Do traditional sales and marketing values like ‘trust’ and ‘loyalty’ hold water in this impatient and value-seeking age of millennials?

Jack Daly, a sales coach and author of several best selling books, believes that the concept of trust and loyalty exists now more than ever and companies would do good if they come out of their old mindset.

In an exclusive interaction with BusinessLine , Daly shared his thoughts on the changing dynamics of sales and marketing, e-commerce disruption to traditional sales, and the concerns about trust and loyalty of millennials.

Change in perception

While companies across the globe are finding ways to earn the trust and loyalty of millennials, Daly feels that the perception about millennials being less loyal is nothing more than a ‘head trash’ that the brands are carrying without any evidence.

“Sales people will do well if they unlearn the old habit of pitching and do more listening to customers,” said Daly, who has over three decades of sales and executive experience behind him. The sales veteran also said that salesmen across the globe are selling with logic and not emotion, which is essential to build trust and long-time relationship.

“Unfortunately, sales people these days fail to create ‘perceived value’ which is essential to bring first time customers and to retain the existing ones,” Daly said.

“About 40 per cent of Apple phone buyers don’t throw their box because Steve Jobs didn’t create a product but an emotion towards that.”

He also highlighted that from Apple to Harley Davidson, most of the premium products of the best brands are consumed by millennials who value emotions over economy.

“Trust trumps price all day long,” Daly said and added that Indian millennials, for that matter, are no different from their global peers when it comes to the question of quality.

A stickler for ethics and value, Daly said that brands that are not truthful and transparent to their customers are digging their own grave.

“But I find Indian business leaders are hesitant to fire their employees even when they tamper with trust,” Daly said and added that brands that have accepted their mistake and recovered have earned more trusted customers than even the brands that haven’t made any mistake.

Daly was in the city for an interactive workshop, ‘Within Sales Beyond Success’, organised by EO Chennai.

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