February 24th, 2010
Category: Business Process
Marketing = sales support.
Sales support = shortening the sales cycle.
Shortened sales cycles = sales and marketing alignment.
You know what the real barrier to all of this working smoothly is? It’s not what you might think. What we’ve come to find is that internal communications (or miscommunications) tend to be the real hang up when it comes to conveying the external message out to the market. In a world inundated with iPhones and BlackBerrys and millions of social networking mediums, communication has become easy, instantaneous, constant… but also overwhelming. It seems our modern world of communication provides many forums but lacks EFFECTIVENESS.
With the onslaught of information at our fingertips and ever decreasing attention spans (made even shorter by Twitter) we’ve found it’s hard to get/keep someone’s attention long enough to read and absorb a simple email. We’re not the first to say it but it is true. Ease of communication has led to over-communication which backfired resulting in an inability to communicate clearly and directly with colleagues and clients. This, obviously, makes it difficult to keeping moving the ball forward.
But we’re communications experts and we’ve adapted to ensure our message is conveyed precisely. We’ve employed, and recommend you do the same, new tactics when it comes to our internal communications. Our approach is one where less is more. And when all else fails go face-to-face. If I can’t convey what I need to in three sentences or less, I make the call instead. I put the action item in the subject line. I use bold text or yellow highlighter to call-out the “need to knows” knowing that my reader will skim the contents of my emails. No doubt we all enjoy and rely upon innovative means of communicating—but you must use these advancements methods thoughtfully or your message is sure to be lost in the virtual abyss.
Tags: Internal Communications, Sales & Marketing, Sales Cycles, Sales Support, Social Networking
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February 16th, 2010
- Practical insights by: Chris Randazzo, Phoenix Integration (engineering software for product design)
Category: Lead Generation, Sales Process
The last thing a sales associate wants to hear from his manager is “make these cold calls.” Truth is, if you’re selling B2B cold calling is NOT going to work. Why? Sales turn on calling to get leads and turn it off when no value is yielded. Cold calling is hit-or-miss because, more often than not, the approach is not aligned to your sales process. So consider this: what if your approach to calling is the problem, not a lack of interest? We know its marketing’s role to prequalify and warm up suspects, to build the sales pipeline and scrub databases. Truth is that, when integrated and timed with online/offline direct marketing tactics, teleservices can be a cost effective marketing tool to pre-qualify suspect lists, boost event registrations, and/or improve customer relations. When used strategically, teleservices can succeed in converting target audiences, heightening awareness, obtaining new contacts, scrubbing databases, and gaining business intelligence. How?
Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer “no” to any, you need to adjust your approach and refocus your marketing efforts to warm up your calls…and your prospects!
- Do you have a call-to-action/compelling event?
- If yes, is it strong enough to create demand?
- Have you properly, specifically identified your target audience?
- If yes, are you reaching them?
- Do you have something readily available that the caller can leverage real-time on the phone?
i.e. 15 minute demo or free 30-day trial
- Have you evaluated how teleservices fits into your unique sales process?
Tags: Database Management, Lead Generation Marketing, Sales Pipeline, Teleservices, TME Communications
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February 5th, 2010
Category: Interactive Design
In the late 1990’s, dot com companies were sprouting up fast racing toward an IPO or quick exit strategy. Cha-ching! Right on their heels up-started interactive design firms that smelled blood, and preached the psychology of usability (”human factors science”). Been there, seen that. Your requirement: excessive hours and budget commitments across your executive team, marketing and R&D, even before any technology is integrated—your real intellectual property. There is no debate here regarding the value of an intuitive website, software application or interactive sales and educational materials. But, if you want to get to market fast and in a cost efficient manner, a team of Sigmund Freud lookalikes in turtlenecks are not required. The basic ingredients to consider are:
- Innovate one step beyond your competition (the vision)
- For software applications, ensure sales can sell and R&D can build
- Assemble a team that follows user-centric design and communications principles
- Unite all development stakeholders with a project plan
- Gain feedback from your customers early and often (the validation)
- Form a go-to-market plan to reach customers, prospects, and new audiences
FYI: The majority of the aggressive dot com’s and thirsty Freud designers shut their doors. New companies emerged or retooled with smarter growth strategies and budget management practices.
Tags: GUI, Human Factors Science, TME Communications, Usability Design, User Interface Design
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January 20th, 2010
Category: Information Design
Since business-centric buyers in the complex world of IT want to be educated and sold to in layman’s terms (not “techy” terms) and without over-wordy documentation, it helps to explain a systematic process using a graphical diagram to illustrate the “big idea” upfront (example). Whenever you can use a graphic, visual aid, or picture to explain anything, it generally pays off handsomely. For instance, all types of personnel can understand a process much better if there is a simple graphic to anchor the team’s view of the project life-cycle and future expectations. Or, in manufacturing, a visual aid can be used to show the key elements of a process so all audiences comprehend a new method for marking assets with unique identifiers (example). Providing graphical diagrams to your current and potential buyers directly aligns sales, marketing, and delivery with your buyers’ expectations, reducing risk, and ensuring a better project outcome.
Tags: Information Design, Marketing Best Practices, Sales Process, Technology Marketing, Visual Communications
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January 19th, 2010
Category: Event Management
So now you’ve selected your events carefully and allocated your dollars wisely. Now be sure to get the most for your money. Here are some ideas to help make your investment go the distance.
- Split the costs and assess what your partners are doing. If they already plan to invest in a trade event you are considering, sharing the cost/resource burden can get you into a first time event inexpensively.
- Be creative: work the event not just the booth. Your exhibit contract often includes basic/limited ways to promote your company unless you can get in early with expensive sponsorships, but traditionally small and mid-sized business get lost among the popular brands. Use out-of-the-box thinking to conceive new, cost efficient ways to reach your audience who are already about, such as private hospitality or demo events leveraging co-ops with participating trade associations or industry luminaries. Direct marketing tactics via nearby hotels and restaurants work also.
The bottom line? You must be able to justify your company’s events participation, especially when marketing budgets are in flux. Be smart, pace yourself and follow these sound strategies to ensure your events are effective in yielding the highest potential for sale opportunities.
Tags: Event Planning Budgets, Event Strategy, Marketing Best Practices, TME Communications
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