Space is no longer a frontier. Lots of business is done up there by corporations
who want to gain a competitive edge by putting themselves into the ionosphere.
Selling space-related products involves negotiations through a maze of
technical, financial and governmental red tape. Doing this requires three
dozen professionals working in sales in offices on five continents.
Closing a deal is the result of a long, long process, which begins with
engineers perfecting some high-tech equipment in the lab. Then there are months
of preparation, of writing proposals and cultivating clients.
How does a marketer know when things will turn out right? "Everything is
going right in the room. There is the right combination of people talking,
and I can close a deal," says space marketer Brian Leadlay.
"The best is when you've won and you close a deal," he says. "The
worst is when you don't."
Of course, selling satellites and space equipment isn't a typical
kind of sales job. "These are specially made items," explains Leadlay. "They
are usually unique to the buyer's needs. So, when you are selling something,
you're doing it [based] on the capability of the company instead of on
the device."
That makes the sales campaign different from, say, selling perfume. People
can smell, touch and see perfume. They can flip through magazines to choose
the kind they want. Perfume can be sold to almost anyone. Not so with space
products.
These customers take special courting. "It's networking. The sorts
of people you know helps you sell," says Leadlay, who's been in the business
for more than 20 years.
"Most deals are done over dinner or golf," adds space marketer Michael
DeSandolis, who works for an aerospace company.
Before any dinners or golf games, however, a lot of the work has to go
into writing and preparing proposals for customers.
"Sometimes helping to write a proposal is the most fun, but it can also
be the most frustrating part of the job," says Leadlay.
Many different people may be involved in preparing a proposal. For instance,
DeSandolis manages a multi-person team that creates proposals.
"I direct and manage the people who actually put the material together
[writers, graphic artists, video staff], and manage the company's marketing
efforts on the Internet."
This takes good people skills. "I manage and motivate my team to do their
best work, stretch themselves and develop themselves as employees," says DeSandolis.
It's only after the proposal has been laid on the table that the really
tough part begins: the final negotiations.
Say the deal on a new antenna is about to be signed. Then the customer
might ask for something extra -- a further 10 percent reduction or some added
feature. This is all part of the bargaining game, says DeSandolis.
"We usually have some funds or reserve or margin set aside for just this,"
he says. He only agrees to this kind of last-minute dealing if there is room
left for bargaining, or if he can ensure that he will get something he wants
too, such as a signed contract.
"Never give something for nothing," he says.
Usually, the final hurdle in any deal is the cost.
"It's still a very expensive proposition to own even part of a satellite,"
says Eaton. With price tags in the several-million-dollar range, it's
something that firms must enter into cautiously.
"We don't like to push people into buying the instant communications
jolt they can get from a satellite because things change so fast," she says.
"But we also understand that it's a competitive world. Being in space
can give you the edge."
Space marketers have to be flexible during negotiations, especially in
countries that are not their own. Every place has its own business culture,
and not all of it is familiar. For instance, some customers will offer a bribe
or a personal gift as part of the bargaining process.
"Our company has a code of ethics which I will not breach," says DeSandolis.
Still, bribery does occur in space marketing. "Our agents and representatives,
however, aren't controlled by us, and in countries where such [incentives]
are required by culture, we assume our agents take care of things without
getting us involved [or even telling us]," DeSandolis explains.
"I often get asked by people inside the company to make a little extra
effort to satisfy some of their goals," says DeSandolis. "In most cases I
say yes, as I am dedicated to good service."
It's not always so easy, however. "This can sometimes be a problem,
as I tend to say yes to too many requests."
Another problem is tight budgets in the aerospace industry. DeSandolis
sometimes finds that restricting his ideas to fit a tight budget is difficult.
"[But] it's an administrative or management issue common to almost any
business, government or academic group."
With the closure of the deal comes the stress of finding the next one.
"Things don't happen unless you make them happen," says Leadlay. "Unless
you make the phone calls, unless you write the reports."
Despite the challenges, those in this field enjoy their jobs, including
the perks:
"Some of my travels include visiting the headwaters of the Amazon, seeing
most of Europe, getting out of countries where officials were trying to prevent
me from doing so," says DeSandolis.
Yet the real reward comes from knowing that you've helped to provide
technology that improves people's lives.
"This job gives me the satisfaction of knowing that we are providing systems
to the world to help countries manage their environment better," says DeSandolis.
"Whether it's someone trying to predict flood damage in China or the
government of Brazil trying to limit the destruction of the rainforest, it's
good to know we're helping."