PPB October 2017

W hile selling has never been an easy profession, currently it’s more challenging than ever for a variety of reasons. Good salespeople connect with customers, earn their trust, deliver value to them and continue to nurture the relationship driving long-term account value. But while sales methods have changed in the 21st century, so too have customers. Generational differences are greater than ever, and in the case of business-to-business selling, the way companies buy has also changed radically. While B2B may be very different from B2C selling, at the heart of it, you’re still dealing with people. Many companies have gotten more skilled at budgeting in recent years; they have also ratcheted up their expectations of what should normally be provided as part of simply doing business. Add on top of that the fact that customer expectations are a moving target and you have to agree—selling is not an easy job. At Fey Promotional Products Group we’ve noticed a dramatic contrast between what customers expected five years ago and what they want today. It is a fair statement to also say that customer expectations have become more demanding, and it is equally true that the consequences of failing to meet those expectations from both a distributor and supplier standpoint have become more significant. Customers choose to move to a competitor for lesser reasons and with greater ease than ever before—but you already knew that, didn’t you? The Survey Back in 2014, Nielson conducted a survey of 30,000 consumers in 60 different countries regarding their views on corporate social responsibility. I must admit, I always wondered if people really cared if a company is socially conscious and, if so, do they prove it with their wallet? (For Both Suppliers And Distributors) by Ron Williams Why QCA May Be The Right Choice 12 | OCTOBER 2017 | INNOVATE