By, John Agadi
Well, let me give my introduction first. I am from Insurance sector with a rich experience of training and orientation. I have been working in the niche for quite some time. I learned the knacks and tricks of handling clients and business partners from y seniors during the early years.
Very soon I started interacting with clients from diversified backgrounds like government sector, corporate and retail. However, I got the benefit of concept selling that is quite similar to Insurance selling.
I would like to mention an incident which shows that customers are quite informed nowadays. We should not take them granted. Going for a deal unprepared is not a good thing today.
Our company got the order for media and advertizing of a prestigious bank in Belgaum. The order was sanctioned from the Bangalore HO, and it was for 20 branches across the state. When I approached the Marketing Manager of my client, I was pretty confident that I am going to bag the deal and the meeting is just a formality. Moreover, we had worked with the client earlier. Hence there was already a good rapport.
When I met the Marketing Manager whom I have been interacting so far, I was told that the AGM of the branch wants to see me. He wants to know further about Vritti Imedia.
I knocked his cabin and with his permission took my seat. He stared me for a moment and started responding mails and attending calls without even taking notice of mine. The moments were full of tense and anxiety.
After 10 long minutes, he turned to me and announced that he was looking at our companys website from last few minutes. What Vritti Imedia is all about and what we have been doing so far. After that, he leaned forward and asked, What is the difference between the price and the cost?
It was a big blow for me. I was not prepared for it frankly. I was not in a position to admit it, for sure. I gathered courage and answered that price is the short-term proposition whereas cost is the long-term one.
He stared at me and told that the answer was certainly not up to the mark. My palms were sweating, and I was pretty sure that the sale deed is not going to be signed. He explained me the difference first and then inquired about Vritti Imedia. How are we handling different projects and how are we adding value to it?
I told him about 360 Degree Branding, Audio Wala Bus Stand concept, etc. He was a bit impressed with it, but the things were still dicey. Finally, he told that he is going ahead with the order just because he has to spend the budget sanctioned for this project, and we approached at the right time.
It was not a positive remark for me indeed, but I was happy that he is impressed with Vritti Imedia and its performance so far. The takeaway is that the customer is quite informed and aware today. When we meet him, we should be ready with all answers. In short, customer is not simply the king but an informed king!