Frank Lüttjohann, CSO Sales Trade

POSITIONING AS LOCAL HERO IN THE REGION RIGHT STRATEGY FOR THE FUTURE

Currently all entrepreneurs in the mobile phone sector are facing very demanding times, and are almost certainly wondering about the future of their business and how best to reposition themselves. This was the reason behind our decision to travel throughout Germany with the Local Hero Tour for the first fime, a discussion platform concerning the development of the German telecommunications market. Roughly 100 entrepreneurs accepted the invitation to attend at one of the five stations from Hamburg to Munich, hoping to find out how they could use the changes in the market to their advantage, positioning themselves optimally as “Local Heroes”, i.e. experts in their region.

My main concern was to open the entrepreneurs’ minds and explain our Local Hero concept to them. With the Local Hero marketing strategy, we are making specialist retailers into local experts. Thanks to the connected store, they can offer the ideal combination of the benefits of online shopping and personal, local advice. Local Hero will naturally also be a topic of discussion at the German Mobile Communications Trade Conference, due to be held again in autumn.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM ENTREPRENEURS

The feedback from the entrepreneurs was without exception very positive, there were a lot of lively discussions and a number of questions were raised, particularly concerning service cards.

After all, service at the PoS is one of the major advantages brick and mortar retailers have over e-tailers. Many people in the branch have been of the opinion “we need to sell services” for quite some time now, but the correct method just wasn’t available. At the moment we are learning how this could be done, as our experience with service cards shows that it really does work. If they are to be used successfully it is crucial that services are actively offered, and that a conscious effort is made to mention them to customers.

SELLING SERVICES WITH SERVICE CARDS

This is the very reason why we have created physical service cards, listing each of the services individually and stating the price for each service. As a result, end customers can see the monetary value of the service straightaway. The service cards can easily be positioned where they will catch the customer’s eye, e.g. on a revolving stand directly at the counter. I have already discussed the topic of service cards in detail in an earlier contribution: Service cards in practice: Sell successfully and boost customer loyalty

HOW CAN YOU BECOME A LOCAL HERO?

Customers can find a huge range of goods on the internet, always offered at the best price. But if any problems arise with the online order, the customer is on his own. He needs support and assistance from an expert in store. The connected store combines the advantages of the internet with the advantages of the shop around the corner. Customers have an online shop in their direct vicinity, together with all services and a personal point of contact. The Local Hero offers everything offered by online retailers, at the same time as running a local store. He offers a huge product range like those offered online, and is open 24/7 thanks to the Online Kiosk. In addition, he shines with his own personality and regional presence, whilst offering a range of optional additional services.

This picture of the Local Hero is conveyed with our new marketing material, focussing on the retailer and his team, e.g. on the cover of the end customer magazine Trends.