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Online Insecurity
By: Tama Swan, Associate Editor
Issue: 2010jan

A Distributor Asks:
A client recently found an item online at a lower price than I could quote it. It’s not exactly the same item but it’s close enough that he’s willing to buy it online instead of from me. What can I do to keep his business and how can I avoid this problem in the future?


Remy Fenster
Owner
RJF Marketing
UPIC: rjfmkt10
This is a problem that is all too common and, regardless of what others say, let me give it to you straight: There is nothing you can do. This buyer is interested in price and nothing else. You can listen to all the gurus who talk about service and quality and the value/knowledge you can offer, but the client does not care.

I have a client who gets his pens from a mail-order house. He orders 500 for 18 cents and gets 500 free. He loves the pens. They’re cheap, they work and I can’t touch the price. Let them have the order. But, I am in his office every couple of weeks. He still buys from me. This year he bought calendars, hats, jackets, and some other items I suggested. I told him I had special factory pricing if he ordered 144 mugs. He bought 288 because they were “on sale.”

The best thing you can do is stay in touch with him. You’ll still get orders, but he’ll still shop online just because he can—and because he enjoys it. We all hate to lose a sale, but it’s going to happen. Bring in samples, bring sales flyers, show something new. (Notice I said bring in, not send or mail.) Differentiate yourself from the online stores.

You can’t stop clients from buying online, but you can stay in their face and make sure they don’t stop buying from you.


John Simonetta
Owner
John Simonetta Freelance
UPIC: PROFORMA
The problem is real, and I do not think it can be avoided. The web is simply too large of a place. Instead it is our job to protect and nurture the relationship with the client. If your client is going with the internet simply because of price, maybe it is time to suggest another item at the price they have located online that you know will work better for them based on your relationship and your understanding of their business.

For every job we do we ask what is the budget, who is the audience, what is the timetable. Will this cheap item really meet their needs? If so, fine, let them get the item online, but make sure that you help them understand were that item fits into their overall promotional/marketing plan. Help them protect their brand and make their lives easier by being proactive. Build the relationship.

At our office, we often have clients send us links to online items. We track the item down and give them our opinion, offer our price and normally a few alternative ideas of similar items from vendors we trust. In most cases clients will go with one of our suggestions—if it meets their budget—because of the trust between us. They know we will protect their brand. They know the items we suggest will arrive in a timely manner and be exactly what we say they are. They now this because of the relationship we have with them.

Placing insufficient items in front of our clients, even if they ask us to, will hurt our relationship with them in the long run. I would rather another supplier be considered the “cheap, goods guys” and let our clients think of us as the “go-to guys.”


Lee McCubbin, CRS
Co-Owner
McCubbin Trophy & Engraving
UPIC: McTrophy
If customers are purchasing solely based on price (and many are, or are tempted to in this economy) you may just lose a sale or two. What you have to offer over the “internet end-user sellers” is service, guaranteed quality and a willingness to work with the customer if there is an affordability issue (i.e., payment plan). Internet sellers cannot or do not provide that and have no relationship or history—especially with a customer that you already have both with. Understand where they are coming from and be sure they know and understand that you will always be there to assist them with their needs—whether you get this sale or not.

If you can match the internet seller’s price then do so, but do not sacrifice your quality or service. Your customer will be grateful to know that this sale is no different from any other when it comes to the service and product quality you provide. If you can’t do that, simply continue to offer the same quality and dependable service that you always have with the same smile and friendship they have come to know. Maybe check in with them more often to ensure their needs are being met and never forget to send a personal thank-you for the orders you receive, in a card and with a self-promo.

People buy from people, and even though product quality may not prove to be significantly different I am sure their purchasing experience will be. Make them feel like they are the most important customer you have and they will respond accordingly, maybe not with this particular purchase but with future purchases.



A Distributor Asks:
I’m looking for ways to increase the professionalism of my distributor company and am thinking about looking into the Certified Advertising Specialist certification (CAS). Does certification make any difference to my clients? Is it reasonable to expect that I might land more projects because of it? And, is it worth it?

What’s your answer? E-mail answers along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by January 31 for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of PPB magazine.



Comments (1)

12/22/2009
Harry S. Rosenberg CAS (harryr@arielpremium.com)
company: Ariel Premium Supply Inc.
title: Marketing Consultant
"The ability in attaining a higher level of professionalism in whatever endeavor you might choose comes from two sources, i.e. experience and education. Experience comes only after long periods of suffering mistakes and losses due to attempting to gain more professionalism the hard way. While it might be ultimately successful to do so, only by education can you shorten the trip to success and avoid suffering many of the pains and disappointments along the way to ultimate success. Do your clients and prospects realize that you are more experienced and sophisticated than the average? Not specifically, but only by their response in building a relationship with you because you undertand their problems better than the competition,all due to the fact your education has taught you how to overcome problems others have not learned yet how to meet. I became a CAS about 38 years ago and have never regretted the time and effort involved. I have never been a distributor, but I have worked with them for almost 60 years and I attribute my long career in the industry to the fact that I took the time, and made the effort, to improve myself and be learning from others willing to give their time and experience to teach the CAS and MAS experience to others less knowledgeable. The cost of this educational experience is small, the ultimate benefits that might stem from the effort are unlimited. Go for it!"
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