Is This My Obituary From The Home Furnishings Industry?
I remember when I watched this iconic play by Arthur Miller. I was just embarking on a career in sales and it thoroughly scared and depressed me.
It’s a story about Willy Loman; a traveling salesman whose career is failing, which quickly infects his relationship with his family. It’s an in-depth character study that all people should see at least once. I was so afraid I would become that person, selling a product using old methods that continued to fail and becoming detached and sad as he was. Fortunately, it inspired me to NOT be that guy back in the day, but sadly, that day is quickly arriving for many of us, if it hasn’t already.
So why is a marketing guy writing about “The Death of a Salesman” you ask? Simple; any marketing person worth their weight MUST be the best salesperson within the organization, period. It's not about door to door sales, but maybe it is, only more sophisticated because of all the new "door-to-door" sales tools we have with today's technology.
Think about it, :
It’s a story about Willy Loman; a traveling salesman whose career is failing, which quickly infects his relationship with his family. It’s an in-depth character study that all people should see at least once. I was so afraid I would become that person, selling a product using old methods that continued to fail and becoming detached and sad as he was. Fortunately, it inspired me to NOT be that guy back in the day, but sadly, that day is quickly arriving for many of us, if it hasn’t already.
So why is a marketing guy writing about “The Death of a Salesman” you ask? Simple; any marketing person worth their weight MUST be the best salesperson within the organization, period. It's not about door to door sales, but maybe it is, only more sophisticated because of all the new "door-to-door" sales tools we have with today's technology.
Think about it, :
- They must clearly define and articulate the Brand and its products and services.
- They must also “sell” this to all stakeholders with vision, passion and conviction.
- They must have a thorough understanding of the products and processes to take a product to market and create the excitement necessary to create leads for the sales force.
- They must clearly define the features, benefits and attributes of that product AND articulate the “selling message”
- They must continually improve and innovate within the company to keep the brand, products fresh and relevant and continually sell these insights too.
- They must be the inspirational leader whose passion is the brand and it must be infectious!
And a lot more!
When I was a kid, I’d go on vacation and I’d get a couple cool mementos to bring home and show off to my friends. I could do that because back then, you were only able to buy things that were unique to that area. Not anymore. Go anywhere and you’ll find the same selection of furniture, clothes, fast food and stuff in general. There is nothing unique about the products or the messaging to attract a consumer to your brand or store. It’s all being commoditized and that’s why on-line retailers are quickly taking away market share…because they have the unique “stuff” people search for and want.
Back in the day, I was taught that great marketing created the sales proposition to: “Inspire, educate, motivate and engage.”
All of this is being lost…very quickly, and I’ve become the Willie Loman of today. Why, because I don’t know how to commoditize creativity and passion. No one wants that anymore, they want an MBA who can manipulate an excel spreadsheet in 47 shades of grey. Today, companies are more concerned with the educational degree....a pedigree..., even if that degree, or lack of, was obtained before computers, the internet, cell phones, and more. These technological advancements, and other dramatic changes in our society, has transformed everything in retail today, especially as it pertains to how to “sell.”
So retailers and brands play it safe and the result is so obvious. Today’s marketing geniuses focus their entire brand platform around the discount or sale; yep, the race to the bottom; 50%-70% off and more, if they could. Everyone seems to be watching everyone else at the expense of building a unique sales and marketing proposition. Go ahead, ask anyone when the last time they were inspired or engaged with any marketing platform that motivated them to purchase a product…..from an impassioned salesperson.
This coupled with the “automation” of marketing information…{there’s an APP for that}…has relegated great marketing to a “gate keeper” rather than a leader. Everyone wants that MBA leading their team. I’ve always wondered why an MBA is more important than vision, passion, knowledge and experience. Both would be great, but I’d take the latter before the former any day. You can teach knowledge….a BA or MBA…, but you can’t teach vision, passion and the creative execution that consumers relate to. Everyone knows that a great salesperson has an “infectious passion about their job/product”, and the marketing guy isn’t giving them anything to be passionate and excited about anymore.
So retailers and brands play it safe and the result is so obvious. Today’s marketing geniuses focus their entire brand platform around the discount or sale; yep, the race to the bottom; 50%-70% off and more, if they could. Everyone seems to be watching everyone else at the expense of building a unique sales and marketing proposition. Go ahead, ask anyone when the last time they were inspired or engaged with any marketing platform that motivated them to purchase a product…..from an impassioned salesperson.
This coupled with the “automation” of marketing information…{there’s an APP for that}…has relegated great marketing to a “gate keeper” rather than a leader. Everyone wants that MBA leading their team. I’ve always wondered why an MBA is more important than vision, passion, knowledge and experience. Both would be great, but I’d take the latter before the former any day. You can teach knowledge….a BA or MBA…, but you can’t teach vision, passion and the creative execution that consumers relate to. Everyone knows that a great salesperson has an “infectious passion about their job/product”, and the marketing guy isn’t giving them anything to be passionate and excited about anymore.
That is why I believe we are witnessing the death of sales as we know it. The role of sales has become more of Vendo-Salesperson: show, tell and sell. Why? Because their best sales leader…the marketing guy…is NOT leading, innovating and creating the excitement that used to infect salespeople with passion for their brand. Gone are the days of inspirational creative, taking a chance, differentiating one self from the competition. Just look at Target. They used to be Tar-zhay. Their same store sales have started to fall because they aren’t unique anymore. Best Buy commoditized their brand and that’s causing them to fail miserably in store, and especially on the internet. Look at furniture stores, all of them are all clamoring for that $399 sofa in 3 different colors, because the other guy has it too. I have a lot more examples of this happening everywhere in retail.
The marketing guy is helping to kill the great salesperson because they aren’t performing their 5 basic functions (above). Any marketing person worth their weight knows that their customer of today is NOT their customer of 5 years ago…yet they haven’t adapted to this new “wired consumer” with a great internet and social marketing strategy. They have ignored this dynamic change and by doing so, they are not delivering sales opportunities….which is their “primary job!”
Let’s talk about furniture for a minute. I know this industry well, serving as Ashley’s Chief Marketing Officer for years, as well as many others. Home Furnishing’s has been severely commoditized.
At retail, most furniture retailers do not understand the power of a great website, the need for tons of content, product descriptions, and more. They think showing pictures will do it but they won’t because the marketing guy isn’t investing in inspirational photography that would inspire a consumer to “imagine” what that item could look like in their home. Most product photography is bland/boring and “done on the cheap.” Many shots are just plain ugly, shot overseas in China to save money and it looks like it. That doesn’t help sell the product it hurts it and the poor salesperson is along for the ride.
They are not writing copy that is unique and relevant and they are not delivering the number one engaging element: Videos! Think about this for a minute. If you have “better goods” and you’re selling a name brand leather sofa at $1,999.00, why would a consumer want to buy that when that same store is selling a “bonded leather – look alike” for $399.00….and HELLO - it’s NOT real leather – it’s Vinyl. A video explaining what you’re buying would in fact raise the expectations of the consumer and the sales ticket. But the chief marketing guy isn’t doing that, so the tickets are smaller, the commissions less and the sales person is expected to do it all without any help.
This isn’t just about furniture. This is about all retail. Take an honest inventory and see if you’re destined to become irrelevant like so many past iconic brands that stagnated and now are scattered across the junkyards of retail.
There is so much more. Just think about it. Why are you different? What are you doing different to inspire “me”, to engage me? Are you where I want to find you? The sales person can’t do it all. They need a leader with a vision, a leader with passion, a leader on a mission and because we as marketers are not leading as we should, we’re witnessing the death of a salesman.
Today's marketer's must stop thinking themselves into acting...and start acting themselves into thinking!
I would love some comments please
Let’s talk about furniture for a minute. I know this industry well, serving as Ashley’s Chief Marketing Officer for years, as well as many others. Home Furnishing’s has been severely commoditized.
At retail, most furniture retailers do not understand the power of a great website, the need for tons of content, product descriptions, and more. They think showing pictures will do it but they won’t because the marketing guy isn’t investing in inspirational photography that would inspire a consumer to “imagine” what that item could look like in their home. Most product photography is bland/boring and “done on the cheap.” Many shots are just plain ugly, shot overseas in China to save money and it looks like it. That doesn’t help sell the product it hurts it and the poor salesperson is along for the ride.
They are not writing copy that is unique and relevant and they are not delivering the number one engaging element: Videos! Think about this for a minute. If you have “better goods” and you’re selling a name brand leather sofa at $1,999.00, why would a consumer want to buy that when that same store is selling a “bonded leather – look alike” for $399.00….and HELLO - it’s NOT real leather – it’s Vinyl. A video explaining what you’re buying would in fact raise the expectations of the consumer and the sales ticket. But the chief marketing guy isn’t doing that, so the tickets are smaller, the commissions less and the sales person is expected to do it all without any help.
This isn’t just about furniture. This is about all retail. Take an honest inventory and see if you’re destined to become irrelevant like so many past iconic brands that stagnated and now are scattered across the junkyards of retail.
There is so much more. Just think about it. Why are you different? What are you doing different to inspire “me”, to engage me? Are you where I want to find you? The sales person can’t do it all. They need a leader with a vision, a leader with passion, a leader on a mission and because we as marketers are not leading as we should, we’re witnessing the death of a salesman.
Today's marketer's must stop thinking themselves into acting...and start acting themselves into thinking!
I would love some comments please
Want more? Go to http://www.social4retail.com where we have hundreds of articles, info-graphics and more to help you create guide and deploy successful marketing solutions integrating the web with social media.
About Bill Napier: www.social4retail.com - About Bill Napier: Bill is a specialist in creating, guiding and deploying successful marketing B2B & B2C solutions integrating traditional marketing strategies with the web and social media. He has worked in the home furnishings industry for over 12 years, as the chief marketing officer for some of the industry's largest manufacturers and creating some of the largest promotions ever launched within the industry.
About Bill Napier: www.social4retail.com - About Bill Napier: Bill is a specialist in creating, guiding and deploying successful marketing B2B & B2C solutions integrating traditional marketing strategies with the web and social media. He has worked in the home furnishings industry for over 12 years, as the chief marketing officer for some of the industry's largest manufacturers and creating some of the largest promotions ever launched within the industry.
| the_death_of_a_salesman_-_because_your_cmo_is_not_doing_their_job.pdf |
RSS Feed
