Two simple phrases that repaired the sales channel

Working with various startups, we occasionally came across projects in the field of logistics optimization of online stores, but during our cooperation with the Yambox project, we experienced a real surprise.

The task was set to do the usual, examine the consumer, identify target segments, formulate hypotheses, and build marketing activities to test them. A standard procedure for positioning a startup by lean startup methodology always begins with a problem interview. Therefore, I moved to their office for a month in order not to run far if any information was suddenly needed, I took the base of internet shops, which was immature in immemorial times (where I don’t say it), and began to ring it, trying to find out what they lack in life . Miracles began with the second bell.



To begin, I will tell (for those who are too lazy to go to the site) what the guys are doing. The Yambox company is a complete operator, one of the few currently existing in the vast expanses of our country. As it is logical to assume from the word “complete filment”, they provide a full range of services for online shopkeepers. That is, they assume all the processes that occur from pressing the buy button before handing the order to the end customer. The advantages of these guys include the relatively low cost of services, well, and perhaps, in my opinion, an excessive customer focus. Yes, and enough about them, but still something good blame me in the brazen advertising.



Well, back to the wonders. From the second survey call, I suddenly started selling. It was not at all in my plans, do not get me wrong, so imagine inviting you to explore the needs of residents of a certain district of your city to build a grocery store, you go outside, start a survey, and instead of answering, every second respondent asks you to weigh him a kilogram doctoral. It happened like this:

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- Hello, my name is Vasily. I am engaged in positioning the complete operator “Yambox”, you can give me 5 minutes of time.



- Yes, of course, but what is a complete filment?



I explained as best I could and after that the store owner told me something like:

- Your proposal looks interesting and started asking questions that I naturally had no answers for, and I passed the phone to salesman Vladimir, who was sitting opposite.



As a result, with twenty “problem interviews” conducted on the first day, Vladimir and I managed to close 8 online stores for a meeting, and later three more closed for a meeting with a commercial offer. That is, understand, this is not the first start-up in the field of logistics with which we worked, and I don’t remember that every second potential client of these companies would close for a meeting with a cold telephone call.



The first logical thought that I had is that the guys have some problems that are not related to sales. Spent two weeks on the excavation, buried in tariffs, spent the whole day in stock, it looks not so beautiful, but it works fine, in the return processing area it is almost empty, which is not bad. Made a feature analysis of the service, rang existing customers, asked if there were any problems in work, conducted espionage activities, swept through competitors, looked at how everything worked, finally found a couple of bottlenecks, but overall the patient is more likely alive than dead . Serious deviations from the norm were noted.

My next thought was that something was wrong with the sales department, it was useful to listen to voices from the beautiful far (telephone conversations recording) I spent two days, a little deaf from the headphones, hated the telephone connection as a phenomenon, but again by salespeople like salespeople, nothing strange .



In the meantime, 5 of the Internet entrepreneurs I have telephoned have successfully concluded an agreement with Yambox for 100% complete business. At the same time, one should understand that the indicators in 5 clients from 20 cold calls sound for the professional ear as “You know, and the unicorn lives at my home”. Yes, what the hell is going on here!



Finally, after two and a half weeks of agony, I listened to the recordings of my conversations that day when I conducted a problem interview, clicked on the play and heard me stuttering in my voice (since I was not ready for such a development) trying to explain to Yambox’s future customers services about which I myself found out a day ago. And then it dawned on me. I, trying to avoid a detailed discussion of those topics that I do not know, used in the answer the elementary associative array and purposeful simplification. In other words, I said the following:



- Look, you are using cloud technologies, for example, for storing photos on the Internet and do not even think about how this happens, right?



- Yes



- So, look, the complete file is such a “cloud” into which you are throwing a request, such as pick up from supplier A and bring it to customer B. That's all. Then you do not need to think about anything, everything will be shipped, completed, packed and delivered. In fact, the complete file turns an online store into an economic game.



That's all that I said before handing over the tube to Vladimir.



Why it worked, I realized only a couple of days later, when I started calling customers who had failed on the first call. It turned out that fulfilment is a new phenomenon and the majority of online retailers are not aware that this is possible, and when salespeople began to explain in detail to them the essence of this phenomenon, consisting of a whole heap of various services, the entrepreneur at the other end of the line being distracted from their affairs and limited in time just lost the thread of reflection. It is ridiculous, but most of them thought that they were being offered cooperation with a courier company, another part thought that they were being offered a warehouse for rent.



In general, from the salad served to them, everyone snatched what he knew and no one saw the whole salad. I think the conclusion here suggests itself, no matter how fuckingly complex your service is, never hesitate to make a small generalization, remember that the client spat at you from the high bell tower, he has so many problems, do not make him strain again wants to be happy