Clearvoice CMS

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We help explain why the market works the way it does and how you can begin to stake your claim on systems and solutions that will transform your business for your reasons and NOT those of the salesman.

Unfortunately, marketers within the technology industry have a different opinion. Their livelihoods depend on change, so marketing becomes like a scatter process; if a manufacturer has enough resellers they will eventually come across a sale simply because someone’s actually in the market there and then.

For the reseller, in the absence of a dream marketing department, businesses will just have to put up with receiving the same old, typical cold calls.

You probably won’t be amazed at the number of salespeople who ring your receptionist throughout the week to find out if you want to change one system or another and the answer, more often than not is “no thanks.” And their response? “OK, I’ll just keep your name on file and call you back in three to six months”. Not very good use of their CRM database I agree, but why is it they don't learn? You don't want new kit or new systems, you just want your existing staff to do the jobs they were employed to do in the first place. Life can be difficult enough without changing the tools every five minutes. We all know that changing one thing inevitably leads to changing another and always ends up with complaints from someone or other.

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In the 80s the bane of every businessman’s life were the companies cold calling who sold copiers/fax/franking machines. However, the whole process was simpler then. The salesman relied on his ability to “close” the deal and the business owner knew what he was getting – a copying machine, a faxed document or a stamp on a piece of mail.

Nowadays technology affects so many aspects of business that one false move could ripple out and impact every department.

And, changing technology always seems to equal “pain”, so staying with current systems actually looks like an attractive and even cost-effective proposition. Then the only thing we have to contend with are the same excuses from our sales staff, but hey, it’s comfortable, it’s something we’ve all been tolerating for years, isn’t it?

There is of course another alternative, which is for the technology sales companies to market the actual benefits of change! It’s all well and good being asked “do you want to buy product x, y or z”, but why is it that the salesmen never ask us what we really want and then show us how we can get it?

• As a Managing Director, do you want life to be easier?
• As an Accountant, do you want life to be more accurate?
• As an Administrator do you want life to be more organised?
• As a Customer Services operator do you want life to be happier?
• As a Sales Director do you want life to be more profitable?

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Yeah!, Yeah, Yeah, we know all of the above is possible through technology but let's face facts, not many businesses have any intention of changing the way they work unless a solution can be proven to make more money.

Saving time, efficiency, enhancing customer satisfaction and slick processes are all part and parcel of the same thing “creating and sustaining profitability”. The trouble is, there’s one factor not quite accounted for, and that’s the “what if” scenario which plays in the back of our minds:

• What if enhancing what we've got could actually make life easier?
• What if some of our existing systems could be upgraded and not completely changed?
• What if we could generate more income and chart development?
• What if a different approach was welcomed by our staff and customers?
• What if we ignored technology altogether and let our competition take pole position? To find out who may be a contender, simply reach for your copy of the Yellow Pages, they’re listed in alphabetical order!

Your business has needs and demands like that of a child. You want it to grow into a mature sustainable entity. And with that sustainability, in the same way that an engine needs petrol to keep functioning, so does your business need energy, enthusiasm and innovation. But these traits can only come from nurturing staff. And that takes time. Yet time is a commodity that we seem to have too little of, and that's where technology comes into play.

So many people, when they think about technology think of Bill Gates and all things confusing. The reality is, that business owners haven't got the time to investigate the tools that can make their lives more profitable.

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So what’s the answer?

Having worked within and monitored the technology industry for over 20 years we have a genuine affinity with the problems both parties - the customer and supplier - encounter.

Historically our business was selling technology; we supplied and installed it for other companies, but also used it ourselves. This gave us a unique perspective - we were able to empathise with directors and their issues and could also see the enormous benefits technology brings to business.

Its surprising the number of vendors who don’t use technology to run their own businesses, which explains why they simply sell a commodity for a profit. So where is the financial driver to get a technology salesperson to understand business process? If they knew enough about running a business, perhaps they’d be out there doing it for themselves!

Fortunately we do have a solution: by reading the next few sections of this site, you will understand the correlation between technology and the business process and consequently how this relationship translates into generating more profits for your business. Its rather like selling the sizzle and not the steak!