How Inquisitive Are You?

Questions are cues to customers. They'll tell all you need to know to formulate your sales approach.

Three teen girls entered the subway in mid-conversation: "Is he in our school? " "Yes." "In our grade?" "Yes." "In our calculus class?" "Yes." "Is he fine? "Yes!" "Steve? " "Noooo. " "Seth? " "Phillip? " "It's Jeremy!" Indeed it was!!!

These girls were playing the game 20-Questions. They were playing to win. They were asking closed-ended questions to qualify/disqualify the field. They were expert at cutting to the chase. Kids in fact are excellent question-masters. They are naturally inquisitive, constantly curious and regularly in learning mode. We can all take a lesson or two from Linda, Sara and Simone.

Q's are cues to customers

The questions you ask will uncover customers' needs and wants, their fears and frustrations. They'll tell you all you need to know to formulate your sales approach. My question to you: how good are the questions you are asking?

Recently I consulted the ultimate Question-master, Sales Trainer John Tenza (www.coaching2greatness.com) of Ann Arbor, Michigan. John coaches his sales students to greatness through the asking of powerful questions. John uses a combination of closed-ended, open-ended and even rhetorical questions to engage, qualify, isolate needs and objections, uncover hidden issues and close sales.

Among his tips for us all: - Have your questions prepared and mastered before your conversation or presentation, as a great trial attorney would.

- The questions should flow; you must have a verbal awareness about how you sound asking the questions.

- In person: Eye contact is a must if you want people to take your questions seriously.

- On the telephone: Smiling is key; in the absence of verbal cues listeners intuit your skill, confidence and trustworthiness based on the sound of your voice.

- Ask questions with a mental and physical attitude that the prospect's answers deserve to be actively listened to validating them and making them feel important. As for your motivation:

- What is the purpose of your questions? Are you interested in discovering something new? Do you want to connect and build rapport? Is it your goal to set an appointment? Are you there to cause somebody to take action? What do you already know about your prospect? What is important to him/her? WHY is that important? What benefits do you offer that would make his/her situation or life better?

John and I concur: the art of asking questions is not the same as opening your mouth and asking whatever comes to mind. True professionals are sincerely interested in bridging the gap and delivering great results. In closing, we ask, are you ready to kick some ASK?

About te Author
CRAIG HARRISON helps professionals express their excellence through stellar sales and service training. http://www.ExpressionsOfExcellence.com, excellence@craigspeaks.com or call (510) 547-0664.

Marketing ROI: Make Sure Your Marketing is Making Money

Today, if you ask any marketer what his biggest challenges are you will no doubt here Return on Investment (ROI) at the top of their list. With competitive pressures, businesses more focused on profitable growth, and an increased need to do more with less, marketing professionals need to generate favorable returns on most – if not all of their marketing campaigns.

Upon first blush, this looks rather simple. Just take the total cost of your campaign, track it through to conversion and determine that the revenue generated is greater than the expense. However, most people make the mistake of assuming that calculating ROI is only involves direct expenses and revenue. There are other factors to consider when determining your return on investment.

In a moment, I’ll show you a quick formula to help calculate ROI, but before I do, let me explain the types of expenses you need to consider:

Direct Expenses.
Any cash outlay you have to develop, create, and distribute your marketing campaign is considered a direct expense. For example, if you’re doing a direct marketing campaign, you’ll have to print your mailer, pay for postage, and offer an incentive. All of these factors are direct expenses because they cost you money.

If you’re marketing online with Google Adwords or a similar type of service, you’re paying for each and every click – this is considered a direct expense.

Indirect Expenses.
An indirect expense is something you spend to in conjunction with your marketing efforts but doesn’t necessarily involve a cash outlay. For example, if you pay a copywriter or designer to help with your creative, their time and expense must be considered. Other indirect expenses might include your overhead such as rent, electric, phone, insurance, etc.

Now that we’ve identified some of your expenses associated with an ROI calculation, lets look at a specific campaign example and how we can determine our return on investment in a simple manner.

Example1: MarketingScoop, LLC decides to send a post card mailing to a list of small businesses promoting their directory service listing. Here is a list of expenses associated with the mailing:

Direct Expenses

Post card design $100
1,000 post cards $200
Postage $500

Total $800

Indirect Expenses
Indirect Expenses X .25* $200

A rule of thumb you can use to calculate your indirect expenses is to multiply your direct expenses by 25%. If you want a more exact determinant of indirect expense, you will have to record the amount of time attributed to this particular marketing project as a percentage of your annual ‘available working hours’. Then, multiply this percentage against your total business expense.

Based on our calculation above, total campaign cost equals $1,000. For this example, let’s assume that the campaign brings in $2,500 in revenue. Simply divide revenue by expense ($2,500/$1,000) to determine ROI. In this example, our ROI was 2.5.

Note: This is a Gross calculation which means that we have not subtracted any product related expenses. This gets into Net Income, EBITDA, and other stuff for the accounting team to figure out.

The key is to use this information as a benchmark for future campaigns. Instead of assuming that a marketing campaign is productive, you now have a basic measurement to evaluate it and compare future campaigns.

Pricing Your Products and Services for Ultimate Growth

Developing an attractive price for what you have to offer is both an art and science. These tips make it easy!

One of the most challenging things you can do as a marketing professional, entrepreneur, or business owner is to price your products appropriately. Often times, individuals have no real strategy for pricing products or understand the perceived value that pricing can create. In this article, I’ll share my 12 year of product experience and what I’ve learned by pricing dozens of products – pricing them to sell.

When considering how to price a product, there are a number of methods for arriving at a starting price. The most popular include zero sum pricing and competitive pricing. Those who price their products using the zero sum method generally begin at zero, add all their costs including manufacturing, overhead, and so on, plus some type of margin to reach an initial price. The margin used in this calculation is based on industry norms or existing margins on similar products.

Competitive pricing is a method where you evaluate the products your competitor is selling and at what price. If your product or service is the same or similar, you’d want to price your product in the same general area. If your product is different, you’d adjust your price up or down based on features, benefits, and value derived.

Another model is called premium pricing which is used when considering a competitive pricing grid. Companies like Cadillac use premium pricing. This method charges ‘top dollar’ for a product that is of better quality or perceived quality. Rolex is another example. It doesn’t tell time any better than a Seiko but it costs much, much more.

Once you’ve determined your preferred pricing method, the next step is to develop multiple pricing options. Too often companies stop with the selection of a pricing method. The top marketing professionals know that the only way to optimize price is through tiered pricing and testing.

There are way too many individuals still pricing their product based on gut feel. The dialogue usually goes like this, “How much should we charge?” “I don’t know, what does competitor X charge for it? $39.95? Let’s charge $34.95 so we can out sell them”. Don’t laugh…this is how 90% of the products are priced out there.

This method would be okay if after you evaluated your costs and were able to charge less. However, using pricing options allow you to charge both more and less for a given product compared to your competitors. Let me explain what I mean.

To illustrate pricing options, let’s use a popular example, the fast food restaurant. Fast food establishments use tiered pricing all the time. Would you like the single hamburger, double hamburger, or the triple? Smal, medium or large drink? Small fries or large? Regardless of your industry, product, or service, you must give the consumer options.

A number of my clients have said that they can’t offer that type of pricing. When I ask why, the answer is often that their product is one size fits all. If that’s the case, determine how you can offer your product in increments. An attorney that charges by the hour can offer his services by the hour or on retainer. A landscaper can add-on additional services such as weeding, edging, or trimming. And an online publisher can provide a basic or premium package. It’s all in the mind set.

Conclusion
When developing a pricing strategy, understand the direct and variable costs associated with your product, the competitive landscape, and the varying needs of your market segments. Only then can you develop a winning pricing strategy. Choose the strategy that you believe resonates with your market and test, test, test. Be sure to offer tiered pricing to give your prospects options and you'll soon be working at the optimal price.

*Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the President of MarketingScoop.com. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and had appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit MarketingScoop.com for further details and more free marketing articles.

The Art of Negotiating

Every aspect of our business & personal life requires negotiation

When we realize that virtually every aspect of our business and personal life requires negotiation, the benefit of being a better, more efficient negotiator is clear. Negotiating skills are not usually part of our formal education, though we use these skills all day, every day. These skills are at the very core of both our professional and personal lives.

It doesn't matter if we run General Motors or the corner snowball stand or our households, we all have to communicate and convince effectively. What is negotiation, anyway? Negotiating can be explained as simply as "working side by side with other to achieve some beneficial result."

Luckily, it is a practical skill that can be learned. It is not a genetic trait we're born with, like blue eyes or black hair. So no matter what our age or our position in life, if we develop a certain attitude about negotiating, pay attention to honing our skills, then our life will run smoother. Some things to remember when developing a negotiating strategy:

• Act collaboratively, not competitively. It is not "me against you." When we see the other person as a bargaining partner, we are aware that everyone must come away with a benefit. It is a big mistake to think someone is going to give you something for nothing. So try to determine what it is the other person might want, in exchange for what you want. And then present your case to show them that, if they will help you get what you need, you will help them get what they need. Make "Mutual Benefit" your mantra.
  
  
• Personalize the situation; deal as individuals, not as institutions or corporations. You are not talking to "the Tchula bank" but to Charlie Smith, the person sitting in front of you, who represents the bank. Flesh and blood Charlie Smith. Realize that you negotiate on behalf of yourself, representing the company. When you see the other person in this light, you are able to look them in the eye.
  
  
• Increase your expectations. You usually get what you expect to get. If you don't think you will get the promotion, you probably won't. If you don't think you will land the contract, you probably won't. There is no way you will put your best effort forward if you think, in the back of your mind, you won't succeed anyway. So you might as well act as if you expect to get whatever it is you want. You will be pleasantly surprised when you do! You see, when you truly expect to get what it is you are seeking, others see this in you.
  
  
• Know what you want. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But surprisingly, there are many times when we go in to a negotiating session saying, "Let's see what they offer us." Why let the other person decide what you will get? Nobody knows your business or your life as you do. Being able to state specific proposals gives you strength.
  
  
• Stay focused on the real issues. Decide what you absolutely want to come away with; what extra's it would be nice to come away with; and what you can do without if you need to give them up to reach an agreement. Why do you need to determine these things in advance? Because in the "heat of battle" you won't be able to focus on these issues so easily, and you could be very surprised at what you didn't get or at what you gave away.
  
  
• Prepare. Do you homework; thoroughly research the person or company with which you'll be dealing. Is the company an innovative one or a staid one? Is the person with whom you are negotiating known for being creative or for being more traditional? With all the information available on the Internet today, there is virtually nothing we can't find out beforehand. Whether we are researching a corporation or a person.
  
  
• Just Google-ing someone is likely to bring up something we didn't know. And of course, there is the old-fashioned way: just ask. Ask industry colleagues (non-competing ones) or acquaintances. It should not surprise you how much people like to talk about what and who and how much they know!
  
  
• Make time your ally. Try to know your counterpart's deadline without giving away yours. Why? Because if I know your deadline to solve a problem or come to an agreement, I can stall any decision up to the point I know you have to make a decision. Most concessionary behavior and settlement action occur close to someone's deadline; don't let it be yours.
  

These are just a few of the many points necessary to knowing more about the negotiating process. Will practicing negotiation skills take time and effort? Of course. But becoming a more efficient, smarter negotiator will bring you many rewards in both your professional and personal life.

About the Author
Liz Tahir is an international marketing consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, whose mission is to help companies be more effective and profitable. Based in New Orleans, LA, USA, she can be contacted at (504)-569-1670; liz@liztahir.com; http://www.liztahir.com.

Growing Your Business One Customer at a Time

Big money isn't as much in winning customers as in keeping customers.

The People aspect of business is really what it is all about. Rule #1: Think of customers as individuals. Once we think that way, we realize our business is our customer, not our product or services. Putting all the focus on the merchandise in our store, or the services our corporation offers, leaves out the most important component: each individual customer.

Keeping those individual customers in mind, here are some easy, down-home steps-to-remember when you want to keep 'em coming back!

1. Remember there is no way that the quality of customer service can exceed the quality of the people who provide it. Think you can get by paying the lowest wage, giving the fewest of benefits, doing the least training for your employees? It will show. Companies don't help customers..people do.

2. Realize that your people will treat your customer the way they are treated. Employees take their cue from management. Do you greet your employees enthusiastically each day; are you polite in your dealings with them; do you try to accommodate their requests; do you listen to them when they speak? Consistent rude service is a reflection not as much on the employee as on management.

3. Do you know who your customers are? If a regular customer came in to your facility, would you recognize them? Could you call them by name? All of us like to feel important; calling someone by name is a simple way to do it and lets them know you value them as customers.

Recently I signed on with a new fitness center. I had been a member of another one for the past ten years, renewing my membership every 6 months when the notice arrived. I had been thinking about changing, joining the one nearer my home and with more state-of-the-art equipment. So when the renewal notice came, I didn't renew. That was 8 months ago.

Was I contacted by the fitness center and asked why I did not renew? Did anyone telephone me to find out why an established customer was no longer a member or to tell me they missed me? No and No. My guess is they don't even know they lost a long-time customer, and apparently wouldn't care.

4. Do your customers know who you are? If they see you, would they recognize you? Could they call you by name? A visible management is an asset. At the Piccadilly Cafeteria chain, the pictures of the manager and the assistant manager are posted on a wall at the food selection line and it is a policy that the manager's office is placed only a few feet from the cashier's stand at the end of that line, in full view of the customers, and with the door kept open. The manager is easily accessible and there is no doubt about "who's in charge here". You have only to beckon to get a manager at your table to talk with you.

5. Go the extra mile. Include a thank-you note in a customer's package; send a birthday card; clip the article when you see their name or photo in print; write a congratulatory note when they get a promotion. There are all sorts of ways for you to keep in touch with your customers and bring them closer to you.

6. Are your customers greeted when they walk in the door or at least within 30-40 seconds upon entering? Is it possible they could come in, look around, and go out without ever having their presence acknowledged? It is ironic it took a discount merchant known for price, not service, to teach the retail world the importance of greeting customers at the door. Could it be that's because Sam Walton knew this simple but important gesture is a matter of respect, of saying "we appreciate your coming in," having nothing to do with the price of merchandise?

7. Give customers the benefit of the doubt. Proving to him why he's wrong and you're right isn't worth losing a customer over. You will never win an argument with a customer, and you should never, ever put a customer in that position.

8. If a customer makes a request for something special, do everything you can to say Yes. The fact that a customer cared enough to ask is all you need to know in trying to accommodate her. It may be an exception from your policy, but (if it isn't illegal) try to do it. Remember you are just making one exception for one customer, not making new policy. Mr. Marshall Field was right-on in his famous statement: "Give the lady what she wants."

9. Are your associates properly trained in how to handle a customer complaint or an irate person? Give them guidelines for what to say and do in every conceivable case. People on the frontline of a situation play the most critical role in your customer's experience. Make sure they know what to do and say to make that customer's experience a positive, pleasant one.

10. Want to know what your customers think of your company? Ask them! Compose a "How're We Doing?" card and leave it at the exit or register stand, or include it in their next statement. Keep it short and simple. Ask things like: what it is they like; what they don't like; what they would change; what you could do better; about their latest experience there, etc.

To ensure the customer sends it in: have it pre-stamped. And if the customer has given their name and address, be sure to acknowledge receipt of the card. Remember that the big money isn't as much in winning customers as in keeping customers. Each individual customer's perception of your company will determine how well you do this.

About the Author
Liz Tahir is an international marketing consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, whose mission is to help companies be more effective and profitable. Based in New Orleans, LA, USA, she can be contacted at (504)-569-1670; liz@liztahir.com; http://www.liztahir.com.

Business Growth Tips:

A Roadmap to Business Growth & A Prosperous Future

For almost three years, JR Andersen, CEO of mid-size software company Andersen High Tech (AHT), and his board have been uneasy. Business growth has been "OK" at eight percent but the market has been growing at a 15 percent annual rate.

With almost half the growth from price increases, unit growth for the main product line has been less than five percent. Fortunately, margins have been expanding nicely along with management bonuses, so things aren't too bad. Or are they? With business growth rates well below the market, AHT is losing customers and hence market share.

At a minimum, this means lost opportunities. Competitors are gaining enough critical mass to develop the next product faster or better. AHT's biggest competitor has won three bids with "leading edge" requirements, leaving JR worried about his next generation product.

If you were JR and his board, where would you look to escape this predicament? My experience suggests the answer is in marketing strategy, not in technology. To increase your company's business growth, your new thinking and priorities should focus on:

- Finding hidden opportunities - Your potential business growth solutions are buried inside your current approach to product enhancement and development.

- Applying product discipline - You need to find and apply the right balance of technical and business factors for proactive product management.

- Discovering customer niches -- You need to find specific customers with unique needs that you can serve better than others could.

Six months ago, JR started down this road. Here is his path to business growth success: Finding the hidden portfolio gold & fixing your R&D investment black hole AHT had a large "portfolio" of products and product enhancements in development.

Like many companies I've seen, AHT's pipeline had many small, incremental projects and very few truly innovative ones. To fix his R&D problem, JR decided that he needed to divide the projects into 3 categories: 1. Major new products: Greater than 10 percent of firm revenue within three years. 2. Significant product enhancements: defined as substantial new customer functionality. 3. All other.

JR knew there were only four new products underway, counting two in the very early stages. He was surprised to find only seven significant enhancements, and even more surprised to find 73 "all other" projects.

Next, JR needed to understand the resources assigned to each category. Because there had been no central resource tracking, this step was hard for JR's staff. They had to visit each product group and each functional organization several times before obtaining the necessary information.

Everyone was surprised to discover only 20 percent of the resources assigned to major new products and another 15 percent on enhancements-with the remaining 65 percent working on "all other."

The solution was obvious. Take resources from "all other" and add them to new product development or product enhancements. Not only did this improve confidence in launch dates, it opened a floodgate of possibilities for new products.

Applying Product Discipline While looking at the AHT product development projects, JR first drew them out on a calendar showing launch dates. Then he asked his engineers and product managers some questions. They included:

- When are intermediate reviews scheduled and who is participating?

- Can you show me the specific customer needs that preceded the technical work?

- For existing products, do the product plans line up with corporate objectives?

- What are the skills and background of the people in product manager roles?

Like many companies, he found AHT only addressed these issues intermittently, meaning he received many answers he did not want to hear. In discussions with the vice presidents at the next staff meeting, JR and his executive management team agreed they needed to personally apply more consistent attention and focus.

Discovering Niches and Segments Next, JR dug into the product plan for AHT's product with the largest growth objective. He found the sales target, marketing communications plan, and the planned product enhancements. But the assessment of competitors was weak. Worse, the description of target customers and applications was missing. In other words, no description of why a customer would buy AHT's product or which customers should be interested.

I've seen this pattern at many companies. The value proposition is missing or too broad, without real and specific customer benefits. Crafting a great value proposition includes becoming very specific about benefits in terms that affect the customer's bottom line.

JR quickly realized that the most productive place to look for revenue growth was in incremental uses and new customers for AHT's three key existing products. He asked his marketing, sales, engineering and customer service leaders to carefully understand and document each benefit received by current customers, then identify other similar customers.

Business Growth's Bottom Line after six months of focus, JR and his board are feeling better. Revenue growth for the last quarter was 17 percent and the most recent product launch was on time. The whole company now has a positive outlook and people are buzzing with energy. It took two new product managers and a lot of executive attention, but the customer niche/value proposition concept has really taken hold.

The VP of sales even became a believer when he landed an elusive key account after a presentation of AHT key product benefits (rather than their technical capabilities). The product launch schedule has six new products and fifteen enhancements in the pipeline, all with strong executive support and no more "black hole."

I sincerely hope your company isn't facing the problems faced by JR and his board at AHT. But if you are, try JR's roadmap for business growth. Find the hidden opportunities, apply product discipline, and discover your customer niches.

About the Author
B2B marketing expert, Bill Gilbert, has extensive experience in moving telecom and high tech firms, just like yours, from technical focus to a customer-driven brand. For more free business growth tips on how to drive a compelling value proposition, proactively manage new product development, and exploit product portfolios to systematically build brands check out Bill's blog at: http://www.b2bgrowthmarketing.com/marketing-blog/.

"Learn / Teach / Sell" Yourself to More Sales

Ways to distinguish your selling process from your rival's

Every sales call you make needs to include the "Learn, Teach, Sell" concept. Today's customer has many options available to them. Rarely are we in a position to sell to a customer something that is so unique and compelling that they have no other choice but to buy from us.

To help create a competitive edge in the marketplace, we must find ways to distinguish our selling process from our rival's. One of the most effective ways to do this is to use each call to "learn" something about the customer and to "teach" them something about the business.

When we take the time to both "learn" from and "teach" the customer something, then we have earned the right to "sell" them. This is a consultative selling approach. "Learning" something about the customer is absolutely essential if we are going to be in a position to help identify their true needs.

Therefore, the questions you ask must allow you to gain information that can be used either in the current call or at a later time with the customer. An example might be finding out from a customer what their financial limits are.

"Teaching" is the way we can help the customer become more qualified in their position and, in turn, make better decisions. Teaching them something should not be centered on the products or services we offer, but on the industry and business practices.

The key is to provide them with practical information. By doing so, you will demonstrate that you are interested in helping them be more successful, rather than just selling them something. "Selling" is the final step.

Naturally, we want to sell our products on every call. However, reality reminds us that many times there are objections and other issues that must be overcome before the customer will buy from us. Still, it is essential for us to do on every sales call, whether it is simply selling our integrity, our listening skills, or our personal style.

In the end, we have been successful if we have earned the right, privilege, honor, and respect to call on the customer again. This is best achieved when we've taken the time to learn from them and teach them information of benefit.

About the Author
Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter", helps companies identify better prospects, close more sales, and profitably build more long-term customer relationships. To receive his free weekly "Sales Hunting Tip" email or to find out more information, visit http://www.TheSalesHunter.com.

How to Market to New Customers

Once you've acquired a customer, the real work begins. This is what you should do to keep and grow your newly acquired customers.

Okay, so your marketing has paid off - you have new customers. The key to growing your business is to effectively communicate and leverage these new customers into advocates for your products and services and purchasers of additional services.

This can be done in a variety of ways. However, some basics steps must be followed to ensure retention. Here are a few tips you can use to develop long-term relationships with newly acquired customers.

1. Proactively shape impressions about your business. Whether you're sending a welcome message, making the first contact via phone, or sending a letter, be sure to position you company for the long-term. Often times, individuals buy products without knowing a whole lot about the company their buying from.

A popular tactic is sending a welcome kit or an overview letter that introduces your company, your values, and the additional resources you have available for your customers including a support email address, 1-800 number and so on. This lets you control your company's image among newly acquired customers. Otherwise, your customers are free to form their own opinion without any guidance whatsoever.

2. Categorize your customer. Is your customer a high potential? Are they a transactional buyer that will likely never buy from you again unless you offer the lowest price? By segmenting your buyers based on your existing database or known behaviors, you can develop customized communication plans to retain them for years to come. Some communication plan may be focused on up-sell while others may only be focused on retention. The communication plan you implement should be based on the proper categorization of your customer.

3. Show your thanks. Once you've acquired a customer, don't forget to thank them. This may seem trite, but done properly, this goes a long way. Often a hand-written note or personalized email from a company president can do the trick. The real key is to make the customer feel good about the purchase they've made and the company they've chose.

4. Provide consistency among all touch points. Once you've acquired a new customer, you must make sure that you provide a consistent user experience. For example, if the prospect contacts your technical support rep the first day after they've purchased a product and receive an answer to their question, then call the following day only to receive a different answer, they're going to lose faith in your company's ability to provide consistent and reliable support.

You can benefit greatly by developing procedures that can be documented and delivered consistently - meeting customer expectations. This builds trust in your business and can minimize defections. If the consumer knows they can count on you to give them what they need/want, they'll be willing to forgo a better price or promise of a better deal elsewhere.

5. Share customer testimonials on future marketing pieces. Many marketers believe that testimonials are only for prospects. The truth is that testimonials can help retain customers, especially new ones, when they are exposed to positive experiences of individuals just like them. In addition to sharing testimonials, it is always a best practice to ask newly acquired customers (within 30 days of purchase) for their feedback/testimonials.

The benefit of reaching out to your customers is that if a problem exists, you can react to it and if they have something positive to say about your product or business, it can be used to reinforce your brand. (Note: be sure to get permission to publish a customer’s testimonial).

These techniques are very effective for maximizing lifetime customer value. By shaping the image of your company, providing a consistent experience, and sharing testimonials for similar customers, you can develop a positive, lasting impression with your marketplace.

Most importantly, keep it simple. Don't overwhelm your new customers with tons of email, or direct mail. Develop a well thought-out communication plan that has a definite purpose. And most importantly, remember to thank your customers for choosing your company, product or service.

*Michael Fleischner is a marketing expert and President of marketingscoop.com which provides free marketing articles, internet marketing secrets, and more. Visit the marketing blog directory for a complete listing of marketing blogs.

Fundamental Strategic Marketing Mistakes to Avoids

Be sure to avoid these strategic marketing pitfalls.

This is a pretty tough global economy and it is critical for a company to leverage every bit of their marketing resources. So, if this is the case, why are so many companies shooting themselves in the proverbial foot by breaking some of the most fundamental rules of marketing? It's a very simple question with complex answers - here are some of the pitfalls to avoid:

1. Believing a second rate web site communicates integrity: So many web sites are just plain funky looking (graphics, text, menus, etc.) - nice professional term, but it's descriptive of some of the dreck that passes for web site design. A company should not forget that perception is reality on the web and people aren't going to do business with a company that can't field a decent web site - end of story!

2. Deploying a marketing strategy that's all over the map: Is Yahoo a Search Engine, a Portal or a Hollywood Media company? They are the classic 3D hologram advertisement for a company that can't figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. A company must pick a marketing strategy and then stay the course - changing direction every time the wind shifts is not a good business strategy and creates more motion than action.

3. Forgetting real brand development: Branding became the ".com" rallying cry for every newby wet behind the ears with an Internet dream to become a billionaire by selling dog food on the web (I'll leave the sock puppet out of this) - we all know this didn't work. But that does not mean a company should ignore brand development - it's important to remember that a good brand is built one marketing process at a time; everything that a company publishes, develops or communicate is part of the brand building process, which in turn defines the company's market position.

4. Ignoring distribution channels by selling direct via an ecommerce web site: A company should not build and launch an ecommerce site and start selling direct to customers and forget about a distribution channel. It's imperative to give the customer the choice to buy direct from your company or locate a distribution channel partner via a look up capability on the site. And, if you really want to win the hearts and mind of a channel never sell below retail (SRP) - and afford the channel the opportunity to discount your product so they can compete effectively with you.

5. Making competitive analysis a low priority: Too many companies forget about their competitors after the business plan has been written. They don't take the time to review them on a periodic basis and try and figure out how to deliver goods and services differently, which in turn drives competitive advantage and a long-term sustainable business model.

6. Poorly thought out Investor Relations press release: Do companies actually think investors are just plain stupid and don't really read an IR (Investor Relations) directed Press Release carefully? Investors are typically very bottom line oriented - they want to know about revenue growth and real strategic partnership developments that help the company grow and not much else. Just throwing fluff out in the market and hoping this will drive investors to invest is just plain shortsighted stupidity.

7. Thinking any/all consultants know your business better than you: Reporters and consultants (including this one) have driven just as many companies into the ground with bad advice as much as they have helped them - companies must realize a consultant is typically not down in the trenches and they can make some bad calls - it's important to filter their advice.

8. Letting the inmates run the asylum - customers should help a company refine its product marketing strategy by working as partners. If engineering tells marketing "the customer doesn't really know what they want but we do" the red lights should start flashing danger - the company may be in serious peril and at the very least need new focus and direction for product marketing.

Lee Traupel has 20 plus years of marketing experience. He is the co-founder of a Northern California and Brussels Belgium based, privately held, Marketing Services and Software Company, Intelective Communications, Inc., http://www.intelective.com. Intelective focuses exclusively on providing services to small-to-medium-sized companies that need strategic and tactical marketing services. He can be reached at Lee@intelective.com.

Fundamental Strategic Marketing Mistakes to Avoids

Be sure to avoid these strategic marketing pitfalls.

This is a pretty tough global economy and it is critical for a company to leverage every bit of their marketing resources. So, if this is the case, why are so many companies shooting themselves in the proverbial foot by breaking some of the most fundamental rules of marketing? It's a very simple question with complex answers - here are some of the pitfalls to avoid:

1. Believing a second rate web site communicates integrity: So many web sites are just plain funky looking (graphics, text, menus, etc.) - nice professional term, but it's descriptive of some of the dreck that passes for web site design. A company should not forget that perception is reality on the web and people aren't going to do business with a company that can't field a decent web site - end of story!

2. Deploying a marketing strategy that's all over the map: Is Yahoo a Search Engine, a Portal or a Hollywood Media company? They are the classic 3D hologram advertisement for a company that can't figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. A company must pick a marketing strategy and then stay the course - changing direction every time the wind shifts is not a good business strategy and creates more motion than action.

3. Forgetting real brand development: Branding became the ".com" rallying cry for every newby wet behind the ears with an Internet dream to become a billionaire by selling dog food on the web (I'll leave the sock puppet out of this) - we all know this didn't work. But that does not mean a company should ignore brand development - it's important to remember that a good brand is built one marketing process at a time; everything that a company publishes, develops or communicate is part of the brand building process, which in turn defines the company's market position.

4. Ignoring distribution channels by selling direct via an ecommerce web site: A company should not build and launch an ecommerce site and start selling direct to customers and forget about a distribution channel. It's imperative to give the customer the choice to buy direct from your company or locate a distribution channel partner via a look up capability on the site. And, if you really want to win the hearts and mind of a channel never sell below retail (SRP) - and afford the channel the opportunity to discount your product so they can compete effectively with you.

5. Making competitive analysis a low priority: Too many companies forget about their competitors after the business plan has been written. They don't take the time to review them on a periodic basis and try and figure out how to deliver goods and services differently, which in turn drives competitive advantage and a long-term sustainable business model.

6. Poorly thought out Investor Relations press release: Do companies actually think investors are just plain stupid and don't really read an IR (Investor Relations) directed Press Release carefully? Investors are typically very bottom line oriented - they want to know about revenue growth and real strategic partnership developments that help the company grow and not much else. Just throwing fluff out in the market and hoping this will drive investors to invest is just plain shortsighted stupidity.

7. Thinking any/all consultants know your business better than you: Reporters and consultants (including this one) have driven just as many companies into the ground with bad advice as much as they have helped them - companies must realize a consultant is typically not down in the trenches and they can make some bad calls - it's important to filter their advice.

8. Letting the inmates run the asylum - customers should help a company refine its product marketing strategy by working as partners. If engineering tells marketing "the customer doesn't really know what they want but we do" the red lights should start flashing danger - the company may be in serious peril and at the very least need new focus and direction for product marketing.

Lee Traupel has 20 plus years of marketing experience. He is the co-founder of a Northern California and Brussels Belgium based, privately held, Marketing Services and Software Company, Intelective Communications, Inc., http://www.intelective.com. Intelective focuses exclusively on providing services to small-to-medium-sized companies that need strategic and tactical marketing services. He can be reached at Lee@intelective.com.

Sales Lead Generation

8 Powerful B2B Sales Lead Generation Techniques To Help You Reach Your Sales Prospects.

Most of the fastest growing B2B companies do not rely solely on just one sales lead generation method. They have a complete arsenal of sales lead generation tools at their fingertips, that they can use at ay given time.

Here are my eight proven B2B sales leads generation techniques gleaned from helping over 170 B2B companies reach their sales prospects:

1. Sales lead generation using relationship marketing. Relationship Marketing is the approach underlying all of the "sales-lead-generation-success" methods. Relationship marketing simply refers to cultivating a personal, sales-winning relationship with your prospects. It's about developing longer-term relationships with customers rather than individual transactions.

During my 20+ years of experience in B2B sales lead generation, I've discovered the key to picking up sales others leave on the table is to keep in touch with your prospects via a series of ongoing communications and offers throughout your prospective customers' consideration processes.

2. Sales lead generation through complementary partner referrals. By joining forces with complementary partners, you can instantly multiply your sales lead generation pool and make it easier for companies to engage in doing business with you. Out of all the sales lead generation programs available to you, complementary partner referral programs can generate the highest qualified B2B sales leads.

3. Sale lead generation using search engine optimization and Internet marketing strategies. Business buyers are more sophisticated and getting harder to reach than ever. Studies show that about 90% of business buyers start with research on the Internet, therefore it's critical to have a well-tuned sales lead generation program that includes search engine optimization (SEO)/Internet marketing strategies to attract prospects at the beginning of their buying cycle.

4. Sales lead generation via telemarketing. Even though many people despise the thought of telemarketing, when executed properly it is a very effective sales lead generation tool. Telemarketing is a personal marketing and sales lead generation technique that offers a cost-effective, efficient alternative to field selling. However, it can be significantly more expensive than direct mail or email.

By including telemarketing in your B2B sales lead generation marketing plan, you can reach up to thirty decision-makers a day at a cost of $15 to $20 per contact. In contrast, with field sales you can reach only four or five decision-makers a day at an average cost of $392 or more per contact.

Direct mail may cost as little as a dollar, and email is often much less. However, if you consistently prospect and nurture leads via phone, you will consistently generate qualified sales leads.

5. Sales lead generation with email publications. By creating your own email newsletter, you could send out industry news and tips to suspects in your market. Since you will be on your prospects' minds more often than your competition, eventually, your sales leads will turn into actual sales.

If you subscribe to my e-newsletter, Sales Lead Report, you will see an example of an email publication that keeps my name and business in front of over 8,000 people every month.

6. Sales Lead Generation With Direct Mail. There is an entire industry of people like Dan Kennedy, Bob Bly, and Bill Glazer who are dedicated to business-to-business selling through direct marketing. Sales letters can be an excellent sales lead generation method. But, most sales and business professionals do not know how to use this lead generation technique effectively and efficiently.

The complaint is a common one among B2B companies that depend on direct mail and direct response marketing as their only sales lead generation program: "I'm sick of spending a fortune to send out thousands of full-color catalogs and direct-mail pieces only to get a measly 1% response rate.

How can I cut costs and find a more practical way to get my target market to respond to my direct mail or catalogs?" My clients have found that the best place to start revamping their direct response marketing is by determining who their best customers are, then trying to target their database marketing efforts at companies and individuals who are similar in nature.

7. Sales Lead Generation Using Print Advertising. When done correctly, print advertising can be a highly effective sales lead generation activity. When using print advertising as your B2B sales leads generation method, you must remember to focus your advertising's message on the benefits and applications of your products or services. Then let the layout and design of your ads enhance your company's image. And, don't forget to only use publications that deliver messages directly to your targeted audience.

8. Sales Lead generation via Event Marketing. Whether you do it live, through the telephone (teleseminars) or via the Web (webinars), seminars and workshops are a great sales lead generation tool. People who attend your seminar have an interest in the information you are presenting and a need for your product or service.

The goal: Connect with customers in a meaningful way By using these eight proven B2B sales leads generation methods gleaned from helping over 170 B2B companies reach their prospects, you will capture more sales-ready opportunities for your salespeople to turn into new business, meaning greater sales revenue and profits for your company.

About the Author
As one of today's leading business-to-business marketing consultants, M. H. "Mac" McIntosh uses the latest in lead-multiplying tactics and strategies that are working NOW to drive up leads and sales. As an expert on the subject of B2B lead generation, he can help you increase your bottom line by converting more sales leads into actual sales. Get his Free Sales Lead Report® newsletter at http://www.sales-lead-experts.com

Marketing To Women

Marketing To Women: What You Desperately Need to Know to Reach & Engage Women as Consumers

Women as consumers are different from men as consumers in so many ways! Men are more direct-driven to their destination goal, while women meander and enjoy the journey. Women are multi-taskers and jugglers trying to stay in control while working hard at many different things in their life.

You must first understand women as consumers before you start marketing to them. You must know why health and wellness is important to them in their multi-dimensional roles as consumers, caregivers, career women and community leaders.

Gone are the days when most women were stay at home moms or at least similar in their life paths and stages. Today's women are interested in health for a variety of reasons that relate to their multi-dimensional lives.

Here Are My Top 4 Essential Strategies to Reaching and Engaging Women as Consumers:

1. Involve women in "co-parenting" or creating your messages with you. Informal, interactive research providing springboards for spontaneity helps create a more transparent, empowering and compelling messages your audience (women) wants to hear and trust. This is one of the most intuitive, and most effective marketing to women strategies. Remember, women love to share ideas, spontaneous feelings, dreams, fears an most of all information.

Today's women are seeking information and readily sharing what they have read in health or self-help books, women's magazines and on the Internet. To create a dynamic exchange of information and ideas and to maximize spontaneity, host these natural "gatherings" in settings such as coffee lounges, spas and wellness centers, living rooms and restaurants. You may even want to create a mini "TV talk show" and discover salient issues that can propel your marketing efforts and build your business.

2. Position your message in a woman's "peripheral vision." Neither a full frontal attack nor splashy, expensive product or service-focused advertising will capture a woman's attention and loyalty. Marketing to women successfully requires a careful consideration of their beliefs and values.

This includes:

• Identifying creative approaches to connecting with the social and community causes that are important to women.
• Aligning your brand's essence and key messages to those social and community causes.
• Reinforcing the role of a total wellness and lifestyle solution, rather than a product-centric or service-centric brand approach

3. Target women in "life stages", not "age stages". Identify the life stages, your targeted women prospects are living in today. For example, your targeted women prospects may be in their fitness phase, -- the phase that usually takes place early in a woman's life when it's all about her own healthy body.

Your prospects could be in their "family-centric" stage, which normally ranges from the early 20's to the 40's, when family comes first and children are growing, or she could be in the discovery stage which is more about the woman refining and expressing who she is. Or, your targeted women prospects may be a seasoned woman who is experiencing a surge in vitality in her love and sex life after 50.

4. Think mother-daughter bonding. Strong intergenerational influences can be found between women and their daughters, and between women and their mothers. Information and advice, especially related to healthcare, is solicited. It flows freely from one generation to another.

Reinforcing this idea, Medelia Monitor Research recently revealed that 64 percent of women surveyed talk with their mothers on a daily or weekly basis. More than 41 percent say their moms are their best friends.

Final Marketing to Woman Thoughts: Spark Dialogue, Inspire Action & Profit from Women Consumers Remember, women are newly empowered decision-makers, purchasers and influencers. You can leverage that empowerment to your advantage.

Building a brand, enhancing an organization or company's reputation, and building trust takes more than sending out controlled messages that speak to women in their multiple roles. Winning their minds and hearts means connecting with them and with their influencers.

This will give you greater credibility, visibility and involvement in your targeted prospects' lives. Whether you are providing products or services that help women at home, work or play, you will be able to break through the spin to build trust and profit greatly from women consumers, if you take my advice and connect to them at all levels.

About the Author
With an extensive background in healthcare public relations, marketing, advertising and marketing to women, communications expert Kelley Connors can help your company or organization connect to women and their influencers. If you're a pharmaceutical company, women's health and lifestyle businesses or health advocacy organization looking to secure market share and influence, go to http://www.womenshealthpr.com

How to Develop a Marketing Strategy

Developing a strategic marketing plan takes work - a firm understanding of the markets you plan to sell to, the products you and your competitors offer, your business objectives, and budget.

Part One- Market:

Objective: Identify and learn about the market segments you currently target and wish to target in the future– what motivates them to consider your products, what is their buying process, how do they consume media and how can we leverage former customer into longer term value for the business.

Steps to Accomplish:

• Learn Current Market Segmentation- Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic, Behaviorial
  
• Profile Market Segments- Revenue potential, Market share potential, Profitability potential, Lifetime customer value
  
• Market Research- Primary (research you've commissioned on your own) and Secondary (industry research)
  
  

  Part Two-Product:

  Objective: Learn about the current portfolio of products and new product introductions being planned, primary and secondary uses, usage differences by market, core product benefits, competitors and competitive differentiators, seasonality, historical offers and measurement, lifecycle plan, profitability, complementary products in portfolio or outside portfolio, pricing and profitability.

  Steps to Accomplish:

  • Product management presentations on above
  • Sample analysis and review
  • Competitive analysis and technology trends
  • Usage and satisfaction research- primary, secondary
    
    

    Part Three- Business Objectives:

    Objective: Understand key business initiatives, market conditions and revenue goals that will guide decision making.

    Steps to Accomplish:

    • This year's Business Plan – define objectives for the business in the short and long-term.

    
    Part Four- Marketing budget, Prior efforts & results, other planned tactics & timing:

    Objective: Learn the parameters of the marketing plan including budget, previous efforts and success measurements, planned tactics such as committed resources, major sales campaigns and tradeshow events.

    Steps to Accomplish:

    • Marketing meeting to review information and develop calendar of know tactics and market touch points.

    Market Plan recommendation will include:

    At the completion of this four step process, you should assemble a complete integrated marketing plan based on your business objectives, market segments, market research, product offerings, competitive positioning, and history of marketing success. This document should contain:

    • An overview of learnings, challenges and trends
    • Customer and prospect constituent groups
    • Key market touch points and communications strategies
    • Tactical recommendations
    • Measurement
    • Budget, Return, ROI

    It is highly recommended that the plan incorporate a certain level of flexibility at the tactical level. As with any marketing campaign strategy, tactics should incorporate split tests, review and rework of marketing tactics. Budget should be repositioned to support marketing campaigns that show the greatest success.

#1 Selling Perspective for Revenue Driven Firms

By Chuck Mache

I listen to talk radio, particularly sports talk. One of the hottest topics, if not the hottest is whether the San Francisco Giants should bring back Barry Bonds. For the two people on the planet that don't know, he will be a free agent once the World Series is over.

One morning last week, the host was emphasizing the impact that Bonds has on revenue by his presence in a Giants uniform. This particular discussion wasn't the usual swirl of banter over making the best decision to produce a winner, his diminishing skills, the negativity that surrounds the alleged steroid issue, or the importance of him breaking the home run record in a Giants uniform. More specifically the discussion was about his influence on the numbers. Keep him or lose him, how does it affect company revenue? I think one of the quotes was something like, "At the end of the day, how many rear ends will he put in the seats of AT&T Park and what does that mean to revenue? I guarantee you that's what upper management is thinking about." I found the hosts opinion to be honest, refreshing, and cuttingly truthful.

It got me thinking about industries outside of the standard "sales driven" ones that use armies of salespeople (big or small) to proactively bring revenue through the door. Smart companies (excluding non-profits) in nearly any industry make their key decisions based on their impact on revenue. If they aren't, I believe you'll find that the company is either struggling or existing well below their potential. There are a tremendous amount of organizations living well below their potential because they are not focused on being revenue driven. Trust me, I've seen it throughout my 25+ years of experience in selling, managing, building and leading sales organizations regionally and internationally.

Most people, when they think of the words sales, customer, revenue, they tend to think of those companies that have prototype salespeople whose sole purpose is to proactively bring revenue in the door. But what about those industries that don't get their revenue through a sales force model. Aren't Legal, Accounting, Dentistry, Medical, Architectural firms also an example of revenue driven companies?

I mean, call their customers clients or patients, but aren't they really customers? And, don't they want to attract more of them so that revenue will grow? Won't that make for a healthier company? I must admit, that in my work, industries like Real Estate, Mortgage, Broadcasting, Telecom, and Technology where the practice of proactively marketing their respective products and services is the primary strategy is my sweet spot.

Many of my articles can be found on dozens of websites under various topics of executive management, sales management, and leadership. They are usually on sales and marketing sites or those specific to the obvious revenue driven industries that use salespeople to bring the dollars through the door. But something interesting has begun occurring.

I got an email from an accountant who said, "I read one of your articles on The Four Kinds of Sales People and I have to tell you, it's not just about sales people. We need to break through to the next level too."

Then I got an email from a website dedicated to lawyers requesting to put one of my articles on "Understanding your sales team" on their website. They wanted to change the word "salespeople" to "business developers. I said OK. I mean call it a patient or a client it's still a customer. Call it a business developer or an account executive it's still a sales rep. So I got curious and sent the article that the law site customized to a couple attorney friends of mine and asked them about the importance of revenue. Here's what I discovered: In industries such as legal and accounting, to actually proactively "sell" is considered distasteful.

To directly pursue revenue in this manner doesn't work. The key is to "attract" your customers (I mean clients). Attract through being visible, attract through meeting new people, attract through participating in functions, attract through doing a great job for your customers (I mean clients) so that they will become your advocate and refer you to their friends.

Next week I have to go to the dentist for my six-month cleaning. I'm one of his customers (I mean patients). As I'm leaving, they will ask me if I need any more whitener and they will certainly schedule my next six month visit. I like them. They put out a great service, become involved in the community, get themselves known and take advantage of the opportunities that come their way.

Since I'm not directly involved in any of these industries, I'm going to make an educated guess. They have meetings on revenue and how to bring it in. They struggle with partners and associates who do not "indirectly" hunt for new business. Those that bring in the clients are the kings and queens. And, for those that don't, they have mediocre careers. This is my message for all industries. You have a choice, whether it's direct or indirect, get to bringing in the revenue, or just be mediocre in your careers.

Chuck Mache, Architect for Breakthrough Achievement & President of Chuck Mache Communications (http://www.chuckmache.com), has 25+ years of experience in selling, managing, building and leading sales organizations regionally and internationally. Use his knowledge and expertise in building heavy-hitter sales organizations to increase your firm's productivity and profitability by over 100% with his Brian Tracy endorsed book, The Four Kinds of Sales People: Your Personal Path to Breakthrough Achievement.

Hold the Front Page!

Do you know the difference in marketing response between an article on the front page of a national newspaper and a smaller list of people who know and like you and are ready to buy?

Here's a little marketing quiz for you. Imagine you are being offered two marketing opportunities.

Option 1 is the chance of a positive front page news story on a national newspaper that will be read by millions of people first thing tomorrow morning.

Option 2 is permission to communicate on an ongoing basis with 1,000 people who know, like and trust you. Which would you choose? I hope you said the list of 1,000 people.

I know that's what I would choose. But why? Whilst at a first glance the chance to have your business seen by millions may appear to be the better opportunity, it has a few strikes against it when compared with the list.

The first point is relevance. An audience of millions may sound impressive, but how many of them are really potential prospects for your business? More to the point, how many of them are actively looking right now? The second point is timing. A one time blast of your marketing message is only likely to get results with the people who have an immediate need for what you are offering. What about the people who are interested but for whatever reason not ready to buy your service right now?

Unless you have a system in place for capturing the details and following up with the 'interested, but not right now' group, you've just missed a huge opportunity. The third point is trust and credibility. Whilst the endorsement of a national newspaper will lend you some weight, there will still be people who hesitate to act. It takes time to cultivate a relationship with those people that culminates with them handing over their hard earned cash.

'Getting Known' is important - but it's not enough to guarantee your success. Or, to put it another way, fame does not necessarily equal fortune. While 'getting known' will be one element of your overall business success, it's important to be known by the right people. By that I mean people who are a good match for the product or service that you offer, or have access and credibility with groups of people who do. And even then, being known by the right people isn't enough.

If you want that relationship to translate into sales revenue and profit, those people also need to understand what you offer and trust you enough that they are willing to take you up on it. In short, while the newspaper coverage is a one-time opportunity that may or may not generate business, an ongoing relationship with 1,000 people who know, like and trust you is the foundation of a successful business. Serve them well and not only will they become buyers - but repeat buyers and raving fans who will recommend you to others. Want to launch a new product or service?

Think how much easier it will be when you have a ready made group of responsive prospects to offer it to. A list is like an insurance policy for your business. When I work with clients who need to generate cash windfalls for their business, the first questions I ask are 'What sort of list do you have? How many prospects? How many clients and customers?' That's because a strong offer made to a list of people who have some experience of you will always yield better results than trying to go out and find and sell to new prospects. If you're asking yourself 'where's the business going to come from this month?', you really haven't yet tapped into the power of cultivating a list.

Start TODAY. Compile records of past clients and prospects and put them into a database. (I like ACT!) People who have some previous experience of you are ALWAYS more likely to buy than people you contact 'cold'. Is there some offer you could make TODAY to generate business or interest? Then do it! Next brainstorm what you could do on an ongoing basis to maintain and cultivate a relationship with your list.

HINT: it's better to send something little and often, than one major mailing 4 times a year.

About the Author
(Bernadette Doyle, 2008. Reprints welcome so long as by-line and article are published intact and all links made live. Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at http://www.clientmagnets.com

B2B Marketing: Drive Leads & Sales

With A "Get It Out" and "Good Enough" approach.

I think most business-to-business marketers should aim for "get it out" and "good enough" rather than aim for perfection when it comes to marketing to drive leads and sales. Why? Because aiming for perfection, in addition to being nearly impossible to achieve, results in your marketing campaigns and materials spending far too much time in the concept and development stages, causes significant delays in delivering your lead generating messages to prospective customers. Or worse, your marketing messages never get delivered at all.

With all this in mind, here are some ideas and resources to consider for your marketing:

1. Instead of constantly re-inventing the marketing wheel, consider re-purposing or refreshing your existing materials. The reasons someone should engage your company are often the same as in the past, so why not update the marketing materials that were successful in the past. We are usually sick of our marketing materials long before they stop working with our prospects.

2. Instead of trying to come up with oh-so-clever copy, focus on crafting clear, well-targeted headlines and messages, which offer real solutions to your prospective customers' problems or pains. If you think you have a knack for writing, a great book on the subject is The Copywriter's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy That Sells by Robert W. Bly. Or you can find copywriters who can do the job for you by searching on the Internet using phrases like "B2B copywriter" or "direct mail copywriter."

3. Avoid typos and grammatical errors by using a proofreading service like proofreadnow.com.

4. Instead of using costly give-aways, make compelling "how-to" information offers or "buy now" calls-to-action that will get prospective customers to respond. Mark Joyner's book, The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less is worth reading.

5. Instead of spending a lot of time creating fancy, expensive mailers, fire up your laser printer and send personalized letters to your prospects. Then use window envelopes so the address on the letter shows through to avoid having to address the envelopes too. Or use one of the online lettershop services like mailersclub.com or usps.com/netpost to mail-merge, print and mail your business letters.

Remember, longer copy that is easy to skim (i.e. using subheads, bullets, call-outs, boldface, etc.) works with both those prospects who prefer to read all the details and those who prefer to get right to the bottom line. You can also use postcards as a less costly alternative. Companies like amazingmail.com, modernpostcard.com or touchpointmail.com can help you get your postcards designed, printed and mailed cost-effectively.

E-mails to your opt-in list of prospects are another option to developing more costly mailers. For a comprehensive listing of email service providers, see page 26 of BtoB's Marketers Resource Guide-2006 available at BtoBonline.com . Instead of creating printed brochures, consider printing pages from your Web site instead. If you're worried about your company's image, place them in a glossy file folder, imprinted with your logo.

6. Instead of developing seminars, workshops, or executive briefings on your own, consider partnering-up with another company to or organization to co-produce an event, or simply take your prospects as your guest to Microsoft or other large organization events on the subject.

7. Instead of paying for custom photography, consider low-cost stock photo websites like istockphoto.com or photos.com.

8. In addition to hiring full-time people, consider part-timers to help get the marketing job done. As my oldest daughter just started kindergarten, I've met a number of moms (and a few Mr. Moms) who are ready to go back to work after taking a few years off to raise their children, but now only want to work part-time. If you need specialized expertise on a project-by-project basis, consider hiring independent contactors like copywriters, designers or event coordinators. And if you're willing to trade experience for enthusiasm, consider hiring one or more interns from your local college or university.

So, next time you find yourself thinking about how to make your marketing perfect, I challenge you to think instead about what constitutes being good enough, and how to get it done sooner rather than later. After all, no one can respond to your business-to-business marketing if it doesn't reach them in time, or even worse - never at all.

About the Author
As one of today's leading business-to-business marketing consultants, M. H. "Mac" McIntosh uses the latest in lead-multiplying tactics and strategies that are working NOW to drive up leads and sales. As an expert on the subject of B2B lead generation, he can help you increase your bottom line by converting more sales leads into actual sales. Get his Free Sales Lead Report® newsletter at Sales-Lead-Experts.com

Self-Promotion for Freelance Designers

How to Frugally Market Your Business.

Setting yourself up as a freelance designer? Going solo can feel like a daunting prospect, but if you have a good self-promotion strategy you’ll find work in no time.

The 7 tips in this article show you how to promote yourself as a freelance designer, covering business cards, your online portfolio, direct mail, who to target, contact strategy, and how to conduct yourself in pitching meetings.

1. Get the most out of business cards
Business cards are your most important publicity items. They tell people how to contact you (don’t rely on email signatures—clients will wipe off your emails without hesitation and will not be able to contact you when a job comes up).

Executives normally keep vendor business cards in a case or card-box. Make sure you’re in it. And make sure your card has ALL your details: mailing address, telephone, cell phone number, email, and website address.

Your business card should be smart, clean, and easy-to-read. Don’t be too flamboyant. I know a designer who had his details printed from left-to-right on one side, and his details printed backwards from right-to-left on the other side. Whilst filing it away, his biggest potential client clipped it onto a backer card inside out. When she called upon it later she couldn’t make sense of it. Consequently she trashed the card and called another designer.

Print plenty of cards. An extra thousand won’t break the bank. Give several cards to new prospective clients at meetings (they may give them to their colleagues), and if you have existing clients or contacts, make sure they are well stocked with your cards so they can recommend you. Add a few cards in with your invoices. Leave a few cards in company reception areas, at sports clubs, and anywhere where your prospective clients are likely to congregate. Get them in people’s hands.

2. Create an online portfolio
Unless you are a web-designer, creating your own website is not essential, although it does give you some advantages. A website will help you to communicate your portfolio via email without sending attachments (clients will be suspicious of emails with attachments from unknown addresses—a link to a website is preferable). A website is also a good opportunity to sell yourself with some hard-working copy. Good copy can help you to win new clients, so buy yourself a good copywriting manual and learn the basic copywriting tricks of the trade.

If you have no experience of designing websites, or you don’t have time to create one, don’t be put off, you can buy inexpensive templates online. www.templateshome.com is a good place to start, where you can buy smart website templates for around $60. Buying a dot.com address and uploading it onto a website browser should cost around $30.

3. Market yourself with mailer-postcards
You may want to print some mailer postcards at the same time you print your business cards. Direct mail postcard designs are a great way to show off your creative talents and get noticed. In an age when executives are familiar with receiving emails from scouting freelancers, postcards received through snail-mail are a novel and memorable way to sell your freelance services.

Showcase your best visual/visuals on side one, then write some marketing copy to sell your services on side two (and remember to include your full contact details). Your copy should focus on the benefits your clients will get from using you.

4. Think about who you are targeting
While you are waiting for your cards to print, you need to research the kind of companies to target for freelance work. Aim high; large corporations with multiple departments make better leads than small or medium-sized businesses. The work you get from a big company is likely to be more lucrative and on-going. You may also get internal recommendations across departments. One company can be a client for life and effectively pay off your mortgage.

Do a Google search for all the big companies who have offices within a reasonable driving distance, and examine each website for contacts. Build yourself a database of contacts in a spreadsheet including the names, titles, email addresses, mail addresses, and telephone numbers of all key sales and marketing contacts within your target companies.

5. Follow a rigid marketing strategy
Start by sending out your postcards to all the addresses on your database. A week after drop-date, send each of your contacts a personalized email asking if they use freelancers and requesting a meeting to discuss your offer. Include a link to your website so contacts can view your portfolio. If you don’t have a website, ask your contact to reply for samples of your work, then send a maximum of three pdfs or jpegs that total under 2MB (anything over this will be deleted when inboxes get crammed).

There are three things to consider when you are sending emails to prospective clients on your database. First, always send personalized emails to one contact at a time. Never send a round-robin. Second, keep your first email short and polite, asking for permission to send over some samples. Never attach visuals to your introductory email, your email will be deleted as spam. Third, set up an automatic email signature, so your prospective clients can quickly access your contact details. Although most people use business cards to find vendor addresses, some people use email to look up contacts.

Follow up your email with a phone call the next day to get the contacts’ feedback to your samples. Ask if the department uses freelancers and what creative requirements the department has. If your contact regularly uses freelancers, request a meeting to discuss your full portfolio. If your contact doesn’t use freelancers, ask for another contact within the organization who does. Use your database to keep track of all the people you have contacted and when you contacted them, so you know which people to follow up on and when.

Contact plenty of people, and the law of averages states you’ll get plenty of meetings booked.

6. Present yourself as client-focused whilst pitching
The key to a successful pitching meeting is to be well-prepared and client-focused. Before you travel to the company office, examine the company’s website so you know what kind of brief your contact is likely to give you. Tailor your portfolio for the company by ordering your most relevant work first (a good reason why you should use retractable sleeves in your portfolio, allocating one project to one sleeve).

At the meeting, make sure your pitch is relevant. Ask to see the company’s existing publicity, then talk about your most similar graphic design assignments.
Give your prospective client enough information to help them see what you can do for them. With each item of work you present, summarize the original brief, say how you creatively interpreted the brief, and give a sense of how effective the project was. Don’t go into a full project analysis unless asked, and don’t assume your prospective client will want to know the intricacies of your portfolio.

At the end of your meeting, ask if you can meet colleagues in the same department, ask for contacts in other departments, and hand out plenty of business cards. When you get home, send a thank-you email to your contact, reminding them of your availability, and update your activities in your database so you know when next to contact them.

7. Be persistent
It’s important to remain visible. Promotions controllers are more likely to outsource work to people they meet in person. Pretend that you will be in the area one day and ask to ‘pop in’ for a brief chat—you may have more luck arranging informal ad-hoc meetings than formal put-it-in-your-diary meetings. When you visit a company, remember to take your portfolio and plenty of business cards. You never know who you might meet.

You’ll find that prospective clients often say things like “I have no projects at the moment, but I’ll keep you in mind”. Don’t get frustrated, and certainly don’t beg for work on the phone. Just make a note in your database to keep track of responses, then send reminder emails to contacts every month, just so they really do keep you in mind. Give them a phone call every couple of months; sooner or later they will give you work.

About the Author
Shaun Crowley has worked as a freelance copywriter, marketing consultant, and communications manager for a major UK publishing company. His new book 100 Copywriting Tips for Designers and Other Freelance Artists is available for download at www.copywriting-designers.com