MARKETING TIPS

Sales Pitches and Advertising Materials

When advertising, sending information, or making a sales pitch to, a potential customer, focus on the benefits (to them), not the features (of your company, product, or service). This may sound common-sense, but many of us are stuck in a cycle of always talking about ourselves. “My product is the best, my service is the highest-quality, we are the most efficient, lowest-cost, etc.”

The potential customer you are talking to is only concerned about how your product or service is going to benefit them, make their job easier, make them more money, or reduce their costs. When you change the focus of your conversation to the customer, they will become engaged in the discussion and you will have a better chance of developing a relationship.

Email Marketing

The best email campaigns to reach potential customers, stay in contact with existing or past ones, or develop new relationships, are 100% opt-in subscription campaigns. If people are signing up to receive more information from you, you will be reaching out to a highly receptive audience. If they are not signing up, you can provide reasons for them to do so.

This is truly a relationship to be valued. Your potential customers are requesting to hear from you, even though their in-boxes are filled daily with hundreds of messages. Reciprocate their allegiance to you by sending them quality information, on a consistent but not overbearing basis, that is of interest and benefit to them. Provide an easy unsubscribe feature, and a direct link to a specific landing page on your website as a call to action. Be sure to track all inbound links, and use them to determine your return-on-investment.

Networking and Relationship-Building

There’s a reason this is called “relationship building” and not “relationship selling”. People buy from companies they trust, and people they like. We’ve all been at events where one or two “salespeople” made their way around the room and immediately began pitching their product or service to everyone. When caught on the receiving end of this attack, we cringe, look for the door, and make some type of hasty excuse to get away. Nobody wants to be sold – however most of us are generally in the market to buy.

So how do you develop relationships built on sales without selling? It’s simple – develop a conversation with the person you are interested in reaching out to. Discuss the event, or sports, or relationships you may have in common. Ask them about their business, and then, when prompted, tell them a little about what you do. If you see an opening to mention how you could provide a benefit to them, mention it, but don’t push it. And be sure to exchange contact information and follow up soon. They will be more likely to continue the conversation at this point, and will not be on the defensive as they would have with the “salesperson”.

If the tips and ideas on this page got you to start thinking about your business and marketing models, then we’ve done our job. If you click here to subscribe to our e-newsletter, we’ll be sure to send you even more information that will be helpful in building your business to it’s fullest potential.

In every project we work on, we analyze all aspects of your business, market, and industry; and develop a unique, custom strategy that will help you exceed your goals. We are in the business of making you more profitable – that is our only goal. For a complimentary analysis of your marketing strategy and campaigns, please contact us by email or phone to setup a convenient time to meet.

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