Keep Up With Technology To Stay In The Lead!: What We Can Learn From BMW

As Bob Dylan sings, “The times they are a changin,” and so it is true for the business world. As technology advances, the way we conduct business changes, and for many in the business world, technology is leaving them behind! In order for a business to stay competitive in today’s marketplace, it must be able to keep up with and utilize the latest technology in its products, services and the way it operates.

BMW started out in 1916 as a small manufacturer of aero-engines. In 1922 they moved into motorcycle production and in 1928 they began their journey into car manufacturing. Over the course of 85 years they grown and have now managed to move out in front and stay in the lead of car and motorcycle manufacturing with their stylish and innovative designs. They now manufacture their products at 28 sites in 13 countries on four continents! How are they managing to remain the world’s leader in the luxury car industry?

Their strategy is based upon four pillars which are: “Growth, Shaping the Future, Profitability and Access to Technologies and Customers.” For any company to remain a leader in their industry, they must grow in market share and in profitability. BMW has managed to do this by utilizing the latest technology at their disposal to improve their products, and connect with their potential clients in the luxury car market.

If you look at BMW cars over the past 85 years, there has obviously been advancements in technology, and the car industry, much like other industries must apply these advancements to their product in order to appeal to consumers. The same can be said for almost any company, whether you are selling cars, computers, software, telephone systems, or technical gadgets. Even many services are at risk of falling behind the times by avoiding new technology.

If we look at the development of BMW’s 3 series line of cars, they have been one of the most popular of their lines since 1977 when the first one rolled off of the production line. The series was launched as an advertised improvement to their 2002 series line. Over the course 37 years BMW has modified its beloved 3 series model by changing engines, body styles, interior layout, options, features, the suspension, etc. The company has managed to keep their product relevant for the times by being flexible and innovative. For example, would a 1984 BMW be competitive on the market today? The obvious answer is no. Yet many companies are trying to stay alive by selling their outdated products and using inefficient means of conducting business.

Although the BMW body styles have remained intriguing and eye catching over the years, the 1984 car would pale in overall comparison to any modern car. Can you imagine BMW trying to stay on the racing circuit with 30 year old technology? They would get hammered on the track. This same also goes for BMW marketing. If BMW did not have a well maintained website and well-connected company structure that allowed them to work efficiently and connect with potential clients, would they be the world’s leader in luxury cars? Case in point, you also have to run your business in the same fashion. If you don’t stay up with times in how your company operates and in the products and services you offer, you will not be a leader in your industry.

Here are a few points to ponder.

1. Website: Do you have an appealing, updated website for your company? Is it easy to navigate and does it compel you to act? If you look at BMW’s website, it has a clean easy to navigate interface that encourages you to explore their product models, and play with the configuration of the cars. It’s easy to make payments on it, it’s easy to navigate and find a dealer near you, and the personal portal has useful information on it. The site is also appealing to the eye with images that tend to capture your imagination, and make you want to put yourself behind the wheel of one of their cars. What about their cool tag line, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” What is yours? Is your website outdated? How much useful information do you have on it? Does it compel your visitors to act?

2. Product Innovation: Do you offer the latest technological advances in your product market or service? Are you still offering old technology because you are comfortable with it and are afraid to change? Are you willing to take the time and make the effort to keep learning new technology to improve your product line? I have had two 328i BMWs, and the difference between my 2011 model and my 2013 model are substantial. It has a more sophisticated on board navigation package and more digital controls and apps on the user interface. The suspension has improvements and BMW now has an improved Efficient Dynamics package which reduces fuel consumption without sacrificing power. Notice how they market Efficient Dynamics: “BMW Efficient Dynamics stands for the noticeable reduction of consumption and emissions with a simultaneous increase in performance and driving pleasure. Intelligent energy management and lightweight construction as well as aerodynamics and engine efficiency measures mean sustainable mobility is already standard in every BMW.” How are clever are you in marketing your product or service?

3. Getting Connected: Are you using the latest accessible means to stay connected with your existing customers as well as increase your connections with new prospects? Are you the expert in your field who provides useful information to people, and do you use the latest social media to distribute it? Are you using the latest mobility applications to make your company, service and product more relevant? Do you give them a reason to stay connected with you? The key question is, are you to be found where your customers are looking for your product or service, and when they find you do you peak their interest?

While there are certainly more lessons to be learned from analyzing BMW’s success in the luxury car market, these few points are certainly food for thought. Are we really making an effort to learn and apply the latest and greatest technology to grow our businesses and put ourselves at the front of the pack?

Sales Tip #2: Attitude Matters

In today’s economy many small businesses are doing more with less. It is not uncommon to have an employee filling two roles, that of a technician and a sales adviser for example. Coming from personal experience, it is very hard for most technicians to see themselves as “sales” advisers  It is true that there are many people in certain industries in the field of sales which have given the name “sales” a bad image. We all have experienced that used car salesman who is more concerned with moving a pile of junk off his lot, than he is concerned for the needs of his customer. We should not however let this stereotypical image ruin the image of what real salesmanship is and should be. Whether or not you are exclusively in sales or you wear two hats, attitude is of the utmost importance.

I have spoken before of the importance of building relationships with customers and filling their actual needs and wants. In other words, we need to listen, and then fill a need that we are capable of filling with our service or product. As important as this is to being a successful sales adviser  nothing can make up for a bad attitude. No one likes a sour personality, no matter how great their product or service may be. There has been much said about positive thinking, and much of it is useful. If we have a tendency to be negative, much of our outcomes in life will be negative. Negative people are generally not as successful as positive thinking people.

Part of being in sales is the reality of dealing with rejection. Surveys regularly confirm that there are two top fears that all people have. The top fear is death, and the second is fear of rejection. They say that 75% of sales people fold in the first 90 days because they simply cannot deal with rejection. If they do make it through the first 90 days many develop a negative attitude towards selling, and their sales numbers are poor. Rejection often paralyzes them from making sales calls.

While it is true that not everyone has the calling to be involved in sales, most of us, if we have the right attitude and drive, can be fairly successful at it. If we have the right outlook on ourselves, our product, and on those we will be engaging with, “sales” becomes an art in finding solutions for people, rather than being a numbers game. When we are genuinely concerned with the needs of others, and we have a positive attitude to drive ourselves towards meeting their needs, the negative aspect of rejection disappears.

Here are a few pointers that will help you to realize the importance of a positive attitude.

1. Act: If you have a product that you really think will benefit your customers, then what are you waiting for? They are not coming to you, you have to go to them. Call on companies by phone or in person and introduce yourself. You are never going to sell anyone anything if they do not know anything about you. Procrastinating is the worst thing you can do in sales. If you do not act each day to make contact with as many people as you can, then chances are you are missing a lot of opportunities, and others will cash in on your lack of action. Procrastination and lack of action result from dwelling on negative thoughts. True action follows from positive thoughts.

      2. Introduce Yourself: It is important to make a good first impression. Most people do not like overly aggressive sales people. The key point to understand is that you want to introduce yourself, your company, and your product briefly, for an opportunity that may arise in the future where you can help them find a solution to a challenge or need. Never aggressively imply that you are assuming that they want or need your product when you first meet someone. Always bring down the barrier by letting them know that you are not assuming they are looking for a new product or another company to do business with, but that if in the future, should the need arise, here is what you have to offer. This takes the pressure off you and the customer, but leaves the door wide open for a future relationship. Most sales do not happen the first time you meet someone. Rest assured, if they are in need of your product at the present time they will let you know once you briefly introduce it.

      3. Believe: It is important to believe that you will succeed in winning over your potential customers. A lack of confidence is easily spotted by most people. Confidence, not arrogance, puts people at ease. It conveys the idea that they are going to do business with a well-established person and company. If you don’t believe in your product, neither will they.

      4. Smile: No one likes an angry looking sales advisor. A smile is worth a thousand words and can open up doors very easily. Nothing can turn away a potential customer faster than an unenthusiastic stick in the mud. Present yourself positively and with genuine enthusiasm.

      5. Follow Through: Once you make initial contact with a possible customer, do not wait for them to call you back unless they explicitly tell you not to follow up. Always let them know that you will check back with them in a defined period of time. This allows you to further develop your relationship and to see if they have any questions or feedback for you. If you say you are going to call them back in two weeks, be sure to follow through on that promise. If they are not available be sure to leave a message to let them know that you were following up as promised.

      6. Keep the Doors Open: Always do everything you can to keep relationships alive even if there is no immediate probability they will do business with you. A ‘no’ today can often be a ‘yes’ several months or even years later. There is nothing wrong with a periodic check in to see if anything has changed for them.

      7. Know When To Drop It: Sometimes there will be instances where you cannot meet the needs of the customer. Although these instances should be rare, when this happens it is crucial to let your customer know that your product or company is not a good fit for them. They will appreciate the honesty in not trying to sell them something that is not going to work for them. There are many times where they will even refer a friend of theirs to you, who you may be able to help. 

    

IPitomy: Not Just a Cool Product, You Join a Team

In today’s market most companies want you to buy their stellar product or service, yet few actually want to understand your needs, challenges and goals, and then help you tackle them. While products and services are an integral part of a company, it cannot be separated from the company and its employees who stand behind them, essentially holding them up and giving them life. There are many companies out there that have a great product, yet a few negative experiences with a customer service rep, or a refusal to help solve a problem can kill the customer’s relationship with the product. This is why IPitomy has spent so much of its effort building team relationships with its dealers.

While IPitomy offers the state of the art “Pure” IP-PBX at an incredible price, we understand that the product alone does not assure you or your customer’s needs are met, or if the current challenge you are facing can be overcome. Our sales advisers, tech support agents, and engineers however can team with you to offer solutions to these concerns. When you sign on as a dealer with IPitomy you are getting much more than the robust IPitomy IP-PBX that you can actually build your business upon. You actually have chosen to enter into a relationship with our team, so that we can help you overcome the challenges you face day to day. Whether it is needing advice on how to meet the needs of your customer, or finding the answer to your challenging network issue, we are here to help.

IPitomy does not just sign you up as a dealer, send you a demo pack and then push you into the street. We want to help you along as you take your business in an exciting new direction. We have an excellent online training academy so you can learn the system at your own pace. Our tech support is second to none with an average wait time around 60 to 90 seconds.  Our engineering department has actually developed applications upon request, such as our powerful Q-Manager, designed for the specific needs of a florist. It was such a success that it has now become part of our basic system packages.

Our team of sales advisers are always eager to share our company and its product with live webinars. In fact, if you have a potential customer who is not sure about their purchasing decision, schedule them to meet you on a webinar with us and we will be glad to share IPitomy with them. Sometimes it is nice to have another person who can give the customer another perspective when they are considering their next large purchase. Not only does it give them another perspective, it gives them confidence in the product and service they are buying. We want to create a true team experience for you and for them.  When you need help selling, our sales advisers are there to give you a hand. We are not hounding you to meet next month’s quota, since we have no quotas. Instead we are here to help you find solutions to you and your customer’s concerns, challenges and needs.  We know that ultimately it’s the relationship with our dealers, and their relationships with their customers is what really brings our cool, state of the art communications system to life!

Recent testimonial

Hello,

I'm not sure where this email should go, but I just wanted to say a few things about the support staff. So I hope this makes it to the right place. I've been in IT for roughly 17 years now, and I have seen the steady decline of customer/vendor support. These days it is normal to either place an email and hope someone gets back with you or place a call and hope you can understand the person on the other side (Usually very smart individuals, but still very hard to understand). 

You can imagine my surprise when Steve gave me a number to call and someone answered... And not just answered but helped! Every time I have called in, whether it is a basic question or something a little more out there, the support staff has always helped. IPitomy seems like a close knit company so I'm sure everyone already knows how well the support division handles their duties but I felt it important to let you and everyone there know just how great the team has been! 

Thanks again!