Posted by JasonB on February 8, 2010
Have you ever met a “Serial Networker”…someone who constantly attends networking events, but never actually closes any business? I sure have. They are the first to grab their drink and start shaking hands. They’re great at making introductions, but never seem to convert those conversations into leads or business. Why? Because one aspect of sales hasn’t changed…you still need to ASK FOR THE SALE.
Social Media Is Effective, But It Will Only Take You So Far
Many companies have been jumping on the social media bandwagon. Although social media is a valuable way to introduce your company on a peer to peer level, it is not geared, by nature, to converting relationships to business. It’s more geared toward dispensing information in a helpful manner.
What On Earth Did You Do Before the Internet?
There comes a time when, to actually generate leads and business, you have to start “talking business;” the most direct way to do that is still to pick up the phone. Email can be deleted, avoided or buried among the many emails decision makers get daily. Chatting on Facebook won’t allow you to gauge someone’s tone or level of interest. Answering questions on LinkedIn gets you great exposure, but also allows competitors to place their thoughts right next to yours.
Social Media is an Introduction, You Must Build From There
Social Media is becoming increasingly popular, as it should – it’s quick and easy. Many companies, however, are depending too much on it and have forgotten to interact with people. You can be the most tech-savvy individual in the world, but if you haven’t picked up the phone to talk to a prospect, how are they supposed to feel comfortable enough to spend their money on you?
Stick With What’s Worked For Decades
Your father did it, your grandfather did it, and your grandfather’s father did it – why stop now? Relationships begin with conversation, and the best way to start a conversation is to pick up the phone.
Don’t be “that guy” at the party who shakes hands and invites people to visit his blog. Be that guy who shakes hands with someone, calls them the following day, and closes the sale.
Posted by JasonB on February 2, 2010
An Observation:
If you go to a Ford dealership’s website, they claim to sell the best vehicles for the money. If you go to a Honda dealership’s website, they claim the same.
A Question:
Who’s right?
The Problem:
Today, most corporate websites have become much like advertisements. Digital billboards if you will, touting corporate successes, achievements, and claiming to have the answer to your business needs with confidence. As consumers we have become deaf the “We Are the Best” message.
The Solution for Potential Buyers:
Today social media has allowed peers to easily connect with one another, and therefore provides a forum to ask the common question, “What company have you used for your [fill in the blank] service, and were you happy?”
- Business people trust the opinion of a peer more than a message from a potential vendor. Sites like LinkedIn are swarming with questions and answers from people who want to a direct answer from a real person about a topic or need.
What Should Your Business Do?
Participate in these discussions. Get your thoughts off of your website, and start dispensing helpful information on a peer to peer level. Finding these discussions can be a challenge, but done correctly, you and your company will begin to appear as a resource rather than a faceless entity. That’s what people want…real help, real answers, from real people. Creating a blog is a start, but participating in other people’s conversations helps even more. Just like attending a networking event and answering a few questions, social media allows your company to put real faces behind the company name…added an element of trust to your message.
Good luck, and as usual, let us know if we can help.
Posted by JasonB on February 1, 2010
Turnover rates in 2009 topped out at over 3% across the United States (bls.gov). Though your company may have been lucky enough to bypass layoffs, the massive increase in cutbacks means you may be marketing to the wrong person.
In order to ensure your company’s marketing dollars aren’t wasted, it’s important to cleanse your database.
How are you going to do it?
Contact each company you’ve decided to target to identify the proper contact.
You must ensure you are talking to the actual decision maker.
You’re not looking for a job title, but the actual person that writes checks for what your company is selling. The Decision Maker. This person will be tough to identify, as they are often busy a buried behind gatekeepers.
In order to make your cleansing calls more successful, start with some web research. Sites such as LinkedIn, Hoovers, and LexisNexis can provide insight into who does what in an organization. It’s more effective to say, “Is Steve in Operations available?” as opposed to “the head of the Operations Department.”
Speaking to the decision maker ensures your efforts are focused on the right person.
Remember, if you are using a list from 2009 your contact information will most likely be inaccurate.
Though cleansing may not be something you’d like to do, it’s necessary- otherwise there’s a 3% chance you are marketing to the wrong person.
Posted by JasonB on January 8, 2010
There are endless outlets available that allow you to quickly publish your content and network with other businesses. B2B Companies are increasingly using social media to generate leads because it is a fast, and cost effective way, to advertise news, events, products, and facts, but if you’re not engaging your audience, what are you really getting out of it? How do you keep your target market involved? Through conversation.
*Do your blogs allow readers to comment? Then make sure you’re responding to them.
-Engaging your target market and customers in two-way communication gives you an opportunity to listen to what they need. Don’t treat your blog as a platform for one-way communication.
*Do you reply to tweets?
- Keep an eye out on Twitter – recognize people that tweet about your business.
- Ask questions and encourage people to reply. This will establish a ground for two-way communication and is an excellent source for B2B lead generation. If you’ve done a good job keeping your target market involved, when you tweet about your products and services, you are reaching a significantly larger and more interested audience. Companies who only post messages pushing a product are easily forgotten.
*You’ve worked so hard to build your Facebook fan base, now what do you do with them?
- Create a special offer that is only available for your Facebook fans. Include an easy opportunity for them to share the invitation with their friends (i.e. “Invite your friends to become a member of the fan page and you both will be entered in a drawing for ‘Xprize’ .“)
- Allow your fans to post photos of something that relates to your business.
- As with Twitter, ask questions in your status updates and let your fans respond.
*Do you answer “Questions” on LinkedIn?- LinkedIn provides a question and answer section for professional to give and take advice from each other. Don’t just watch what’s going on, PARTICIPATE!
- If someone asks a question about a subject pertaining to your field, you can answer and potentially create a new B2B relationship with that company.
*Do you utilize the popularity of YouTube?
- Post videos and allow viewers to comment on them. This will once again, give you an opportunity to listen to what your target markets are saying and lead to a potential B2B relationship.- Watch your competitors’ videos. You’ll get to see what they’re doing right and how people are responding to their message.
- Keep it interesting. Businesses who find way to keep their social media interesting develop a much larger and more engaged following.
As we’ve said, 2010 is going to be an important year in Social Media. If you’ve not already begun to revamp your tactics, now is the time to start. If you haven’t implemented any tactics at all, it may be time to call for help from a company that can focus on getting you back on track.
Posted by JasonB on December 23, 2009
Get ready for the race! In 2010, the companies left standing from the economic downturn will be aggressively trying to replace lost business and make up for a tough year.
What does this mean for businesses?
Increased competition and a need to make every marketing dollar count.
What is the most effective way to generate business in 2010?
Going directly after targets that are the best fit for your business:
1. Generate a List of Targets
When you start prospecting, you’ll need a list of targets.
You can either:
1) Use and list you already have, or
2) Acquire a list
Either way, if you buy your list or use an existing one, 30-40% of the information will be incorrect. The 2009 economy caused a lot of companies to change the way they operate; positions have shifted and the decision maker you’ve got the information for may not be employed there anymore.
It’s just a fact. So what’s the next step? That leads me to number 2…
2. Cleanse and Qualify
Contact each company you’ve decided to target to identify the proper contact.
You must ensure you are talking to the actual decision maker.
You’re not looking for a job title, but the actual person that writes checks for what your company is selling. The Decision Maker. This person will be tough to identify, as they are often busy a buried behind gatekeepers.
In order to make your cleansing calls more successful, start with some web research. Sites such as LinkedIn, Hoovers, and LexisNexis can provide insight into who does what in an organization. It’s more effective to say, “Is Steve in Operations available?” as opposed to “the head of the Operations Department.”
Speaking to the decision maker ensures your efforts are focused on the right person.
Remember, if you are using a list from 2009 your contact information will most likely be inaccurate.
3. Introduce
Introduce your company in a manner that has the highest propensity to attract attention.
a. Convey a compelling message that speaks to a decision maker.
Think about what means the most to your contact (i.e., if they are a CFO, the cost-cutting would be an appropriate message. Alternatively, if they’re and HR Manger, than employee performance will resound)
b. Use multiple formats (phone call, mail, email, video)
Decision makers are busy and may not respond to certain types of media. To increase the chances of your message getting seen, not only should it stand out amongst the clutter of your competitors, but it must be expressed in a variety of formats
c. Multiple touches over a series of weeks
By nature, decision makers are extremely busy; if the phone is your primary tool, 95% of your leads wont be a live connect. Be prepared to contact them multiple times and implement a long term strategy.
4. Nurture
Sending useful, relevant industry messages over time.
Now that you’ve found a company that can benefit from what you sell, you must be sure to stay in contact with the decision maker throughout the buying cycle. This is how the fruits of your labor pay off.
A nurture program is essential to advancing any area of B2B lead generation as it allows for a continuous, and structured, flow of communication. Nurturing is like holding a prospects hand throughout the buying process, a constant reassurance of your company’s presence in the marketplace. Lead generation without a nurturing program simply doesn’t work.
Even if they’ve said “We’re not interested now,” they should be considered a lead worth nurturing.
For a successful nurture program, sending the same message 12 times a year should be avoided. Mix it up with different messages and formats. If you connect with a prospect via phone, and it doesn’t result in an appointment, the following messages should reflect the information gathered during that conversation. Expressing an understanding of where your prospect is in the buying cycle, and adjusting communication accordingly, will keep your company in the forefront.
Keeping in contact will make them aware of your brand, and keep you in the back of their mind until they find themselves thinking about a problem your company solves.
