Impulses of sales
Decision criteria in porcelain sales
Some of our trading partners sell the product group "tableware for table, board and kitchen" in a large shopping basket, along with many other product types such as cutlery, table linen, kitchen appliances and many more. Especially for our young junior salespeople, we summarize as a small assistance, what the most important decision criteria for the purchase of porcelain and ceramic tableware are.
In order to clearly show the difference between private and commercial end consumers, we have marked them in grey.
The decision characteristics of the private final consumer
The private final consumer decides almost 100% on the basis of the visible characteristics of a tableware item. The invisible features are only a minor matter or play almost no role at all. It is above all these visible characteristics, which are purchase deciding.
- Free money supply
- Openness to consumption
- Environment and point of sale of the offer
- Presentation and presentation of the goods
- Design, type and execution (taste)
- Price
- Consulting
- Quality in terms of visible defects
- Packaging and presentation of the product
- Fire
- Repurchase guarantee
Excluded from these decision-making features are targeted re-purchases of existing tableware series! The private buyer consumes incalculably, with different purchase motives and on completely different occasions.
The decision-making characteristics of commercial end users
The commercial end consumer decides predominantly on the basis of "invisible" characteristics, whereby he derives many of these from origin, brand or appearance.
- Demand
- Intended use
- Price
- Duration of use
- Design, type and execution (taste)
- Consulting
- Brand
- Unique Position & Innovation
- Compatibility with the inventory
- Suitability properties
- Service friendliness
- Durability & Fracture Sensitivity
- Repurchase guarantee
The price - a dominant decision-making factor
It is absolutely correct that price plays an important role for both groups of buyers. But as can be seen from the above listings, it is not the only factor. A cook must be able to cook and a serving master must serve. No member of our customer group needs to know what porosity, hardness or density hotel porcelain must have. In 9 out of 10 cases, advice geared to the customer's needs raises the other decision-making factors above the price. Anyone who sells without benefits is only guided by the price and not the product. Conclusion: The less advice a product receives, the more decisive is the price.
Repurchase needs no sale
Excluded from this rule are all types of subsequent purchases of the same type and origin. The better known a product, the more suppliers sell it, the higher the price sensitivity of the buyer. Therefore, re-purchase does not require a sale, but only a calculator. That is why stationary trade needs measures to strengthen its position in re-purchase. We do this!
Cheap goods are no object of comparison
Those who do not know the difference between porcelain, stoneware, ceramics, alumina, bone china and imitation porcelain will never be able to prevail against the prices from the low-quality low-cost segment. Because if you can't explain to a customer that crack cracks in inferior ceramics cause the tableware to lose its hygienic properties, the price really does compare apples with pears.
Consulting - a decisive criterion for buying
Above all for the area of "commercial end consumers" - i.e. for the hotel industry, gastronomy and communal catering - the consultation represents an important, purchase deciding criterion. Here the dealer becomes a part of the product. In our industry, a good salesperson does not have to be able to "sell" well or turn something on! He must be able to recognize the customer's needs exactly and be able to combine these needs and expectations with the characteristics of the products in his shopping basket. Our contribution to this expert sales advice on all aspects of porcelain is our detailed knowledge of the goods.
We do this only for our dealers and partners.
Minimum requirements for application advice
Basic knowledge of gastronomy is required in order to be able to provide experienced and competent application advice. Experience in this branch would of course be desirable, but often many years of activity in the trade or the ability to be an attentive guest yourself is sufficient.
This foundation can be enriched by the manufacturer-independent and detailed product knowledge of Holst Porzellan. The following invisible properties and characteristics of the tableware play almost no role in the decision to buy, and the usage properties to be derived are derived or assumed as a matter of course:
- Types of production
- Grade of the cullet
- Composition of the glaze
- Whiteness (for dishes without decoration)
- Migration and transfer of foreign substances to the food
- oven strength, thermal shock durability
- Hardness and stability of the glaze (corrosion behavior)
- Heat storage capacity
- Germination and hygiene behaviour
- Consumption of detergents
- Durability of the goods
- Edge impact resistance
- Repurchase period
- Country of manufacture
- Sustainability of production
- Energy balance of the product
- Manufacturers' social standards (e.g. BSCI)
- Compliance with legal requirements (e.g. calibration law, LFGB, product liability law)
- Disposal and resale value
In the absence of this expertise, it is easy to "subcontract" inferior goods to dealers and end consumers.
Therefore we expect a minimum of competence and expert advice from our resellers.