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The Arkansas Sales Call (Jim Karrh on Marketing)

3 min read

Several years ago, when I led marketing for an Arkansas brand and was working to expand its distribution into Japan, I learned that most potential buyers overseas had a rather limited perception of our state. Basically, attendees at the Supermarket Trade Show in Tokyo primarily wanted to know if I was connected to Wal-Mart and whether I could arrange a meeting for them with Bill Clinton.

In 2014, although Wal-Mart and President Clinton are seeming constants, the overall landscape is broader. It was interesting to read Arkansas BusinessSept. 8 report of a recent trans-Atlantic trade mission intended to accelerate business development. The trip focused on the Arkansas aerospace industry and included Gov. Mike Beebe along with a number of industry and government representatives. 

These types of missions draw public attention. Many of us might wonder what the “Arkansas pitch” is like and how it is received by those who don’t know us very well. The state certainly has a lot at stake in the form of future job opportunities. 

Aside from the particulars, this column is about the process behind high-stakes sales calls. I spoke with Grant Tennille, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, to learn more details about the mission and the execution behind it. There are lessons that apply to anyone doing business in our state who has a big bet on new business development:  

  • Identifying the right audience(s). The types of commitments the group was seeking involve millions of dollars and a long, politically charged buying cycle. The group wanted to meet face-to-face with “economic buyers” (C-level executives and EVPs) so as to use its scarce time well. “We need to put ourselves in the way of opportunities,” Tennille said. I’m sure the governor’s presence helped to secure executive face time — but those meetings still needed clear direction for the conversation.
  • Doing your research. The team had, according to Tennille, “many binders of documents” to review in advance of the trip. This level of information can be useful but can also be a trap. My experience is that sellers tend to know too much about their stuff and often try to impress buyers by cramming information into their conversations. The key is to find relevant information that sheds new light on the buyer’s world rather than on you or your products.  
  • Creating and equipping the messenger(s). Between prearranged appointments and the state’s booth at the Farnborough International Airshow, there were going to be many conversations (and message carriers) involved. The team established clarity on talking points, who could make promises and assurance, and who would handle follow-up activities.
  • Honing and trimming the message. The conversational challenge these days —particularly when you are a less-known quantity — is to bring some fresh ideas to potential buyers. Why should business leaders in England, France or the Czech Republic even consider Arkansas? The team focused its message on workforce issues, the overriding theme among attendees.  
  • Understanding competitors and alternatives. “Our neighbors have been going” to these events, according to Tennille, so the team needed to understand that Arkansas is a bit behind. That meant our contingent could not just yap about the great attributes of the state, but rather needed to carve out some differentiation. 
  • Staying attuned to the buyer’s world. “We talked about ourselves only to the extent we needed to establish our bona fides,” said Tennille. The team mentioned the successes of, say, Lockheed Martin (whose Camden facility has won the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for Manufacturing Excellence) and Dassault Falcon (which does all completion work for the Western Hemisphere from Little Rock), but always tried to bring the conversation back to a prospect’s business challenges.

Here’s to your landing a big project or two for your business, regardless of whether the source is down the street or across the Atlantic.

(Jim Karrh, Ph.D., of Little Rock is a marketing consultant, trainer and speaker. Visit JimKarrh.com, email him at Jim@JimKarrh.com or follow him on Twitter @JimKarrh.)

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