Don't You Think It's Time to Stop Selling Your Products and Start Making Sales?

Is your sales process backfiring on you these days? Are you still taking the "traditional" approach to selling your products? That is, telling your customer whatever they want to hear? Or, telling your customer whatever they want to believe? And, this is exactly why customers hate dealing with sales people. They feel they've been "conned" into believing something that isn't there.

"Selling" and "making the sale" are total polar opposites. Making the sale is a process ... not an event when the customer signs the purchase order. And many times, the process is a long drawn out one and not a quick signature on the purchase order.

Many sales people don't have a clue who they should target. The task should be to clearly identify to whom you would like to do business. Selling to people who have no need for your products or services doesn't even make sense. But, some sales people will continue cold calling every phone number they can get their hands on, and to no avail.

You need to cultivate a relationship with your customers (existing and potential). Don't just be interested in what did they buy this week. Think about the potential for sales a year from now. I spoke to a sales rep recently who had sold two high-priced instruments to a customer he had been doing business with for years. Even though this customer had not made a purchase in years, she was now at a company who had budget for his products. It was almost a slam dunk sales process because he had spent over eight years cultivating the relationship. When the opportunity came, the customer called him and no other companies.

Look at the purchase order not as a "sale" but as the customer's commitment and loyalty to your company and its products. Be seen as a partner rather than a sales person. Your customer will develop a sense that you are an indispensable part of their decision-making process. People are looking for expertise these days so expand your knowledge base about your products so that you represent yourself as the reigning expert in your field.

So, stop selling and start making sales.

The Value of Customer Testimonials

Have you ever gotten a testimonial from a customer but did nothing with it? Customer testimonials are valuable marketing tools, especially if it is a testimonial from someone of influence. So, how can you use customer testimonials to market your company? Here are a few ideas:

• Of course, the obvious answer is to place them on your Website. Many companies are reluctant to brag about themselves so customer testimonials are a great way to say great things about your company from a credible source. It's a great way to tell other customers about your great customer service, reliability of your products, or honesty and integrity of your sales force.

• You can also integrate them with social media. It's a superb way to direct people to a video of your customer telling the world about a great experience they had in dealing with your company.

• If appropriate, you can add the video as an attachment to an online press release. You may have to edit it to fit the specific release you are sending, but it's a great way to get your message out to your audience.

• Use testimonials also in your printed literature. And, don't just put generic information such as a title. Use the "real" person's name, title, and company. But, make sure you have permission to use it. Some companies frown on their employees endorsing another company. And others applaud it and enjoy having the publicity for their company. Work with your customer's public relations department so that you can have a win-win situation. You get the benefit of the testimonial and your customer also gets some much needed free publicity.

It is well worth taking the time to develop those good working relationships with your customers. You want to have them as a customer for life. So, ask your customers if they would be willing to provide a testimonial. You'll be surprised how many say yes.

Rethinking Marketing: Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing

Do you know the difference between outbound marketing and inbound marketing? Are these even familiar terms to you? Well, if you are a "traditionalist" you may not have heard of this terminology before. Here is a definition in a nutshell.

Outbound marketing really is "traditional" push marketing, where you push your message out to your potential customers via different channels. For example:

• Television advertising
• Radio spots
• Telemarketing
• Sales person
• Direct mail
• Magazine or newspaper advertising
• Trade show attendance

Inbound marketing, on the other hand, is drawing people to your Website through various means. Some examples of inbound marketing are:

• SEO/SEM (Search engine optimization/search engine marketing)
• Blogging
• Social media
• RSS (Really Simple Syndication) subscriptions
• Online public relations
• Offering free tools or trial subscriptions

So, which one is better to use in today's working environment? I think that is the debate of the century. Many companies specializing in SEO/SEM will tell you that inbound marketing is the most effective and that outbound marketing is outdated. Well, I beg to differ. In my opinion, I think they both are still viable options for most B-to-B companies. I have to admit that I was slow to embrace some of the new social media. But, I have found it is an effective tool to network with colleagues, find new customers, and gain access to new information.

On the other hand, I also recently have had much success with traditional direct mail, e-mail newsletters, and good-old printed newsletters. Plus, following up with people who have shown an interest in my services, is a very important piece of the pie. It's all about developing that relationship. I don't think it matters whether that is through Twitter, a phone call, a personal letter, or a sales call. It's more important how you follow up rather than through which means you follow up. It's also based on the age of your customer-base. But, that's not exactly true, either. I have spoken to many younger (18-25 age group) people who won't have anything to do with Twitter and Facebook.

I guess the moral of the story is don't come to conclusions about marketing so fast. And, don't throw the baby out with the bath water, so to speak. There is a place for both outbound and inbound marketing. You just have to analyze your customers, your products, and your goals and objectives for your company.

Give us some feedback on your experiences with inbound vs. outbound marketing for your company.

Mobile Marketing Expenditures on the Rise

Here's a good article on mobile marketing from Hank Mondaca. On his blog, The Mobile Marketer, Hank charts the growth of mobile advertising for the next five years. While mobile advertising has been slow to catch on, the prediction is that budgets will steadily increase.

Click on the link to The Mobile Marketer to read the complete article.

Basics for E-mail Marketing Success

Here are a few basic tips to guide you on the path to e-mail marketing success. You can expect higher returns on your email marketing investment if you adhere to these basic principles.

• Take a look at your e-mail marketing database list. Send your e-mail announcements only to people who know you. If they don't recognize your company name you are most likely to get your e-mail stuck in a spam filter. So, make sure all of the e-mail addresses you have on your database have opted in to receive your e-mail announcements.

• Think of your e-mail addresses as people not just as inanimate objects. Because, after all, there is a person and hopefully a customer attached to that e-mail address. So, treat that e-mail address with respect. Don't sell your e-mail addresses. Make sure you include a privacy statement on your Website and on each e-mail you send out. E-mail marketing is about building relationships.

• Segregate your e-mail contacts into various categories befitting of your particular industry or company requirements. This will help you to tailor your e-mail announcements to a targeted audience. One size doesn't fit all.

• Engage your audience. After all, this isn't a one-way conversation. Ask your readers to click on a link for more information. Make your newsletter layout, fonts, and graphic images look inviting. Draw the reader's attention to your announcement.

• Maximize your delivery rate by formatting your e-mail appropriately. If you use one of the e-mail service providers such as Constant Contact or iContact, for example, they can review your e-mail and offer suggestions for anti-spam formatting.

• Make it clear when your readers sign-up what they will be getting and how often. I send an e-mail newsletter on the 1st of each month. My readers will always know to look in their inbox on that date for the latest marketing information.

• Keep track of your responses and follow up with people who register for your e-mail announcements. I send registrants a free pen with a welcome letter in addition to the automated welcome e-mail they get from my e-mail provider. And analyze each e-mail so that you can tweak your content for the next edition.

• Archive your e-newsletters. It's a great way to get more exposure via the Web. Search engines can crawl your archived newsletters. People can review your archived newsletter to see if they want to sign up. Or, your existing customers know they can always go to that link to review an old issue. In other words, they won't have to store your e-newsletter in their inbox.

I hope these suggestions have been beneficial. Try a few and see if your next e-mail announcement or newsletter is successful.

E-mail Marketing in 2010: What's New!

E-mail marketing has just about peaked in terms of new technology. Almost everyone has an e-newsletter these days. But, what is the secret to leading the pack in terms of innovation in eMarketing? Here are a few tactics that will help you engage your customers.

• Use an auto-responder to set up an automated e-mail to customers who have recently purchased your product. Request that they complete a product review. This is a good way to increase brand loyalty and may also encourage these customers to provide valuable content for you.

• Use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to encourage your customers to share your e-newsletter with colleagues. Add a Share Button to your e-mails. And when a new subscribers signs up for your e-newsletter, encourage them to share your content in your Welcome e-mail message.

• If you have an e-commerce function on your Website to allow online ordering of your products, make sure you have a great Web analytics program to determine which customers may have failed to make a purchase (commonly called shopping cart abandonment). This data can then trigger an e-mail to be sent encouraging the customers to return to your site to complete their transaction.

• The age old question is when is the best time to send my e-mail? Studies have shown that customers look at their e-mails at all times of the day. Others may look when they first get up in the morning, and others may look at it later in the day. But, now there is a new technology called Send Time Optimization that can analyze recipient behavior. This will allow you to send your e-mail messages when they are most likely reviewing their e-mail.

• Mobile marketing is coming of age. Now that the technology has advanced it is an excellent way to stay in touch with your customers. Use this for timely notices especially reminders, invitations, or special notifications.

• Segment your mailing list. Don't treat all people the same regardless of their interest level. You must know where they are in the purchasing life cycle. At the very least categorize your customers into new, active, or lapsed. Through your e-mail reports you should be able determine where they are in the marketing life cycle. Find out why these people are no longer opening your e-mails.

• Your goal should be to increase the conversion rate. You want your readers to purchase product. If your conversion rates are lagging make your call to action more energetic, more appealing, or articulate it more clearly. Use landing pages wisely to focus your customers on your specific call to action.

Why Develop a Marketing Strategy? You Don't Want to Row a Boat Without a Rudder, Do You?

Can you imagine what it looks like if you row a boat with both oars going in opposite directions? I think you would find that your boat is going around in circles. Instead you need all crew-members going in the same direction and you need a rudder to steer the boat in the direction you want to head. Your company is similar in that you need all of the employees working toward the same goals and mission. You also need a rudder to steer your company in the right direction. That's where a marketing strategy comes in. It will help you to keep your company progressing toward your goals.

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