It's a Brand New World...

While blazing through my email this morning I came across this article written to help brand managers and their PR people learn more about approaching bloggers in the hopes they will blog about their brands.

As I read, I realized this advice is good advice and has many applications.  A good reminder of the basics for anyone in a selling profession and a great article to share with key accounts who most likely have a desire to get their brands blogged.

It's a "brand" new world out there...(this is a long link, you may have to copy and paste into your browser)

Enjoy!

http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/online-public-relations/how-to-create-a-good-blogger-pitch/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SocialMediaExplorer+%28Social+Media+Explorer%29



Highlights from the article that made me smile, this sounds so familiar in an unfamiliar way:

Create a list of blogs you think might make sense for your brand. (sounds like an Ideal Customer Profile)


Note that in order to create this kind of a list you will have to read the blogs. (really?  that sounds like work, reading and everything) 


boilerplate “Dear Blogger” pitch to a list of 100 blogs (noted as a waste of time- shocker)

Bloggers drive, eat, consume, get sick, go to school, have babies, relocate, cook, garden, home school, paint, build buildings, drive tractors, cut hair and dig ditches.  And most have a following that just might help drive brand awareness or store traffic.  


In what ways might you help your key accounts access this group of influencers in your market?


All my best for your continued success!

Happy Selling in 2011...any resolutions?

Happy New Year!

During my hour commute to Canton, Texas from Dallas this morning I found myself thinking of sales people I've know or worked with over the years.  Comparing attributes of the best when suddenly my mind reverted to a conversation I had this week with a 77 year old woman who called me about buying some of her furniture and misc small goods prior to her move into the Sr. Living.

Her valid business reason for me to purchase her wares was that she had been out shopping and establishing values for her items, quoted me a couple of specifics and then offered a profitable arrangement with me because she was willing to take much less than market value, allowing us to make some money.

When I told her we were not buying right now, she immediate went to consignment as an acceptable option.
Valid  business reason, no out of pocket expense for me.  I'm now more interested, until she tells me she has no way to transport it and I'll have to come pick it up.

She's in a hurry to make arrangements and unfortunately my schedule is pretty booked until mid-January; no problem she's got a solution for that as well - I can just come over to her house one evening after work.

As she begins to describe the list of items, there are several that I know I'm not going to be interested in taking and I suggest an ad in the classifieds, other resale stores or possibly a listing on Craigslist or eBay.
The ad seemed to make sense, the online solution not so much.  "I'm 77 years old and I'm not on Craigslist, eBay or Facelift!"  And again, she turns the conversation to the furniture and the values/profit opportunity.

Before the end of the conversation, she had me agreeing to call her after the new year and make arrangements to make a house call.

This woman made it very difficult for me to say no. 

This 77 year old woman, made it very difficult to say no.  WOW.  Impressive.

If you happen to be considering a New Years resolution....this might warrant some thought. 

In What Ways Might You Make It Difficult or improbable for a client or prospect to say no? 

Yes, I have time to meet with you - it sounds as if you understand the challenges of small business...

Yes, that idea seems to have merit...lets keep developing it and see where it goes

Yes!  I have a new partnership to celebrate, nurture and leverage...

Advertising Works!

After a brisk weekend at the store here's what I know.

1. Advertising Works
2. Not all advertising is paid
3. The Free Stuff (just like traditional media) can provide immediate results.  The right message to the right target at the right time = direct response!
4. If you value your time, the Free Stuff isn't really free
5. Free Stuff for us includes Craigslist, MyBlueSofa, Facebook, Twitter, our Blog and email marketing (although I pay a small monthly fee to Constant Contact)
6. Referrals rock my world - they are an emotional paycheck
7. If I were selling media today, I would include Social Media and other Free Stuff (whatever makes sense) in my Idea and Recommendations page. 
8. I would help my clients get better results by sharing information, best practices and success stories.
9. I would remember to always be a resource and help my clients solve their problems. 
10. I would shock my clients by being so customer focused they had a hard time identifying what I was selling other than solutions to their marketing challenges.
11. I would shop consignment stores.  (sorry, couldn't resist)

Here's an article you might enjoy and pass along to your clients this morning with a simple note, letting them know you were thinking about them when you read this.

Good Read Here

Have a great week!

"We Don't Like To Be Sold"

How many sales people are pulling old presentations out of dusty old files and simply changing the names and emailing them to clients?

How many phone calls do suppose advertisers received last week from sales people asking to speak to the person handling the advertising or worse just launched into their spiel about a product or special opportunity they had to offer?

How many appointments did you book last week because you called with a compelling reason for your client or prospect to take time out of their schedule to meet with you?

When was the last time a client complimented you for helping them to navigate today's competitive marketplace and grow their business?

If you don't like your answers to the questions above, it might be time to throw out your old plan, your old "same old-same old" way of doing things and think about creating a new sales strategy.

A new strategy could start with you having a better reason for clients to meet with you.  A Valid Business Reason.   This article is full of compelling VBRs and content which could make your next Client Needs Analysis one of your best.  This one article, could result in you receiving several compliments from clients this next week.  This one article could be the tipping point in your Q4 billings.  Wouldn't that be cool!

As consumers we don't want to be sold by companies and their advertising campaigns and clients don't want to be sold by Advertising Sales people.  Yet both groups are buying and possibly spending more money than we might expect in a down economy.

Consumers are spending more money with Brands who promote an opportunity to save money. 
As I read this article, I couldn't help but think there might be a great opportunity for a sales organization or sales person to establish themselves as a money saving partner.  In fact, as I look back at the advertising investments I've make over the past few months I realize I spent substantially more with the companies who offered me a way to save. 

As I am also responsible for buying the inventory for our retail operation I realize we spend substantially more (as in thousands) when a showroom offers us a substantial savings off of the wholesale price.  I might spend $400 with a showroom who sells samples at regular wholesale and $4,000 with a showroom who offers a greater savings such as 50% off wholesale.  These showrooms are side by side and often their merchandise is almost identical.  Yet their sales strategy is very different. 

This article references a study conducted by University of Miami professor and his colleagues and the message is pretty straight forward; when we feel like we are saving money we typically spend more.

If you use this article and get a positive response from your clients - post your experience in our comments field.  I'd love to hear from you.

Cindy

Tweet This!

Seriously.  The Twittersphere is simple yet complicated and many of us are still trying to figure out how to use it as a marketing platform.  I love it as a resource - there are gobs of great ideas and articles being shared by the minute.  It's easy to scroll through the Timeline and catch the Tweets that appear to have meaningful content.  I can open the link on the spot or email it to my account to read at a later time.

As a resource - I'm all about Twitter.

As a marketing tool, I'm not as confident. But I'm not giving up.  I keep tweeting my observations and opinions in hopes that they are making an impression on someone, somewhere and those impressions will come back to us in the form of more customers. 

The other thing I do is try to read every article I come across on how to effectively use Twitter, such as the one HERE.  If you're an advertising sales person trying to establish yourself as a resource to your clients, there are a bunch of ways to do that OTHER than pitching and selling them an advertising campaign.  When you talk about your capabilities...are you including idea generation for Twitter and other Social Media capabilities? 

If not, this little Blue Bird may be flying right past you; leaving you in a cloud of old school dust.

Looking for a new gig?

A former client of mine is searching for outside sales people and passed this posting along.  I thought it worth sharing as so many are looking for new opportunities.  Please share with those in your network if you know of someone who may be a good candidate for Mike Bennett.

IWANNA JobSummary:

We bring buyers and sellers together with paid weekly print and on line shoppers in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina. We offer free private party classified and paid commercial in column and display advertising both in print and online.

Click here to view job

Become a resource and I'll become a client

I am a small business owner desparately seeking marketing ideas which fall under this criteria:

• Creative and Targeted
• Effective
• EZ to execute

Three advertising sales people have called on me in the last 30 days.  None have asked me about my marketing objectives, what I hope to accomplish, what my ideas or dreams might be.  (And I have several of each!)  They really haven't even tried to sell me but rather hoped I would simply buy.

I recently sent emails to a few sales organizations communicating interest in advertising and requesting a media kits OR a sales person.  I got the Media Kit.  Two sales people followed up with calls to inquire if I had made a decision.  On what?  On their rates?  Yes, I've decided they are all too high - because there's no value behind the number on the rate card.  To be fair, one person did stop by the store to be sure I was aware she could cut her rates in half if I were to decide to buy. 

I really wish just one person took a few minutes to try and understand what my business is all about and what my biggest challenges are.  I would also love to have conversations with them about social marketing; accessing their fans on Facebook or reaching their followers on Twitter.  Instead, they want to sell me banner ads on their website.  Urrrrg.

Conversations develop relationships and help establish credibility and position us as resources. 

Become a resource and I'll become your client.

In the meantime, I'm reading and learning and sharing. 

 http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/08/how-to-participate-in-twitter-chat.html