Tall Sales
Salesman is a Dirty Word
In the early 1980s, when Gaynor opened an upscale discount
beauty products and drug store, he put comment cards in each aisle
so he could follow his customers' lead. Later, in 1985, he
opened TNG strictly as a nail products business. But he listened
again to customers--and as they demanded more, Gaynor happily
obliged. Customer service and selling may not seem simpatico, but they
are to TNG's salespeople. Knight bristles at the term
"salespeople." He knows all too well that
used-car-salesman stereotype. Says Knight: "We call our people
'business development specialists.'" The BDS title isn't BS. TNG's salespeople--sorry, old
habits die hard--are trained to help budding entrepreneurs open
salons and spas. Clearly, they want the salons and spas stocked
with TNG products, but in getting that done, they'll also offer
free advice and education on how to organize the layout for a
salon, manage it, motivate staff and set goals. Content Continues Below
"If you grow, then I grow," explains Knight. "If
I give good customer service, then your bottom line goes up, and so
does mine. I'm not viewed as a salesman, I'm [seen as] your
partner. And then, while everyone else is trying to sell you
something, you won't even talk to them, because you're
waiting to talk to your partner. That's the
strategy."
| Inside The Lair | | THIS
COMPANY TAKES CULTURE TO A POSSIBLY ZANY, BUT NO DOUBT PROFITABLE,
LEVEL. For all of its friendliness and community goodwill (the company
donates $100,000 to charity annually), there's a military-style
seriousness to The Nailco Group. To get into the first-floor
offices, for instance, you need a special code key. And sales
soldiers get pumped up by watching a video that shows the TNG Rebel
mascot in an airplane dropping animated bombs on competitors. But the real military games are just that. Drop by founder Larry
Gaynor's office, and on those dark mahogany shelves you'll
find special board games his crack marketing team designed
especially for him. There's Nailco-opoly, Nailco Pursuit and
TNG Payday, complete with play money featuring Gaynor's face
splashed across the $10,000 bills. Nailco-opoly lets you purchase Asia and Europe instead of Park
Place and Boardwalk. Instead of the "Go to Jail" space,
you might land on "Go to Larry Gaynor's Office." But nothing compares to Kill the Competition: Collectors
Edition, modeled after Risk. Inside the box is a stiff cardboard
map of the world, complete with game pieces and cards. The premise?
Rival beauty product distributors have taken over nations. The
object according to the directions? To win, Nailco must
"conquer whole industries, watch enemies and fortify borders
adjacent to enemy territories." |
Geoff Williams is happy to say that he's already read
Tuesdays With Morrie, and he wrote Entrepreneur's
February cover story on lessons from Harry Potter. Contact Sources - Tony Alessandra
(800) 222-4383
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