Business Marketing | Sales Consulting | Copywriting

Is Twitter Social Marketing Important to B2B?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:45:00 +0000

I've been following a LinkedIn discussion about the relevance and importance (and how to use) Twitter for B2B. The Q&A primarily about engaging the CEO of a company. The conversation primarily between solopreneurs and small business owners focused on sales and marketing.

Then today, I came across an Ad Age article: Your Followers Are No Measure of Your Influence, Popularity on Twitter or Facebook Is Just That; It's the Ability to Drive Behavior That Matters.

Quoting several studies and authors, the article covers a basic truth of sales, marketing and advertising applied to social networking. Influence is not about numbers. It is about importance, relevance and driving action and behavior.

One way to help drive action (or behavior) is to be relevant. Whether a Facebook page posting, a Blog post or a Tweet, it only matters if it is important to your reader and compelling enough for them to take an action or share the information with a colleague or friend to whom it may important.

Is it interesting?
Is it informative?
Is it educational?
Does it prevent a problem?
Does it solve a problem?
Is there a sense of immediacy?
Is there a consequence associated with doing (or not doing) something?
Is it something the reader needs to know, wants to know or will benefit from knowing and sharing?

Several in the LinkedIn discussion point out that the CEO may not be interested in a particular Tweet about a particular B2B matter, after all, the CEO has people who report to him/her who make many of the recommendations and decisions. So targeting the CEO is not necessarily critical in social marketing.

What remains critical is the message that reaches the influencer.
In ten words or less, the article points out the difference between "influence" and "popular."

You can read the full Ad Age article here: http://adage.com/influencers2010/article?article_id=147957

Be relevant.

Be the hero,
Mark

Not All Digital Content Needs to Be Free

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:42:00 +0000

755 people surveyed by Pew Internet and American Life Project generated the figure of 65% of internet users have paid to access or download digital content. Of course, people may lie about online purchasing behavior, too.

Especially in an online survey about online activity!

Here are two interesting numbers for marketing department heads:

18% bought digital reports (This is also good news for Forrester, Gartner, CSOInsight, DMA, NMOA and others- Although based on just 755 people surveyed it does indicate that people will buy reports of value and that there is significant room for growth).
11% purchased content from premium membership sites that also featured free content.

That is not the part that needs truth-seeking.

That's the part that calls for copywriters. Copywriters, researchers and journalists touched practically every piece of digital content worth purchasing on the list in the link below.

This is the data point that made me go "Huh?"

Only 2% admitted to purchasing adult content online~!

What do you think? When it comes to purchsing adult content online are survey respondents telling the truth? Lying? Shy? Embarassed? Prudish? Or maybe just careful and prefer to get their content the old-fashioned way as god intended... in magazines?

Or, is the Pew data flawed in some way?

Here's the link to the story. http://mashable.com/2010/12/30/pew-study-65-percent-paid-digital-content/

Be the hero,
Mark

Mixing Business and Personal Life

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Mixed messages get mixed results. However, there is an overlap between personal and business worth writing about this close to the New Year.

Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal had an article titled, “How to Keep a Resolution.”

No surprise there. Afterall, ‘tis the season for writing about making and keeping resolutions.

The article gist is that willpower alone, without planning and retraining to form new successful habits, won’t cut it.

In other words, just because you say it’s so, don’t make it so.

One of the key contributors to the article was Stanford University marketing professor, Baba Shiv. His specialty is neuroeconomics, the study of the biological basis for making economic decisions.

He shares the following:

“When the cognitive parts of the brain responsible for decision-making become stressed by other life events, that resolve is likely to succumb to an emotional desire for instant gratification.”

The bottom line here is that whether it is personal or business, emotional actions trump logical decisions and good intentions almost every time.

To avoid disappointment (or buyers remorse), address both the emotional and logical. In business, sell to the emotion by identifying a problem that exists or could exist, and then demonstrate how you remove that pain or problem while supporting it with logical reason.

Your personal resolution has the same needs as your business resolution to succeed:

A detailed plan
Achievable milestones with emotional rewards
Anticipate set-backs
A strategy to manage set-backs

Is there anything new here? Something you don't already know?

If you already know about anticipating and planning for set-backs and building emotional rewards into your plan (business, too), probably not.

That doesn't mean it isn't worth saying. Especially, if this time, you read it and it sticks.

Here's wishing you a happy, productive and profitable new year - whatever that means for you both at home and at work.

Be the hero,
Mark

P.S. If one of your new year's resolutions is to be more productive- to accomplish more in less time so you can enjoy the things in life that make life worth living give me a call. I have a friend who has developed an effective at home/ at work productivity course based on the work of Crenshaw that is catching on quickly with people looking to make more money but spend less hours in the office and spend more time with family without having work suffer.

Happy Holidays!
-Mark

Choosing Promotions for Your Business that Support a Customer's Decision to Buy from You

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Here’s an article from http://www.site-reference.com/ that takes a critical B2B marketing eye to thinking through a promotion. The author critiques Vocus here (http://www.vocus.com/) and states that “Vocus is effectively putting itself into the commodity section” because the email promotion’s focus is the gift of an IPod Shuffle in exchange for scheduling a free demonstration.

I’ve spoken with a Vocus rep, and the service is definitely a strategic public relations management system. And it is not necessarily priced for the small businessman operating on a shoe-string budget or the business uninterested in maximizing the potential of electronic and print press releases, blogs, op eds, social networking, forums, etc.

So maybe an IPod Shuffle isn’t the right promotion to run. Although a decent example, particularly given the number of promotions that cross our real and virtual desks this time of the year, that’s not really the point of the article.

The bigger and more important message here is to figure out “why customers aren’t buying” and then design a promotion to enhance sales.

The author gives two primary questions to ask yourself, one piece of advice about how to choose your promotion and four ideas you can implement depending on the kind of B2B product or service you sell and the business to whom you are selling.

The lessons written about here are NOT for internet, email or general electronic marketing only. They absolutely apply to every business and every promotion in every industry. Take a look and then decide how you are doing.

Enjoy reading the complete article here:
http://internetmarketing.site-reference.com/promotion-ideas-business-service-companies/

Think about signing up for the Site-Reference newsletter. There’s usually a few gems a week in there. And no, I’m not an affiliate so I don’t get any credit if you do sign up. I am also not an affiliate of Vocus. If you click on the IPod Shuffle links and purchase something from Amazon.com like that Kindle you have wanted, there is a small affiliate compensation. But that's not really the point of sharing this article with you.

If you want some help coming up with the kind of promotions the author writes about that connect deeply to your product or service- customized reports, white papers, case studies, structuring an offer, newsletter, e-courses – give me a call.

Be the Hero,
Mark

Learn from this Short Video of Executive Language for Use in Sales Cycle and Copywriting

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:13:00 +0000

If you have ever been suckered by the words "trust" in a sales cycle or marketing material but were really being asked to take an unproven and potentially disastrous "leap of faith"...

If you ever heard from your sales representative, or read in the presentation material the word "partner" and got stuck doing more of the work than you intended for less than expected results...

If you ever heard or read the word "collaborate" when the speaker/writer loosely meant "cooperate" and instead intended to and then delivered "compromise"...

Then watch this Vistage video. It hung up on me about 5 minutes in, but here's what I saw that makes it worth watching:

A better definition of what "to partner" means
What trust should really mean in business
That true collaboration translates into, "What can I do to solve my partner's problems"
Great things can happen when people and companies deliver on commitments
Sometimes a business objective can seem to run counter to what you want you want to accomplish, so you might need to rethink how to execute to align the two

Sure. It's a promo video. But, it does help restore one's faith. At least a little.

Here's the link to the original Vistage.com posting: What Drives Great CEO Leaders?

There's a lesson in here. Strong executive-speak language. Take note. Learn what it means and when to use it. Important people will hear you and listen.

Have a great weekend and remember to be the hero,
Mark

Beyond a Doubt- Branded Content is Critical to Business Success

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:39:00 +0000

A Custom Content Council (CCC) study released in partnership with ContentWise pulls back the curtain on where top companies will be focusing marketing energy in 2011.

This 2010 study reveals that content initiatives are viewed as more effective than other forms of advertising and marketing with the top reason given as driving long-term ROI through customer education and retention.

According to the study, on average, companies spent nearly
$1.4 million on developing and delivering content.

What may come as a shock, at least to die-hard electronic marketers, is that 43% of that is in print while only 35% is electronic. Of course, electronic delivery can be less expensive. However, this may instead reflect the continuing value, for a host of reasons, of print in marketing as companies continue to produce content for print brochures, sales sheets, case studies, white papers and direct mail response communications.

Keith Sedlak, CCC Chair shares that 2010 branded content spending is up 100% over 2008 and nearly 70% of companies surveyed are continuing to shift their advertising dollars to brand content creation.

A confusing study highlight includes that 66% of marketers think branded content is more effective than direct marketing and 63% think it is more effective than public relations.

These statistics seem to reflect how the respondents “feel.” Not to argue that their feelings are without meaning. Nevertheless, I am reminded of strategy and tactical meetings where a marketing, sales or copywriting suggestion is made based on domain knowledge and competitive research where the idea is rejected outright because it is not something the decision makers themselves do or respond to. Too often forgetting that what they like is not as important as what their customer likes and responds to.

It is also confusing because effective direct marketing and public relations capitalize on brand content, image and recognition to drive company goals. It would make more sense if the response indicated that branded content increased the effectiveness of direct marketing and public relations campaigns.

A well thought out marketing strategy to drive customer acquisition, customer loyalty and sales revenue views the integration of all available communication mediums- the communication tactics businesses implement to reach the right audience with the right message and right offer at the right time.

(Consider that your direct mail marketing campaign can include a way to sign up for content and offers online.)

Not surprising at all is the news that half of all companies surveyed are comfortable and count on outsourcing (freelancing) for brand content creation.

Content is King. Relevance reigns supreme. Where help is needed, help is sought.

You can read the full article and purchase the complete study here: http://www.custompublishingcouncil.com/news-industry-article.asp?ID=785

Be the hero,
Mark

"Once you've changed, other things start to follow."

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Good, even great ideas are all around us. Radio, TV, online, songs, movies, theater, games, toys, books. It's as simple as seeing it for what it is and as difficult as figuring out what to do with it. How to use it. I'm not talking about the self-help sales, marketing and copywriting books we all spend time reading either.

I confess enjoying science fiction, fantasy and adventure. The classics like Heinlein, Asimov, Herbert, Tolkein and also books from the youth, teen and young adult sections like the Harry Potter series, the Pendragon series, Eragon and the like. Believe it or not, it's a great source for ideas to apply and implement in business marketing, sales coaching and copywriting.
For example, if every salesperson adopted Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics every prospect and customer would be more trusting and every salesperson would legitimately provide solutions to problems.

Anyway, back to the book I'm currently reading.

In Diane Duane's, "So You Want to be a Wizard" I came across the following yesterday:

"Believe something and the Universe is on its way to being changed. Because you've changed, by believing. Once you've changed, other things start to follow. Isn't that the way it works?"

Okay, the writing is a bit stilted but it is spoken by an energy entity so we'll let that slip and instead focus on the message for the impact this statement has for sales professionals and copywriters.

There is a lot of chatter out there about needing to believe in what you sell or what you write. The reality is that it can help, but it can hurt just as much. Here's why. There are some who take "believing" to the point of being unable to understand what it is the prospect and customer need to believe.

When you operate from a postulate you operate at a disadvantage. You come to the table operating with assumptions of truths without proof. Worse, you cannot begin to imagine why someone listening to your pitch or reading your copy does not simply take your word on faith, immediately accept what you say and write and hand over his wallet or her handbag.

The key to successful selling in person and in copy is to identify what the prospect already believes, wants to believe and needs to believe and address it. Grab onto a truth, however small and build up to the bigger truths. Use those truths and beliefs to support the big idea. The reason the prospect should listen to you. The incentive for the prospect to keep reading your copy.

Once the prospect begins to believe, the decision-making process begins to change in your favor. And once the decision-making process begins to change in your favor, other things start to follow.

For what it's worth, if your prospect operates from a postulate that doesn't sync with what you are selling don't knock yourself out. Move on. Alternately, identify from which postulate he or she operates and build your product, service, sales and marketing material building around it.

Be the Hero,
Mark

How to Eliminate Customer Confusion: Avoid New Brand or Bust Pressure.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:58:00 +0000

How to Eliminate Customer Confusion: Avoid New Brand or Bust Pressure.

Attention C-suite: Change isn't always good. In a recent Mediapost online Travel article "Sometimes It Ain't Broke," Gary Leopold writes about being leery of "blowing up your brand." What he does, however, is use messaging and slogan examples. It's worth the read because this is not a concern limited to B2C or travel. I've seen it too often in the B2B world.

How many of us has lived through an expensive and volatile branding change only to live through a poor attempt at reclaiming the intent of the replaced branding. Seriously, execs- can you really afford a multi-million dollar mistake, employee confusion, and customer and prospect and alienation?

The problem is that someone says the image, or brand, needs updating. Someone else hears "change." And frankly, it is relatively easy to persuade a company executive to make a wholesale change when revenue is flat or down over an extended time. New management feels pressured to show movement in the right direction and making a brand change can buy a couple of years of cover while ignoring or fixing the real issues.

The prudent course is, as Mr. Leopold suggests in his article, that you need to ask if there is any real value or upside to changing a brand image, catch phrase, slogan, logo or primary message. We aren't talking about updating. We are talking about full-out, writing big checks change.

Collect and analyze some data. Tweak and test. I can almost guarantee you can integrate some split testing into your daily sales activities and marketing material at minimal expense without applying any major changes.

Ask, "Why change?" Expect responses that support your company mission and reflect your prospect and customer needs.

Ask, "Do we need to change everything or just modify/update those things that support our brand?"

Show your leadership ability and resist the pressure to change just to show employees and shareholders that you are "doing something."

Sometimes, crossing the road to get to the other side the chicken gets run over by an eighteen-wheeler of reality. Flattened. Feathers flying.

Instead, take a look at your message, your offer, your proof, your guarantee. Your brand might be okay and you just need to support it a little differently.

Of course, if your message, your brand, your slogan, really needs changing to convey the right message to the right audience at the right time... make the change.

Be the Hero.

Mark H. Daniels
mark@mysaleshero.net | (732) 417 - 0680

**************************************
My Sales Hero, LLC
Simply Better Selling
http://www.mysaleshero.net/

Sales Strategy | Marketing Consulting | Copywriting

**************************************
For Complimentary Sales and Marketing Tools visit:
www.mysaleshero.net/instanttoolkitaccess.aspx

Why You Can’t Beat a Great Story, a Strong Message and Timely Content

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:44:00 +0000

Download the full report here:
http://bit.ly/aJaDax

Assuming there is some level of need, want or desire in play, no matter how small, a strongly developed message can shorten a sales cycle and the number of contacts necessary to accomplish your goal.

A weak message puts you on a treadmill going nowhere until some other factor exerts pressure or kills your chances entirely as the prospect gravitates toward the stronger message.

A strong message can be part of your company name, logo or tagline.

A strong message goes a long way to developing widespread acceptance of your brand. Think IBM®, where they still tell executives deep in the sales cycle and decision-making process that “No one ever got fired for hiring IBM.”

While it may not the kind of message you see on airport billboards, the Wall Street Journal or on television anymore, it is, however, the exactly right kind of powerful message you want to convey to an executive in a competitive situation.

Coca-Cola® gives us additional examples of using two broader appealing messages that positioned the company well: “Have a Coke® and a smile” and “It’s the real thing®.”

Note how the company name does not even have to be part of the message. Also, pay attention to how both messages evoke an emotional response and desire. Who doesn’t want to smile? Who wouldn’t rather have a genuine product instead of an imitation knock-off?

The same principles hold true for your content and stories.

Content is the material you produce and provide periodically (and hopefully with consistency) to your prospects and customers that deal with news they find interesting and important. It positions you as an expert, someone who knows his customer, and someone who cares.

Stories are just that. Stories. Think in terms of “once upon a time.” A story tells of a situation where someone is in distress because of specific problem. He or she suffers through several trials and tribulations until a hero appears with a solution and saves the day.

Done correctly, customer stories, case studies, and testimonials work with customers just like the stories your mom read to you as a child. What was your favorite bedtime story?

What is your favorite customer story? Is it a story your prospect will remember after reading your email or letter? Will he remember it when you leave the room or hang up the phone?

You can see the diagram explaining the power of this relationship in a report available at http://bit.ly/aJaDax.

Be the hero,
Mark

******************************************
Mark H Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”
Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax

Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.

It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:41:00 +0000

The relationship between familiarity and trust and getting someone to take a salesperson’s call, read an email or a letter is persuasively strong. The more a buyer knows us and trusts us, the more likely he is ready to take our call, read our letter and open our e-mail.

The less familiar the buyer is with us, the more contacts it takes for his actions to align with our goals. Familiarity is so powerful that a buyer will generally take our call even in the absence of an immediate need for our product.

One of the reasons professional marketers use celebrity endorsements, portray people who look and sound like the prospect in letters and ads, and include testimonials from customers is that it has the effect of increasing familiarity, trust and credibility.

It is also why a referral from someone who knows your buyer well is so much more powerful than a referral from someone with whom your buyer has little or no relationship. Let’s call it “trust transference.” Someone the buyer trusts already did the legwork, developed the knowledge and trust.

Want to get in the door of a business or to build trust more quickly? Figure out who you know nearby of equal or greater status to the person with whom you’re trying to develop a relationship and drop their name into your conversation.

Done correctly, this applies the following complex persuasion tactics in a very simple way.

1. Public Opinion
2. Familiarity
3. Credibility
4. Exclusivity
5. Celebrity
6. Authority
7. Referral

You can download a report showing this relationship and more at http://bit.ly/aJaDax.

Be the Hero,
Mark

*********************************************************
Mark H Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”

Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax

Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.

Five More SaaS Sourcing Strategies to Consider

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:02:00 +0000

Liz Herbert of Forrester Research provides five quick insights for SaaS strategic sourcing in CIO.com.

There's only so much a person can include in a brief article. Here's some additional thoughts from a fan of Forrester, Gartner and other thought leaders as well as a ten-year veteran of HRIT SaaS and administration sales.

1. Except in the smallest of companies, one would be hard-pressed to find any "vanilla SFA and HR" SaaS implementations. Everyone wants to buy "customized." Given the option- go "configurable" whenever possible. It reduces, among other things, potential issues with maintenance, upgrades, training and integration with other applications.

2. Define "fast implementation." Fast is a relative term that can only be determined when compared to the sourcing company's capabilities and resources. It may be better to think about the primary SaaS implementation benefit as being driven by and held accountable to a target live date.

3. Concern about security and disaster recovery is not something "new" in SaaS. In fact it was and continues to be a critical selling point and benefit. Even ten years the first salesperson to bring up and address the subject had, in my opinion, shifted the buying decision in his company's favor by a considerable percentage. And today? Gosh. Can you open up the paper or your home page without reading the word "leak" or "hacked" or "pirated?" The good news is that everyone needs to address the concern when it comes to SaaS.

4. TCO can only be managed well if the sourcing company understands and builds into the budget (and if possible the contract) incidental or as-needed costs of service and if possible a rate card for services. A lot of that depends on what the sourcing company is capable of doing themselves once the solution is deployed, and whether they are willing or have the time and resources to do it. Of course, there are things that only the SaaS provider can manage on the sourcing company's behalf. Both parties need to be clear where the lines are drawn and where the incremental costs start creeping in.

5. The biggest implementation consideration missing is change management, transition management, and a communication plan. This has a huge impact on the success of any project. Having a business process strategy is great- especially when a company is using the SaaS implementation as a change agent for process improvement. But it doesn't do anyone any good, and in fact creates a terrific amount of damage when there is no change and transition management plan, training and follow-through in place.

You can read Ms. Herbert's full article on CIO.com here: http://bit.ly/gRdnlL.

Be the hero,
Mark

MediaPost.com Article: Send THIS To Your CFO (Anonymously)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:09:00 +0000

A MediaPostPublications.com article sent to you by: editorial@mediapost.com

Not a bad opinion article about the challenge marketing departments face when questioned by the CFO. I think the real message here is "do not get defensive". Understand your value proposition and brainstorm ways to measure and judge that value. Years ago, in a discussion about cost of sales and calculating profit margin with a CFO where I was questioning the collective man/woman hours in a sales cycle (as well as other resources including marketing material development, travel and expenses) versus the chance of signing the business in an effort to create a sales engagement model that incorporated understanding how profit margin percent was calculated, what role it should play and the size of the ideal target sales revenue dollars per deal the CFO said (I am working from memory here), "I don't worry about the cost of sales. Without a sale, there is no cost of sales." Of course it was something with which he was concerned. What he was telling me was that it is a figure that can be accurately calculated once the sale is made, the revenue is known, and the basis for the customer revenue value is determined (is it one-time revenue, 12-month repetitive revenue, lifetime revenue based on how long the average customer remains a customer?) All this aside, of course the simplest answer is a record of how many incoming calls, clicks and emails led to sales appointments. Unfortunately, tracking that particular set of data is difficult for even the smallest of companies requiring a tracking mechanism ranging from a sheet of paper to extensive software, training everyone who takes an incoming call, and consistency of execution. Oh well. Maybe "good luck" and "don't get defensive" is the best response when put on the spot by the CFO. You could also try asking him or her what he'd like to see to understand the value the marketing department adds to shareholders. Kind of makes him/her part of the solution and you a sales and marketing consultative thoughtleader. Be the hero, Mark

Send THIS To Your CFO (Anonymously)
Pat LaPointe

Attention, all finance executives seeking to understand the ROI on marketing investments...

Over the years I've learned that if I come home to find something in the house broken or missing, I'm much more likely to get the truth if I ask my kids "does anyone know anything about [fill in the blank]" than if I ask "Who broke this?" or "Who took my [whatever]?" The latter approach immediately sends everyone into damage control mode, while the former gives them a bit more latitude to respond in a responsible way. They sense somehow that I am more interested in addressing the problem than finding someone to blame for it. Even the kids who know they never touched the object of my immediate interest learn from my approach and become more proactive in disclosing their borrowing or breaking events in the future.

There are similarities where finance and marketing interact. Finance is often perceived to have parental-like authority in its control of the budget and its audit/oversight responsibility. So it is an unfortunate truth that too often the journey toward better insight into marketing payback gets derailed right at the start, when finance asks what they believe to be a logical and simple question, but which marketing interprets in the form of a challenge - For example,

"Is our marketing generating any value for shareholders?" or

"How do we know that marketing is working?"

These questions have the immediate and profound effect of putting marketing into "justification" mode and encouraging them to respond defensively. And since marketers are pretty creative and articulate people, they usually answer with a long stream of ad-hoc evidence, anecdotes, and metaphors that individually may not be so convincing, but in the aggregate create enough uncertainty within the executive committee to neutralize the question and deflect the discussion. The result is a stalemate, where the inherent subtleties of marketing are explained with superior powers of persuasion to cast doubt on the wisdom of cutting marketing spend.

Of course this doesn't help the organization get any smarter. In fact, it actually has a significant "insight opportunity cost," since all the resources that could have been directed towards the pursuit of true insight get diverted to "proving" that marketing works.

Successful marketing measurement, like many other challenging tasks within the company, is a function of effectively deploying constrained resources on a few key focal points rather than fracturing the effort in a broad search for the "preponderance of evidence". Imagine the payback insight you seek is trapped inside a large wooden log, and splitting the log open is the only way to extract it. You can split the log with a sharpened axe striking the right point in a single blow (two at most), or you can endlessly pound it with a sledge hammer until it (or you) slowly turn to dust. Which approach would you prefer?

The CFO is much more likely to get the answers they're seeking by approaching the dialogue on marketing payback from an angle that generates productive engagement rather than defensive deflection. Doing so requires three specific attitudinal changes in how most CFOs would normally pursue the answers:

1. Acknowledge that good marketing always creates shareholder value. If necessary, suspend your disbelief and be willing to concede that if we did things better, we would see a beneficial result. Use questions intended to discover:

· "What can we achieve with good marketing?"

· "How well is our current marketing performing?" and

· "How can we improve the payback we're getting?"

2. Embrace uncertainty -- especially in the early stages of measurement when the unknowns will outnumber the knowns. Be patient with ambiguity and willing to accept "I don't know..." as an answer from marketing in the near term, provided it is followed in short order by "...but here is what we can do to find out." Premature demands for precision will backfire in the form of higher weighting of the more measurable marketing elements such as website traffic and direct response programs -- even if those aren't the real drivers of your success in the marketplace.

3. Exercise patience. The questions you're asking will take some time to fully answer. Expect to see some progress made soon, and then more made in measured increments, but don't assume that applying time pressure will speed the discovery. More likely, impatience will be met with passive-aggressive resistance, which will surface many more complex obstacles than you or the rest of the finance team have the time or ability to conquer.

There are other, more targeted questions you can ask of marketing to put the measurement effort on the right track. But if the spirit of your inquiry is interpreted as a quest for insight rather than an attack on the marketing organization, you'll get much closer to the answers you're seeking, and get there much faster.

Click to read this article on the MediaPostPublications.com website.

Isn’t This the Marketing Department’s Job?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:06:00 +0000

Traditionally, the job of marketing has been to create awareness and excitement about a product, service, idea or cause. The pre-sales cycle managing above the funnel, the first fourth of the sales funnel.

The job of sales has been to qualify and close business; to chaperone a prospect through the bottom ¾ of the traditional sales funnel.

Twenty-first century selling has changed that. Today, marketing and selling are much more integrated. It may not seem that way to the self-employed and small business owners who have always done both jobs; but it is even more so today.

To generate revenue, each of us has to:

• Make the buyer aware of a problem, of our solution, of us
• Keep the buyer interested by addressing his specific wants and needs
• Help get the buyer ready to make a buying decision and understand his buying process
• Be there when the buyer is ready to make a buying decision

This last point is where the majority of sales and marketing people fail. They spend time priming the prospect. Educating him. Exciting him. Getting him ready to make a decision. Then, when the buyer is ready to make a buying decision, the salesperson is nowhere to be found and someone else steps in and reaps the reward of his hard work.

A buyer buys when he’s ready to buy and if you’re not there he’s not buying from you.

A successful salesperson changes this unfortunate situation by:

• Addressing the buyer’s different concerns
• Reaching out to the buyer in different ways
• Always being close to the buyer

This last bullet point is where the average salesperson drops the ball.

However, you are not average. You understand the role of the primary marketer and seller. You understand selling is your first job. So you are wondering what the big deal is.

What you may not realize is that you can use traditional marketing and electronic Internet techniques strategically to reduce the amount of time you spend selling and still stay close to your buyer so you are there when he is ready to buy.

Here’s a few ideas:

Place a blog on your web page and write a 250 - 500 word keyword search posting three times a week. Connect your blog to Twitter®. Tweak your blog posts and submit them to online article publishing services. Have a link to a particular page on your website in your author’s bio for your article. Make sure you have a sign up box on your website pages and in your office or store for different reasons:

• Updates and notifications of offers
• Newsletters
• E-book(s)
• E-training

Set up an autoresponder sequence. An autoresponder is a scheduled message sent to a person who signs up and opts to receive information from you. The frequency varies from daily to several times a week to weekly and monthly depending on what you want to convey. The genius here is that you can have different sequences pre-populated for different frequencies depending on the reason for the opt-in saving you hours of unnecessary extra work each day.

Capture telephone numbers. Make it a point and a best practice to telephone the person who opted in to your list within twenty-four hours just to introduce yourself, to thank them, and to ask if they have any questions you can answer.

Send out postcards directing readers to a sign up page where you have something to offer in exchange for an email and phone number. Request the same information in your mailings in exchange for something of value- a discount on future purchases, a special report, a gift. Take out inexpensive text ads in the newspaper and direct them to the same or different page.

The point is that efforts should be strategic and integrated. Stop shooting in a thousand different directions that ultimately take more time than necessary and lead away from your business. Focus instead on creating value added reasons buyers would want to hear from you and talk to you.

Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax

Be the Hero,
Mark

******************************************
Mark H Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”

Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.

5 Questions to Ask IT Before a Project Kicks Off

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:12:00 +0000

This quick article is worth the read for anyone implementing any project, not just IT, once you get past the, "are your people qualified" question because whatever it is, infact requires a degree of planning. With a little modification, each question has value, helps raise concerns, identifies solutions and, although may not physically bring stakeholders on board, at least considers the impact. 5 Questions to Ask IT Before a Project Kicks Off Be the Hero, Mark

A HaB2B Copywriting, Sales and Marketing Thanksgiving Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:45:00 +0000

With Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving sales about to become painfully real for consumers (just watch the tramplings on the evening news later on Thursday and throughout the weekend) we in B2B should also take a moment to reflect on the B2B side of things.

Business to business sales and marketing does not have the nationally manufactured moment in time to create scarcity and urgency, for example. Can you imagine an ERP software provider telling a prospect:

“50% off only this Thursday

between 5:00 AM and 7:00 AM

Once we’re sold out, we’re sold out!”

Yeah. It doesn’t really happen that way. But it does happen.

A good sales process and great sales copy can manufacture an event. Don’t get upset. I don’t mean lie. I mean clarify. Clarify what it means not to take advantage of placing an order with your company. What the consequences are of letting another day, or holiday weekend go by without committing to doing business with you.

It is in that context I remembered something.

Recently, I posted an article about the new ABC’s of sales and marketing. In short, the post states and supports that in person, online, and in copy that the new ABC’s of 21st Century sales and marketing are:

“Always be Communicating” and “Always be Close.”

In all fairness, these have always been true. It just has not been as easy or inexpensive.

Anyway, it reminded me of another sales and marketing ABC posted here a while ago:

“Always be Considering.”

You see, the biggest mistake made in selling (and the supporting marketing material) is not asking for the business. The second biggest mistake is asking for the business too soon.

Here is an excerpt from that earlier post.

1) Marketing is not a one-shot, do-or-die process. It takes time to accumulate interest, brand recognition and generate qualified traffic. Be Persistent. Be Patient. Try different things; measure the results and capitalize on what works.

2) B2B Sales is NOT a one-call, quick close. Rushing the sales process and your prospect, will only prolong the sales cycle and possibly lose you the sale. "ABC" should stand for "Always Be Considering". Consider where you are in the sales process.

• Consider where your prospect is in the sales process.
• Consider when the time is truly right for asking for the business.
• Consider whom the right person is to ask for the business.

3) When it comes to sales and marketing copywriting, the writing should Interest and Educate. It should convey Reason, Trust and Urgency in a way that engages the reader through each step of the decision-making process to take action in your favor.

Remember to be the hero in your copywriting, marketing material, sales process and presentation. And, remember to give thanks.

Be the hero,
Mark

*************************************

Mark H Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”

Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax

Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.

How to make less sales calls and write fewer sales letters

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:16:00 +0000

Simply, stop making your communication about you. It’s not about you; it’s about what your buyer wants and needs.

There is an inverse correlation between a buyer’s need/ want and the number of contacts it takes to make the sale. In this case, to get Mr. Owner to take our call and either make an appointment to see us or delegate the meeting. (You can see the diagram showing this relationship in a report available at http://bit.ly/aJaDax.)

The more Mr. Owner needs or wants what we are calling about at the moment at which we are calling, the more likely he is to take our call.

Put another way, when need and want is high, you need less contacts. The catch is that you need to be there when the need is high.

This is true even if he doesn’t know us. Use this to your advantage when dealing with gatekeepers and turn them into partners (and heroes). Make it a point that you are calling or writing with information the boss will want.

Let me illustrate with a story.

There’s a joke making the rounds about a man whose car breaks down on a desert stretch of road. After walking for miles in heat of the day, he comes across a small store. Dizzy from the sun he stumbles into the store and asks the owner for a drink of water.

The owner apologizes, “I don’t have any water here. I’m sorry. But there is a restaurant just over the next hill.” He adds, “I do have ties. Would you like a tie?”

Our sun-beaten man gives the storeowner a funny look and heads out the door in the direction of the restaurant.

A few hours later our thirsty man returns covered in dust and looking ready to pass out.

Concerned, the storeowner asks, “Didn’t you find the restaurant?”

Wiping the sweat from his eyes and visibly weary he replies, “Oh yes. Thank you. The restaurant owner won’t serve me without tie.”

In this story, the man wants a glass of water. To get the glass of water he needs a tie.

Instead of saying, “Would you like a tie?” the storeowner should have added value by explaining why the man needed a tie. He would have sold the tie anyway; and because he provided the thirsty man with important information about why he needed the tie to get the water, he would have significantly increased the odds of the man purchasing a few other items from his store.

The point is to listen carefully to what the customer says he wants in order to figure out what he really needs. Then, make sure you address both in your communication with the prospect, sandwiching the “need” between your opening and closing statements that feature the “want.”

Be the Hero,
Mark

******************************************************
Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax
******************************************************

Mark H. Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”

Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.

The Truth About Free- Customers will still pay if the story is strong enough

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:59:00 +0000

www.mysaleshero.net/10212010report.aspx

Ad Age online magazine reported a story about the London Telegraph newpaper selling 600,000 extra copies of the paper in 10 days entirely driven by revealing Parliament's expenses. You can read the whole story at adage.com.

The amazing part of this story is that every sordid detail in the newspaper is also available for free on the Telegraph's website. The article makes these three points:

1. Giving something away for free does not automatically mean customer's will not buy from you.

2. Traditional means of communication continue to be valuable in our electronic age.

3. Shocking revelations and fascinating stories captivate audiences and capture wallet-share.

What's this have to do with the sales and marketing your products and services?

We can use this same information in planning our sales and marketing. Think of it as a quantum level sales lesson.

1. Give something valuable to your prospect/customer at no charge that has a path to some related billable product or service. Have several valuable 'somethings' lined up for each category or segment of customer. It could be as simple as using the same story with different headlines.

Remember, it's only valuable if it's important to your customer and unique to you. So put some serious thought into how your customer thinks, feels and sees you. Give them something that shows clearly the benefits they will realize with you.

2. Take appropriate advantage of all forms of communication for sales and marketing.

At all costs do your best to coordinate your strategy and tactics, to re-use material, to have a place to which you are driving your customer whether you are using:

regular mail- letters, postcards, newsletters
electronic mail- letters, newsletters
whitepapers
video
audio
radio/TV
print Ad
website
blog
articles
editorials

3. Make it a great story.

Consumers and businesses love great stories... stories they can paint themselves into; stories where they can see themselves uniting with you to eliminate their problem- alleviate their pain.

Tell your story with words, numbers, pictures, and graphs. Use audio and video. And whatever you do, remember, it's not about you- it's about helping your customer paint themselves into the picture.

Be the Hero,
Mark

Defining and Building Value, And the Irresistible Offer to Shorten the Sales Cycle

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Let’s get this out of the way first. If your buyer doesn’t have the money to spend, you have an uphill battle. That is, unless your buyer’s need is extreme. There is a direct relationship between the strength of value presented, the offer and the number of contacts needed with a prospective buyer.

Very few things can overcome a buyer’s lack of budget for your product or service. However, creating a priority need causes a buyer to find a way.

Assuming the buyer is not in protective-mode or dire need or under the threat of an impending event, creating extreme value, an irresistible offers and powerful risk mitigation and risk elimination messaging is critical to the success of your sales process.

Create a compelling value to price relationship

Creating value is one of the most misunderstood sales and marketing practices you will ever see. If you master this skill, your sales engagements become much more productive. Let’s cover first what building value is not.

Value is not a low price. It is not even the lowest price.

Price may play a factor, particularly if you are in a highly regulated situation, or a highly competitive situation, or perceived of as a commodity. But once you have squeezed out all the excess from the price, what else can you do. And if the only value you offer is price, what’s to stop the next guy from ‘buying’ your business by dropping his price, even at loss?

So price is important, but it isn’t value.

The most compelling value to price story is the ROI, the return on investment. Investment already sounds like a value, doesn’t it? You can also play to the ROE, the return on effort; and the ROR, the return on relationship.

This is where you need to focus your value-building efforts. Find the several things that make you different and give a prospect a reason to want to do business with you. Maybe it is an article you see in the paper you cut out and mail (yes, mail) to your prospect, “Did you see this?” Or, “Thought you might be interested.”

Put together readily available information a certain way and you can position even a perceived commodity item as having unique value for the price when purchased from you rather than the competition. Imagine what happens with information more difficult to come by?

A few ways to do this include:

1. Be as specific to the target buyer’s industry as possible
2. Be as specific to the target buyer’s profile as possible
3. Use official third party data whenever possible, use internal data when it is not
4. Use customer stories that address a prospect’s concerns
5. Use contrast that supports what the buyer’s main reason to do business with you is
6. Use metaphors that support your big idea and resonate with your buyer
7. Offer more than just the product or service you are selling

You may think this next suggestion is off the map. Give it a chance and a good try anyway. It doesn't cost you a thing but a little bit of time and it is as easy as sitting on your couch or favorite chair. Whether you are marketing and selling business-to-business or business-to-consumer set aside some time and watch television infomercials.

Pay attention to the images and imagery used. Look closely at how the infomercial shows either actual users or actors portraying users. Take notes on the dialogue and script.

Pay close enough attention and you will uncover a very specific format followed to build value into the most mundane and commodity-driven products. Watch enough infomercials and you see that hyperbole and hyperactivity is not a requirement.

What is required is the formula of the value-building story.

*******************************************
Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax.

Be the Hero.
Mark
***************************************
Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who researched the levels of humankind’s needs as it relates to personal growth. You can read a quick article from a sales perspective at www.mysaleshero.net/MyFriendAbraham.aspx .

***************************************
Mark H Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”
Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.

Building an Incentive and Irresistible Offer

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Creating compelling incentives and irresistible offers is probably the second hardest skill for any person in sales and marketing to develop. And it is a skill that greatly reduces the number of contacts needed with a prospect to make the sale.

Let’s talk a minute about what an incentive and irresistible offer is not.

• A weekly special is not much of an incentive; and it is definitely not an irresistible offer.

• A discounted price is neither much of an incentive, nor an irresistible offer.

• Limited quantity and limited time is a bit more of an incentive; but it is still not an irresistible offer.

Think about it in simple retail terms. It’s not the biggest incentive or irresistible offer, but it will make a point.

You see an ad for tuna Tuesday, four cans to a customer. Liking tuna, you clip the coupon and plan on doing your tuna shopping Tuesday. But you really like tuna and go through a lot more than four cans in a week so you plan on bringing a friend or going to the store more than once.

This simple, and maybe a little silly, example shows how a business owner can orchestrate events to his planning, productivity and profit advantage and how a buyer can be persuaded. The business is in control of the logistics. By pulling the consumer into the store for one thing, he knows the consumer will usually walk out with more. The store will further influence the consumer by positioning items that “work well” with tuna sales- mayonnaise, bread, potato chips, soft drinks, higher priced tuna and other fish, etc. The business is maximizing up-sell and cross-sell.

Still, this is not a real compelling incentive, nor is it an irresistible offer. It’s just a limited time, limited quantity, reduced price offer. There is no promise here without which one cannot live. So the question remains. Can you do this with a business-to-business sale?

Frankly, in the corporate environment it is practically impossible. Whether by design or by accident, because of fear, or greed, because of lack of confidence, or just plain not understanding, corporations struggle with the concept of incentive and irresistible offer and execute poorly, if at all. Unfortunately, hoping to follow perceived success, most small businesses shadow big business in this pattern. And that’s to your advantage.

The truth here is that successful businesses, large and small, break those rules and reap the reward. Here are a couple of ideas to help you build your business-to-business incentive and irresistible offer.

Create a legitimate scarcity

Build a targeted, powerful message based on expertise, customer testimonials and results and let prospects now that to maintain the high quality of work you are only accepting a specific number of new business accounts in a defined period.

Develop a value added service (maybe something you already have) that complements the product or service you are selling and offer it for a limited time or only for the first x number of new customers.

Let prospects know you are serious by posting and publicizing a ‘countdown.’ And keep it real. Stick to it. Once the time limit passes or the slots fill, keep it that way. At a future time, you can re-open the incentive using its overwhelming success in helping customers with problems as a legitimate reason.

Reverse, mitigate or eliminate risk

Think about all the objections a potential customer has and then think of way to address those concerns. Use this list to create guarantees and warranties to bury the objection and risk so deeply that it cannot possibly be a serious deterrent to doing business with you. Really stretch yourself to point of being uncomfortable. At the point of discomfort, assuming you correctly understand the prospect’s concerns to begin with, you are feeling the same feeling your prospect is feeling and eliminating barriers to do business with you.

Even if you don’t want to lay it all out in the beginning, hold it in reserve for negotiations.

Then, maximize the power of this “anti-deterrent” by building it into your message, presentations and proposals.

Now to make it hmmm.

Giving a 110% money back lifetime guarantee on a product or service purchased within a defined period is powerful, but it is still just a form of barrier removal. It is not a reason to take action.

To create a strong call to action, be a problem solver. To build a strong incentive and irresistible offer take a hard look at your prospect’s issues, your product and service and start developing your P3.U3.P.S. ™

That is the picture, promise and proof of your unique offering in an understandable and useful way that solves your prospect’s problem. Giving your prospect something of extreme value to him creates a trigger for him to reciprocate, it gives him a reason to take your phone call, for example.

• Picture
• Promise
• Proof
• Unique
• Understandable
• Useful
• Problem Solving

Use graphs and graphics. Use numbers and percentages. Paint pictures and tell stories of results. Don’t just say easier, faster and better. Show how it is easier, faster and better. Then go a step further in showing how well you understand your prospect by helping your prospect see what that means to him. Explain why it is easier, faster and better; then link the “why” to the “how” to help paint your prospect into the picture.

Download the full report “28 days and 28 ways to more consistent revenue- the new ABC’s of selling in the 21st century” here: http://bit.ly/aJaDax

Be the Hero.
Mark

*********************************************
Mark H Daniels is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach and copywriter helping people and businesses present themselves in print, in person, and on the web in a way that has prospects and customers making decisions in their favor and saying “thanks.”

Learn more about why companies seek Mark’s services and what My Sales Hero does at http://www.mysaleshero.net/. Contact Mark by email at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680.

Turning Customers into Salespeople

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:33:00 +0000

Connect the dots and turn customers
into salespeople and more revenue.

I read an Entrepeneur.com article about how three small businesses use referrals to generate business and wanted to expand on the idea.

A customer referral is still one of the shortest and least expensive ways to acquire new business. The trick is to use customer service as a way to generate customer sales.

1- Ask. The number one sales strategy. Funny thing is that it works for B2B and B2C.

Really. Just ask. It's that simple and the hardest thing for most people to remember to do. Timing is important here. The best time to ask for a referral is (drumroll, please) every customer communication.

Own a retail operation? At sales transaction check out say, "Thank you. Please tell your friends about us." (Or your niche, your weekly special, etc.) Put a few brochures, sales sheets or personalized business cards in the bag.

Own a service business like electric or plumbing? When collecting payment for services give the customer a couple of business cards (or brochures, or give-aways), and say, "Thank you. Tell your friends about me."

Represent a business products or services company? Before you leave a customer review meeting ask your contact if they know anyone else who might be interested in hearing what your company can do for theirs.

This works with new business meetings, too.

2- Reward. This is a tough one for most business owners to wrap their heads around. It is an ROI question, and comes down to having a marketing and advertising budget and at least a little understanding of your customer's lifetime value to your business and quantifying the cost of the sale. Once you have this information you are in a position to offer discounts on services for referrals.

Offer discounts just for the referral- to the customer, to the person referred, or to both.
Offer an unusual branded gift of value; something not necessarily directly related to your business but useful and unique. Some ideas include tote or travel bags for business and pleasure, wrist watches, mp-type players, digital still and video cameras, cellphone and smartphone protectors, usb drives.

3- Just say thanks. The electronic age has turned the "thank you for your business" into just more white noise. I am not suggesting you stop saying thank you in e-mail, on your website, in your autoresponders and shopping cart check out. I am suggesting that you find a way to find the time to deliver a phone call "thank you" and send a card. Not a pre-printed letter, a hand-written note. A pre-printed note is okay, and certainly better than nothing, but a handwritten note on stationary says volumes about how you treat your customers.

Read how three small businesses put these practices to work here: Put Your Customers to Work for You - Entrepreneur.com

Be the Hero,
Mark

Middlesex County New Jersey Business Group Hosts My Sales Hero

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:34:00 +0000

If you live in or around Middlesex County, New Jersey check this out...

Limited Seating Small Business Strategies Session October 21 in South Plainfield.

Mark H. Daniels of My Sales Hero, a New Jersey based sales revenue building Strategy and Copywriting Company, will give a brief presentation on 21st century tactics for generating traffic and integrating manageable sales and marketing strategies for all categories of businesses.

Reserving your spot for this October 21 free breakfast meeting is highly recommended. Call Mark at (732) 417 - 0680 or e-mail Mark at mhd@mysaleshero.net with your information and reference attendance code MSH1021C.

Small business owners and their representatives attending the October 21 meeting will walk away with an overview of aligning B2B and B2C sales and marketing strategies using multiple channels to effectively attract leads, turn leads into prospects, and sell products and services to prospects in a way that aligns with how and why buyers buy today. Previously, Mr. Daniels spoke to the group about the P.U.P.S. of selling in developing an effective company image, elevator speech introduction and business advertising.

The event takes place October 21 during the 7:01 A.M. – 8:30 A.M. LeTip of Middlesex County business networking meeting at 50 Cragwood Road in South Plainfield, New Jersey just off Route 287. Call (732) 417 – 0680 for more information and to reserve your spot.

The breakfast meeting is free and open to prospective members interested in hearing the presentation and considering joining the business-networking group. Attendees will have the opportunity to observe and participate in a regular LeTip meeting, introduce their business and hand out business cards. Please bring at least 50 business cards and dress for business.

Seating is limited. A reservation is recommended. For more information and to reserve your spot today, call Mark at My Sales Hero, L.L.C. at (732) 417 – 0680 or send an e-mail to mhd@mysaleshero.net and reference attendance code MSH1021C.
The first ten attendees to respond by 5 P.M. October 19 will receive a free thank you gift.
About My Sales Hero, L.L.C.-
Mark H. Daniels, president of My Sales Hero, is a B2B and B2C sales strategist, coach, copywriter, author and speaker. You can reach Mark by calling (732) 417 – 0680.

Learn more about how My Sales Hero crafts a unique and targeted value proposition, puts together a sales and marketing strategy, refines and creates messages, stories, and presentations that help capture and keep attention and make the sale at www.mysaleshero.net. Download complimentary free PDF business sales and marketing planning worksheets and templates at www.mysaleshero.net/instanttoolkitaccess.aspx.

About LeTip

LeTip is a business networking group a focused on generating qualified tips from members to members. One member represents each business category and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Learn more about the local chapter and view open categories at www.letipmc.net. Meetings begin promptly at 7:01 A.M. and end no later than 8:30 A.M.

Learn What Separates the Super Salesman from the Superfluous Salesmouse.

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:38:00 +0000

Interested in what separates the salesman from the salesmouse?

Read this short, clear article by Ken Thoreson posted at Raintoday.com: 10 Traits Buyers Seek in Sales Superstars - RainToday

If you don't have time to read all ten sales traits, here's a modified bottomline 4 secrets of the super salesman:

Know the customer challenges.
Know the industry challenges.
Be respectful and honest.
Make the buyer the hero.

Amen, Ken.

Be the hero,
Mark

Customer Service Coincidental Story

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:19:00 +0000

Coincidence is a powerful thing; and an observant person can find threads, or themes (what many call coincidence) in many places.

After posting the customer service satistics from the WSJ the following happened. My son came home from school and upon emptying his backpack realized he forgot his math book in his desk. Dutiful father that I am, and needing a brief respit, we piled into the mini-van (yes, I am not afraid to be seen driving the family mini-van) and took the quick ride back to school.

We got buzzed in (is there a school or place of worship in the U.S. that doesn't have some form of electronic security today?) and were greeted by office personnel. My son explained that he left his math book and wanted to go get it and asked if they could unlock the door to let him in with his father as chaperone. I added that he would not be in school the next two days and that he does have math homework.

"I'm sorry, but when the teacher leaves for the day and room is locked you can't get in," we were quickly told.

Hmmm, I thought. Sounds like a case of an authority figure not used to being questioned and needing a few of the right questions asked by someone used to asking lots of the right questions. After all, the teacher is not the only one with keys to the classrooms.

So, I pulled out my most provocative and clever question and calmly, but firmly asked, "Why?"

"I'm sorry. That's the principal's rule. I'm sorry."

Ahah!

"Let's ask the principal, then, please." I replied.

My son and I could see the administrator physically freeze, stunned that the matter was not closed given the nature of the reason already given. After a few silent seconds thinking about it she looked at us, "I... I'll go ask."

A few moments later the prinicipal came walking down the hall, keys in hand with a warm greeting. We were in and out of the classroom and school in under two minutes (after you remove the first few minutes of discussion) offering a very hearty thank you.

The reason for the follow up note here is that this entire episode mimics a customer call to customer service, where the representative on the phone is following a script and ignoring the customer's problems and concerns. The admin gets points for saying, "I'm sorry" but that's it.

My son and I had a problem. All we got was the apology. We asked the right questions and, because there was no value in ignoring a perfectly reasonable request, received satisfaction. My son, who believed this was a huge problem, was extremely satisfied and very grateful to both me and the principal.

Customer service kudos to the principal!

Before you say, "No" next time, add value to the discussion by really listening and making a helpful suggestion. In this case, instead of saying, "No," the office admin could have suggested that she talk to the principal about our problem to see what could be done.

Be the Hero,
Mark

Is Your Business Making These Customer Service Mistakes?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:18:00 +0000

72% just wanted to
express their anger.
Only 33% had the chance.

An article in today's Wall Street Journal featured some staggeringly frightening figures from a 2007 study done by Customer Care Measurement & Consulting and Arizona State University.

"How to Keep Your Cool in Angry Times" by columnist Sue Shellenbarger.

You can read the full article and pull up the graph here: http://bit.ly/96KSQN

Three customer service 'tricks' ring consistent and true AND can work in the home:

Apologizing for the difficulty is a start. Then, listen with empathy.
Confidently tell your customer the problem will be fixed.
Know that the bigger the problem, the more staisfied the customer is when the solution is found.

Of course, it all means nothing if the problem just keeps happening again and again.

But the part of the article you have to pay attention to is the graph analysis of what customers wanted and what they got.

Here's some figures:

84% wanted their product or service repaired or fixed. Only 27% got it.
83% wanted assurance the problem would not happen again. Only 17% got it.
78% just wanted an explanation. Only 18% got one.
70% wanted an apology. Only 24% heard, "We're sorry."

And here is the what is probably the most appalling statistic and where you can increase your opportunity to keep a customer - which is typically much less expensive than hunting for new business- and maybe even increase your customer revenue (since customers come to you to solve problems):

When calling about an issue, 69% of customers simply wanted a "thank you" as part of the copmany's response to their complaint. You would think this one is a no-brainer, right? Wrong. Only 22% of customer complaints received a "thank you for your business."

Need another touch point with your customer. Need another valid reason to call or write your customer. Do you have a new or different product or service to sell to your customer?

Hurry up and thank your customer for their business. If you are able, and everyone should be able, make it personal.

Everyday I remind my kids to include "please" and "thank you" in their response to as many questions asked as possible. Pay attention to well-thought of role models in your circle of influence. I'll be they do the same.

Read the full article, especially if you are in the customer service side of the business. However, every aspect of your business should take advantage of this insightful customer service research.

Use pen and paper.
Use e-mail.
Use your phone.
Say "Thank you" and say it often!

For business to consumer- have the thank you come from the assigned sales rep, his or her manager and the company president; and it should be addressed directly to the person you are thanking.

For business to business- have the thank you come from the assigned sales rep, his or her manager and the company president; and address it directly to the person you are thanking, his or her manager and company president.

Be the Hero,
Mark

P.S.- The Jewish New Year is just behind us and the holiday Sukkot begins tonight. You can take a look at a piece I did for Neve Shalom, the local conservative synagogue in Metuchen, New Jersey showing their sukkah and how to say the blessing at the link below. http://www.youtube.com/markneveshalomnj#p/u/6/BaQSouBpRb0.

A Sexy Sales and Copywriting Lesson- Actively Listening Versus Looks Like Listening

noreply@blogger.com (Mark H Daniels) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:55:00 +0000

Listening is sexy. It makes the
person talking important. Everyone
wants to be important, and sexy.
Listen more in your sales meetings
and copywriting and watch the fireworks.

Listening is sexy. Period.

Active listening is sexier. Double period, exclamation point!

This rule applies to your personal life and your business life. And it is a skill no self-respecting salesman would be without. However few do it well. Really well. Like 'sweep you off your feet' well.

You see, active listening involves really paying attention, then asking the right questions, then really paying attention again. Over and over. An ebb and flow. It is not interrupting. Sometimes it means being silent. Not saying anything. Believe it or not, not saying something is as critical a selling skill as asking the right questions. And you can only ask the right questions when you are really listening. Of course, you need to employ your other sales and listening skills to know if the person speaking wants you to ask questions...

Steve Adubato's Sunday Star Ledger Article "To listen well: 'Fake it until you make it' talks more about how to get back the focused listening skill when you think you've lost it. However, he writes points every salesman and copywriter needs to ask before and during every conversation and copywriting project:

Proper active listening skills is a
top salesman's and copywriter's
secret weapon.

Why is this conversation potentially important?
What might I hear that could be valuable?
What would it mean to those talking to me if they knew I was drifting off, as opposed to being totally invested in them and what they had to say?
What would it feel like to be on the other end where someone wasn't listening to me when I was saying something I felt was important?

Make an effort to listen better. Ask good questions, and listen some more.

Writing your sales and marketing material (e-mails, letters, web site content, brochures, business cards, presentations, powerpoints) in a way that undeniably shows your prospect and customer that you listen carefully rewards the writer and the reader...

Write in way that asks and answers his (or her) questions. Speak to his concerns. Demonstrate that you understand by writing in language he understands.

It's just one more way to be remarkable. One more way to be the hero.

You can read the Sunday Star Ledger article here:
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/08/active_listening_requires_focu.html

Be the Hero,
Mark
____________________________
Mark H Daniels is a B2B and B2C Sales Strategist, Copywriter, Coach, Author and Speaker specializing in drawing out your unique selling proposition, refining messages, stories, and presentations, and helping you present your company and product in a way that has prospects and customers thanking you and making decisions in your favor. Start Simply Selling Better Today. Reach Mark at mark@mysaleshero.net or call 732-417-0680