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Winning in consumer packaged goods through data and analytics

McKinsey & Co 2016 survey of North American companies highlights best practices in customer and channel management.

Consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies today are dealing with a host of challenges—including political and economic uncertainty, value-conscious consumers with fast-changing needs, and intensified cost pressure due to retailer consolidation and the rise of hard discounters. Against this backdrop, growth has been particularly elusive for the largest CPG players: over the past four years, large food-and-beverage manufacturers—which account for about half of total category sales—have remained stagnant, growing only 0.3 percent on average per year. By contrast, midsize companies have expanded sales by 3.8 percent and small companies by 10.2 percent.1

But irrespective of size, certain best practices set the most successful CPG companies apart from their competitors. Our latest survey of North American CPG companies, developed in partnership with the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Nielsen, brings to light the customer- and channel-management practices of “winners”—companies that outperform their peers in the categories in which they compete.

Five imperatives for growth

As once-average performers have upped their game, it’s become harder for CPG companies to differentiate themselves. The survey results bear this out: the gap between winners and others in sales strategy, for instance, has narrowed significantly—from a difference in sales-growth performance of 5.4 percentage points in 2014 to a mere 1.1 percentage points in 2016. Yet even this small gap can be worth tens of millions of dollars in sales and is meaningful in today’s slow-growth market. We have identified five imperatives for CPG companies seeking to break away from the pack.

[For rest of article, read HERE]

What sales companies need to get right for digital success

To realize the full value potential of digital, successful sales organizations reorganize top to bottom, front end to back end. Here’s their road map.

“We’ve got to go digital.” Every sales leader has heard some variation of that statement. But what is digital, actually? And of all the digital things to do out there, what matters most for driving sales growth?

To help answer this question, we conducted a survey of more than 1,000 US and European sales executives, as well as interviewing dozens of sales executives and doing research for the book Sales Growth: Five Proven Strategies from the World’s Sales Leaders. In our first article from this data set, we looked at the five areas where sales leaders outperform their peers (see “The sales secrets of high-growth companies”).

For this article, we looked at the how organizationally sales leaders drive performance. Our analysis revealed that fast-growing companies1successfully connect seemingly opposite approaches:

• Front to back: Create a dynamic experience for customers, and use digital tools and data to power operations. It’s common for companies to overemphasize one or the other, but the greatest success lies in a marriage of both.
• Top to bottom: Successful sales organizations also overhaul the way things are done, from sales leadership all the way through front line sales reps.

While this structure might sound like a “do everything” approach, its value is in providing a simple way to think through the connections needed throughout the organization to get the most from digital capabilities, from automating processes to delivering experiences across all channels to using analytics to enable the sales force.

Of course, this is all much easier said than done. In our survey, a majority of sales executives said that their companies are increasing their investments in digital sales tools and capabilities for the near term. Yet less than 40 percent believe they are even moderately effective at it and a mere 17 percent rate their capabilities as “outstanding.”

[For rest of article read HERE]

This is the CEO guide to customer service.

Companies that create exceptional customer experiences can set themselves apart from their competitors.

What do my customers want? The savviest executives are asking this question more frequently than ever, and rightly so. Leading companies understand that they are in the customer-experience business, and they understand that how an organization delivers for customers is beginning to be as important as what it delivers.

This CEO guide taps the expertise of McKinsey and other experts to explore the fundamentals of customer interaction, as well as the steps necessary to redesign the business in a more customer-centric fashion and to organize it for optimal business outcomes. For a quick look at how to improve the customer experience, see the summary infographic.

[For rest of article, read HERE ...]

A PR exercise that went so wrong

I have always admire Singapore Airlines for it's sound public relations policies with its customers as well as the public.  But this time, it went so wrong and someone is left with a red face.

SINGAPORE Airlines has been criticised for making a big deal about Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold medal winner ... but relegating him to the back of their photos on social media.

Swimmer Joseph Schooling, 21, beat Michael Phelps to win gold in the men’s 100m butterfly in Rio but that wasn’t enough for him to nab prime position in a photo plastered all over Singapore Airlines’ social media.

In a post on the airline’s Facebook page, the swimmer can be seen standing at the back of the photo, with the airline’s staff in front of him.

Singapore Airlines has since deleted the much-criticised post, which attracted hundreds of angry comments from Schooling’s fans.

[For rest of news article, read HERE ....]

The QUANTUM Sales Management System is launched.

At last, after almost 12 years of careful research, the Quantum Sales Management System was finally launched on July 20 2016.

The delay was regrettable as much study had to be given due to the dynamic changes in sales management today as well as the willingness of the sales personnel in embracing such system as part of their work culture.  Next, a partner had to be sought, one who has the aptitude to collaborate on such a project especially in the field of programming, to program the system, and on this we welcome Infotree Sdn Bhd (a member of the Ikram Group) to the team.

How does the system work?  Basically, it operates on four simple forms, i.e. the Weekly Planner, the Daily Sales Report, the Prospect Information Sheet and Call Objective Form.  However, these four forms are so well integrated into the system that they are hardly seen at all but the Sales Personnel will be using them, nonetheless.

The system has two sections :

Section 1 : For use by the Sales Leader, whereby he will set the tone and direction for the sales team -
1.1 The number of calls per day
1.2 Determine the call ratio for a certain period, e.g. New Account:Follow up Calls.  Depending on the sales situation of a period where sales are not doing well, the Sales Leader might want to set the Call Ratio at 80:20 percent, i.e. 80% on New Account and 20% on Follow-up Account.  However, in Key Account Management, the ratio may be reversed, e.g. 20:80, i.e. 20% New Account and 80% Follow-up Account.  Once the ratio is set, the Sales Personnel will then begin to plot their sales calls as such.  Any deviation will prompt the system to alert the user that he is not within the parameter of the required calls.
1.3 The system also allow the Sales Leader to dictate the number of visits per client for the staff.  This is to time manage the staff so that they will not waste productive time on unproductive prospects.
1.4 The Call Objective section is for the Sales Leader to highlight to the Sales Personnel the kind of products that needed to be sold in the market.  This will help in moving slow stock which in return help in inventory management.  The other objective is to ensure the Sales Personnel to cross sell company products.

Section 2 : For use by the Sales Personnel to plot their calls for the coming week.  Every item decided by the Sales Leader will be reflected in this section which must be abided by the Sales Personnel.  It will start with the Weekly Planner and then their Daily Sales Report.  Any deviation will be picked up by the system and staff will be alerted.

Benefits:

1.  In the past, as well as present, hard copies are being used in sales planning and reporting. This will now be a thing of the past especially in this age of technology. Companies can now go paperless.
2. Sales Personnel can now do their reporting wherever they may be, even in a mamak shop or kopitiam.
3. Senior management staff, e.g. CEO, ED and/or GM can now view the staff activities and give timely decision to assist them in closing the sale.  However, the senior staff are not allowed to make comments other than the Sales Leader.  They can only view the plan and report, and they do not need to wait for the staff to complete their written report (which might take days) in the office to have it then called for review.
4. Sales Leader can now use the report to execute public relations exercises with new prospects.
5. Sales targets henceforth can be seen as achievable.
6. Staff confidence level will be boosted as they now have a sense of direction in pursuing their sales objectives.

System Effectiveness
 This is a tried and fully tested system used in a club, bank and trading house environment where the writer used to manage. It can also be applied in other kind of businesses.

Suitable for :

• Securing new acccount
• Key Account Management; and
• Managing The Dealers

Current Users :
1. QP Industries Sdn Bhd
2. Protasco Trading Sdn Bhd

Billy Ong (seated second from left) with the technical support team.  On his right is Business Associate, Regina Ng.

The above is just a gist of what the system can do.  For a free demo, without any obligation, you may contact the following :

Billy Ong
Handphone no: 012-688 4989

Regina Ng
Handphone no: 016-288 3091

Or Email us at:
quantumsms16@gmail.com

"POOR SALES RESULTS REFLECT POOR STANDARDS"

In the final leg of the preparation before the launch, the blogger (designer) and the programmers sitting down for one last check.

Billy Ong reviewing the flow of the system

 

Yes, it is working

Wishing all my Muslim friends a Selamat Hari Raya and may God's blessings be upon you and your family.