Building on the Skills of Inside Sales Staff After conducting dozens of distributor Voice of the Customer surveys and interviewing their key customer contacts, I have discovered one eye-opening discovery. Customers place a high value on inside sales – perhaps higher than most believe. I can still remember the words of a VP of Engineering for a mid-sized OEM: “Tell your client this, despite our primary salesperson’s personality and product knowledge, we depend on the quick answers and problem-solving skills that come from [their inside salesperson] Scott.”    Comments like this reinforce the words of one of my colleagues many years ago. “A good outside sales guy makes the phone ring, and a good inside salesperson keeps it ringing.” In an age of instant gratification, with overflowing product information on the internet, e-commerce everywhere, and customers dealing with a fast-paced work schedule, the necessity for a strong inside sales presence has only increased.   For cl...

RHC Marketing Moment: Greenwashing Many of you may remember Tom Sawyer tricking his friends into whitewashing Aunt Polly’s fence. This canny trickery is still seen today, only it’s “greenwashing” instead of whitewashing. In Tom’s case, he fooled his friends into doing the work for him. With greenwashing, companies claim they are “green” or engaging in environmentally responsible behavior to gain favor with existing or new customers. This is often a case of all style and no substance or, as a good friend says, all sizzle and no steak. The danger of slapping a green label or purporting to be green is that it’s easy for your trickery to be exposed. Being environmentally sustainable and green can mean many things, but be sure you are doing some or all of the best practices from this list: • Recycling • Reducing paper and packaging • Switching to renewable energy sources • Using energy-efficient lighting • Conserving water • Purchasing sustainable products • Reducing transport...

Many of you are familiar with “Dear John” letters, which are typically sent to a sweetheart serving in the armed forces, breaking off a relationship with their partner back home. In today's modern world, we've taken the initiative to draft a “Dear John” letter addressed to that financial person at corporate, the one responsible for calculating and distributing bonuses. Dear John, I hope this finds you well, and I hope in time we can be friends, but I’ll get straight to the point. This relationship isn’t working any longer. A guy cannot expect a girl to wait around forever for a bonus. The fiscal year ended back in December. It’s April, and I still haven’t received so much as a statement from you. You’ve been so opaque. I may not have a degree in Math, but I can balance my checkbook. Surely, by now, you know the numbers and the results! It was bad enough when I couldn’t figure out the exact math and bonus structure. What’s worse is you are dragging your feet while I hear throug...

How would your company fare in a competition against the 1980s version of itself?  Many would say, “We’ve come a long way, baby” but have we really? Check it out HERE!   Let us know how you think your company would perform. Need enough for a team? Call us before you orderr! It's not too late to get your 2025 sales goals on track. Pick up a copy of Frank's latest book to hit the ground running! ...

Marketing Moments are brought to you by River Heights Consulting. An occasional offering by RHC designed to educate and inspire our readers about Marketing and Related Topics. Search Listening may be a new term to some of you, so let’s answer the question “What is it?”  Search listening is the process of using search data (usually Google data but whatever search engine is most popular in your country is best) for customer research. 1. Analyzing the searches and trends happening around your brand and your industry as a whole, and using the insights to make better marketing decisions.  2. Monitoring and analyzing what people search for online to identify trends, understand audience wants or needs, and create related content. 3. Gaining customer insight by monitoring Google searches for specific keywords, topics, competitors, or industries. 4. Understanding what people are saying about brands and markets and the questions they are asking. Why should you care?  1. ...

Israel and Hamas, Trump and Xi—we are surrounded by examples of Negotiations, both good and bad. Whether it’s geopolitical, life-saving measures, real estate transactions, or simply business, there are ways to negotiate that don’t burn bridges or result in image problems. Let’s discuss before, during, and after the negotiations, and how you can plan for success. Before we start, though, let’s talk about WHY you negotiate. Sometimes the situation is crystal clear. Negotiating pricing, closing costs, and closing dates are part of the process when buying a house. Sometimes you are faced with a situation where you SHOULD negotiate, or COULD negotiate, but don’t. We are often conditioned to accept business practices at face value because they have become institutionalized. Past practices do not mean you can’t negotiate and improve your situation. You have a responsibility to yourself and your organization to negotiate.  For example, conversations with distributors and their supply par...