Sales Staff Manual

Sales Staff Manual

The sales manual provides a useful guide for Sales Account Managers in Flashbay. It covers both basic information and new topics, so should be consulted regularly even by the more experienced sales staff in Flashbay.

If you have any suggestions for additions to the sales manual, or if you need clarification on any of the policies, please email James Roberts, Director of Flashbay, in the first instance.

Artwork and Virtual Proofs

Artwork

As a salesperson selling products to be branded with a customer's logo, you should be completely proficient in:

- Knowing what file extensions are acceptable to us?

- Judging what logo quality is good enough for us to work with

- Knowing when text is too small to print at readable size.

Review the information at this link http://www.flashbay.com/support/faq/logo-format.html which explains best file types for artwork, and review this link http://www.flashbay.com/support/faq/flash-drive-customization.html for information about branding techniques.

Requesting Virtual Proofs

You must employ initiative before sending virtual proof requests to graphics to avoid wasting their time. Consider which branding techniques are most suitable for the artwork, think about the best layout, and do not hesitate to request for better quality artwork from your contact if necessary.

Being proactive and already putting the customer's website address on the back of the flash drive can save time with future proof revisions when they come up with the idea later. Being proactive will also help to entice the customer to order and increase your conversion rate.

To request a virtual proof email virtualproof@flashbay.com. Your request will be allocated to one of the graphics team at the factory. They will email you back from their own email account. Please do not reply to the individual's email address e.g. oscar@flashbay.com. All replies should be sent back to virtualproof@flashbay.com.

Your emails should be direct, concise and as simple as possible.

You must always include the lead/customer number so the virtual proof will be saved to the correct record. Remember to state which product and colour you require, and also indicate branding technique.

Here is an example:

Our Graphics Team are sometimes swamped by large volumes of virtual proof requests which are ‘cold campaigns’ of sales account managers rather than responses to active/hot leads of new prospective clients . As a consequence, hot leads get served slower by our graphics team as they are not able to prioritize such matters. You must be selective and well-organized on such matters and THINK before you do anything with regards to using other people’s time.

Virtual Proofs and Netsuite

Every virtual proof that is created for a lead/customer is stored in Netsuite and can be viewed (and downloaded in PDF form) in the Virtual Proofs tab of the customer record (or by searching for the proof reference (e.g. PR121234) using the Global Search function).

The Virtual Proof Record in Netsuite stores the data for a particular virtual proof. Pressing the 'generate proof' button will convert the record into a PDF document which is 'customer presentable':

This is useful because you can edit simple aspects of the record (e.g. pantone references) and generate the PDF to show the customer without the assistance of the graphics team.

Sending Samples

It is good practice to suggest sending samples when you have the opportunity – seeing our products first hand will increase the chances of your lead/customer buying. Our sample pack continues to receive glowing feedback from final customers. No competitor offers anything close to this.

Remember however that we receive a lot of sample requests from people who are just after a 'freebee'. Typically these bogus requests come from people that use ‘free’ email accounts such as wanadoo, hotmail, yahoo, gmail, etc. Always treat a sample request in earnest, but do not send any samples until you have ‘qualified’ the lead. In other words, only proceed once you are satisfied the enquiry is legitimate; for example you receive a reply asking for a virtual proof using a real company logo. Samples are an influential tool in the sales process but cost us money. Therefore being prudent will not waste money unnecessarily and will consequently benefit your sales.

How to send samples

You can send samples using the sample sending tool. Use this tool via your Netsuite account.

(a) Find the customer record on Netsuite for the customer you wish to send samples

(b) Go to the tab called 'Virtual Proofs'

(c) Click the link called 'send samples'

(d) This will open up a new window in your browser from which you can send samples. At the top of this tool there is a 'help' link. Please refer to this link for further instruction on how to use the tool.

How to handle customer data

Customer data is extremely important and valuable so it is crucial that we handle it properly to ensure that we do not corrupt or compromise it in any way. Following the procedures in this document will help to ensure that any orders which include DP or DPUS go as smoothly as possible.

30 days for data rule

We allow customers 30 calendar days from order confirmation to supply us with data for DP or DPUS. Please make customers aware of this timeframe when they are ordering so they do not end up with a surprise.

After 30 days has passed and no data is provided, we will carry out the following:

i) credit terms customer (not overdue) - ship order without data and issue credit note for data

ii) credit terms customer (overdue) - inform customer 30 days deadline has passed and we intend to ship order without data and issue credit note for DP. If customer does not agree, order will be cancelled.

iii) advance payment customers who have paid - ship order without data and issue credit note for data

iv) advance payment customers who haven't paid - inform customer 30 days deadline has passed and we intend to ship order without data and issue credit note for DP. If customer does not agree, order will be cancelled.

Your sales admin reminder emails will be updated to show how many days each sales order has left before the 30 days deadline for receipt of data is reached.

How to receive customer data

There is a page on our website that explains to customers how they can send us data and you should be very familiar with this. The English translation can be found at:

http://www.flashbay.com/data

(You can choose your own language in the language selector to see the specific translation that your customers will see and also to find out the address of the page should you wish to refer them to it directly).

The most popular ways to receive data from customers are (in order of preference):

a) upload to our website

b) download from customer

c) FTP from customer server

d) email

e) cd / dvd / flash drive through the mail

Each of these has its own considerations but the main thing to remember is that with a, b, c, d (and preferably e) the customer must zip the data into a single file. The internal folder structure of this file must exactly represent the folder structure of the finished flash drive. In the case of e the data need not be zipped but the folder structure of the cd / dvd / flash drive must also exactly represent the folder structure of the finished flash drive.

In all cases we aim to avoid moving / renaming / editing customer data. Doing this can easily lead to errors for which you will be held responsible. Also, do not pass on such requests to IT or factory staff unless it is absolutely critical. The customer is ultimately responsible for providing the correct data - trying to modify customer data under the pressure of a deadline and often with poor communication is extremely risky and will often lead to mistakes.

Why a single zip file?

When files are copied and transferred there is always the possibility that they become damaged, corrupted or go missing completely. If this happens it might not be easy to see just by looking at the data and you would need to check every single file to make sure that all the data was ok (some customers send data containing many thousands of files). If a zip file is damaged or corrupted though it simply won’t unzip which means that you can quickly test whether the data is ok. Additionally, files cannot vanish from inside zip files so if you are given a zip file and it unzips properly you can be sure that the same data is inside as when the customer zipped it up.

Different methods of receiving data

a) Upload to our website

This is the most straight forward way for customers to send us data. Provided the zip file that they wish to send us is under 2GB they can use the data upload page on our website to send us their data. When it is successfully received you will be sent an email notification and will be able to download the data to your PC for checking, renaming and sending to the factory.

b) Download from customer

If the customer has access to a web server or some sort of publicly accessible online storage space then they can send you a link to download their zip file from the web. This is a very quick way for us to get the data.

c) FTP from customer server

If the customer has their own web server they may give you login details to download the data that you require for the order. When you login to their FTP server ensure that you follow their instructions carefully to locate the correct data for the order. If it turns out that the data is stored as files and folders on the FTP server and not a single .zip file then please do not download the data. Instead, instruct the customer to create the required zip file and place that on their FTP server instead.

d) Email

This is the simplest way but only really suitable if the zip file that the customer creates is less than 5MB in size. Files larger than this can cause problems with both the customers email systems and also our own. You may also find that the customer’s IT department do not let them email files above a certain size and so their message will arrive but the attachment will be missing. We have no control over such events, our email system will never remove attachments from either incoming or outgoing messages.

e) cd / dvd / flash drive through the mail

In cases when the data is very large, above 2GB for example, or the deadline is sufficiently long the customer may prefer to send the data on a disk through the post. The data does not need to be placed in a zip file when it is on a cd / dvd / flash drive but you must inform the customer that they should produce the disk in such a way that it has the same folder structure as the finished flash drive will have. Remember - data supplied on cd / dvd / flash drive need not be zipped up but the customer must take extra care that the data is correct in these cases as sending it again can be very time consuming and we do not wish to have them send files by email / download / ftp to correct their mistakes. As a salesperson you need to take extra care when handling files supplied by flash drive as you could easily make a mistake and change or delete important customer data. Always copy the data from the flash drive onto your PC and keep the original data safe in case you need to refer to it in future or you make a mistake with your copy of the data and need to start again. Take particular care with cds / dvds / flash drives that contain Mac data - refer to the Mac data section for information.

How to check customer data

Unzipping the data

Once you have the customer data you must check that it actually works. The first step is to unzip the files. You can do this as follows (You can skip this step if the files are supplied unzipped on a cd / dvd / flash drive ):

1. Save / move the customer data zip file to your desktop

2. Right click on the zip file

3. Select '7-Zip' > 'Extract to "{name of zip file}\"' from the menu that appears

4. The program will unzip the file and a new folder will be created on your desktop with the same name as the zip file but without the .zip extension

Example: You have a customer data file called 'data_for_flashbay.zip' on your desktop You follow the above procedure You now have a customer data file called 'data_for_flashbay.zip' and a folder called 'data_for_flashbay' on your desktop You can look inside the 'data_for_flashbay' folder to see the customer data

It is usually best to store the unzipped folder on the Desktop, you will be deleting it once you have checked the data so there is no need to worry about filling up your desktop.

Always use this procedure when viewing the contents of zip files, do not simply double click on the zip file as this will show you a preview but the files behave differently to when they are properly unzipped using the procedure above.

Viewing the data

Once you have unzipped the data you will need to check that it is complete and working. You can do this easily by opening up the folder and quickly looking at and trying to run the files. Before you do this though you must be certain that you are viewing all the files by making sure that your computer is displaying hidden and system files. You can do this as follows:

1. Choose 'Computer' from the start menu or open any folder

2. Click on the 'Organize' menu

3. Select 'Folder and search options'

4. Select the 'View' tab

5. In 'Advanced settings' make sure that under the 'Hidden files and folders' section you have selected 'Show hidden files, folders and drives'.

6. Click 'Apply' and / or 'OK'

You only need to do this once to enable it on your computer but it is worth checking every so often that someone else has not disabled this feature.

Now you will be able to see all the data sent by the customer, including any hidden and system files that they may have sent. This is useful as some customers like to make their autorun files hidden so that end users do not see them when they look at the contents of the drive.

Running the data

It is essential that you try running some of the customer data to make sure that it works. You will usually be aware of the type of data that they have supplied to you and its purpose so this information can help you to decide how best to run the data during your test - you must use common sense and judgement.

For example, if the customer has sent you 3 PDF files to be preloaded then you should check that you can open all three files. If they send you 300 then you should try 10 or 15 at random. You don’t need to read the information that they contain, you just need to check that they open.

If the customer sends a flash movie then make sure that it plays and if they send you a web page then make sure that you can open it and that it appears to be correct, click around and try some of the links to be sure that they work.

The purpose of running the data is just to be sure that any obvious errors are spotted at an early stage before the data is sent to the factory. As the salesperson you are well placed to assess whether the data works as you will be familiar with what the customer is looking to achieve.

Autorun functions

Due to changes in the way that the latest operating systems work there are important differences between what can be achieved with autorun files depending on whether the customer wants DP or DPUS:

- Autorun on DPUS drives supports the changing of drive icons, volume labels and the automatic running of applications and content (depending on the operating system).

- Autorun on DP drives only supports the changing of drive icons and volume labels - applications and content cannot be run automatically.

In basic terms autorun only works well for drives ordered with DPUS as the drive has a partition which is formatted as a CDROM. Autorun never works on Macs. For more information see http://www.flashbay.com/services/usb-autorun.html

If your customer wants some of their data to autorun then you need to specify this in the "Job Notes" field on the "Job Details" tab of the sales order in Netsuite and the Operations team will either create the required autorun file or check that the customer supplied autorun file is correct.

Special note - If you are storing data on the network never put autorun.inf files on the root of a network drive (such as the S: or P: drive) as this file will run every time someone opens the drive to view the files.

Sending data to the factory

Once you are sure that the data works and is complete you should prepare it for upload to the factory FTP server. Do not re-zip the files that you have been checking. Instead, simply rename the original zip file that contains the data for the order. The standard naming format is:

SalesOrderNumber CustomerNumber CustomerName.zip

For example:

S1234 C0079 Bilko.zip

If you have multiple data sets to be used with different proofs you can include the proof reference in the file name:

SalesOrderNumber CustomerNumber CustomerName ProofReference.zip

For example:

S1234 C0079 Bilko PR1234.zip

S1234 C0079 Bilko PR5678.zip

In all other non-standard cases, for example orders for the same product but with multiple data sets to be preloaded on different units, you may vary the end of the zip file name but must explain the variation in the "Job Notes" field on the "Job Details" tab of the sales order in Netsuite:

For example:

Zip file names: S1234 C0079 Bilko Data1.zip and S1234 C0079 Bilko Data2.zip

Job Notes entry: Data1 = 400 units, Data2 = 500 units

By only renaming the file you can be certain that you are not changing its contents in any way.

You should then upload the renamed zip file to the factory FTP server using FileZilla (which is pre-installed on your computer). Should the stored login details be lost they are:

Host name: ftp://data.flashbay.com (click here to launch in download mode)

Username: data

Password: chickensoup69

To access the factory FTP server in Read/Write mode you should use FileZilla (there is a shortcut to this on your desktop and you will have been shown how to use it during your initial training). You cannot upload files using Firefox as it connects to the server in read only mode.

You should then email Operations to inform them that the customer data is available on the server. Additionally, if there is any special action that needs to be taken with the data or with the order generally then you must contact the factory and inform them of this directly as well as making sure that you include clear instructions in the "Job Notes" field on the "Job Details" tab of the sales order in Netsuite. An example of this would be when the customer wants the finished drives to have a specific volume label.

Special note - if customer data is above 1GB in size you should contact itsupport@flashbay.com for assistance in uploading the data to the server to ensure that it can be properly downloaded by the factory. Additionally, you should understand that the larger the customer data is, the longer it will take to be preloaded on to the flash drives and you should factor this into the amount of time that you allow to receive the data from the customer.

Mac data

Mac files can be difficult to work with so it is important that you always check with your customer whether the data contains any Mac specific files. PDFs, images, documents and web pages will usually work on Macs with no problem but care needs to be taken with applications and flash movies in particular.

If your data contains Mac files these must be checked separately on a Mac by an IT or factory staff member. Always make the factory aware when your customer data contains Mac files. Similarly, always make IT staff aware that your customer data contains Mac files if they are assisting you with handling the data.

It is crucial that you do not unzip and re-zip data that contains Mac files as this will damage them in such a way that they will not run anymore. It is highly preferable that you receive Mac data in a zip file created by the customer. The next best alternative is to receive Mac data on a CD (arranged exactly how the customer wants it on the flash drive). It should then be zipped from the CD with the assistance of an IT staff member.

Questions and assistance requests

If you have any questions regarding customer data or need assistance testing or uploading customer data then please email itsupport@flashbay.com

How to be a Better Salesperson

After analysing 1000s of emails from our sales team, we have identified the most common pitfalls in initial email and phone communication with new leads. If you can get these things right, success is guaranteed.

Top 10 Email Pitfallsv

1) Not using the opening 2 sentences of your Email to full effect

The opening lines of your email are the best and perhaps only chance to directly address the concerns and wishes of your new lead. They will read these carefully but probably skim down the rest of the email.

Your opening 2 sentences should i) contain a personal comment relevant to the customer's company and ii) directly address any concerns the customer has.

Bad opening sentence example:

Many thanks for your enquiry - please find information and prices below for your interest.

Good opening sentence examples:

Many thanks for your enquiry - We can definitely meet your requirement for delivery a week on Friday. You may be interested to know we supplied your sister NHS department recently and they were very happy with their order.

Many thanks for your enquiry - I think the Spirit Media logo will look great engraved on the Alloy USB Card. I'll be sending you the virtual proof by lunchtime and have posted you some dummy samples for delivery tomorrow morning so you can see this product first hand.

Further good examples of opening sentences use the 'Industry Association Principle' (the principle goes that if you inform a lead that we have supplied a company in a similar industry to their company, they will feel Flashbay can fulfil their requirement well because of this experience):

Company enquiring is BAE systems (Engineering/Defence company):

Many thanks for your enquiry - You may be interested to know we have recently supplied Airbus with USB cards which they used to promote their new A380 - I heard their promotion was a great success.

Company enquiring is a Software company:

Many thanks for your enquiry - You may be interested to know we have recently supplied HP with USB flash drives for the promotion of their latest Laserjet products.

Company enquiring is an Events company:

Many thanks for your enquiry - You may be interested to know we have supplied a couple of event companies this month - both were very happy when we delivered well before the big day.

Use common sense: Look on the leads' website to know what they do and what type of company they are. Don't mention their direct competitors in the 'Industry Association Principle' because it will have a bad effect!

2) Failure to complement your electronic communication with physical samples by post

For those leads which you identify as legitimate, you need to send samples on the 1st day of the sales cycle. Be proactive about sending samples - if a hot lead doesn't ask to see a sample, just inform them in the email that you have posted some samples for his/her review. Sending samples is one of the best sales tools in our business.

3) Not converting bad enquiries into good

It's common that some leads come to you which are not 'perfect'. The lead may be after a flash drive model we don't offer, or even a different promotional product. Leads might also come to you incomplete or just as a couple of lines.

If the lead is from a genuine company, you still need to put in energy to develop the lead further. Never just email them a 'dead end' email which doesn't offer suggestions or ask questions - this will destroy all future potential.

Example: Many thanks for your enquiry. I am familiar with the model which you attached. We can provide a similar looking model which I think is worth considering but not the exact one you attached. Please find attached images of the Wafer USB Card, which can be printed in full colour with your logo and delivered for next Friday at your event - it's a very popular product at the moment with Event companies and I think would really showcase your clients logo well. I've attached a full price list for your review and have posted you some samples for delivery tomorrow so you can examine the product first hand.

4) Not Promoting our Lead time Sufficiently

Our Lead time is very quick, and no other competitor can match it. To help differentiate Flashbay from the competition our quick turnaround capabilities should be heavily integrated into your communication, not just mentioned as a one time general statement in the initial quote.

Example: Please find attached your virtual proof - should you wish to confirm an order today, we can deliver the full order at Cactus Events, in Fulham for next Thursday.

5) Using 'turn off' text in your email

Don't kill off leads before they have had a chance to develop by using 'negative sentences'. Here are some examples of 'turn off' sentences not to be used in the opening email to a customer:

We require payment 100% in advance for orders

We are a UK registered company and need your valid VAT number otherwise your order will incur a 20% VAT charge

We reserve the right to change prices at any time

This offer is valid for 'X' days

General comment: Don't allow negative words to lie alone (e.g. no, cannot, wont, cant, unfortunately) as these 'turn off' words should be complemented with something positive. So, if the customer asks for something we cannot do, then tell them we can't meet that particular requirement BUT in the same sentence give a positive alternative suggestion.

6) Knowing when to use spot quotes, attach a price list or both

There are 3 ways you can quote a customer:

Spot Quote: Good for when the customer knows exactly what they want, and you want to close the deal.

Price list: Good for when the customer needs to be presented with options, or you can't ascertain what they are after. Let them browse our 'store' while giving them direction in the form of concrete suggestions.

Spot Quote and Price list: Good for when the customer thinks they know what they are after but you feel you can 'upsell' to them by giving further options. Use this strategy intelligently (e.g. when the customer is going to place an order and has already identified the product, upsell on capacity or quantity, not on a different product).

7) Breaking the Email Thread

When responding to a customer call by email, or following up an older lead, do not start a new blank email. You need to retrieve the previous email communication to build on the existing dialogue. Re-attach any documents to which you refer such as latest virtual proof and price list.

Breaking the email thread loses any climax you are trying to develop in the communication process and allows the customer to fob you off leaving you few angles of attack.

8) Lack of Attachments and attention to detail

A picture tells 1000 words. When you refer to a product in an email or make a proposal you must always attach an image(s) of the product or accessory. Even if you are quite sure the customer has seen it before, it doesn't hurt to reinforce your message. We have a very extensive picture library and you should use it.

Additionally you should ensure your emails contain dates, times, quantities, figures, where appropriate. General communication doesn't offer reassurance nor progress the sales cycle.

9) Not using the subject line effectively

Personal subject lines like 'Quote for Cactus Promotions' are much better than a general subject line such as 'Quote from Flashbay'. The recipient will feel like you are answering to their request rather than sending the usual sales text.

10) Not Using the Price Match Policy Effectively

You should follow all your quotes and other price sensitive communication with the ‘price match policy statement’ unless you are certain that the customer will accept the prices due to other communication (e.g. no need to do this with past customers). This keeps customers on your fishing line should they initially choke on your prices.

Top Phone Pitfalls

1) Unfriendly, unenthusiastic phone manner

You need to sound alert, be helpful and ultra-interested on the phone. Ask the customer questions so they feel like they are valued and you care. Understand and directly address the customer's concerns. Propose the next steps so they know what to expect.

If you don't do these things on the phone, the customer will call a competitor and your chances of winning the deal will have halved.

2) Negotiating prices on the Phone

Negotiation by phone doesn't allow you time to think about what price is suitable for that customer and conduct further research about what price is best to initially quote.

It also won't allow you the chance to properly explain your price so they understand it's excellent value even if you can't meet their target.

Quoting is a strategic art and if you have an emotional price driven discussion by phone you will find it very hard to maintain your margins.

If a customer insists to negotiate price by phone, kindly inform them you will write an email 'in the next 2 minutes'. Give them the confidence that you will do this by reading out the email address to which you will send it.

If you are a good salesperson you will have the customer record open in front of you already.

Quoting by email generates an 'audit trail' to which you can refer to in future. If a customer sends you a purchase order or disputes an invoice, you need to have your quotes on file.

3) Not complementing your calls with an email memo

While you are on the phone you should have a new email message open in Zimbra. Take notes during the conversation (An experienced salesperson can even write the whole email while listening to the customer).

Then when you hang up, you can finish composing the message and email them a professional memo of the conversation.

- This sends a very clear signal to the customer that we are a professional company and can deliver their order on time and to the correct specification.

- It allows you to have a written history of everything discussed which is invaluable during the sales cycle and for future order generation.

- If there is a dispute with the customer, your email records can provide clarity and extricate you from unfair accusations.

Customer Service Excellence

Every customer should be contacted via email after delivery of their sales order to check whether everything was 100% to their satisfaction.

Maintaining your Sales Pipeline

Most of Flashbay's sales originate from warm leads generated by online advertising. However it is impossible for us to guarantee a constant stream of fresh warm leads to sales people at all times. When the fresh leads are dealt with, a good salesperson turns the focus to 'active' sales efforts even for small pockets of time during the day. These activities help to generate leads in the future and play a vital part of building a sales pipeline. If you ignore your pipeline even when times are good, your sales will dry up and your career as a salesperson will be short lived or stagnant. The "My Pipeline" tab displayed in Zimbra is an extremely useful tool to help you maintain your sales pipeline.

Set yourself targets

It's a fact of human nature that unless you set yourself personal targets, you won't get around to achieving anything near your potential. You should set targets for yourself each and every day.

Examples of daily targets:

- Between 10am and 12pm I will call 30 new resellers today and tell them about our products and services.

- I will call 30 final customers I haven't heard from for a few months and send them samples of a new product.

Know your list of customers in Netsuite

If you are not using Netsuite effectively, the list of customers and leads assigned to you can sometimes seem impenetrable when viewing online.

It's important you know how to sort your customer and lead lists in Netsuite by number, name or by category and that you can use the different list views to show the relevant data you require. Only this way can you ensure your campaigns cover all the customers assigned to you, and that you don't lose track of where you are.

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you are lost and need to do some serious catch-up.

- Roughly how many customers are assigned to you?

- Roughly how many leads are assigned to you?

- Which final customers will order from you this week?

- Roughly what percentage of new leads are you converting?

- What is your average profit margin?

With the average, full inducted, Flashbay salesperson having about 800 leads and customers assigned to them at any one time, it is not uncommon to know the contact names of at least half of these companies by memory.

Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up

For all those people that sent you a request and never ordered, or are still making a decision, you need to give them a call or write them an email so they don't get away from you. For experienced sales people, following up is second nature, but once the work load increases, follow-ups often become too infrequent. Some things to note when following up a lead:

- Be friendly, informative and helpful in your follow-up emails - don't just 'bother' the lead.

- Address the lead's specific request and ensure to tailor your follow up texts for each case.

- Follow-up by continuing the email thread, don't start a new email. When the customer sees the historical thread of communication they are more likely to reply.

- Suggest real solutions to their concerns if you feel they aren't biting. It could be a different model, printing method, capacity, lead time etc that makes the deal.

- If they don't respond to emails, give them a call and if they aren't available it's your responsibility to try again.

Do your active sales activities on a big scale

Calling a few leads, writing a few emails and letting your day be dictated by your inbox is not the best way. When you decide to do a follow-up session for example think big. Big is more efficient.

Last minute campaigns don't work

If you are coming to the end of the month and haven't been selling well, a last minute motivational burst at the end of the day is unlikely to put you back on track for the month. Don't let yourself get to this stage.

90 day minimum contact rule

All existing customers in your portfolio must be contacted at least once every 90 days. Customers who are not contacted within this timeframe will be reassigned to other sales account managers.

Order Troubleshooting

Delivery Problems

The first step is to liaise with Aftersales (currently aftersales@flashbay.com or aftersales.us@flashbay.com). They will contact an account manager of the courier company to try and resolve the problem. Remember to empathise with your customer and reassure them we are doing everything we can.

Post delivery problems

Customers will very occasionally make complaints about malfunctioning products or print quality. The following steps should be taken:

1) Empathise with your customer. Advise your customer that we will investigate the problem immediately. Liaise with Aftersales for further instructions.

2) If your customer is purporting to be in possession of malfunctioning units, request instructions from Aftersales.

3) Aftersales may instruct you to schedule a replacement order. Always mention in job notes if an order is for replacements.

4) If applicable, arrange with Aftersales to issue a credit note for any returned units.

Please note that you are required to obtain Aftersales' written approval before offering or even talking about any REFUND to your customers. By standard we do not refund our customers for faulty goods, we replace faulty goods.

Returns Procedure

1) Customer reports a problem to you for an order that has been delivered:

Please ask the customer to provide as much information as possible about the problem in as much detail as possible via phone or email (preferred). If you cannot resolve the problem ‘on the spot’ with the customer over the phone, please advise the customer once you have asked for all the details very carefully that Flashbay will investigate their problem/complaint immediately as a matter of priority and will get back to them as soon as the results are available (usually 24 hours maximum) with an answer. The outcome of the report maybe that Flashbay needs the order back at our offices to be able to investigate the case properly (see 3) below). Regardless, do NOT advise the customer of any answer or promise before our investigation has been completed in full. Do NOT make arrangements of any kind until the report has been completed. When providing information to Aftersales regarding how the problem occurred, keep your report short, factual and logical.

2) Results of investigation:

The result of the investigation will determine whether Flashbay accepts responsibility for a mistake made on an order or whether we refuse to accept responsibility. An email report is issued to the customer on our findings and our conclusion on our findings. This report has to be agreed by Aftersales in writing before emailing to customer. Do not give partial findings or reports to the customer if they call during the investigation - just inform them we are looking into it the case as a matter of priority and will be in touch soon.

3) Return of orders:

If Flashbay has confirmed responsibility for a mistake on an order we will either offer financial compensation or exchange of the goods to the customer. Any offer of compensation or exchange of goods requires the written approval of Aftersales prior to making any arrangements or concessions to a customer.

4) Receiving returned orders:

When Flashbay receives the returned order, our Aftersales staff will advise the relevant sales account manager in charge of the order that the goods have been received back. The warehouse will count the goods very carefully and advise sales staff on the number of items received back. Once the complete order has been received back, you may schedule a replacement order on Netsuite subject to the approval obtained under 3). For particularly urgent replacement requirements, you may schedule a replacement order before receiving back the original order but the factory will not ship until the original order has been confirmed as received back.

Truffle Express - 1 way to recompense your customer

Truffle Express is an aftersales courtesy for final customers that were not 100% satisfied with Flashbay's service (delivery delay, quality problems etc...). On such occasions, we will send customer an apology together with a box of fine chocolate.

Truffle Express is only available to final customers (not resellers) in selected cases which have to be singled out and approved by your respective team manager.

How to initiate?

Email Aftersales with subject line "TRUFFLE EXPRESS". The email body should contain:

i) Netsuite customer record number ii) Contact name iii) Brief description of the particulars of the service failure

Fraud

Fraudulent Enquiries

Enquiries from fraudsters are commonplace for any business that advertises online, including Flashbay.

In fact about 1 in 40 enquiries we receive as a business are fraud, which is fairly normal.

How to recognise fraudsters

• customer writes with poor languages skills

• customer writes with bad grammar

• customer writes in CAPITALS

• customer has a free email address (e.g. shell.oil.company@yahoo.com, guchi.handbags@libero.it etc)

• customer wants to order urgently

• customer keen to pay by credit card, and mentions this payment method early in communication. Customer may also insist on 100% credit terms

• customer doesn't negotiate on price

• customer wants 'blank' units, and not is keen on supplying a logo

• customer wants delivery to Africa, or Russia, or somewhere obscure. There are also plenty of fraudsters in developed countries e.g. Southern Italy

• customer wants delivery to forwarding address or 'PO box' (post box)

• customer has no webpage, or it is under construction, or the webpage is very low quality

Country Sales Team Specific

Spanish Sales Team

Shipments to the Canary Islands

All shipments to the Canary Islands undergo a separate customs procedure in addition to the formal importation to Spain. The import tax which is specific to the Canary Islands is called 'Impuesto General Indirecto Canario', in short IGIC.

Please note that this tax is frequently changed but it should be sufficient to inform the customer that this tax exists.

Mini Marketing Campaigns

There is a STRICT BAN on any of our sales staff running their own mini email marketing campaigns to attract customer business. As a salesperson, you should address leads/customers individually (one at a time) with an individual message and customized offer.

Please see below for reasons why we strictly oppose any micro email marketing campaigns of sales staff:

Strategy reasons

We don’t want to blur the boundary between sales and marketing just as we would not want to get sales people involved in production, shipping etc.

Our marketing strategy is very much automated with the sending of mass emails for information which is widely relevant or for processes which are not possible to do individually. But sending too many general emails can annoy customers. As with many things in life we believe after a certain threshold ‘less is more’ . The balance can only be controlled at a marketing level.

We believe the role of a salesperson is about the value added with individual human interaction and individual decisions. The best salesmanship results from targeted, individualised calls and emails to one's lead/customer base.

If we believed in automating communication, it could be easily achieved in various stages of the order process – but this is not currently the plan as the customer experience would be diminished along with profitability.

Technical reasons

Your email address + IP address combination will be gradually ‘black listed’ by some servers after many identical bulk emails. The % of legitimate email you send which is wrongly classed as spam in future will increase. Our marketing email addresses have the same problem, but we can throw these away and use a new email address. We should however keep ‘you@flashbay.com’ as clean as possible.

Special Requests

Please refrain from making any special offerings above and beyond the Flashbay standard product and service portfolio without written approval from your team leader. What you see on Flashbay's website are the products and services that we sell. Please stick to our STANDARD offering and pay careful attention to the limitations of number of printing colours, delivery times (depending on payment status) etc. etc.

The job of a salesperson is to direct the customer’s ambitions and ideas towards our standard product offering, and not vice versa. For example if your customer requires a bespoke flash drive design, advise them that we cannot source the particular model and direct them to the closest matching product we supply highlighting its similarities and advantages.

Summary

6 WORKING DAYS LEAD TIME APPLIES FROM DATE OF ORDER TO DATE OF DELIVERY (6 working days also applies from receipt of formal payment confirmation, complete data submission for data preload, change of shipping address, receipt of shipping instructions, artwork approval etc.)

Minimum Order quantity is 25 pieces

We do not change the shipping address of an order after it has shipped

We do not part ship orders unless there is a full extra shipping charge on the sales order for the additional part shipment

You require your team leader's written approval if you wish to choose a price below our lowest price level

You are required to schedule a NEW sales order if you wish to add quantity to an order that has already been placed and approved

You may offer free shipping for a customer based on intelligent commercial judgement without written approval if you have passed your trial period. Free shipping should be used in the pre-sales cycle as an effective negotiation tool.

Where special NAND is requested by a customer, you must quote "price list level 7 + cost price of special NAND". Cost prices are available from Operations (operations.cn@flashbay.com). The minimum order quantity for special NAND flash orders is 500 units.

You are required to report any customer problem to Aftersales via email

Before offering any compensation to any of your customers for mistakes, you are required to obtain Aftersales' written approval to do so

Any mistake that is being made by the sales account managers on entering a sales order will result in the sales order being marked ex commission

Your Commission

New Business - Double the Reward

For any new business you generate (defined as 1st order from a new customer above £50.00), you will receive 6% commission based on the first order only. This reward system is designed to better match the effort required for a first time customer and their first order compared to any subsequent order as well as the profit generated from new customer business in general.

Get a lot of NEW BUSINESS and reap the rewards with our 6% commission scheme.

New Business - Minimum Commission Policy

£10 minimum commission is awarded for all new business orders. £10 minimum commission orders show in green on your commission dashboard.

Existing Customer Commission Scheme

The standard commission amount is 3% of profit generated from your orders.

100 days overdue = ex-commission

Any sales order which becomes 100 days overdue for payment is automatically marked ex-commission.

Minimum Profit Requirement and Minimum Daily Activity Requirement

Minimum Profit Requirement

All sales account management staff will be set a monthly minimum sales profit requirement – the exact figures will be clearly displayed on your ‘commission dashboard’. Achieving this minimum requirement is an obligation.

If a sales account manager fails to achieve this reasonably set minimum profit requirement two months consecutively, the company reserves the right to terminate their employment with Flashbay Limited.

The monthly ‘minimum sales profit requirement’ is set understandably low.

Adjustment to Minimum Profit Requirement if you are on Holiday

Your minimum profit requirement will be alleviated by a factor of half a day for every full day of holiday you take.

For example:

If you take 5 days holiday and have a monthly minimum profit requirement of £9,000. 20 working days per month = £9,000 target 15 working days worked = (17.5/20 x £9,000) = £7,875 target

Minimum Daily Activity Requirement

All sales account management staff will be set a minimum daily activity requirement (MDAR). You will not receive new leads on a given day if you fail to meet your MDAR on the previous working day.

Phone MDAR = 32 unique inbound + outbound customer calls Email MDAR = email score of 45