When you get a phone call or email out of the blue from someone you don’t know from a company you don’t know selling something you’ve never heard of it isn’t very likely you’re going to give it much attention – you’re certainly not likely to buy anything. Wouldn’t it put you, the salesperson, in a stronger position if you could get the prospect to call you first?
Manufacturers that deliver sales messages via multiple channels at the same time, all the time, enjoy higher name brand awareness, more leads and Website traffic, and greater sales opportunities than competitors. Retailer Tahoe Dave’s serves a potent lesson in how to launch an integrated marketing program.
I’m often asked how much money to budget for B2B marketing – usually towards the end of the year when annual budgets are being developed. Most people already have a ballpark number in mind. And they wonder what other people with companies of a similar size are budgeting – isn’t there a basic starting point? As a starting point or rule of thumb, budgeting two percent of sales has a long tradition but from a review of several different companies, it doesn’t really work for many companies at all.
Sometimes the most effective marketing happens by accident, and when it does, you just need to recognize that it’s happening and jump on the opportunity. Know when you’re staring a gift horse in the mouth – and enjoy the ride.
Sometimes we need to attack like it’s overtime and the next score wins the Super Bowl. Leave nothing on the sidelines. It’s time to go big. These are a few situations when a big marketing bang might win the big game and raise your sales numbers to another level.
When the marketing team gets it right – when they exhibit at the right shows, advertise in the right media and make contact with the right journalists – and put in the effort to generate leads and create opportunities, it’s critical for the other departments to take the baton and run with it when it’s their turn as part of a coordinated team effort. It only takes one rude person to drop the baton and scuttle the effort for everyone.
Many marketing professionals obsess about finding the ideal mix of advertising, direct mail, publicity, social media, email, TV and other media, the “media mix” per advertising textbooks. Certainly, it’s effective to use several different channels but many of these marketers seem so focused on the medium and the ratio that they forget about the message. Remember, the point is to deliver a sales message.
Green is a nice benefit but no competent manager is going to buy a product solely for its green benefit. They buy products, equipment and services either to increase sales or to cut costs, or both.
Tom Brady has pocket presence. Randy Johnson had mound presence. Mark Messier had locker room presence. Presence is not easily defined. It cannot be quantified. Yet we know it when we see it. This article addresses how presence inspires the sales team, attracts top talent, and pounds the competition into submission.
Price is a significant but not the most important factor in a buying decision. Discounting in and of itself can strip a product of its value. Here’s what happened when I opened my mailbox to a slew of direct mailers offering major discounts.
