Marketing: Custom Edition for Texas A&M University 17th Edition by William Pride,Ferrell

Exercise 13

Murray's Cheese Achieves Success through Personal Selling
For Murray's Cheese, personal selling is the driving force behind its success. The business has retail sales of $2,500 per square foot and a growth rate of 15 to 20 percent per year at its main store in Greenwich Village, New York. The company owns retail, wholesale, catering, and education businesses. It also has a partnership with the supermarket giant Kroger to bring Murray's customer-friendly environment to select Kroger supermarkets.
Murray's views personal selling as a core competency that sets itself apart from the competition. The key is to inform customers and persuade them to purchase products in a store environment. Murray's sales representatives understand the importance of a quick presentation, overcoming objections, and closing the sale.
Because Murray's wants its customers to be repeat buyers, there is an attempt to listen to customers, gain an understanding of their interests, and try to find the right product to satisfy their needs. Murray's Cheese began in 1940 as a wholesale butter and egg shop owned by Jewish Spanish Civil War Veteran Murray Greenberg. When the current president, Rob Kaufelt, purchased the shop in 1991, the store was little more than a local hole-in-the-wall. Kaufelt and his staff made the decision to focus on high-quality gourmet cheeses from around the world. Today, people come from all over to sample Murray's cheeses as well as take classes or attend its Cheese U boot camp to learn about cheese. Although Murray's has extended its product line to include gourmet meats, crackers, jam, chocolate, olives, pickles, and dried fruit, cheese remains its core product. In fact, Murray's Cheese has been voted by Forbes as "the best cheese shop." The company also received a very high rating for service in Zagat's 2011 New York City Food Lover's Guide.
Murray's success prompted Kroger to seek it out as a partner in its supermarkets. Murray's Cheese shops can now be found in different Kroger supermarkets throughout the country. The cost that Murray's Cheese spent on advertising to become so successful: zero dollars. Instead of advertising, the company relies on in-store salespersons providing customer service and creating positive word-of-mouth communication to promote and secure its reputation.
When training its cheesemongers, the company recruits those who are passionate about both cheese and people. The company sets qualifi cations before beginning the recruiting process and identifies a set of traits characterizing effective salespeople who could become cheesemongers. All customers who enter Murray's Greenwich Village store get to taste free samples of cheese before they buy it. This sampling creates an image of Murray's Cheese as a customer-friendly company.
Customer relationships are so integral to Murray's that its cheesemongers taste the cheese with the customers. In this way, Murray's in-store sales force educates themselves about the cheeses they are selling and creates a valuable experience where the customer feels appreciated. "It's about sharing that knowledge and helping people have an experience that they wouldn't have been able to have on their own," said Liz Thorpe, vice president of Murray's Cheese. By establishing this unique experience, Murray's learns what customers are looking for and often succeeds in getting them to purchase more products at once and make repeat purchases.
This positive customer environment is what Murray's Cheese hopes to bring to Kroger. Those Kroger employees who sell Murray's cheeses undergo extensive training beforehand. Murray's even created a 300-page cheese service guide for these recruits. Kroger customers seem to appreciate the more attentive customer service they receive in these Murray-branded shops. In a pilot program where three Murray's Cheese shops replaced Kroger cheese departments, sales increased 50 to 100 percent. It was such a success that, under the new partnership, Murray's Cheese now has Murray's shops in Kroger supermarkets in Ohio, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas, with plans for continued expansion.
Personal selling does not always have to be about traveling throughout sales territories, calling on prospects. Murray's in-store cheesemongers make and close sales doing what they do best: educating customers and sharing the gourmet cheese experience. With Kroger's success at promotion and Murray's strengths in personal selling, it looks to be a win-win situation for both partners. Murray's motivated cheesemongers help to satisfy the needs of their customers and achieve personal goals.
Do you think that Murray's Cheese salespeople need extensive motivation and training?