MAIN INSIGHT 08
Alan Johnstone
HEAD OF SALES
& BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Is it possible to build meaningful relationships in a digital world?
Of course! Even if many channels of communication are digital, it's still important to remember that anything you write will be read by other humans. Our job as salespeople is to tailor the message to the recipient. With our customer base at Volac, most of them spend a relatively high amount with us in the context of their business, so we structure the sales team so that we can spend time talking to each one, because they are all important.
With new business, it is important to take the time to understand and refine your target market; going after 'everybody' is a dangerous pursuit. Then tailor your communication style for the medium it is delivered through to ensure it is both engaging and meaningful to the market you’ve predefined. As you get to know your customers better over time, you can segment them further and identify a few key criteria for each type of customer. As far as technology goes, recording this information and making it easily accessible to your sales teams within a CRM system will empower them to have more meaningful conversations with new prospects and existing customers.
Ultimately you will get to a stage where you can identify which customers are most closely aligned with your business' goals or direction and find ways to work well with them. This will progress your relationship with them from that of a traditional buyer-seller into a partnership. Achieving this involves not only understanding your customers' goals but also the individual goals of the people within that customer. And don’t forget that even in an increasingly digital world, there is no substitute for actually talking to your customers; don’t miss an opportunity to meet them face to face.
Have buying priorities changed following the pandemic?
Buyers' priorities change constantly based on the circumstances around them. At the start of the global pandemic, many businesses in our industry tried to reduce their stock as they anticipated a drop in demand. However, when demand started to return, sometimes quite significantly and rapidly, supply chain issues meant that they scrambled to secure stock and were happy to pay higher prices to do so. As supply chains start to smooth out again, we see priorities increasingly focus on price, specification & quality of offering, and greater emphasis on service received. But what remains constant in all of that is the importance of understanding your customers’ specific requirements. If you can relate to their world and offer a solution to their challenges, then there is always business to be done.
As supply chains start to smooth out again, we see priorities increasingly focus on price, specification & quality of offering, and greater emphasis on service received.
If a product/service is of high value to a buyer or takes up a significant portion of their budget, they will require more human interaction throughout the sales process.
What role does human interaction play in modern sales and marketing?
It depends what you sell, and who to. It's not uncommon now to see digital-only sales processes for low-value, commoditised purchases. But as a general rule of thumb, if a product/service is of high value to a buyer or takes up a significant portion of their budget, they will require more human interaction throughout the sales process. At Volac we sell relatively high value ingredients which play a major role in our customers’ businesses, so we automate very little and give a lot of attention to each of our customers. This way, we get high quality feedback from our customers which we can use across the business too.
On a personal level, as a consumer I constantly receive automated emails from businesses asking for feedback on their products or service, but when I need to speak with someone from the business, I often find myself unable to do so - creating a frustrating experience. Make it easy for your customers to talk to you and they will also find it easier to buy from you.
Volac is a fast-growing, ambitious international business who are world leaders in dairy nutrition.
