Marketing and selling in favourable economic conditions:

Role of the brand in selling products

Prasanna PERERA,

Marketing and Management Consultant, Chartered Marketeer, CIM UK

Talk to a majority of salespersons. They will identify price, quality, service and availability as the key factors for selling products and services.

Prasanna Perera

How many mention the brand? Unfortunately, only a very few. Why? This is precisely what I hope to address in this article.

The Brand and Selling

Before addressing why salespersons do not identify the brand as a key selling tool, let us re-examine the definition of a brand. Basically, a brand provides an identity to a product and service and helps differentiate same from competitive offerings.

Isn't this what selling is about? Selling the difference! And this is what salespersons do not identify and appreciate.

Presently, salespersons operate in highly competitive markets where products and services are largely undifferentiated. As a result, they are obsessed with price, discounts and credit. What is the end result?

Discounted sales, extended credit and declining profits. Is there any purpose in achieving such sales?

Salespersons must appreciate the power of the brand

There are a few reasons for this situation. Firstly, there is a mental block that salespersons perceive that buyers are always price sensitive.

This is not the case. Many buyers consider price along with other variables, when making purchase decisions.

If buyers only considered price, then the cheapest available products and services would be market leaders. This is definitely not the case.

The second possible reason is that brand knowledge amongst salespersons is poor. They are educated about the product and not the brand.

Thirdly, salespersons do not believe that the brand will add value to their sales presentations.

They see the brand as an optional extra, that is adding to the price.

Fourthly, many salespersons in their personal lives are not brand conscious, but price conscious. Hence, they have this mindset when approaching buyers.

The benefits that selling the brand offers salespersons

* The need to compete on price is minimised.

* The brand provides the buyers a promise and an assurance.

* Ability to project themselves as brand ambassadors, thereby increasing their self confidence and self worth.

* The ability to use the brand to augment the value provided to the customer. The customer will perceive a higher value addition, as a result.

* The brand will provide the salesperson an opportunity to convert themselves from commodity selling to professional selling. (To be a sales professional)

Examples of salespersons selling brands

Take earth moving equipment and the success of the Caterpillar brand. Caterpillar is a global leader and the highest priced brand in the market. Caterpillar salespersons are passionate about the brand.

Fedex is another great example. When a Fedex employee dons the company uniform he is passionate about the organization and brand.

Salespersons from organizations such as Unilever and Nestle are great ambassadors.

Not only do they sell the corporate brand, they also promote products and brands successfully.

In the airline industry, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways are good examples of brands being sold. Both brands are premium, but are sold on the value addition that is provided.

How can salespersons be made passionate

The key is to change their mindset from selling products to brands. This can be done by educating them about brands and that brands provide the competitive edge not price. Salespersons may argue that customers are price conscious.

This is correct, but if the salesperson falls into this trap, there is no escape. If the brand is sold together with service and quality, the dependency on price can be lowered.

It is also important to make salespersons understand that they are the eyes and ears of the brands that they sell. They are the real brand champions and ambassadors. This feeling will help them keep the brand in the forefront at all times. Training salespersons to sell on value and not on price, will make them realise that the brand is their best friend. After all, it is the brand that adds value to the customer, more than anything else.

"Selling the brand" should be the slogan for salespersons operating in highly commoditized markets. The brand offers differentiation, added value and a perceived advantage. This minimises the need to sell on price, which is a double edged sword.

"The brand is the most powerful tool in any salespersons' armoury."