Galway Advertiser 2004/2004_08_12/GA_1208_E1_073.pdf 

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August 12 2004

BUSINESS & APPOINTMENTS

73

Aer Arann on a high with soaring summer passenger numbers
CBS
CLEAR BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
BY JULIE TIERNEY A record 23,000 passengers were carried through Galway Airport by Aer Arann during July. This represents 66 per cent growth on the previous year for the airline, which now operates more than 130 flights per week to and from Galway Airport across six routes including Dublin, Lorient, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and London Luton. This summer Aer Arann launched nine new services adding an additional 66-seater aircraft to its fleet to cater for the expansion. This brings the total fleet size to 10 aircraft including five 48 seater ATR 42s and five 66 seater ATR72s. New services from Galway include the Lorient and Birmingham routes and increased frequency on the London Luton service to two flights per day. Commenting on the growth Jennifer Mooney, communications director, Aer Arann said: "Summer 2004 has been a considerable growth period for us with the launch of nine new services and the addition of a 10th aircraft to the fleet. We have experienced huge demand on our UK routes with large numbers of passengers coming to the city to enjoy the various festivals. We are also particularly delighted with the success of our first French route from Galway to Lorient, which is proving to be very popular with holidaymakers in both regions." Aer Arann is one of the fastest growing regional airlines in the world with a turnover in excess of 80 million. In 2003, the airline carried 600,000 passengers and operated 84 per cent of flights on time within 15 minutes and 91 per cent within 30 minutes. The airline's projected passenger levels in 2004 will be 1 million.

Professional selling - Week 9

The importance of product knowledge
salesperson's credibility as an expert in his/her profession comes under scrutiny most when discussing or demonstrating his product. It is one of the critical areas and one which separates the amateur from the professional. There is a famous phrase known to all sales professionals, and it is this: Selling is 95 per cent people skills and five per cent product knowledge, but, you must have 100 per cent of the five per cent. Product knowledge alone does not guarantee a successful sales career, however, the salesperson who establishes himself as an expert in his chosen field will soon win the respect of the buyer and, in many cases, his order along with it. Comprehensive product knowledge covers six main areas: 1. Product features: Every product will have many features, some of which may be unique to yours. It is important, however, that you cultivate the habit of selling the idea behind the feature. For example, not everybody in the world knows exactly what the advantage of power steering is, yet the way it is casually mentioned by some car salespeople would suggest that they do. Never assume they know. 2. Product benefits and how they relate to the customer: A survey carried out some years ago from all over Europe indicated that only one in eight salespeople actually expressed a benefit during the sale. All others sold features. It is your job to determine the customer's reason for buying and, through skill and product knowledge, coordinate the product benefits with his buying motives. 3. Product performance: In some respects this category of product knowledge is the most important. If the salesperson can't demonstrate how it will solve the customer's problems, satisfy his demands or fulfil his needs, it is unlikely that he will make a sale. 4. Product price and how it compares with the competition: Invariably price objections are raised by customers when they do not perceive the product's value. So in order to sell the product's value we must have the product knowledge. This means that the salesperson, when faced with an objection that his product is more expensive, must be able to substantiate that his product is worth the extra money. On the other hand, when faced with the reverse problem -- that his products must be inferior because they are cheaper -- he has to prove through product knowledge that the quality he claims does, in fact, exist. 5. Product construction: As the customer and the product designer are unlikely to meet, the only way that the buyer can understand how the product is put together is through the salesperson. What materials are used, how it is assembled, and how it is transported is valuable information. An increase in the cost of raw materials may eventually find its way to the selling price of your product. When this is explained to the customer, he may accept a higher price more readily. 6. Industry knowledge: Salespeople should keep themselves up-to-date with market trends, forecasts, new ideas, their competitors' unique selling points, and always be aware that in this `knowledge age' customers are going to shop around. Finally, the acquisition, application, and regular updating of product knowledge builds self confidence. The professional salesperson knows that there is no substitute for knowledge because nothing can hide ignorance. Mark McCarthy MBA.

Furniture college to A benefit from Hannon's insider grasp of the wood trade
BY JULIE TIERNEY Michael Hannon has been appointed new head of department at GalwayMayo Institute of Technology's campus in Letterfrack (The Furniture College) and takes up the full-time role this autumn. Knowledge from days spent in the family furniture business in Kiltormer, where he worked as foreman, coupled with his extensive teaching experience and curriculum reform, will all be put into practice in the new head of department role. More recently he published a Leaving Certificate textbook entitled Architectural Technology. After graduating from the University of Limerick with a BTech, Hannon taught woodwork, technical drawing, and construction studies at second level, before starting to lecture in Letterfrack in 1998. "My association with Letterfrack campus goes back to the beginning when the original course was being established and I was asked to contribute and review syllabi for this programme," explains Michael who lives in Cappatagle, Co Galway. "I've taken a keen interest in its progress and development since then. "I think that's one of the strengths of courses here. We try to bring in specialists to deliver short modules in specific areas. That's definitely something I plan to continue." There are 150 students enrolled at GMIT Letterfrack this academic year. The four courses on offer in the college are furniture design & manufacture, furniture production, furniture conservation & restoration, and furniture technology.

CBS presents `Successful Selling'
This 7 week (1 full day & 6 half days) `Back to Basics' programme focuses on developing the key elements of the Sales Cycle. Ideal for new entrants in professional selling, and experienced professionals needing a refresher. Applicable to all sectors. Programme facilitator is Mark McCarthy.
Michael Hannon, the new head of GMIT, Letterfrack, pictured at this year's student furniture exhibition. The exhibition runs until August 20 in Letterfrack and admission is free to the public.

Now enrolling - please contact CBS for more details 091 761950 or info@clearbusinesssolutions.ie