Instead of mass communication get personal

Sending out massive amounts of emails is hardly effective. The opening rate gets lower everyday.

In Email Marketing relevance is King and timing Rules.
Getting personal with your lead or customer timely will make a significant difference in opening rates especially when they are interested.
The problem is to who, what content and when should you be emailing?

Increase opening rates

LEADSExplorer solves this by allowing knowing:
- The companies visiting your website
- Their level of interest in a solution or product by pages visited and search terms used
Additionally contacts within these visiting companies can be found with the search tools provided.

Using templates you have created previously for each topic, product or solution, will enable you sending out personalized emails timely on the matter that interests them.
These re-targeting emails to your visiting companies are relevant and timely which will get high open rates resulting in more leads and sales.

No longer send out emails like a machine gun, but use a sniper rifle.

How do you make your email campaigns effective, relevant and timely ?

The overnight success product

If you start selling a product or service which has an instant success, you feel like the Masters of the Universe. It might be your product is hyped or just right on time. But for how long ? The success is probably not related to you.
It is very likely you are not prepared for any future rejection – or failure.
Once you start to encounter rejection, you will be lost as you have no precedence to fall back on due to the early overnight success of your product or service.
Moreover falling from Master of the Universe to a failure is a big psychological drop: the downfall is hard to overcome as a salesman.

The rejection debut

If instead you encounter rejection from start you will learn about the reasons, the requirements and perception of the potential customers. You will require changes to the product or service or even reposition it in the market. Slowly you will build up the success of the product or service.
Once you are geared for success by tuning your product or service to the demands of the market and you have learned to cope with issues and rejection, you are better equipped and prepared for any future rejection and downfall. Not only you but also the product or service as it has been fine tuned to the demands of the potential buyers.

Rejection makes you stronger

If you start out with a struggle for surviving then you will appreciate the success afterwards even more. Thanks to the learning curve during which you encountered rejections you are better armed for the future as you know you are not a Master of the Universe.

How successful was your product at start ?

Social media

Twitter, Facebook and Google+ are generic social media. They are intended for the masses as anyone can have a presence and anyone can follow or stay in contact with anybody.

On the other hand LinkedIn is by definition restricted to people working in business. Although it can be any business, they are supposed to be active and working people.
The intention for people to register on LinkedIn is for job opportunities or to show being open or available to new job opportunities. Even if they are not actively seeking. Everybody is interested in improving their life and income.
Over time their interest on LinkedIn shifts from job opportunities to relationships as most of their business relations are on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn for Business

There a several features and reasons why people use and engage with LinkedIn:
- Finding people they have known previously – resulting in getting interested in the companies they are working for
- Searching on specific business issues or subjects of interest related to work and business.
- The discussion groups on specific matters related to business and industries
All is business related.

LinkedIn, Xing, Viadeo, Eademy

This is what sets LinkedIn apart from Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media. There are several other similar business social media: Ecademy in UK, Xing in Germany and Viadeo in France.

Business people are not on the other social media sites for their business. But for their private social contacts.
If you want to reach out to business people using social media for lead generation, then forget about Facebook, Twitter or Google+. Use LinkedIn, Xing, Ecademy, Viadeo or similar.

Do you use social media for B2b purposes ?

Brand versus solution

Companies don’t buy. People in companies do.
If your company has a problem to solve, would you be looking for:
- a solution whatever the brand
- a brand that could solve your solution ?
If you would be looking for a brand is this because “People never gotten fired for buying IBM (or CA or Oracle)”.

Solution or avoid risk taking

What would be or is your primary concern:
- Finding a suitable, feasible and affordable solution at the best price /quality ration
- Saving your career by proposing a solution from a well-known brand

The strange thing is that many new solutions from start-up companies end up getting acquired by big brands. Whereas previously the smart and ideal solution from the small company involved risk taking, once the big brand proposes it the main risk seems to disappear.

Benefits, problem solving and references

This brings us to the next question:
- How significant needs to be the benefit from a small company in order to be considered over the well-known brand ?
- How can the salesman convince you to buy: by understanding your problem ? by giving references ?

Do you buy brands or solutions ?

Ad writing is an art

The art of writing an advertising is gift as it is creating a message that addresses people.
Some people have “it” and others don’t.
Still following the guidelines below, you too will be writing ad copies that sell!

Ad guidelines

1. Know your audience for the ad
2. Start thinking like your audience
3. Investigate why would this type of customer buy your products or services?
4. State benefits not features
5. Limit to a single benefit in one ad: only one message can be communicated
6. Promise a credible benefit in order to believe you
7. The short headline needs to attract, to grab attention and to stay with them
8. The headline needs to state the benefit or suggest the benefit using a question
9. Embed an emotion in your message
10. Connect emotionally with them
11. Address the reader: “You” – Be one-on-one with your reader
12. State clearly what you sell – Your unique selling proposition
13. State clearly how you differentiate from your competitors
14. Stand out from the crowd of the other messages
15. Check upon your competitors – look for improvement
16. get inspired by your competitors but don’t copycat
17. Write using plain language in order to be understood by as many people as possible
18. Never use abbreviations as people have no clue
19. Limit the number words in a sentence and prefer to use short words
20. Keep the number of sentences short in the short paragraphs
21. Invite to take action. The Call To Action
22. Offer a discount, a promotion voucher (coupon) obtainable under fulfilling a simple condition
23. Avoid overused phrases as they have lost their power
24. Provide a testimonial containing a minimal identification, the reason and the benefit
25. Add a visual: the product, a person or anything that relates to your product or solution

Ad rework then publish

Read the ad up loudly to preferable someone you have a high esteem for. If it sounds silly then rework.
Rewrite the ad copy several times before publishing. Improve. Shorten. State more clearly.
Try out by running the ad a few times and learn from the responses and comments.
Then rework the ad copy and republish on a larger scale.

What are you waiting for? Go write your ad copy now.

When there is more demand than available then the seller can set the pricing.
When there is more on offer than demand then the customer can set the pricing if he really needs it.

The Boom Salesmen

Some salesmen start out in the business when there is more demand than available which gives them a bad attitude for their further business life as they are not used to negotiate on the service and pricing. This is typical for boom years where people get big commissions hardly without any effort or reason. They will become big spenders as the money is too easily earned.

Due to the fact it is that easy to sell the business will attract all kinds of people who are not real salesmen. Actually they never really sold. They just acknowledged about the product available, informed about the price and waited for the purchase order to come in.
Once time changes these salesmen have a hard time and find themselves in a job they actually can’t handle as potential customers just not buy after the minimal effort these salesmen are used to do. Soon they will be out of the business although the business keeps on going at a different pace than before.
The boom salesmen are out of business when the bust is coming.

Example: the real-estate broker who started in real-estate in 2004.

The bust salesmen

Other salesmen who started out during economic crises or competing in a market with cheaper foreign products, have learned to sell from the start as else they wouldn’t be in the business within weeks after starting. They know how to sell, get a deal closed against all odds and to survive in difficult times. They will appreciate every deal as each brings them a part of the necessary commission.

Example: the national office equipment salesman competing the Chinese products who started in 2004.

Segregating the fake from the real salesmen

Getting into a booming market or business will bring great opportunities and big commissions, but in most cases it won’t last a decade. The problem then poses is what to do afterwards as these people aren’t really into sales and are used to a high income.
The bust salesmen who started out in a difficult market know how to survive as they really can sell products and also them selves.

Are you a boom salesman or a bust salesman ?

Popstars

Madonna has sustained her music stardom and success for over 25 years by reinventing herself.
Most pop stars are one day hit wonders or have maximal 2 or 3 hits. Then their success, fame and income fade away. Taste, culture and demand have changed and so does the success of most pop stars. Taste, culture and demand are changing continuously.

Changes in society and business

As a successful salesman you believe your sales skills will last for ever as you can turn anything into gold while being successful.
However times, culture, attitudes and demand are changing too in business. Changes of people in companies. Changes in business. Changes in market. Changes of attitudes. Changes of purchase cycle. Changes of decision making an taking. Changes in perceived value. Changes in society.

What worked previously will not work anymore sooner or later.
Your introduction, your catch phrase, your lead generation, your sales pitch, your jokes, your sales cycle, your way of closing all can and will become dated – outdated. Beware this can happen fast over a short time frame: years instead of decades.

Avoid becoming obsolete

The functions and features of products or services change every year, but these are easy to keep up with. The tangible and intangible benefits are the ones that are more difficult to deal with as they are related to the changes in market, economy, culture and business in general. Your sales pitch might even become obsolete as people expect a service instead.

Just like a long lasting pop star, a salesman need to reinvent himself as attitudes and the way people investigate to buy products and solutions change as society changes. make sure you don’t become obsolete.

When was the last time you reinvented yourself ?

Types of Freebies and Giveaways

Whenever visiting a business trade show, you easily can have enough pencils for the next 6 months which you collect from the desks of the booths.
At the same time you end up with several freebies which are given after a conversation with a sales rep on the booth. These are in most cases toys and in a few exceptional cases really useful products.

There are four types of freebies:
- Office supplies: pens, calendars, clocks, mouse pads, mugs, etc.
- Apparel: T-shirts, baseball caps, golf shirts, socks, etc.
- Fun stuff: toys, games, gag gifts, electronics, etc.
- Perishables: cookies, mints, food and beverage, etc.

Missing Brand Exposure and Short List

If you visit enough business trade shows during your career, you will collect enough T-shirts and baseball caps for lasting into your retirement.

All these freebies are given for lead generation or in the hope the visitor will remember the brand name at the right moment when he makes up the short list for the next purchase.

However what typically happens is that most of the freebies are distributed to the family (kids and wife) or a stored in the closet for later use. As such the brand name doesn’t get the right exposure or disappears from the targeted buyer.

There are also people who will do whatever it takes to get a specific giveaway. Like engaging in a conversation with a sales rep although there is no interest or no project in his company. Not exactly the best spending of marketing money and time of the sales rep.

Even when giving away freebies it is likely the shortlist can be missed just like no freebies would be given.

Lead Qualification Freebies

The problem with freebies is that there is no feed back in this process. The booth staff hands out the freebie while collecting a business card allowing to contact the person after the trade show. The visitor doesn’t need to take any action as the information and freebie go one way.

Wouldn’t it be better if the visitors should take an action like a lead qualification before being given the freebie. This lead qualification should happen after the trade show which could be like completing an online survey.
Of course the cost per freebie would be significantly higher due to the shipping cost to the company. However the freebie would be delivered into the office which will be remarked by other employees and could generate additional interest from colleagues. This interest generated could be more than enough to pay for the shipping costs.

How effective are your freebies or giveaways for lead generation ?
Have you ever calculated the ROI of giveaways ?

Sales techniques

During the last century many selling techniques and methods have been developed like Feature-Advantage-Benefit Selling, Spin-Selling, Hard-Selling, Soft-Selling, Up-Selling, Consultative Selling, …
Nowadays people have had it with all these sales methods as they don’t want to be sold or pitched. Instead they need a solution for their problem which is the main thing they are interested in and will remember afterwards.

Listen instead of selling

Instead of selling or pitching you should be adding value for the customer. In the end the customer needs to sell its’ product at the best price or with the best quality or at the best price/quality ratio. These are the main drivers for a company to buy new products, services or solutions.

You have to understand problems of your customer, their issues and constraints given the business, competitors, market and economy. Hence you need to listen and ask open ended questions. Start from the idea that you don’t know but your potential customer knows all about his business, competitors and market which will help to formulate your questions.

Bring added value

Once you have understood the customers’ problems, issues and constraints then look for a solution – preferably a solution your company can provide.
Be aware the probable customer has researched the market and the solutions available. Time has gone that customers weren’t informed and that they could be lured into a sale, as they have become savvy and aware of the available solutions. This mainly thanks to the Internet and search engines. As a salesman you need to bring added value to the table else than what’s available on the Internet else they no longer need you.

Solution creation

This is not solution or consulting selling as in that case the salesman knows the solution upfront or wants to push a certain solution from the beginning.
Instead it is about, as partner together with your potential customer, seeking and trying to create a feasible and affordable solution. Serving your customer instead in order to bring him added value.

Forget about the sales pitch, listen to your customer and try serving him by delivering added value.

How do you currently sell ?

The War on Debt

Throughout history wars have been about power and resources. In all previous wars physical or even chemical weapons have been used.

Currently the weapon used for the current Third World War is debt. Countries (bonds, funds and loans), companies (loans and bonds) and people (mortgages and credit) rely upon loans and most are heavily indebted. This debt has strangled growth and prosperity for both people and companies as austerity seems to become the new rule.

The good thing about this Third World War is that no blood is being shed and no people are being killed physically. People might not get hurt or die, but the psychological and mental pressure due to debts and lack of growth can be life threatening too.

The War For Power

Still the goal of this Third World War is still obtaining more power.
The problem is that it is unclear:
- Who is the enemy: a country/countries or a financial institution(s) ?
- Who is likely to become the winner ? Will there be a winner ?
- How do you define winning ?

Reserve Currency

The first set of countries (Russia, China, Iraq, Iran, India,…) are starting to pay for goods or energy in gold. Maybe these countries are not exchanging physical gold, but might be using bank drafts on the gold value or exchange only the differences netting of the trading differences in value by exchanging gold.

One thing is clear that the Dollar as reserve currency will be over one day.
- When and how this era will end is not clear.
- What will be the next reserve currency is not defined: another currency or gold ?

Business Survival

The first question is what will this imply for your business ?
During the War on Debt business will continue like before but probably at a lower growth magnitude with less expansion or even a shrinking business as a forecast.

Once the reserve currency is beginning to falter then:
- If you trade locally in one country or one currency region, there will be changed but not dramatic as you can keep invoicing in the current currency.

- If you trade between currency regions then times and business will become complicated as exchange rates will fluctuate beyond expectations making your imports and exports unpredictable.

Meanwhile the first problem is solving the debt you or your company has in order to survive.

What do you expect from the War On Debt ?