FREE CAN BE COSTLY

Let’s role play for a few minutes. You are the customer and a sales rep walks into your business. Being the nice person you are you allow the rep to start their sales presentation. At some point during either the beginning or towards the end of the presentation, the rep reaches into their pocket and hands you a fist full of pens, flashlights, pads, and assorted other novelty items.

You thank the rep and shake hands at the end of the presentation and the rep leaves your business. For this role play let’s say you didn’t buy this time but you asked the rep to come back next week because you are legitimately interested.

You sit at your desk a few minutes later and look at all the “goodies” the rep gave you. As you look at each piece you notice that they all look as if they have been rolling around the trunk of the reps car for a few months. The logos are worn off of the pens, the pages of every pad are creased and some are torn, the flashlight is dead and doesn’t work, and the pen knife has half the handle missing.

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING NOW?

I may have made this into the absolute worst case scenario, but in a lot of cases this exact role play actually happens. Customers are being left with items that are supposed to promote the company and the rep, but instead make a terrible first impression.

I have been with companies that hand out samples of their product for the past 20 years. During that time I have always tried to impress upon the reps that samples need to be pristine. The samples need to show the absolute best the rep and company has to offer. Novelties and give away items need to be just as pristine.

I will take it a step further, ANYTHING you leave with the customer needs to be perfect. Your reputation and your company’s reputation depend on it. If you are trying to get a new prospect to buy the prospect should never see anything but perfection from the condition of your business card to the free novelties to samples and literature.

Take care of everything that has your name or your companies name on it. Make sure that you are showing your best at all times.

To let you know how some companies feel about their logs and name let me tell you about Coke Cola. There are conventions that have nothing but Coke Cola items for sale. You can find anything from an old bottle to underwear with the Coke logo on them. There is one thing that you will not find (at least not from the Coke Cola Company itself) and that is a rug or floor mat. Coke Cola will not allow their logo to be walked on. If you see a mat or rug with Coke on it, it is made without permission of the company and is aftermarket.

That’s PRIDE in your brand!

Lorin