The Hindu Business Line : Fear-based sales relationship is dysfunctional

What would you call ‘the process of helping clients succeed in a way they feel good about’? It’s ‘sales,’ say Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig in Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship ( www.penguin.com).

Unfortunately, many buyers feel salespeople try to force or coerce a fit, the authors rue. “No matter what you put in front of the word ‘selling’ (consultative, solution, visionary, creative, integrity, value-based), it is still tainted with the association of a person doing something to somebody, rather than for or with them.”

As a result, the sales relationship has often become a fear-based relationship, and turned dysfunctional. We can make a difference, assure Khalsa and Illig. The book opens with the key belief that buyers and sellers both want a solution that meets the client’s needs exactly. It is when we decide how much to pay for the increased value (dividing up the pie) that our self-interests diverge, with each party aspiring for more of the pie, as the authors explain.

Coherent discussion.

Hospital marketing

Marketing Services Compiled by Venkata Ramana Vedulla

Public relations is an indirect but invaluable part of the value chain of a hospital, writes V. Uma Nath in one of the essays included in Marketing Services, compiled by Venkata Ramana Vedulla ( www.jaicobooks.com). Foster relations with the community and educate people in the area through initiatives such as discounts and privilege cards, the author advises.

Also, customise services to the patient and the attendants, she adds. For example, a cup of coffee after ‘fasting blood sample’ brings a smile to a patient’s face, says Nath. An apt quote of Peter Drucker that the essay wraps up with is about how the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous: “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him or her and sells itself. Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is ready to buy. All that should be needed then is to make the product or service available.”

Good collection of insights.
Successful message

The Olympic Games Effect How Sports Marketing Builds Strong Brands John A. Davis

The four ingredients of a successful message are relevance, resonance, distinction, and simplicity, writes John A. Davis in The Olympic Games Effect: How Sports Marketing Builds Strong Brands ( www.wiley.com).

Relevance is about connecting directly to the target audience. Whether the goal is a simple, three-word slogan, or a multi-layered product description, the customer must be able to understand and say ‘that is important to me,’ because without relevance, the message fails, no matter how creative or lyrical it sounds, explains Davis.

A message has ‘resonance’ if it evokes important and/ or emotional imagery or sensation. Helpful reference for businesses preparing themselves for the next Olympics!

D. Murali

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