Simon Batty Maple Associates Ltd

Plenary Growing sales across the portfolio Recruiting and retaining staff Keeping both….. ……interactive discussion group  

This business is often with customers they haven’t dealt with before Growing Sales There’s more business out there than we can handle….somewhere….honestly! Over nearly 20 years of working with dealership teams we consistently see the following: Every time we ask them to engage with a sales project on a development programme they find more business This business is often with customers they haven’t dealt with before

UK, Africa, Europe – Keeping it Simple Growing machinery sales more than 15% and increasing market share, simply by increasing sales activity levels or Parts department teams increasing their cash Gross Profit 10% simply by introducing ‘5-a-day’ outbound customer service calls or service technicians growing profit contribution £4,000 each just by finding an extra 15 minutes retail work per day……..

Starting at the top Take each brand, product or service & look at your under-performers Are they under-performing because they are not being ‘sold’? Do your customers know what you sell, or just what they buy from you? Do you have the right portfolio?

Remember the “Marketing Mix” What is our best, or lowest risk, or simplest option to grow sales

What do new customers want? Speedy, knowledgeable response to their enquiry Good demonstration and explanation Efficient and simple sales process Installation or supply as promised Reliable and prompt aftersales support Do they have 3-5 ‘reasons’ to buy from you?

Review your territory & customer base Identify and classify your customer accounts A,B,C (Map them?) Look for gaps (geographical & sector) and identify potential prospects Compile a prospect list of potential A & B customers for direct contact Get proactive, focus tighter, define the target & make direct contact P20 to target new prospects for relationship building Newsletters, Sponsorship, Web-site, Social Media: use all channels Remember: direct contact & follow-up are proactive sales tools

The A,B,Cs of Growing Sales A – high value, high profile, high attention B – bread and butter, everyday, loyal business C – smaller scale, lower profile, low attention

The A,B,Cs of Growing Sales – example UK sales team analysed their accounts against field sales activity and found: A approx £400 profit per sales visit B approx £1,300 profit per sales visit C approx £2,800 profit per sales visit

UK small dealership A,B,C example Identify & map existing customers across territory Identify P20 list of A and B prospects to fill gaps Increase planned customer visits across territory to A’s & B’s Increase phone, email and social media contacts to C’s Weekly and monthly contact analysis and reporting Sales increased by approximately 12% over one year

Africa aftersales example Owners and operators targeted for ‘free’ health check report Broken, worn & damaged non-essential parts identified & itemised Report provided to owner/operator Small parts & labour discount offered if booked immediately 15% increase in parts & labour sales as a direct result of the promotion

Reputation for service Retaining customers Trusted advisor Reputation for service Easy to deal with Visible and active

Simple Management Actions Personal welcome letters from the boss Personal follow-up calls by sales and aftersales Birthday cards for machinery & main equipment Multiple dealer-customer relationship lines Ask their opinion personally and engage with their ideas Open days and ‘family’ days

Growing Sales and Keeping Customers Sharing best practice? Growing Sales and Keeping Customers What Works For You?

Would you leave a job elsewhere and work for you? Recruiting staff in a tough market Reputation is everything Your own Brand, quality and standards Respected, engaged and valued employees Involved in decision-making and improvements Challenging work and engagement with problem solving And yes, money is important, but not alone….. Would you leave a job elsewhere and work for you?

What almost all people want To know what ‘good’ looks like in their job The tools, skills and support to do it well To feel valued and valuable To feel informed and sometimes consulted To be part of something

Winning teams look like from outside? Most people want to be part of a successful team People are not attracted to ‘same job, different employer’ They are attracted to positive, professional, successful and social What does your team look like from outside?

Grow your own Grow your own by building capabilities not yet needed Talk with staff not about them to your colleagues Hold meaningful personal development reviews Special projects, goals and responsibilities Let them innovate and contribute ideas

Finding staff in a tough market Good web-site careers page – “always recruiting” for the right people Be more connected on active social platforms Targeted, well-written adverts where needed Look to other sectors for potential staff Direct approach to talented people Network: word of mouth is still Number 1

Recruiting and Retaining Staff Sharing best practice? Recruiting and Retaining Staff What Works For You?

Follow the blue line Sustained, steady and manageable growth People often do not like ‘big’ changes or bars set too high and customers don’t like sudden changes either

Top 5 tips for Winning Customers & Staff Make it personal This is still a ‘people’ industry Be easy to deal with As a supplier and an employer Work in partnership Solve problems together Multiple reasons to stay Easy to lure away if its just about money Annual review How did we do this year, what’s our plan for next

Thank You – Have a great 2018