For the last two days, I had made my way to a beauty expo held at KLCC to survey the market. Actually, it's my second day in a row to the Expo. Both times, it was a rushed job, as my staff & I barely had much hours to roam around the place.
On Monday, I headed with my staff to check out the place. The traffic wasn't that bad in Kuala Lumpur during that time (about 3.30pm ish), and I had dragged a friend, Asta along too as well. We managed to procure ourselves some Ayuverdic body skincare products, managed by a Chinese.
One Tuesday, I went with my cousin, Jane to the show. It was not initially in our books to head to the show, but as there were some products on showcase essential to a woman's youthfulness and upkeep, my cousin was all for it. She is about five years my senior, and has about 10 years of salesmanship experience under her belt. So of course, this was pretty much her forte. >.<
Since I was the person managing a new area of interest for our exhibition, and had to solicit new leads, you can imagine the difficulty of the situation for the freshman that I was. Thankfully, Jane was generous in heaping advice and tips in this area of Marketing & Selling.
Some Understanding & Learning to take away from the survey:
1) Companies that are new in the market, and are looking for dealers make good leads as they need to increase public awareness of their range of products. Their managers are and would be more open to the different avenues where they can create awareness for their merchandise, and hence their decision making process to close would be shorter.
2) Companies with established range of products no longer need an expo to create and raise awareness for their products. A range of products like SKII, Kanebo, etc have established their reputation in the skincare market. It would not be to their best interest to participate in an end-user expo, as this would not complement their reputation, and "devalue the image" of their products.
3) Always bring an ample supply of name cards to Expos. You never know when you may find a prospect lead. However, this can be done discreetly, as not to invoke the attention of the Organiser's staff who may not tolerate a competition's misdeameanor at their expense.
4) When giving the name card to the lead, also too telling them the location of a popular place which has good crowd traffic will surely perk up their interest. As the sales person to, say to the prospect that you will "contact them", and DO get in touch with them!!
5) Foreign companies may not bring much resources with them (meaning, a few products here & there, and some pamphlets, and brochures). However, do not think low of their potential, as should they be able to find a dealer, that will mean up to about half a million Dollars/Ringgit worth of merchandise being imported, as I was informed by my Manager during a discussion.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Malaysia: Hard-sellling Outlet Managers
The Bad Experience I had Today:
Today I had an experience with this Chinese manager, Christine who had replaced the current beauty salon manager of the Outlet that I am currently patronizing. It's the time of the month, where I presume that perhaps the HeadQuarters are pushing their outlet managers to reach their sales quota but this is no excuse for such behaviour from a Salon Manager.
Christine kept insisting that I convert my current service package that I am using to the one she had in mind., which was a "so-called" promotion by their company. Guess how much is that amount?
Amount To Convert:
RM3,000.00! WHAT? Does she think that money grows on trees?
She was hounding me from the second week I started with her (I've only done only 5 days out of the 25 days that I was eligible to). So I've got a total of 20 more days my treament credits to go. Plus two more facial credits.
Christine's Faux Paux:
Christine had the gall to say that whatever in "black & white" that Kelly (the previous manager who is a Chinese) has written for me will be the one that Christine will continue prescribing to me. Whereby, what Kelly had done was, that was for the recording purposes "in black & white" for the HeadQuarters to see, but she as Manager could do as she deemed fit to help me achieve my outcomes.
There are some key areas where she had done wrong whereby,
1) She critisized the past work of past staff when they had not done anything wrong, is just really wrong. It gives a bad impression to clients of her as a Manager.
2) Taking the reassurance out of customers for a past purchase will only deter them from patronizing the service provider in future. It makes them feel that they have made an unwise decision in making that transaction.
3) Not honouring the promises that were given by the previous Outlet Manager. Does that mean that your company's representatives can't deliver its promises?
Further, she stated that in order for "results to show" from the services that I had purchased, I will have to "top-up" on it, so that it will be GUARANTEED. RIGHT.
From previous experience, according to Kelly, she had said that the terms "Guaranteed Assurance" means that the client must be willing to "listen to the beauty consultant's recommendations", in which according to this blog author's translation means:
"to further invest financially" in paying more for "further expensive un-necessary so-called-complementary-merchandise-which-may-or-may-not work". Which could cost the customer a freaking few more Grand in Ringgit Malaysia.
What Christine Should Have Done:
The biblical words of " A House that is Divided Will Not Stand" comes to mind.
1) Christine should have been more FLEXIBLE & "looked further to the BIG PICTURE", by playing along with what Kelly had done, stating that what Kelly had decided was the best option during that time, but they had come up with a better alternative scheme "along the way" to help the customers.
2) She should have taken the path of converting my "unused credits" to more "viable options" that would help me achieve what I had set out to do sooner, rather than "threatening" the client. By doing so, it would have left the client with a more satisfying solution.
As they say, a "satisfied customer" will bring in more leads (which will translate to more sales).
My Best Solution to Manage this Scenario:
I had a good mind to report her to the HeadQuarters. But what did I finally do?
I wanted to see what she will do next. So, I just IGNORED her and told her she can do whatever she wants to do, gave her a nice smile, & walked out of the salon.
In future, I will just ignore her suggestions, since Christine has just lost my trust as a "trustworthy Manager". Yes, and I might drop a word with the HQ after all. I want to see what else the company would do from now.
Today I had an experience with this Chinese manager, Christine who had replaced the current beauty salon manager of the Outlet that I am currently patronizing. It's the time of the month, where I presume that perhaps the HeadQuarters are pushing their outlet managers to reach their sales quota but this is no excuse for such behaviour from a Salon Manager.
Christine kept insisting that I convert my current service package that I am using to the one she had in mind., which was a "so-called" promotion by their company. Guess how much is that amount?
Amount To Convert:
RM3,000.00! WHAT? Does she think that money grows on trees?
She was hounding me from the second week I started with her (I've only done only 5 days out of the 25 days that I was eligible to). So I've got a total of 20 more days my treament credits to go. Plus two more facial credits.
Christine's Faux Paux:
Christine had the gall to say that whatever in "black & white" that Kelly (the previous manager who is a Chinese) has written for me will be the one that Christine will continue prescribing to me. Whereby, what Kelly had done was, that was for the recording purposes "in black & white" for the HeadQuarters to see, but she as Manager could do as she deemed fit to help me achieve my outcomes.
There are some key areas where she had done wrong whereby,
1) She critisized the past work of past staff when they had not done anything wrong, is just really wrong. It gives a bad impression to clients of her as a Manager.
2) Taking the reassurance out of customers for a past purchase will only deter them from patronizing the service provider in future. It makes them feel that they have made an unwise decision in making that transaction.
3) Not honouring the promises that were given by the previous Outlet Manager. Does that mean that your company's representatives can't deliver its promises?
Further, she stated that in order for "results to show" from the services that I had purchased, I will have to "top-up" on it, so that it will be GUARANTEED. RIGHT.
From previous experience, according to Kelly, she had said that the terms "Guaranteed Assurance" means that the client must be willing to "listen to the beauty consultant's recommendations", in which according to this blog author's translation means:
"to further invest financially" in paying more for "further expensive un-necessary so-called-complementary-merchandise-which-may-or-may-not work". Which could cost the customer a freaking few more Grand in Ringgit Malaysia.
What Christine Should Have Done:
The biblical words of " A House that is Divided Will Not Stand" comes to mind.
1) Christine should have been more FLEXIBLE & "looked further to the BIG PICTURE", by playing along with what Kelly had done, stating that what Kelly had decided was the best option during that time, but they had come up with a better alternative scheme "along the way" to help the customers.
2) She should have taken the path of converting my "unused credits" to more "viable options" that would help me achieve what I had set out to do sooner, rather than "threatening" the client. By doing so, it would have left the client with a more satisfying solution.
As they say, a "satisfied customer" will bring in more leads (which will translate to more sales).
My Best Solution to Manage this Scenario:
I had a good mind to report her to the HeadQuarters. But what did I finally do?
I wanted to see what she will do next. So, I just IGNORED her and told her she can do whatever she wants to do, gave her a nice smile, & walked out of the salon.
In future, I will just ignore her suggestions, since Christine has just lost my trust as a "trustworthy Manager". Yes, and I might drop a word with the HQ after all. I want to see what else the company would do from now.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Cash vs Card Charges: Ask for a Discount!
Did you ever know that when we pay by cash at a lot of stores these days, we can negotiate with the merchant to get a further discount?
Many customers do not realise that many of the merchants absorb "inter-change fees" that is charged by the card Issuer Bank for the transactions that is made. The rate charged can be as low as 1.3%, to an exorbitant 2.5% of the amount charged. Rates charged depends on the type of card used, or whether the card is the Issuer Bank's range of cards as well.
According to my understanding, the charges from the bank for using the terminals are:
- monthly charge for terminal used.
- phone line rental charge for terminal.
- Inter-change Fees (per transaction!)
- Discount rate (processing fee per transaction!)
- Address Verification Charge (for mail/telephone order)
- Annual Fee to MasterCard & Visa.
Hence, in reality, we are saving the merchant a lot of transaction fees & charges when we do not use a card. Take that knowledge and ask the merchant for a discount. Most times, the merchant will rather give you an discount when the customer offers to pay in cash than to have to pay the exorbitant fee when the card is used.
We might not get any reward points that way, but the freebies and other services that are probably thrown in will cost more than the reward points any day.
Related Links:
The Independent: What, No Cash Discount?
Blag A Deal: Getting a Discount for Cash.
Blog: Ideal rates & fees:
Many customers do not realise that many of the merchants absorb "inter-change fees" that is charged by the card Issuer Bank for the transactions that is made. The rate charged can be as low as 1.3%, to an exorbitant 2.5% of the amount charged. Rates charged depends on the type of card used, or whether the card is the Issuer Bank's range of cards as well.
According to my understanding, the charges from the bank for using the terminals are:
- monthly charge for terminal used.
- phone line rental charge for terminal.
- Inter-change Fees (per transaction!)
- Discount rate (processing fee per transaction!)
- Address Verification Charge (for mail/telephone order)
- Annual Fee to MasterCard & Visa.
Hence, in reality, we are saving the merchant a lot of transaction fees & charges when we do not use a card. Take that knowledge and ask the merchant for a discount. Most times, the merchant will rather give you an discount when the customer offers to pay in cash than to have to pay the exorbitant fee when the card is used.
We might not get any reward points that way, but the freebies and other services that are probably thrown in will cost more than the reward points any day.
Related Links:
The Independent: What, No Cash Discount?
Blag A Deal: Getting a Discount for Cash.
Blog: Ideal rates & fees:
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Debate: Cash vs Credit Card vs Debit Card in Malaysia.
Today I finally made the decision to return all the credit cards belonging to my parents back to them. One is a Gold HSBC Gold, and the other is a Citibank Gold. I will ask them to return it when I head my bottoms back to Australia.... but that is another story.....
The only cards I have to use now is the Maybank Bankcard (Yellow ATM card), and a Maybank Visa Debit Card. However, after the atrocious experience of having someone swiping my Maybank Visa Debit Card, I decided that it was most unwise to place too much money in the latter. Hence, it will be treated more like an emergency "prepaid" card.
Many of the staff handling credit card terminals in Malaysia are really ignorant on safeguarding their customer's interest, for simple things like ensuring that the signature of the card matches the one on the invoice chit. Managers may feel it is time consuming to provide proper training for their staff, nor ensure that their staff are accountable for their dealings.
Fortunately in my case, Maybank decided to absorb the theft and refunded the unauthorized amount swiped from my account. In summary, it is useless to have a chip enabled card Visa/Mastercard Debit card, and all the high flung security features, IF the people handling the terminals do not execute their roles to protect the interest of their customers.
Related Links:
1. Which one? : Debit or Credit
2. Cash or Credit Card Experiment.
3. Using Credit Card to buy a car.
The only cards I have to use now is the Maybank Bankcard (Yellow ATM card), and a Maybank Visa Debit Card. However, after the atrocious experience of having someone swiping my Maybank Visa Debit Card, I decided that it was most unwise to place too much money in the latter. Hence, it will be treated more like an emergency "prepaid" card.
Many of the staff handling credit card terminals in Malaysia are really ignorant on safeguarding their customer's interest, for simple things like ensuring that the signature of the card matches the one on the invoice chit. Managers may feel it is time consuming to provide proper training for their staff, nor ensure that their staff are accountable for their dealings.
Fortunately in my case, Maybank decided to absorb the theft and refunded the unauthorized amount swiped from my account. In summary, it is useless to have a chip enabled card Visa/Mastercard Debit card, and all the high flung security features, IF the people handling the terminals do not execute their roles to protect the interest of their customers.
Related Links:
1. Which one? : Debit or Credit
2. Cash or Credit Card Experiment.
3. Using Credit Card to buy a car.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Part 2: Haggling & Negotiation Skills
Woo Hoo... As I would know, negotiations are not my best skills. But as people say, an Experienced salesperson is Experienced because he has been through enough Experiences.
Today, one week after having made a transaction on impulse for a lifestyle package, with my homework and research done on other Lifestyle Aesthetic Provider Enterprises in the past one week, the time came to meet with with my consultant Kelly (KC for short), who manages my lifestyle aesthetic treatments, and is the Manager of the outlet where where I am based at.
The general rule is, to always do your research before making a purchase. However I did the opposite.. hence the rational for the Buyer's Remorse in my situation!!!
I was blessed. God was on my side even when I didn't ask him to. My research led me to find out that the deal I was given was much cheaper than the initial package quoted being,
Today in the midst of my treatment, KC proposed another package to me. This time, with my eyes and ears on the alert, I listened to her as she gave her sales pitch of the benefits of this next treatment.
Experience makes us wiser.
And I was.
This time I told her that I'd give it a think over and get back to her.
I believe that KC did not procure the position as the Outlet Manager without having to prove the skills. The Outlet Manager has the responsibility to meet the sales quota, reporting all sales and marketing movements to The Management.
They have to find various ways to persuade customers to sign up for the different packages in hand or to use existing customers to generate leads. Among the practices that could generate leads are
Today, one week after having made a transaction on impulse for a lifestyle package, with my homework and research done on other Lifestyle Aesthetic Provider Enterprises in the past one week, the time came to meet with with my consultant Kelly (KC for short), who manages my lifestyle aesthetic treatments, and is the Manager of the outlet where where I am based at.
The general rule is, to always do your research before making a purchase. However I did the opposite.. hence the rational for the Buyer's Remorse in my situation!!!
I was blessed. God was on my side even when I didn't ask him to. My research led me to find out that the deal I was given was much cheaper than the initial package quoted being,
- (N.P= Normal Price). Now that I reflect on it, one knows that we should never take the N.P unless some haggling is done.
- Then there is the (P.P= Promotion Price)- which is what I bought for my initial package.
- Finally there is the lowest price that I went to, which was much lower than the N.P and P.P, and after much haggling. I should have asked more, but better try next round. :-P
Today in the midst of my treatment, KC proposed another package to me. This time, with my eyes and ears on the alert, I listened to her as she gave her sales pitch of the benefits of this next treatment.
Experience makes us wiser.
And I was.
This time I told her that I'd give it a think over and get back to her.
I believe that KC did not procure the position as the Outlet Manager without having to prove the skills. The Outlet Manager has the responsibility to meet the sales quota, reporting all sales and marketing movements to The Management.
They have to find various ways to persuade customers to sign up for the different packages in hand or to use existing customers to generate leads. Among the practices that could generate leads are
- Offering benefits and incentives for current customers
- Ensuring that the packages or merchandise purchased works well in order to generate good word-of-mouth
- Giving good after-sales service to ensure that the client returns.
- Offering a fairly priced package to ensure that the client does not feel that they have been over-charged, or at least giving the impression to the client that they have made a wise decision on their part.
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