M a r k e t i n g t i p
Use public-facing job titles to elevate the success of your team
People pay attention to job titles, so what are they thinking when they are contacted by you or your team? It may seem obvious that the higher the rank the more attention they earn from prospects and clients. Surely CEOs command more attention than administrative assistants. But giving everyone an impressive title can be a fallacy, too.
It is natural in sales interactions to give more credence to communications from a high-ranking person - especially in a business-to-business sales environment. Think of your own business: would you be more responsive if the president of a funding source called to ask for your business or a junior assistant customer service representative? You are much more likely to respond to the higher rank. The power of the person's title extends into negotiations (like pricing) and resolving issues.
Take the simple step of creating public-facing titles for your staff members who interact with anyone outside the company. First, draw a clear distinction with your team that these are not official job titles (or promotions), but a perception-enhancing tactic designed to increase sales and customer satisfaction. After all, we all feel better when our issue is being handled by upper management, right? Remove any clear tip-offs like...
- Junior
- Assistant
- Support
- Clerk
- Administrator
Next, convey to your team members public-facing titles that command respect, like
- Manager
- Director
- Vice president
- Executive
- Consultant
The titles "executive" and "consultant" are good options, as they convey a higher status level but don't necessarily convey the status of corporate officer or manager of other people. Also consider placing modifiers in front of a title, like "senior" or "lead."
At the very least, consider using terms that do not equate to "subordinate" like...
- Specialist
- Analyst
- Associate
Careful, don't go too far. There is savvy in avoiding becoming a company of only presidents. Along with the prestige of a strong job title comes expectations. During a customer service issue or pricing negotiation, it is more difficult for the "president" to say that she cannot satisfy a customer request. However, directors and vice presidents are clearly not on the top rung, so expectations of complete authority are lower. That leaves room for lines like "I fought hard to bring your monthly payment down $200 like you asked, but my maximum discounting authority is $100."
Even if you are a brokerage of only a few staff members, consider strategic use of public-facing job titles to lift your communications ease and results.
Want more marketing tips? See more.
S a m p l e d e a l o f t h e w e e k
Tow truck financing pays broker nine points
SunBridge Capital finances tow trucks for established companies with average to strong guarantor strength. The sample deal below funded earlier this week:
Average Trans Union FICO: 710
Verified time-in-business: 4.6 years
Asset: 2005 Rollback tow truck
Amount financed: $49,155
Documents needed for credit decision: online application
Monthly payment: $1,386
Requested broker commission: 9 points = $4,424
Funding status: Booked
More information on SunBridge Capital's credit programs.
Want more sample structures? See more.
S t a t e o f t h e i n d u s t r y
Which of this Fall's leasing conferences are you most looking forward to?
Vote now to see how you compare to your peers.
(If you are one of the first respondents, check back later to see more developed results. All responses are anonymous.)
P r o g r a m a d v a n t a g e
No payments after funding until 2009 and $600 gift cards for both the customer and you!
Our richest promotion ever on Trucks at Hand assets financed with SunBridge Capital, your customer can make no further payments after funding until January, 2009, and both you and the customer receive $600 gift cards! That means with just the first payment (certified funds) due before funding the customer doesn't pay a penny after funding until 2009 and receives a $600 gift card. Plus, you can earn ten points and your own $600 gift card.
This promotion is only good in September and only on select assets available from Trucks at Hand. Customers must take possession of the equipment in September. For complete information on this great promotion and how you can take advantage of it, visit this page...
www.sunbridgecapital.com/promotions/fall-2008.html
Additionally, we will continue to offer through September on all assets from Trucks at Hand...
- Only first payment due in advance pays you 10 points in commission (first payment must be certified funds)
- No processing fee
- Credit approvals starting at FICOs of 600
- Start-ups eligible for approvals on all asset types
- No restrictions on bankruptcies
- 60-month terms on all assets
A i m i n g f o r t h e s a m e - d a y a p p r o v a l
Choose address from list in AppBuilder whenever possible
When submitting credit applications in AppBuilder, you are provided a list of match results for the applicant's address. For the fastest credit decisions and delivery of lease documents, be sure to choose the matching address from the list. If an address match is not found, most often it is because there is a typo in the address supplied. Double-check the address to ensure you are searching on the correct address. Then, choose the matching address from the list.
