strategy & tactics
A Year in Growth
Numerous challenges in 2020 made for shifting perspectives, but the industry’s commitment to education and self-improvement only grew stronger as retailers and installers buckled down to the basics. WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA
In January 2020, Mobile Electronics magazine began the year with a Strategy and Tactics piece on using the MECP program to help businesses grow professionally. Kris Bulla wrote, “It all starts with you. You show up to work every day, perform some installations, and then go home. You might do that for a year, or five, or ten. But what do you have that indicates your expertise to a customer?” Bulla went on to say that telling a customer you’ve “done a lot of installations” isn’t enough. “However, pointing out your current certification hanging on the shop wall indicates your desire for ongoing education and a willingness to consistently improve in your field,” he said,
40 Mobile Electronics February 2021
going on to cover how to market MECP to customers by using the MECP Supporter logo and displaying your certification. Over the year, the Strategy and Tactics column covered numerous topics by multiple authors, including selling strategies, the basics of 12-volt and breaking bad habits. This month, we take a look back at the educational topics we discussed over the past year, which continue to be relevant into the new year. Create Ground Rules in Selling In the February-March issue, Kevin Hallinan of Winning, Inc. helped readers view selling from the perspective of the customer and discussed the importance
of setting ground rules while selling. The ground rules include the greeting as the salesperson asks the potential customer whether they are in a hurry, or if they have 15 minutes. The summarization of this, Hallinan explained, is: “Thanks for coming in. My name’s Kevin. And yours? Hi, Joe, are you in a hurry, or do you have 15 minutes? Cool. Feel free to ask me some questions, let me do the same, and we can figure out if it makes sense to do business. Fair?” “Breaking this down, I’ve found out how much time we have, I have permission to ask questions, and we’ve agreed that we may or may not do business. I’ve lowered Joe’s guard and yet we’ve agreed
