Sergeant Friday from the old TV show Dragnet was always asking
for “Just the Facts”

Your mission on this first gathering of the new year is to
come up with one fact you’ve learned in 2013 that will change what you do in
2014.

Kate started, “If you want to sell in the Business to
Business market, learn how to use Linked In to your advantage. I was a skeptic
until I listened to what some consultants said about adjusting your profile and
learning how to use connections to get to the decision makers in target
companies including ones I hadn’t thought of. The best tip was: Make your title
sell. Put some emotional content into it. Make it a solution to your ideal
client’s problem.”

Rick nodded and said, “Mail is stronger than ever, mainly
because fewer companies are using it. But how you use it is incredibly
important. I had lunch with an old friend the other day that is getting 50 to
60% response rates. He is using a program that yields those kinds of rates because
it is highly interactive and delivers marketing information from clients plus
referrals and does it by delivering in boxes that rattle instead of envelopes. But
the secret sauce is something we too often forget: The more focused your list,
the better your response will be.”

Chris added, “And when your list isn’t focused you have to focus
on what the respondent is really looking for. That’s why if you are selling
expertise with an ongoing delivery you darn well better talk to the prospect. I
help people set up Pay Per Click advertising and I can tell you from first hand
experience that when the price hits a certain point even if you have great
reviews the prospect is going to want to talk to you. One piece of advice I will
never forget is that if you are a consultant you need to put your phone number
on every page of your web site. The best spot for it is the lower right corner
of the banner.”

Gail, our writing guru looked around the table and began, “You
know I’m late to the technology party but I finally got started putting together
some products. In order to do that I had to learn some new software and try
some stuff I didn’t have the courage to try
before. Anyway, I’ve done it. Here’s a copy of the first couple for each of you.
What I learned that I’m putting to work this year is that nearly 58% of YouTube
viewers are between 20 and 35 and 21% are between 36 and 60. I know the share
of the How To category is just 3.1% but when there are 33.2 Billion views
overall that small percentage is huge.”

“ Well, ol’ son,” Rob drawled, What I learned in 2013 is
that there are  a lot more carpet baggers
talkin’ about branding than know how to grow one. They all think branding
is something you do rather than gets done to you. ’cause of your complete attitude.
You want some facts about branding, study Ralph Lauren’s Polo label. Every ad,
photo, hang tag and garment contributes to a value image even when you buy the
socks on sale like I did last week

That great philosopher POGO said something
like, “We have met the enemy and he are us’ That applies in spades to the new
age ad geeks that push logos as branding. I learned again  the sad truth that Gresham’s law is right and it is true for
brand, too. But I will endure and brand shall rise again!”

“Jeez, Rob, tell us how you feel about it,” I said. “My 2013
factoid is that you can lead a small business to an integrated CRM that allows
them to automate their marketing but they are not ready to partake at that
trough. They just don’t understand what it can do for them.

I’ve handed that sling to a couple of Davids and they just
haven’t figured out how to put it in motion. That’s what I’m taking into 2014.
I’m going to take to the clubs and Chambers of Commerce and Networking groups and
tell them hat the research shows that 93% of companies that use automated marketing
win and it gives the little guy an edge over the big corporations. I’m going to
do everything I can to show them how to use it to their benefit.”

What did you learn in 2013 that will benefit you and your
customers in the coming year?

Jerry Fletcher has returned with his merry band of marketing masters and plans to publish the “Dialogue Blog” once a week in 2014. Join us with questions and comments.

Jerry can be found on Linked In, Facebook and at his consulting site or professional speaking site.