Wholesale Buyers Versus Retail CustomersWritten by Michael Michaelsen
Are wholesale buyers and retail customers really different? Frankly, there are two answers to this question: yes and no. Yes, because they are different from buyers and those selling to buyers' point of view and no, because principles that apply are same for both types of buying.There is only one real difference, aside that one buys at wholesale prices and other at retail prices, and that is that wholesale buyers are looking for a selection of items to fill a space or their customers' needs, while retail buyers are looking for one item to fill a space or need. When there isn't any space that needs filling either now or in future, customer won't be interested in what you have for sale, which means zero sales. Both wholesale and retail buyers are looking for things that can be either complementary or in contrast to what are doing or they already have. It is rather a combination of two (contrast/complementary or complementary/contrast) than a case of complementary or contrast. Contrast/complementary means it's different to what they are doing or they have, but will fit in with other things, while complementary/contrast means it's like what they are doing or already have and yet it's different. If there is a high contrast and it doesn't fit in or if it's exactly what they have, they most likely won't buy. There are two things you will have to do to determine if buyers are in a contrast/complementary or complementary/contrast buying situations. First of all, listen to what customers say and think about these two things: why they are asking question that way and where they got idea that generated question. This is called "listening between lines". Often, through their questions, customers will tell you what they are looking for. In case they don't, ask them yourself. It helps you by showing interest in what they are doing and their answers will help you make your presentation. Plus, since you know that they are looking for something to fill a need or hole, it becomes much easier to relate to customers' needs.
| | Collaboration: 3 Keys to Keeping Your Documents from Getting Lost in the ShuffleWritten by Joe Miller
Collaboration: 3 Keys to Keeping Your Documents from Getting Lost in Shuffle Often, collaborating documents in a team or in a business can feel like a complex sports play gone wrong. The ball gets passed off to wrong person, dropped, or even lost. In addition, most document collaboration happens electronically. We are always told to save and resave these electronic documents, but it gets to point that we can’t even keep track of which draft we’re on. Not to mention our hard drive gets overloaded with so many similar document names that it blows whistle on us until there are no longer “too many men on field.” Huddle up! Let’s talk about 3 keys to making sure that every document we collaborate on is sure to score with our bosses, our clients, and each other. Create Compatibility Collaboration requires compatibility. In order to create compatibility, we need technology on our side. If you have ever tried to open a document from a member of your team that was in a format that was not compatible with applications on your computer, you are not alone. Whether you are making a presentation, a budget, a report, a notice, a memo, or anything else that will be written in collaboration with another person or other people, all involved need to be able to read documents written in various applications. You will send it to a team member or a boss or a client via email, and you will want them to be able to open it, add their changes in collaboration, and send it back without any problems. Too often in trying to collaborate, we have to keep emailing other members of our team, asking them to switch document from one format to another, prolonging can’t-be-prolonged projects. This way of working does not fit into a fast-paced business culture. Leave No Player Behind All too often, drafts come back without you knowing it, and inevitably, some changes are not included—you left a player behind. Applications that send notifications about changes save time and increase collaboration
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