In marketing, prowl just like a veteran hunter

George Barcelon

George Barcelon is the president of Integrated Computer Systems (ICS), a leader in computer systems and peripherals, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this 2018. He is also currently the chair of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). He shares his insights on business-to-business marketing and the lessons he learned from teaching and hunting.

Q1: You are a pioneer in marketing IT products in the Philippines, distributing Tandy instead of Apple computers in your early years. What did you learn from this experience?

A: In hindsight, carrying Tandy, which is a bigger and better organization, we learned to set up a well-structured service department. This served my company well in [helping] our corporate clienteles.

Q2: You described your marketing strategy as similar to creating and maintaining a doctor-patient relationship. Why is this so?

A: Many corporate IT platforms grew organically over the years to cope with their info requirements. The various combination of different hardware and software [systems] are [enmeshed] to work seamlessly. Through its operation, there are bound to be problems or modifications requiring work.

All detail job orders are logged in for reference, just like what a personal doctor does in recording observations and prescriptions for a patient. Those pieces of information are important for reference in case issues arise.

Q3: As a former high school teacher, did you pick up learnings on how to market ICS?

A: It was my first teaching stint and I learned before I could teach. I have to know my students and I have to let them know me, too. Nowadays the term KYC (know your customer) is commonly used—and that’s basically what I impart to my sales people.

Q4: Your customer retention rate is above industry standards at about 80 percent. What are the keys to customer satisfaction and loyalty?

A: Be fair and be credible to customers [as anchored on] integrity, thereby gaining their trust. We own up to shortcomings and bend backward to rectify the problem even if we incur losses.

Q5: Your hobby is hunting. How were you able to improve in marketing and business using lessons in hunting?

A: A hunter doesn’t just shoot the first animal he sees. You need to [study] the game whether it has the attributes you’re looking for.

One has to be patient. Same thing goes for sizing up an account. Assess the timing of your customers’ needs before investing valuable marketing efforts. —CONTRIBUTED