Small firms told to improve customer service

MARKETING IS ultimately all about sales and every seller has to close the sale. This is the point where the buyer can often raise "objections". For small firms, these objections are different than for larger firms and one man who knows all about clinching the sale is Peter Lawless.

A former researcher and college lecturer, Lawless spent 12 years in IBM before returning to Ireland three years ago to set up 3R Sales & Marketing, a marketing consultancy based in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

The 3R website, www.3R.ie, is a treasure trove of marketing advice for SMEs and Lawless practices what he preaches. Type "marketing" into Google Ireland and the 3R website comes up on the first page. That's down to his marketing executive Simona Rusnakova, who has trained in search engine optimisation.

From his experience, Lawless says the most important part of any company's marketing strategy is to identify what is unique about their service or product offering.

He said: "Ninety nine per cent of businesses who come to me say their unique offering is their service. But service is not an unique offering. Small businesses here are absolutely diabolical at providing good service compared to their UK and continental European counterparts."

Lawless also believes that not enough firms pay attention to their existing customers. He explained: "They are the lifeblood of every company. They have already bought from you, so they know the value of what you provide. Too often, companies are not fully sure of the reasons as to why their customers have made purchases. To successfully market to other similar customers, you should talk to your customers and ask them to tell you why they bought, what the purchase has enabled them to do, and how they have put a value on it.

"This exercise, if properly done, helps you get testimonials that you can use in your marketing to other prospects. It also helps you with two other key profit generating activities. It reminds your customers of what you provide, and encourages them to buy from you again. Customers who have bought before are five times more likely to purchase again, than people who have not heard of you," he adds.

If, at the close of a sale, a potential buyer is still not convinced, then you have closed too early or you have not addressed all their concerns. Lawless advises: "At this stage, you need to find out exactly what the issue it is. It may be that they have not matched the value your product can give them with their needs and expectations. The most important thing to do is to clarify the reason behind the objection, by asking open-ended questions. Always make it easy for the prospect to save face. The more qualifying you do up front, the less objections you will face at the close."

Irish brands struggle to make impact in UK

Britain is the biggest export market for the Irish economy, but it is such a large market that Irish firms struggle for brand impact among consumers. A recent survey of 2,160 adults in the UK conducted by PR agency Eulogy asked respondents to name their favourite Irish brand from a given list. Not much surprise in the results, with Guinness coming out on top with a 17 per cent rating, closely followed by Baileys at 16 per cent. But how can young unknown brands crack the UK market. Stephen Hughes, director of Northern Europe for Enterprise Ireland, has the job of helping Irish companies grow sales in Britain. He says preparation is critical. "Our knowledge centre in Glasnevin has what I consider to be the most comprehensive marketing library in Ireland and is an excellent resource for any young Irish company."

Hughes also advises exporters to stay away from splashing out on stands at trade shows. "Go to the trade shows and have a look, but don't use it as an entry point marketing strategy. Neither do companies need to spend a fortune on advertising but they do need to invest in convincing the store buyers that their product should be on their shelves."