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How Distribution Grew In Japan...

12/11/2012

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On my first trip to Japan the Executive Director of Nissho Electronics, our distributor, met me in the lobby of the Palace Hotel.  He wanted to welcome me to Japan and take me to dinner. 

Over dinner I was given my itinerary for the week.  At quick glance I saw we weren’t spending much time together and no time was allocated to discuss how to expand distribution, but I wasn’t going to question him.  Thought there must be a reason.

Here was my itinerary…
          Day 1:  Work with Logistics Team… “wear your Levis”
          Day 2:  Meetings with Customer Support & Hardware / Software Eng.
          Day 3:  Customer visits with sales team lead
          Day 4:  One hour meeting with Executive Director
          Day 5:  Wrap-up meetings with executive sales team

On Day 1 I unboxed and tested five computers… four of the five were DOA.  Upon returning to the hotel I called our VP of Manufacturing to report what I found.

 On Day 2 I heard more about poor quality and lack of timely responses to technical questions.

On Day 3 I visited current installations and made prospect calls with their number one sales person.  He didn’t speak much English, but we understood the art of selling so we communicated.

On Day 4 the Executive Director asked what I learned…
  • Confirmed there were design issues and computers were becoming damaged in transit… manufacturing was expediting corrections.
  • Saw specific examples of additional quality problems and technical support issues… manufacturing and customer service has received details on what needs to be corrected..
  • Provided a hand drawn organization chart (with names & titles)… they don’t make these available to so he was impressed that I figured it out.
  • And last, I asked him to double his monthly orders “Japanese-style”.

On Day 5 my meeting with the executive sales team was delayed… seems the Executive Director doubled our monthly order that morning ($500,000) and sales team had been told to get selling!

                                                                     Lessons Learned:
  1.  By taking time to get dirty I was able to learn first hand why they weren’t selling… it wasn’t them, it was our poor quality and customer service.
  2. By listening and taking care of problems, before talking about increasing sales, I built trust… and with trust came rapid expansion and 65% of the Japanese market.

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An Example of Why Words Matter

12/10/2012

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After being put in charge to turnaround an “underperforming” Asian distribution channel, I was beginning the process of confirming meetings in multiple countries.  This was my first visit and didn’t know what to expect, other than knowing this territory should be generating large revenues and it wasn’t.

Forgot to mention… this was my first international position.

I remember writing my message to the Executive Director of Nissho Electronics Corporation, our Japanese distributor.  Japan had huge potential that wasn’t being reached.

It read…
          “I’m planning my first visit to Japan and want to allocate enough time to be properly trained.  When         would be a good time for you and do you think five days is adequate?”

His answer was…
          “We don’t call it Training we call it Orientation.” 

I responded by saying…
          “Do you think five days will provide enough time?”

 His reply was simply…
          “GOD I HOPE SO”

With this response I learned two important things:
          1.     Chose words wisely… they do matter (especially in Japan), and

          2.     I had a client unhappy about something

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Your Blog As A Product

11/20/2012

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While at ProductCamp SoCal I attended a session titled "Your Blog As A Product".  
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Dori Gilbert, the Executive Director of ProductCamp SoCal, conducted the session.  

Dori's session outlined five basic decisions to be addressed before beginning a business or professional blog that helps set you up for a sustainable content hub.

The five decisions were:
  1. Defining the purpose of your blog (what's your story, how to promote your blog, etc)
  2. Developing your foundation of sustainability
  3. Cultivating your blog direction
  4. Take time to blog (establish a writing schedule and topic calendar
  5. Selecting Technology and tools for results (platform & tools)

Dori's session provided an excellent overview of business blogging and I'd recommend reading her ebook titled "5 Decisions: Creating a Blog (Smart Decisions for a Successful Business Blog".  If you would like a "free" copy, just send me a request from the "Contact Me" tab.

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Zero to $200,000 In One Month -  A Case Study

11/19/2012

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Ok, what attracted me to ProductCamp SoCal was a topic form a presenter named John Chow.  If you haven’t heard of John, I’d suggest you check him out.

John Chow dot Com is one of the largest blogs on the Internet, with over 200,000 active daily readers and followers.  John Chow dot Com is ranked number 16 on the AdAge Power 150 list and number 1 in the list of the Top 50 Canadian Internet Marketing Blogs. 

What drew my attention to John was the title of his ProductCamp presentation… “Zero to $200,000 In One Month – How To Launch Your Own Info Product”.  Catchy title and I was skeptical.

I wasn’t interested in launching my own info product, but was interested in how John turned blogging into a money making machine.

ProductCamp follows a participant-drive “un-conference” format.  Session topics and presenters are not determined until attendees vote.  John Chow’s session received 1,124 votes and the next highest session received 182 votes.  So I wasn’t the only one interested in what John had to say.

Here’s a link to John Chow’s ProductCamp presentation.  The video is a real-life case study on how he created an information product in 28 days, marketed it online, and made $200,000 of sales in the first month.  All done with a budget of less that $1,000.

I recommend you grab a drink, pull up a chair, and note pad.  You will walk away energized and will have gained insight on how to improve marketing with a blog.

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Ever Attend an "Un-Conference"?

11/16/2012

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Earlier this month I had the pleasure of attending ProductCamp SoCal.  I was hesitant to go and skeptical of what could be learned from an "un-conference".  Boy was I wrong!
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Here's me at ProductCamp!










If you haven't heard of ProductCamp SoCal, it's a free (yes free) user driven, collaborative "un-conference" for product managers and marketers in Southern California.  It's a one-day gathering of product folks to share, present, network, learn and discuss.

ProductCamp is a bunch of smart passionate people coming together to share with and connect with professionals involved in product management, marketing and development.

I walked away energized, met great connections and "yes" learned at an "un-conference".  Can't wait for the next one!

I highly recommend ALL product folks attend this conference.  Check-em out at www.productcampsocal.org.

And check out what I learned at ProductCamp in future blogs...
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Disclosure

11/16/2012

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This blog is not primarily financially driven.  I'm putting it up today to build a community and learn from you smart people.

That said, beginning December 1, 2009 the FTC requires bloggers to provide disclosures whenever there could be hidden interests or unspoken biases related to recommendations.

Per the FTC rules, if I interview someone and they grab the bill for lunch, I would need to specify this.  And the same goes if I use an Amazon link that gets me 8 cents instead of an Amazon link that gets me 0 cents.

To cover myself and preserve your reading experience, please assume that, for every recommendation and link I provide the writer either got fed or got some sweet stuff.
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    Author

    Bill Kliss has been teaching his perfected technique  of opening doors to reach decision makers for 30-years.  His cutting edge approach has increased sales wins for virtually all types of products and services.  

    In addition, Bill also hosts the Opening Doors Radio & Video Show Series. This is  where Bill provides insight into opening doors to the C-suite by discussing proven selling techniques, and what some businesses are doing to accelerate business growth in today's economy.

    Bill's also a dad who loves the blues and anything at or in the ocean.

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