SPORTS-FEB10-P26:SGBGolf_NEW_template 2/2/10 10:30 Page 26
Tech Rep
First Impressions count
Continuing our series of articles ‘from the road’, Dean Jackson,
UK sales manager for RFE International, reflects on how the
advice he once received from his mother is better for personal
relationships than it is for reaching sales targets
W
ith over 10 years in the retail
environment I have spent many an
hour prior to a vital meeting
making sure the Windsor knot in my tie was
“
During one particular
promotion for a gift set, a shop assistant
informed one of our reps how moving the unit by
promotion for a gift set, a
the ladies footwear section had increased sales by
straight and my hair was gelled at just the
shop assistant informed
80%. The rep then rolled it out in the other 200
stores in the area and the net result was a 70%
right 45° angle. You learn early in your
one of our reps how
uplift on the previous week. Without the ‘ears’ in
career as a sales professional that most
decisions are made within the first 10 moving the unit by the
the field, would we have had that insight?
minutes of a meeting, so first impressions
really do count!
ladies footwear section
Practise makes perfect
How can you build a successful merchandising
Like many teenage boys I was educated by my
had increased sales
strategy? The short answer is lots of practise! As a
mother not to make the mistake of “judging a
book by its cover”, and I was even given the
by 80%
“beauty is only skin deep” sermon by my
grandmother. The reality is that while this may be
sound relationship advice, the retail environment merchandising that makes sense in”
company we have invested in merchandising
campaigns over the years, and it is crucial not to
lose sight of the fact that ultimately it’s the
consumer who decides how successful the
the short campaigns are.
is a completely different story. Here, first term. The cost to the rep of implementing a new Reviewing objectives is important – and margin
impressions do count, and quite often the true POS unit is huge in itself; add that to the cost of is obviously high on the agenda – and so often a
‘personality’ of the product is only revealed later the product, and most suppliers would wince at greatly merchandised section can bring repeat
when the customer is unwrapping the beautiful the thought. However, suppliers need to look at business, so it is an investment in the future. It is
packaging. that ‘long term’ goal of in-store merchandising important to continually re-merchandise after the
and the opportunity it presents to build the initial launch – and it’s vital reps get feedback on
Long-term relationships brand. how successful the campaign has been.
The first question any supplier and retailer However good a product may be, poor
should ask themselves is: “What do we want to Constant preening merchandising execution can leave you with a full
achieve from the merchandising?” I am sure the I recently spent a weekend at a trade show warehouse. Customers will always judge a book
answer from both parties will be “Margin” where a competitor gleefully told me how he had by its cover! S
initially, but this should be preceded by the halved the field sales team and was now splitting
words, “Long term”. I have rarely found in-store the UK between two field reps. I masked my www.rfeinternational.com
smile as I thought about the impossible task
facing the poor reps. It’s a sad reflection of the
economic climate when suppliers shed weight in
the field – my personal opinion is it often only
contributes to their downfall. While field reps are
expensive, they are vital to making sure products
continue to shine in store, like the day they were
first installed.
The biggest problem with in-store
merchandising is the implementation and up
keep. Let’s not forget how expensive point-of-
sale merchandising can be. I also believe it’s vital
to hand deliver all POS material initially, rather
than getting it delivered. That way the rep can
walk the staff through the set-up and explain
how it should be continually re-merchandised. It
is then vital that the rep makes considerable
efforts to visit the store and make sure the units
The shop floor: In-store positioning of
are being utilised properly.
merchandise must be carefully planned
The great benefit to the rep is the experience of
the staff in store. During one particular
26 SGB SPORT FEBRUARY 2010
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