Consumer Behavior & It's Effect On Proffesional Selling

Hello,

I just recently read an interesting article handed out by a professor in one of my Consumer Behavior courses, from experience matters.wordpress.com, regarding Consumer Behavior and it's effect on professional seller (employee). As a professional seller, the readings reminded me to be mindful of of the "customers experience" in addition to the actual sale its' self.

This article points out and discusses a contrast between the relationship between seller engagement and the customer experience, and what are "The 6 Laws of Customer Experience".  In this reading i found helpful knowledge which reminded me about the effects the consumers and sellers psychological state of being have on the selling process.
Just like the three laws that govern physics, there are a set of fundamental truths about how customer experience operates.  And here they are, The 6 Laws of Customer Experience and their bottom lines;

1. Every Interaction Creates a Personal Reaction (you need to understand your customer, personally) 
2. People are instinctively self-centered (make the shift from self centeredness to customer-centerness)
3. Customer Familiarity Breeds Alignment ( an external focus is an antidote to internal politics)
4. Employees Do What Is Measured, Incented and Celebrated ( don't blame employees, fix the environment)
5. You Can't Fake It (  if your not committed to the consumers experience, you can only fool yourself)
6. Unengaged Employees Don't Create Engaged Customers (customers experiences depends on employee experience)

"Communication Styles" Seller vs. Consumer

With major advances in information technology and electronic commerce-customers know what they want, leaving Sellers urged sometimes forced to be creative and  innovating when approaching that customer and that sale, just constantly having to reinvent and adapt themselves; But there's one thing that will never change and that is human to human communication (the process).
According to the book Selling Today, under Communication Styles "Style Flexing" ; The book discusses how communication style influences the relationship process in sales. Sellers should have a better understanding of their own preferred communication style and the ability to manage their selling relationships more effectively by learning to adapt their style to fit the preferred communication style of the customer. This practice is called "Style Flexing" through various communication styles;

Their are two important dimensions of human behavior that can be rated from a high to a low:
Dominance -can be defined as the tendency to control or prevail over others, dominant individuals tend to offer opinions readily and are decisive and self assertive.
Sociability -can be defined as the amount of control we exert over our emotional expressiveness, Individuals who are higher in sociability tend to express their feeling freely, while people that are low in this dimension tend to control their feelings.
By combining these two dimension of human behavior we can form a partial outline of the communication-style models-
The four common communication style models:
Emotive style- combination style higher dominance and higher sociability
Directive style-combination style higher dominance and lower sociability
Reflective style- combination style lower dominance and lower sociability
Supportive style- combination style lower dominance and higher sociability

Actor Robin Williams and Oprah Winfrey are examples of Emotive people; they do not hide their feelings and express opinions dramatically (source: George Burns/Newscom)

The ability to identify another person's communication style and to know how when to adopt your own preferred style to it, can afford you the seller a crucial advantage in dealing with people. Differences between people can be a source of friction, the ability to "speak the other persons language" is an important relationship management skill.

Getting Familar With "Dell"

Hello it's Celines, while gathering my research notes i came across the following, thought you might enjoy Dell's company time line video archive link. 

Michael Dell is the CEO and founder of DELL Inc. The company was founded during 1984 in Austin Texas.

Dell is a computer software, systems and IT consulting organization. Their high end level of customer services are evident in their customer drivin and innovating product and services portfolio; desktops, netbooks, notebooks, peripherals, servers, printers, scanners, smartphones, storages, televisions.

 Dell caters to a substantial targeted audience in the market the following a limited list features and benefits of products/ services:

·         Opti Plex(office desktop computer)

·         Vostro (office/small businesses desktop and notebook systems)

·         Latitude(business-focused notebooks)

·         Power Edge (business servers)

·         IT(consultation)

With global positioning and successful operations in Europe, Asia, japan, Brazil and the Americas according to Lexis Nexis Research firm, Dell’s key competitors are Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Acer. 

To be continued...........http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/our-story-company-timeline.aspx

Is Working In Sales For Everyone?

Hello it's Celines, Do you think everyone should work in sales, at least one point in their lives?. Yes, well aaccording to Jeff Haden a writer for Money Watch,an interesting article i read through BNET, Jeff Haden helps us explore and realize the significance of why every one should work in sales.  In his article he mentions " Many people, especially those who work in large company's, are not exposed to the difficulties and challenges faced by sales teams.  Sales skills are incredibly useful in every field, every position and in your personal life too.  Too many people automatically when they hear the word "selling" implies manipulating, pressure, cajoling... I was one of those people, but after reading this article and exploring what Jeff Haden points out, i clearly see how the skills you gain will serve you well for the rest of your business career and personal life.
Here are more reasons why everyone should work in sales, at least for a period of time;

• You'll learn to negotiate- Every job involves negotiating, with peers, other departments, even with your boss. Sales people learn to listen, evaluate variables, identify key drivers, overcome objectives and find ways to reach agreements without burning bridges.
• You'll learn to close-Asking for what you want is difficult for a lot of people. Closing a sale is part art, part science.  Getting others to agree with you and follow your direction is also part art, part science.  If you aspire to a leadership position, you must be able to close.  Great sales people know how to close and Great supervisors and managers do too.
• You'll learn persistence-Sales people hear the word "no" all the time.  Overtime you'll start to see "no" as a challenge , not a rejection.
• You'll learn self discipline- If you work for a big company, sometimes you can sleep walk your way through the day and still get paid. When you work for commission, "if it is to be, it's up to me", is your credo.  Sales is a great way to permanently connect the mental dots between performance and reward.
• You'll learn how to work well with a wide range of people at all levels- Working in sales is the perfect way to cure shyness.  Learn to step forward with confidence, especially under duress or a crisis, and you can take on any role in an organization.
• If you want to venture into Entrepreneurship- Every business is an extension of it's owner.  Even they have a sales team, a business owner is always involved in sales. 

I now think of it this way- Gaining sales skills produces confidence and self assurance and these skills will serve you well for the rest of your business career and personal life.

Sellers Beware"The Tables Have Turned"

After reading a book that discussed Selling opportunities in this information economy, it stays stuck on my mind that; with today's growing modern technology, consumers are able to obtain and research a product or services before making that purchase.  It's no longer up to the seller to persuade or output an abundance of product knowledge information to land that sale. It use to be that the Seller had to discover the needs, and match the appropriate product/service to the consumer, well "The tables have turned". I found in my readings three interesting philosophy prescriptions; the seller must adopt the market concept, value personal selling and assume the role of a problem solver or partner in helping consumers make and informed and intelligent decision.  It's a style with physiological methods that will steer a deal in the right direction. I found this reading very innovating.

Is It Really Necessary to "Brand" Yourself?

When we come in contact with people, we will most likely be type casted by our names, hairstyles or logos, slogans found on our clothing items.  Humans have the tendency to "judge a book by it's cover" and sometimes it's a wrongful judgment, so why not? Brand yourself before others Brand you. Society is extremely demanding and competitive; for employers, employees, college students and family units (we all compete with one another). 
I recently read an interesting article that highlights some advantages of Branding yourself.  The key elements where; to identify your targeted audience (ieg.professor, prospective employer or Even a relative), determine what's your current image and perform a mini self s.w.o.t. analysis, make adjustments, and develop your brand. My answer to the topic question is Yes, it's really necessary to Brand yourself, "Running your life is like running a business". 

"A keen sense for man kind"

"In most peoples vocabularies, design means veneer.  It's interior decorating.  It's the fabric of curtains of the sofa.  But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design.  Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service"

                                                                                                                                     -Steve Jobs