Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Suggest You - National Accounts -- How Do You Create a Program That Really Works?
Your CV is an important document but it can also be boring! Bring it alive by capturing real examples from all aspects of your life. When we apply for a job, we have to provide examples of our achievements, courses we have completed etc. Too often we only remember what we did after we have made the application.Let today be the day you start filling your own jewel chest. Let the diamonds be your achievements, the rubies courses you have been on, emeralds the personality testing results etc.What you put in your chest is up to you. I recommend a box where you can physically put things rather than a computer folder that you may not be able to find again, but you can keep it all backed up and keep details of the file name.The box should contain all your job related information. People who work in IT keep extensive details of their IT skills and make sure they address any skills training needs so that they do not fall behind.Your achievement folder can contain:* Certificates and diplomas* Letters of thanks from satisfied customers and clients* Details of courses you have attended, including dates, length of course and key outcomes* Articles and letters you have written to professional journals, staff newsletters etc* Personal development: reports from personality questionnaires and assessments you have undertaken. You probably will not want to hand these over to a new employer but you can refer to them as you prepare for interview and to start in your new job.* Achievements at work and in your personal life. From dealing with a challenging customer to completing a half marathon.Once you have this information, your CV is no longer a dull record of past jobs, milestones and achievements. It is a living statement of your life: where you are now, even where you want to be. You could keep notes on your thoughts, feelings, and ambitions. The file can be as personal as you want. It covers what you will need to update your CV and use in job applications.The achievement folder will then be your first step to updating you CV, and updat
What do national account types really value?
What motivates our suppliers to negotiate special terms for these accounts?
Do these accounts view our company as partners?
What do we know about their business?
Are we truly the primary source of supply?
Can we create a win-win situation?
Clarity
Everyone must have a clear understanding of exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Recognizing the volatility of the environment is a valuable piece of the puzzle. Your company needs to catch up to the pace of change within the distribution industry to maintain competitive advantage. Remember, "Perceived value drives expectations" and "Performance value drives customer satisfaction."
Raise your customers' perceived value high enough and you create "competitive advantage" which is the first step towards rebalancing the shift of power inherent in any national accounts program.
While the knowledge aspect of the national accounts
Here's the #1 secret to sales and marketing: No matter what veneer we put on it, there is only one reason in the whole world that anybody buys anything. Master that concept and rule the world. I'm working on it - join me.So here it is: the only reason that anybody buys anything is to feel relatively good. It sounds almost too simple right? Read on...I call this the Tao of sales and marketing because, like the Taoist model of the universe, first there is nothing, then the one thing, then two things, then 10,000 things. The one thing in my model is the idea of wanting to feel relatively good.Wanting to feel relatively good gives rise to two things - seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. From those two impulses we get our 10,000 made-up reasons for buying stuff.Every time I talk about this, I make some people uncomfortable. Some like to believe that all their purchases are rational. Of course they are frequently the ones buying cars and houses they can't afford. People are great at rationalizing everything. Rationalizing is another thing we do to make ourselves feel good.Brain scan research shows us that every single decision we make starts out in the emotional center of the brain. Even very simple decisions start as a feeling. Then, we rationalize by moving through the logical centers of the brain. Honestly, if people made decisions rationally would we have wars, drug abuse, or karaoke? Probably not.My wife and I bought a house right after we got married. The price was good, in a good neighborhood, and I knew that the equity would grow fast. But the real reasons we bought were more emotional. It made us feel like we were really married to own a house. I feel better paying mortgage than paying rent. I have a greater sense of ownership of my home than I ever did with an apartment. It may have made logical sense to buy the house, but logic is not enough to get somebody to buy.A critical part of the Tao of sales and marketing is the phrase, "relatively good". You might just say, "better". We can't always make somebody feel truly good. However we might be able to take awa
Regain Power by Offering Competitive Advantage
National accounts, by definition, have significant size and buying power which provide leverage in demanding lower prices. In addition, because of their complexity and demographics, they are often more difficult and expensive to service. Consequently, most national accounts are the least profitable.
In response, you need to make a concentrated effort to effectively rebalance the shift of power by offering significant competitive advantages that make your products and services more critical to your national accounts. Without creating competitive advantage, you will be tied to the downward price spiral that eats margin and effectively negates any understanding by your customers that "price is not the same as cost." A structured national accounts program with definitive guidelines is the first step toward gaining competitive advantage. There are four basic broad categories of added value that create competitive advantage:
1. Processes that streamline your customers' productivity, improve quality, take transaction costs out of the supply chain and provide measurable savings (unrelated to price).
2. Administrative and technical support that can reduce your customers' internal costs enough to affect bottom line operating costs.
3. Sales and marketing support that can increase your customers' top line.
4. Technology that is core to your customers' business results, yet is beyond their internal capabilities. Your national accounts program should refocus your efforts on all of these issues.
Four Fundamentals
The ultimate success of a national accounts program depends on the hard work and team participation of all company employees involved in the process. There are four basic fundamentals of success in any national accounts program:
1. Knowledge - Study the internal processes of your company and/or the internal workings of your national accounts program if you already have one in place.
2. Understanding - Research the business environment in which your company operates and the resulting defined objectives for a national accounts program.
3. Clarity - Identify the big picture of market and customer demand and direction. This should be a true understanding of what your corporation is trying to accomplish in total.
4. Commitment - Secure the commitment of your entire company.
Knowledge
It is essential to outline the objectives of your program, the process involved, and the direction to take in order to receive help and support when necessary. If you have no program in effect, it is critical to develop this process.
Second, activity measurement and open communication (both up and down the chain of command) are absolutely critical for success. Accountability is an absolute necessity and it must be clearly defined. Support from your company's information management system can provide the fundamental elements of success for the national accounts program. A weak information system could leave dangerous voids or even misrepresent the true picture of the national accounts program.
Understanding
Understanding brings the field view (external view) closer to corporate headquarters. An internal company survey may provide the necessary clarity as to how a national accounts program is perceived. Input from local account representatives and branch managers is very important. Your company needs to explore how things are being done and how an existing program is perceived. Most importantly, input from the field with recommendations is essential. If you currently have no program, the survey is even more critical to the initial development stage of a new program. Understanding actual needs of the national account is also critical to the success of your program. To get a better understanding, ask the following questions:
What do national account types really value?
What motivates our suppliers to negotiate special terms for these accounts?
Do these accounts view our company as partners?
What do we know about their business?
Are we truly the primary source of supply?
Can we create a win-win situation?
Clarity
Everyone must have a clear understanding of exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Recognizing the volatility of the environment is a valuable piece of the puzzle. Your company needs to catch up to the pace of change within the distribution industry to maintain competitive advantage. Remember, "Perceived value drives expectations" and "Performance value drives customer satisfaction."
Raise your customers' perceived value high enough and you create "competitive advantage" which is the first step towards rebalancing the shift of power inherent in any national accounts program.
While the knowledge aspect of the national accounts
If you create PowerPointฎ presentations that others deliver, you may need to create the slides in such a way that the presenter cannot change the slide content. One industry that this is particularly important in is the financial services industry. When the corporate marketing department creates slides depicting performance of investments, it is very important for legal reasons that no changes get made when the slides are presented. If changes are made that misrepresent the facts, the organization can be subject to severe penalties and lawsuits.One approach to protecting content is to restrict the access to the file in PowerPoint 2003 if you have installed the Information Rights Management module. In many cases this is a burden and there is an easier way to get almost all of the same benefits. It uses the ability of PowerPoint to save a slide as a graphic. Here are the instructions for this technique.Step 1 Create Your SlidesCreate your slides in PowerPoint as you normally would, with all the graphics and text you need. Proofread and review your slides to make sure they are finalized.Step 2 Save the slides as Graphic FilesIn PowerPoint, click File ? Save As to display the Save As dialog box. Drop down the Save as type drop down box at the bottom of the dialog box and scroll down to the graphics formats.Select the PNG Portable Network Graphics Format (Other formats such as GIF, JPG and TIF offer no better quality and result in larger files). Enter a file name for the graphic files in the File Name entry box. When you click on the Save button, it will ask you if you want to save all of the slides in the presentation or just the current slide. Select the appropriate choice for your situation. Your slides are now saved as images on your computer.Step 3 Create a New Presentation of ImagesStart a new presentation. Click Insert ? Picture ? From File. Find your saved image files from Step 2. Select the image you want for this slide and click the OK button. If needed, size the image so it fills the screen. Re
1. Processes that streamline your customers' productivity, improve quality, take transaction costs out of the supply chain and provide measurable savings (unrelated to price).
2. Administrative and technical support that can reduce your customers' internal costs enough to affect bottom line operating costs.
3. Sales and marketing support that can increase your customers' top line.
4. Technology that is core to your customers' business results, yet is beyond their internal capabilities. Your national accounts program should refocus your efforts on all of these issues.
Four Fundamentals
The ultimate success of a national accounts program depends on the hard work and team participation of all company employees involved in the process. There are four basic fundamentals of success in any national accounts program:
1. Knowledge - Study the internal processes of your company and/or the internal workings of your national accounts program if you already have one in place.
2. Understanding - Research the business environment in which your company operates and the resulting defined objectives for a national accounts program.
3. Clarity - Identify the big picture of market and customer demand and direction. This should be a true understanding of what your corporation is trying to accomplish in total.
4. Commitment - Secure the commitment of your entire company.
Knowledge
It is essential to outline the objectives of your program, the process involved, and the direction to take in order to receive help and support when necessary. If you have no program in effect, it is critical to develop this process.
Second, activity measurement and open communication (both up and down the chain of command) are absolutely critical for success. Accountability is an absolute necessity and it must be clearly defined. Support from your company's information management system can provide the fundamental elements of success for the national accounts program. A weak information system could leave dangerous voids or even misrepresent the true picture of the national accounts program.
Understanding
Understanding brings the field view (external view) closer to corporate headquarters. An internal company survey may provide the necessary clarity as to how a national accounts program is perceived. Input from local account representatives and branch managers is very important. Your company needs to explore how things are being done and how an existing program is perceived. Most importantly, input from the field with recommendations is essential. If you currently have no program, the survey is even more critical to the initial development stage of a new program. Understanding actual needs of the national account is also critical to the success of your program. To get a better understanding, ask the following questions:
What do national account types really value?
What motivates our suppliers to negotiate special terms for these accounts?
Do these accounts view our company as partners?
What do we know about their business?
Are we truly the primary source of supply?
Can we create a win-win situation?
Clarity
Everyone must have a clear understanding of exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Recognizing the volatility of the environment is a valuable piece of the puzzle. Your company needs to catch up to the pace of change within the distribution industry to maintain competitive advantage. Remember, "Perceived value drives expectations" and "Performance value drives customer satisfaction."
Raise your customers' perceived value high enough and you create "competitive advantage" which is the first step towards rebalancing the shift of power inherent in any national accounts program.
While the knowledge aspect of the national accounts
Classified advertising is a form of advertising that is particularly common in newspapers and other periodicals. A classified is usually textually based and can consist of as little as the type of item being sold, and a contact number to call for more information. It can also have much more detail, such as name to contact, address to contact or visit, a detailed description of the product or products. There are generally no pictures or other graphics within the advertisement, although sometimes a logo may be used.Classified advertising is generally grouped within the publication under headings classifying the product or service being offered, for example: Accounting, Automobiles, Clothing, Farm Produce, For Sale, For Rent, etc. Classified advertising is different from display advertising that often contains graphics or other art work and which is more typically distributed throughout a publication adjacent to editorial content.The free classifieds are part of free classified advertising. The free classified advertising is the advertising free of cost.In recent times classified advertising or classified ads are not merely confined to print media, rather expanded to internet network. The free classifieds and free classified advertising have become hot online catchwords. Craigslist was one of the first online classified sites.The free Internet classified advertising is rapidly growing trend of recent times. There are numerous companies and websites that offer the free online classified ads. These websites receives free classifieds ads and advertise them free of cost.There are also country specific classified online sites like usfreeads.com for United States. There are a number of agencies throughout the world that have made a business out of the classified advertising industry. For example: Wide Area Classifieds has created their own classified networks in which businesses and individuals can place ads in hundreds of different papers across the country.According to market researcher Classified Intelligence, in 2003, the market for classified ads in the United States was $1
Four Fundamentals
The ultimate success of a national accounts program depends on the hard work and team participation of all company employees involved in the process. There are four basic fundamentals of success in any national accounts program:
1. Knowledge - Study the internal processes of your company and/or the internal workings of your national accounts program if you already have one in place.
2. Understanding - Research the business environment in which your company operates and the resulting defined objectives for a national accounts program.
3. Clarity - Identify the big picture of market and customer demand and direction. This should be a true understanding of what your corporation is trying to accomplish in total.
4. Commitment - Secure the commitment of your entire company.
Knowledge
It is essential to outline the objectives of your program, the process involved, and the direction to take in order to receive help and support when necessary. If you have no program in effect, it is critical to develop this process.
Second, activity measurement and open communication (both up and down the chain of command) are absolutely critical for success. Accountability is an absolute necessity and it must be clearly defined. Support from your company's information management system can provide the fundamental elements of success for the national accounts program. A weak information system could leave dangerous voids or even misrepresent the true picture of the national accounts program.
Understanding
Understanding brings the field view (external view) closer to corporate headquarters. An internal company survey may provide the necessary clarity as to how a national accounts program is perceived. Input from local account representatives and branch managers is very important. Your company needs to explore how things are being done and how an existing program is perceived. Most importantly, input from the field with recommendations is essential. If you currently have no program, the survey is even more critical to the initial development stage of a new program. Understanding actual needs of the national account is also critical to the success of your program. To get a better understanding, ask the following questions:
What do national account types really value?
What motivates our suppliers to negotiate special terms for these accounts?
Do these accounts view our company as partners?
What do we know about their business?
Are we truly the primary source of supply?
Can we create a win-win situation?
Clarity
Everyone must have a clear understanding of exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Recognizing the volatility of the environment is a valuable piece of the puzzle. Your company needs to catch up to the pace of change within the distribution industry to maintain competitive advantage. Remember, "Perceived value drives expectations" and "Performance value drives customer satisfaction."
Raise your customers' perceived value high enough and you create "competitive advantage" which is the first step towards rebalancing the shift of power inherent in any national accounts program.
While the knowledge aspect of the national accounts
Client testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing tools coaches can use. Did you know that they can help you attract new clients, increase customer confidence and generate a positive buzz about you and your services? (Actually, those are just a few of their marketing uses.)Human nature gives testimonials such power because we love discovering what one person thinks of another even when its positive! Its the same dynamic that makes gossip so hard to resist. As a professional coach, you want the positive gossip that testimonials provide because you can use that information to promote yourself, your services and products, to call attention to your strengths and to distinguish yourself from your competitors.Testimonials also are powerful because they are first-person accounts: when a client makes a positive statement about you and backs it up with his or her name and contact information, it enhances your credibility.In addition, written testimonials are fabulously flexible. They can be used powerfully on your website, in printed and electronic promotional materials, following the signature line of your emails and in many other ways and places. Once you have obtained testimonials from your clients, you will think of a hundred ways to use them!Now that we have established the value of client testimonials, here are a few dos and donts to guide you as you obtain and use them to grow your business.DO let your clients know the benefits to them of providing testimonials that will be used on your website(s), such as:- increased exposure for their business, thanks to internet serendipity;- increased website traffic and/or business for them, generated by a link from your website to theirs;- enhanced standing among search engines, due to more internet exposure; and- that genuinely warm feeling that comes from helping another solopreneur!DO obtain your clients permission to use their full name and email address because it will give their testimonials a great deal more credibility. (Lets assume I have written a glowing testimonial
Second, activity measurement and open communication (both up and down the chain of command) are absolutely critical for success. Accountability is an absolute necessity and it must be clearly defined. Support from your company's information management system can provide the fundamental elements of success for the national accounts program. A weak information system could leave dangerous voids or even misrepresent the true picture of the national accounts program.
Understanding
Understanding brings the field view (external view) closer to corporate headquarters. An internal company survey may provide the necessary clarity as to how a national accounts program is perceived. Input from local account representatives and branch managers is very important. Your company needs to explore how things are being done and how an existing program is perceived. Most importantly, input from the field with recommendations is essential. If you currently have no program, the survey is even more critical to the initial development stage of a new program. Understanding actual needs of the national account is also critical to the success of your program. To get a better understanding, ask the following questions:
What do national account types really value?
What motivates our suppliers to negotiate special terms for these accounts?
Do these accounts view our company as partners?
What do we know about their business?
Are we truly the primary source of supply?
Can we create a win-win situation?
Clarity
Everyone must have a clear understanding of exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Recognizing the volatility of the environment is a valuable piece of the puzzle. Your company needs to catch up to the pace of change within the distribution industry to maintain competitive advantage. Remember, "Perceived value drives expectations" and "Performance value drives customer satisfaction."
Raise your customers' perceived value high enough and you create "competitive advantage" which is the first step towards rebalancing the shift of power inherent in any national accounts program.
While the knowledge aspect of the national accounts
I am sure you must have run into websites or links to websites offering free products ranging from Apple Ipods to laptops and including cash through Paypal. Some open-minded persons who tried those sites were well rewarded. I will explain what freebie sites are for some of you who are more cautious and skeptical which is completely understandable.Freebie sites offer gifts like Ipods which attracts a lot of people to try the services or products advertised by them. Freebie sites receive commission when you and your referrals complete those offers. Well-known advertisers include Ebay, Vonage, Netflix and blockbuster. Part of this commission is then used to pay for your Ipod and even shipping is paid.You can earn your free gift in some few easy steps:Step1- Choose your gift This is the easiest part. Hint: Always read the Terms and Conditions to know if you are eligible.Step 2- Complete one or more offers to receive a credit (usually referred as going green) Hint: Always try offers that you genuinely want to. There are offers for $1 (Price of offers varies)Step3- Refer x number of persons This number will be determined by the gift you chose earlier in Step1. Generally, this information is found on the front page or in the Terms and Conditions.Step 4- Order your free gift once all the above steps have been completed. Shipping and Handling is included with your free gift.You can now try your first freebie site. If you are still not convinced I advise starting with a freebie site with few referrals.
What do national account types really value?
What motivates our suppliers to negotiate special terms for these accounts?
Do these accounts view our company as partners?
What do we know about their business?
Are we truly the primary source of supply?
Can we create a win-win situation?
Clarity
Everyone must have a clear understanding of exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Recognizing the volatility of the environment is a valuable piece of the puzzle. Your company needs to catch up to the pace of change within the distribution industry to maintain competitive advantage. Remember, "Perceived value drives expectations" and "Performance value drives customer satisfaction."
Raise your customers' perceived value high enough and you create "competitive advantage" which is the first step towards rebalancing the shift of power inherent in any national accounts program.
While the knowledge aspect of the national accounts program is heavily weighted toward internal perspective, clarity needs to be weighted toward your external environment. You must be clearly aware of market dynamics, including technology and other external forces shaping your particular industry and driving behavior of the national accounts customers. You must evaluate events and trends using an anticipatory perspective in relationship to your competition. You need to ask yourself these questions:
How is the industry different today regarding what is expected from a national accounts program?
What will be considered by 2007?
What are our competitors doing in serving national accounts?
What technologies offer the most potential, both as products and tools?
What actions are our competitors taking to gain advantage?
How will our suppliers react to our strategy?
Commitment
A National Accounts Program cannot be treated like a member of the "flavor of the month" club. Everyone needs to take it seriously. Commitment is required by everyone. This is not something you dabble in. That is why it is important to put the time and attention into the planning process before getting wet. Understand your objectives.
The only reason a company should embark on a national accounts program is to obtain sales and market share that in total is profitable for the company and meets the criteria of corporate strategic objectives.
The corporate objectives of the national accounts program may be outlined as follows:
Develop a national presence in the marketplace
Enhance the company image and credibility
Develop impressive client references
Support growth with preferred vendors
Create synergy with the corporate mission statement
Rebalance the shift of power and profitability in the national account program
One of the core problems facing many national accounts programs is the need to overlay a centralized sales function on an established decentralized sales force. In the past, your processes and systems may not have enabled customers, prospects, or even your own field sales representatives to make informed, favorable decisions.
How Do We Get Started?
Step 1: Define the Players
Clearly define independent responsibilities of each player contributing to the success of the national accounts program.
Director of National Accounts
Serves as liaison with national account at corporate level.
Approves and helps establish "Rules of Engagement.
Provides support to local management.
Monitors the activity between national account representatives and local branches.
Determines qualification criteria. Reviews qualification process.
National Account Manager
Supports/initiates implementation of national account program.
Calls on national account corporate purchasing.
Responds to issues and requests from the customer and company personnel.
Meets and interacts with your customers' top decision makers.
Helps customers, even in areas unrelated to company products and service. Communicates effectively with local branch management and local account representatives.
Branch Manager
Manages activity of local account representatives.
Supports both corporate and local national account sales efforts
Monitors national account activity, service level, and provides guidance to local account representative
Reports progress.
Interacts with Director of National Accounts on any and all national account issues.
Local Account Manager
Manages consigned inventory
Grows sales of non-contract items
Interacts with national account manager
Services account according to contract rules of engagement
Provides Branch Manager with monthly status report.
Step 2: "The Tiger Team"
A tiger team is a select group of top-level employees, selected by executive management, who are committed to the objective of refining the development of the national accounts program. This team consists of the following personnel:
Director of National Accounts
Several national account representatives
A regional manager
Several local sales representatives
The tiger team should be split into two groups:
Group 1: Director of National Accounts
Several nationa
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.suggestyou.com/article/38762/suggestyou-National-Accounts--How-Do-You-Create-a-Program-That-Really-Works.html">National Accounts -- How Do You Create a Program That Really Works?</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.suggestyou.com/article/38762/suggestyou-National-Accounts--How-Do-You-Create-a-Program-That-Really-Works.html]National Accounts -- How Do You Create a Program That Really Works?[/url]
Related Articles:
What the Boston Red Sox taught me about Resiliency
Electrical Engineering Careers
Business Cards -- Small Yet Mighty Warriors!
Bookmark it:
|