon a minimum order of a pallet load. Or if your

have had to slash our margins, so we are looking for

‘delivery in full and on time’ performance is below

challenging cost reductions”. What the buyer will be

75%. Supplier appraisal is going to exclude you

looking for is not just a keen quote from you now,

from the pitch even before you have had a chance

but the ability to sustain cost reduction through

to quote!

time. And what enables that?

When you meet a prospect who has not yet started their supplier appraisal process, consider carefully what are the key outcomes the prospect needs from this category.

•

A track record of cost control through time (less

•

with a dedicated representative who is senior

than price inflation) •

•

A customer-focused production organisation enough to make things happen

A strong procurement department, or a value analysis function, or tight integration of cost and

•

Sufficient capacity to meet their needs

management accountants with production

•

An account which is the ‘Goldilocks’ size for the supplier; not too big and not too small

The ability to change (or at least influence the cost base), so a significant proportion of

•

An order fulfilment process which is streamlined,

variable or semi-variable costs (or at least not all

has a short lead time and can deal with changes

fixed costs!)

in a responsive way

The buyer says “we have problems with reliability

The buyer says “we have fallen behind our

from our current supplier, and need continuity of

competitors and we really need to catch up”. What

supply”. What the buyer will be looking for is not

the buyer will be looking for is not just evidence that

just evidence that you have adequate stockholding,

you have research and development, but the ability

but the ability to manage a responsive supply chain.

to deliver innovation in a sustainable way. And what

And what enables that?

enables that?

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 8

MUST READ

•

•

•

Leadership from the senior executives to drive

The sources of information for supplier

innovation and sponsor innovation

appraisal include:

Engagement of customers in the product/

•

Catalogues

service design process

•

Annual reports will yield good financial data, and the chairman’s report will often

A pipeline of new ideas or a ‘technology road

be surprisingly honest about strategy and

map’ evidencing that the company not only has

development plans

ideas, but can bring them to market

BEYOND STANDARD CHECKLISTS The point is that buyers ʻreverse engineer from the

•

Supplier visits (though increasingly rare)

•

References from other reputable customers (but buyers recognise that you will nominate your

outcomes that they need to focus upon the enablers

best accounts, and very few referees express

which deliver those outcomes. So in pitching to these prospects, you can either try to help them define their own needs in ways which align to your own value proposition, or make sure that they

strong views in commenting on suppliers).

•

Visits to reference sites

•

Bank references (but these are often very circumspect)

understand the attributes of your company that align with the enablers that the buyer will evaluate you and your competitors against.

•

Google can elicit contextual material, but you have to know what you are looking for.

9 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

MUST READ

PETER PRICE OR VALERIE VALUE? Let’s say there are many different types of buyer, but for simplicity we can contrast the ‘old school’

suppliers in absolute terms against a ‘high bar’ that she has set. The location of the high bar comes with experience, but many buyers will use internal subject matter experts to understand what ‘good’

tactical buyer who is preoccupied with the ‘four Ps’

looks like. Let’s say that Peter and Valerie are each

of purchasing (price, price, price and price) as Peter

acquiring design capabilty.

Price. Valerie Value is more recent, and she really does see beyond the price, and tries to understand how different suppliers may create value.

Peter would issue a dummy brief and ask potential suppliers to prepare a response. This reveals what about the suppliers? Their ability to respond to a

Peter compares suppliers against other suppliers.

one-off brief? Valerie would assemble a team to

“You score better than (competitor) on lead time,

reverse engineer the enablers of sustainable

but they have better rates”. This is the ‘beauty

capability, and develop word pictures of the

parade’ in which there is no objective measure of

indicators of that capability. Here is an example

what is needed, and instead the buyer compare

of painting word pictures of gradations of capability

suppliers in relative terms. Valerie compares

in respect of design:

• Good

• Poor

design will be evidenced by a design

design may be evidenced by warranty

team with access to the latest hardware

claims or frequent product revisions. Personnel

and software, senior level support and

may be poorly motivated or poorly led. Design

representation, and a demonstrable track

may be a marginal player, not well regarded

record of success in developing new designs to improve product performance.

by marketing or production. CV’s of the staff may show limited experience or expertise, and investment in technology may show lack of

• Satisfactory design will be evidenced by a

senior management support for the function.

junior design team with mixed motivation and

• Unacceptable design may show unfilled

a varied record in contributing new designs.

vacancies, low morale and poor facilities.

Design may be isolated from the product

Rework or production problems may be caused

creation process, or turnover of talent may be

by poor design and other functions may buy

higher than expected.

in design expertise. The function may be

MUST READ

a second, third or fourth tier activity, with weak leadership and recognition that ʻthere is a problem.

Valerie’s team would then design an apprisal process that identified the indicators of capability, calibrated the scoring system, and then reviewed the suppliers against a common set of dimensions.

1. Technical capability, i.e. can the supplier perform, meet the client’s standards?

2. Commercial capability, i.e. can the supplier supply at a cost that the client can afford?

3. Financial capability, i.e. will the supplier still be trading in six months time?

Most supplier appraisals involve a combination of

In particular, the answer to the last question above

desk research using mainly secondary sources and

is much harder than it looks, because we usually

field research using primary sources of information.

review historical financial information which means

In this case, a visit would be needed to meet and

we are looking in the rear view mirror. Some simple

interview the design stafff and other stakeholders.

ratio analysis such as liquidity analysis can help

JIGSAW PUZZLE

identify early warning signs, especially if you look at

Supplier appraisal is like piecing together the pieces

two or three years data to find a trend.

of a jigsaw, and the key pieces are:

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU Firstly, know your prospect! If you are dealing with Peter it may be harder to desensitise Peter to the commercial aspects of your value proposition, but

meeting and a ‘wash-up’ meeting to answer any final questions. Ask for feedback; how did you rate agaisnt the buyer’s evaluation criteria? Where could you improve?

as you meet many more Peters than Valerie, this

For professional buyers, supplier appraisal is a key

won’t be a surprise to you. If any prospect comes

process. It creates a level playing field helping to

to visit your operations, it is a great opportunity

ensure that only competent suppliers are engaged.

to build rapport and to understand their drivers, as well as receive feedback on how they judged your company.

It creates an image of the buying organisation in the market, and it can inform negotiation targets and supplier development programs later on. For sales people, the sales process is being increasingly

Valerie will send you an agenda for what they want

displaced by the procurement process, and supplier

to see. Anything other than the standard “Cook’s

appraisal is a vital hurdle to overcome to get

Tour” should indicate what they are interested in

through to the next stage of the process. If you

reviewing. Make sure that staff on the itinerary

‘can’t win it unless you’re in it’, best to find out what

know that the visit is happening, and that they

are the rules, and make sure that you are a player. If

can ask questions as well. Organise a ‘welcome’

you don’t, you’ll only end up disappointed!

Paul Rogers is a freelance procurement consultant.

To find out more visit www.paulrogers.pro

11 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

WHY TRANSPARENCY

DEMANDS TRUTH

You can’t fake it

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 12

By Bill James & Daniel Batten

You are now under huge scrutiny 24 hours a day from everybody - including your clients

T

he sales game is changing so quickly it is

hours a day from everybody - including your clients

hard to keep up with the rule changes.

– and not sure if you should hum, let alone sing.

Is throwing a double six still the best extra

Such scrutiny means there is nowhere to hide

turn? Likewise, what our clients expect of us is

as potential buyers can check your website, on-

evolving at an equally stimulating rate. I think the

line feedback, blogs and comparison pages from

fundamental shift started with the advent of the

supposedly unbiased sources. Or they can ask their

Internet and in particular Web2 technology.

social networks for anybody who has heard about

There was a time when your business was like a SUV with dark tinted windows. No one could see inside.

You could literally do anything inside and the world

you or used you before - and they will trust one word from someone they know more than anything you can produce.

just simply did not know how you run your business,

There is no more suffering in silence – oh no! It

treated your clients or even treated your staff. It

is easy to voice dissatisfaction in so many highly

was like being able to sing terribly out of key with

visible places very quickly. There are many examples

nobody the wiser.

of people getting a million views on YouTube within

All of a sudden the Internet removed the tinting on our windows and people can now actually see inside as you ride by singing. Then, Web2 not only took

days. Such a viral complaints process means that bad news is no longer told to just 13 people but now to perhaps 1.3 million people.

the tinted windows away, it kicked you out of the

Such transparency demands truth. It is no longer

SUV! Now you find yourself on the bus along with

an option in sales. When everything you say and

everyone else. You are now under huge scrutiny 24

do is on public display it becomes a mandatory

13 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

Such transparency demands truth. It is no longer an option in sales. When everything you say and do is on public display it becomes a mandatory requirement. requirement. With clients able to comment and

is not there, is the conversation around “Got

report on ‘un-truths’ or something they perceive

one across the line” or “Made another client

to be in conflict with other information, your only

happy today?” Do they have customer focus or

option is to be truthful and transparent.

This requires true intent on the part of all involved at every level of the organisation. The true intent

commission breath?

6. Is the way you talk to customers face to face the same as the way you talk about them to

to REALLY put the customer first, not just give this

your colleagues behind their backs?

sentiment lip service.

Now I can hear you all saying ‘but we are customer

While the questions are obviously polarised to the

focussed. They are our reason for being here.’

extreme and the reality is somewhere in the middle,

Really? Perhaps a few quick questions to see how

which side of the middle did you land on more

you rate might be enlightening;

often than not?

1. Many organisations have a vision statement, or

Here is the real message – it has to be GENUINE

mission statement. Would customers say the same thing if you asked them to make your vision statement for you?

2. The company board or governing body is the seat of corporate intent. Is it focussed on the balance sheet and bottom line profit or tracking customer excellence of experience?

3. Could your board identify the Return on Investment on a great customer experience?

4. Does your marketing team focus on simply selling product or are they trying to empower the customer to make the best educated decision?

5. Does your sales team love their customers or achieving sales targets? When the customer

intent. You cannot fake it.

Have you ever been served by someone you knew did not care? Or someone has lied to cover up the fact they did not know? You can think of examples right now – right?

Do you think the people you serve and sell to can also tell, or do you think you can hide it when no one else in the world can? Get serious. We have an inbuilt instinct that detects when someone is not being totally honest with us – we just know. And we turn off and disconnect from that person.

They can spot it in you too. Intent has to be genuine or it will backfire horribly on you and simply confirm to the client that you are not to be trusted.

Bill James was the NSANZ New Zealand Business Speaker of the Year 2012 and is one of only nine Certified Speaking Professionals in New Zealand. He is known for finding the business, opening the door and making the connection. To find out more visit www.billjamesspeaker.com www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 14

Daniel Batten is a true linguistics champion and marketing thought leader who can take your marketing message and organisation beyond its current ceiling. www.beyondtheceiling.com

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Q&A

Q & A WITH ROB BERG Owner of KND Consulting NZSM: Rob, tell us a little about your own

ambitions was to run my own consultancy company

background/experience in sales?

so when the opportunity to become an accredited

RB:

Brian Tracy licensee in New Zealand became

I came to New Zealand seven years ago

from London where I worked predominately in the not-for-profit sector, devising and delivering work-based training. I have extensive experience in management and understand that good leadership is vital, especially for sales teams.

NZSM:

So how/why did you get into this

business?

RB:

I became inspired by Brian Tracy’s work in

available last year, I knew that this was the right fit for me. My business, KND Consultancy, offers Brian Tracy’s world-class seminar programs which have over four million graduates world-wide.

Throughout my career, I have attended many training courses and I found most to be average.

With the few training programmes that did inspire, I discovered that there was no buy-in from the upper-management at the companies. Even though

professional achievement, sales skills and leadership

I returned to work enthused, the organisation had

a couple of years ago and I credit Brian’s teachings

not integrated the philosophy of the training, so I

with improving my focus and clarity toward reaching

sometimes felt up against a brick wall when trying

my personal and professional goals. One of my

to implement new improvements.

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 16

Q&A

In contrast, I find that everyone from front-line workers to senior managers is immediately able to take the Brian Tracy training on board. The programmes have a positive impact on company culture and boost morale with an emphasis on motivation, excellent time-management, identifying and eliminating low-value tasks and increasing productivity.

NZSM: Tell us about the training programmes RB:

The sales programmes focus on gathering

leads, prospecting, preparing for sales meetings, setting goals, establishing efficient systems, overcoming objections, closing business and the importance of selling on quality compared to price. Sales managers can benefit from the High Performance Strategic Leadership course which

NZSM: Who should be using the training?

covers hiring, motivation, communication, planning,

RB: At KND Consultancy, we concentrate on the

strategy, delegation, effective leadership, fielding a

sales sector because we know there is a necessity

winning team and increasing revenue.

for effective sales training in New Zealand and we

The training has been developed to incorporate

are confident that our sales programmes fill this

all learning styles. The interactive, multi-media

requirement in our sales industry. The Brian Tracy

seminars are in modular format and include

material is applicable to all levels of sales staff

Brian Tracy on dvd, complementary workbooks,

experience and sales managers.

individual and team exercises, discussion groups,

follow-up coaching and audio cd’s for continued learning. The materials are continually being updated and there is an online training option which will be available soon.

NZSM:

What’s the one thing that

sales people must consider when choosing this kind of product service?

RB:

As Brian says, “If you want to

earn more, you have to learn more.”

For sales people who are serious about improving your sales results, we can show you how.

A sales manager must consider if they are satisfied with their team’s current sales figures. If you want a motivated sales team, improved lead conversion

Q&A

ratios, lowered costs, increased revenue and a way to measure and improve results, a Brian Tracy course offers you all this and more.

NZSM: What’s different about your business product?

RB:

The feedback from the over four

million graduates world-wide of the Brian Tracy training programmes has been overwhelmingly positive with many commenting that the impact was immediate. We are not just another training organisation because we take a holistic approach to training and development.

We offer an extensive range of products including assessment and hiring tools, training products in all key areas, and

follow-up programmes. We can service clients throughout New Zealand and we guarantee results.

We are confident we have the best offering for sales training in New Zealand with proven, sustainable

3. Surround yourself with positive people 4. Visualise yourself as one of the top individuals in your profession

results. We provide a customised approach to your

5. Practice positive self-talk continually

specific needs. We are very detail-oriented and we

6. Write out your goals every day

aim to exceed your expectations.

NZSM: What’s your sales secret for the readers

7. Take the necessary steps toward achieving your goals

of NZSM?

RB: 1. Make a decision today to join the top 10% of earners in your field 2. Identify your single weakest skill and work to become absolutely excellent in that area www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 18

8. Do more listening than talking 9. Keep focused on what you want to achieve 10. Take a Brian Tracy sales course to improve your skills.

Find out more at www.kndconsultancy.co.nz

QUICK FIX

QUICK FIX

It’s not what you sell, it’s how you sell.

Leaving Effective Voicemails

I

f when you leave a voice message you find your call is not returned then pause before you make the next call.

You should of course be prepared to speak when the phone

is picked up, but if you are trying to get access at executive level, you could be trying a long time. You should therefore be equally prepared to leave a message. Rambling, hesitation, and poor choice of words are all sure signs of a lack of preparation. Your call is unlikely to be returned.

So before making those important calls: •

Think through your voice message. Write it down and get it right.

•

Practise reading it aloud. Record it and play it back to yourself. How does it sound? Would you return the call?

19 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

2 Minute top-up

BUILDING SUCCESSFUL SALES BUDGETS From the bottom up

By Richard Gee

T

he process of building a successful realistic

However, your sales people will have ownership of

budget with your sales team can be very

budgets that they participate in setting. A customer

positive if you handle the process to get

result driven budget will show you the extent of the

their buy in.

Budgets that are imposed by the accountant or

knowledge your sales team has of your top 80% of customers.

manager from the ‘top down’ by taking last years’

To set a participative ‘bottom up’ budget, start by

results and adding seven percent, do not get buy in

calling a meeting of your team and show them last

and are often ignored or disrespected by sales staff.

year’s results per customer in each territory. Outline

20 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

2 Minute top-up

any major new product releases for the year and maybe any changes that could impact on sales. Design a form with four columns headed: Customer now / Exceeds last year / Stays same / Declines. Then get your sales team to input each customer name and previous year revenue from their customer base. Then get them to look at each customer and based on their knowledge of what the revenue will be for that customer in the coming year, decide whether the customer will grow and explain why, or stay same and why, or decline and why.

This will build up a customer based budget picture, and sometimes the reps present can help each other out if they have knowledge about a particular client. The sales person will quickly show their intimate knowledge of the customer to you and should make sound estimates of budget spend for the next year.

Ownership is immediate and this budget will be obtained. Once the review is complete, a pattern for each territory will show. Then ask your reps where they will make up the revenue that will be lost from declining customers? They then make a list of “new” prospects in their pipeline to fill a gap and get a sensible budget. To this budget you can add the impact of new products, services or territory changes to get a sales figure.

Make sure you get your sales team to sign the bottom of the budget planner sheet then you have total proof of their commitment to chasing sales. Every month or every three months, ask them to review progress against budget per customer and praise, warn or challenge the results you see. For a copy of a budget planner sheet visit my website.

Enjoy your budget planning and get the buy in from participation.

Richard Gee is the author of NZ Sales Management – a practical approach, Practical Marketing in NZ, and other books, plus is an International Speaker and sales trainer.

To find out more visit www.geewiz.co.nz

21 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

Resource CorneR

21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling Proven Actions You Must Take to Make Easier, Faster, Bigger Sales....

Now & Forever

Authors: Publisher: Price:

T

Jeffrey Gitomer Bard Press $32.99 from www.mightyape.co.nz

here are universal laws of selling that

undeniable - and unbreakable. If you’re just getting

determine whether you succeed, or don’t

started in selling, you will find the Laws invaluable.

succeed - whether you earn enough to enjoy

Whether or not you learn them and follow them

the lifestyle you want or struggle to make ends meet.

will make or break your career. If you’ve been in

When you align the wind with your sails, you move effortlessly across the water. When your sails are out of alignment, you flounder and go nowhere. If you

sales for a while, you will find yourself saying, “I haven’t been doing that” or “I knew that! How did I forget?”

align your thinking and actions with these powerful

When we break the Laws we pay the price. Our

laws of selling, you will be more effective and

sales suffer. Our bank account takes a hit. It’s an

efficient. You will encounter less friction, require less

effort to get out of bed and make a sales call, to

energy, and get bigger results faster.

do our best work - work that is aligned with the

Gitomers’ 21.5 Laws are the rock foundation of selling. They may be invisible but they are

www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz / 22

Laws. Use Jeffrey’s Laws of Selling to recharge your enthusiasm and redirect your actions back to what really works.

THE NZ SALES MANAGER CODE OF PROFESSIONAL SELLING When dealing with me: • You will find honesty and integrity.

• You will be listened to. I will seek to understand.

• You will be told the truth, how it is and as it happens.

• We will be working towards mutual gain.

• You can expect me to follow through on the promises I make.

•

You can expect me to be committed to my own personal development.

• You can expect me to be an ambassador for the sales profession.

Does your organisation have a code of sales ethics?

We’ve developed this one especially for NZ Sales Manager readers.

Please feel free to adopt for your team or organisation!

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Talk to us to nd out how we can help you grow in 2014!

Contact Ross Wilson on 021 152 8400 or email info@growingorganisations.com for a no obligation discussion about how we can help you achieve your sales goals in 2014

www.growingorganisations.com

CALENDAR DATE

NAME

PLACE

COMPANY

LINK

Friday 25th November

Eat That Frog!

Auckland

KND Consultancy

www.kndconsultancy.co.nz

Tuesday 3rd December

Sales Basics

Auckland

Geewiz

http://www.geewiz.co.nz/seminarsand-workshops/course-details

Tuesday 3rd December

Cold Calling and Prospecting

Auckland

Top Achievers Sales Training

www.topachieverssalestraining.co.nz

Wednesday 4th December

Leadership With Results

Auckland

Geewiz

http://www.geewiz.co.nz/seminarsand-workshops/course-details

Thursday 5th December

Sales Process

Auckland

Top Achievers Sales Training

www.topachieverssalestraining.co.nz

Thursday 5th December

Business Vision Day

New Plymouth

The Marketing Company

http://events.themarketingcompany. co.nz/courses/5-business-vision-day

Saturday 12th December

Sales Training Course

Hamilton

Top Achievers Sales Training

www.topachieverssalestraining.co.nz

Wednesday 16th December -

Superior Selling Skills

Auckland

KND Consultancy

www.kndconsultancy.co.nz

Thursday 17th December

25 / www.nzsalesmanager.co.nz

case study: stray

“I’ve forgotten about reliability issues because there are none.”

Brett Hudson Operations Manager, Stray

Stray

Stray Limited is an adventure bus company taking travellers to out-ofthe-way places around New Zealand. We caught up with Operations Manager, Brett Hudson to talk about 2degrees and their business.

Adventure Travel 50 staff 41 mobiles Around NZ Joined 2012

Why does stray need mobiles?

Our tagline is “off the beaten track” so we’re not staying at your main destinations. We’re getting out there to the extremities of New Zealand and our sole way of being in contact with our drivers is through phone communications. We have changes happening all the time and we need to be able to contact our team in real-time.

What Was your old provider like?

There were large phone bills and if we had a problem like a phone outage it seemed they were either busy or they weren’t organised, and couldn’t get back to us. It was very frustrating and it became a constant problem within the business.

and What impact is 2degrees having?

It saved us $60,000 in the first year. In the second year, it’s going to save us that again. All this will go back into marketing campaigns or growing other parts of the business. The other impact is having an Account Manager I can get hold of to get solutions to my problems when I need them.

What difference do mobile devices make?

Our drivers are now able to use their smartphones and other mobile devices to show videos, photos and information about other tour packages and options available, like our operations in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. We couldn’t do that before and it has made a huge difference. Of course, they’ve now got email and internet access too.

“You need damn good partners for successful business, and 2degrees I put in that category.“ Brett Hudson, Operations Manager

hoW is the coverage?

The coverage is fantastic. Regularly, I’m on road trips across New Zealand and off the beaten track and haven’t experienced issues with coverage. With our old provider there were a lot of black spots around Auckland and I don’t get those with 2degrees. And the bus drivers could be at Cape Reinga, they could be at Stewart Island, they could be down the West Coast; so in all sorts of different coverage areas and 2degrees works well for us.

3 x $89 plan

37 x $49 plan

1 x $149 plan

hoW reliable is the netWork?

Since I’ve been with 2degrees I’ve forgotten about reliability issues because there are none. Previously I regularly had issues.

I would be on the internet and it would drop out and when I sampled a 2degrees SIM card in there, I was amazed at the speed, how much quicker it was. I would regularly be on the phone with the last network and it would just drop a call. I don’t get that any more. As I said, the word reliability has disappeared from my vocabulary because it is so reliable.

For video case studies about Stray and other businesses who have made the move to 2degrees Business, please visit 2degreesmobile.co.nz/business

better 0800 022 BIZ (249)

2degreesmobile.co.nz

businesscare@2degreesmobile.co.nz

BUSINESS

THE CLOSE

“Our attitude towards others determines their attitude towards us. ” - Earl Nightingale

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