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World Landmine News
Land mine lessons in salesmanship - CNN.com

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- By some estimates there are more than 100 million land mines scattered across the world\'s war zones, former war zones and militarized borders.

The United Nations calls them \"assassins in hiding,\" responsible for killing or mutilating hundreds of people every month worldwide.

But one Hong Kong-based entrepreneur believes he has come up with a product that could save lives and spare mine blast victims from crippling injuries.

F.K. Lee\'s company BFR Holdings has built a boot which he says is strong enough to protect a victim from the mine fragments and hot gases released in an explosion. It looks and feels like a normal boot and doesn\'t cost much more.

It sounds like a product that ought to sell itself -- something that could become as standard a part of a soldier\'s protective gear as armored vests and helmets.

Yet Lee\'s business is floundering. Since launching production in 2002 Lee has sold just 5,000 pairs of boots -- and they\'re not exactly the sort of shoes that can be sold through a regular store.

Unfazed, Lee is soldiering on, touting his boots to potential customers at trade fairs specializing in arms and security technology -- and he maintains his company is doing ok.

\"We\'re quietly confident that the message is getting through,\" Lee told CNN.

But, according to marketing expert Andrew Cassim of consultants Connect Communication, poor sales may have more to do with Lee\'s pitching technique than his product.

At a trade fair in Manila in the Philippines, two military officers seem interested in the boots. But as the pair talk away Lee stands silently.

\"The number one mistake most people make when selling is that they don\'t ask enough questions,\" said Cassim.

\"The way to take control in a sales meeting in a meeting is to ask the questions.\"

The officers say they want a trial to test whether the boots really work, but Lee replies hesitantly and the opportunity slips away. Cassim says Lee doesn\'t follow up effectively when the officers become curious about the product.

\"What Mr. Lee does is he misses a fairly important buying signal,\" said Cassim, adding that he should listen more carefully to potential customers and promote the benefits of his product more dynamically.

With that advice in mind, Lee says he\'s hoping to lock in a large order soon -- perhaps bringing closer the day when soldiers and civilians in landmine-littered areas will be able to tread a little more comfortably.


Posted: Wednesday, July 13, 2005



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