November 23rd, 2008 by Brian Cors
As they say, variety is the spice of life. When interacting with your target market, variety in the methods and means of communicating with customers and prospects is the spice of successful marketing and, in the end, a catalyst for improving top-line revenues.
This mind map depicts a simplified multi-dimensional approach to communicating and interacting with customers and prospects. This approach uses a variety of methods and media to communicate with a targeted audience, while also providing that audience with a variety of valuable information designed to educate that audience with regard to how you can address their current and future needs.
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October 15th, 2008 by Brian Cors
Do your sales and marketing teams get along with each other, or are they often at odds?
In a recent Harvard Business Review article entitled “Ending the War between Sales & Marketing,” authors Philip Kotler, Neil Rackham and Suj Krishnaswamy argue that in many companies, the sales and marketing organizations don’t get along because of economic (since they’re competing for limited financial resources) and cultural (because sales and marketing people have different skill-sets and areas of focus) differences. They suggest solutions to improve the relationship between sales and marketing and, more importantly, to improve a company’s bottom line. Read the rest of this entry »
July 29th, 2008 by Brian Cors
The handwritten note is becoming a lost art. Within ten short years, we’ve become an email culture, addicted to its ease-of-use and the speed with which emails can be composed1 and delivered to its recipients.
Today, we are overwhelmed with emails and mass-produced marketing materials. In this sea of non-personal communications, the handwritten note stands heads-and-shoulders above the crowd. The handwritten note conveys heartfelt emotion like no other medium, and has the highest chance of being read by its recipient.
I remember several years back when my father – then a senior executive at Corning – described what was perhaps the most distinguishing trait of its then-current CEO, Amo Houghton. Despite Amo’s extremely busy schedule, he would take the time to craft handwritten notes that he would send to customers, colleagues and employees. The impact was palpable. Recipients clearly knew that Amo had taken the time to craft a personal note customized just for them. What a great way to motivate and leave a lasting impression!
Today’s salespeople who are looking to stand above the crowd should incorporate the handwritten note into their repertoire. There are numerous occasions for which a handwritten note is the perfect communication vehicle. They’re great for expressing gratitude when you’ve gotten together with someone or recently obtained a new customer. They are also an ideal accompaniment to an article that you’re sending to a business associate.
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July 3rd, 2008 by Brian Cors
In many organizations, there is a resistance from sales people to use CRM (customer relationship management) software tools to track and manage customer contact and interaction information. The most common complaint is that the software has been implemented by management as a means of spying on the activities of the salespeople.
While in some cases this may be true, best-in-class CRM implementations focus first on the needs of the users – not management – and most particularly on the needs of the sales people. Such software can benefit salespeople directly in many ways, enabling them to become more effective and productive in their day-to-day sales activities.
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June 7th, 2008 by Brian Cors
The Aberdeen Group has published an interesting white paper entitled “New Approaches to Sales Methodologies and CRM” that discusses the integration of sales methodologies within CRM (customer relationship management) software solutions.
CRM software has always been a great way of tracking customer contact information, customer interaction activities and sales opportunities. However, in many instances organizations are using CRM software to track this information more as a static snapshot of what has happened in the past.
The Aberdeen Group proposes that by integrating sales methodologies within a CRM solution, the CRM solution becomes more of a “dynamic participant” in the sales process by driving sales people through a shared sales process with defined steps and milestones. They propose two ways in which methodologies can improve sales effectiveness and efficiency: opportunity optimization and sales process optimization.
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January 29th, 2008 by Brian Cors
Fools Rush In: Assess Your Sales Opportunities Before Rushing In
American businesses waste millions of dollars annually chasing after “mirage” sales opportunities that they have no chance of winning. Valuable resources are often tied up for months responding to bids that will never be won or trying unsuccessfully to open a major account. How can you ensure that this won’t happen in your organization? How can you reap a better return on your sales effort investment?
The secret of winning strategists is that they determine their odds of triumph prior to ever seeking a challenge! Losing strategists pursue an opportunity before planning a strategy for success or before considering the possibility that the opportunity may not even be worthwhile to pursue.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu said, “The excellent general weighs the situation before he moves. He is prudent, but not hesitant. He realizes that there are “some roads not to be followed, some armies not to be attacked, some cities not to be besieged, some positions not to be contested… When a decision is made to attack, this should be done with the gravest of considerations, as the costs will be great.”
Therefore, prior to attacking any sales “opportunity,” serious consideration should be made regarding the cost of going after the business and the odds of actually winning.
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This mind map depicts a simplified multi-dimensional approach to communicating and interacting with customers and prospects. This approach uses a variety of methods and media to communicate with a targeted audience, while also providing that audience with a variety of valuable information designed to educate that audience with regard to how you can address their current and future needs.