Crossing the Divide.

Posted on 2015/10/03 by Jerry Fletcher

Rick asked, “Have you been across the new bridge, yet?”

“No,” I said, “but I hear it is beautifully lit at night.”

“I’ve seen pictures.” said Gail, “but knowing you, I doubt you will ever cross on it as it is limited to walking, bicycles and light rail and since you don’t do any of those…”

“Pardon me for being a child of the automotive age, I sneered. What they’ve done is used modern bridge technology in support of old time transportation. That’s just what is going on with sales and marketing. Suddenly sales and marketing are being forced to cross the divide that has separated them since forever.”

“Step back from the technology Mr. Marketing,” said Kate. What do you mean ‘cross the divide?’ There is a difference between sales and marketing. Like you say, marketing is one to many but sales is one to one. That is a chasm. How is technology changing that?”

“You’ve heard about big data, right?”

“Slow down theah, Fletch,” said Rob our Georgia-born brand guru. Y’all are fixin’ to pounce like duck on a june bug. I know that tone in your voice.”

“Okay, Bubba, I replied. “The thing that is so nifty about this is that the enterprise level folks are just starting to figure out what consultants and professionals, at least the smart ones, have known for years. There’s a Forrester Report that just came out on the CMOs new role in sales enablement. What it boils down to is that:

Marketing automation forces more communication between marketing and sales
Better understanding of the customer life cycle creates better customer engagement.
Marketing’s ability to probe customer concerns and interests via projections of big data analysis on individual accounts give sales deeper insights into how to more quickly build targeted trust-based relationships.

Kate jumped in, “so you’re saying that the age-old problem of Marketing not being able to figure out what a good lead is has been resolved. Is that right?”

“Only for a few companies at the enterprise level,” I said. “But as you well know from your own consulting business the divide between marketing and sales is, most of the time, not a big one. It is kind of hard for it to be when it is the same person. The only time it comes up is when a consultancy starts to grow and they add a sales person to the staff.

A consultant connects with a prospect, builds trust, reaches agreement, provides the service and maintains the relationship. There is no disconnect. Engagement flows freely from marketing activity into sales, delivery and, in the best operations, into a long term relationship.

Engagement is the key word. I believe mid-level companies can profit by building a closer relationship between marketing and sales particularly in the development of sales support materials that build trust and demonstrate real understanding of customer problems.

The Takeaway

Technology is paving the way for big companies to gather and analyze data to bridge the divide between marketing and sales. Consultants already routinely do this. Mid-level companies can move toward this new level of integration by giving sales people a starring role in helping develop communications that nurture the sale.

Jerry Fletcher’s blog recaps conversations with clients, prospects and the unruly mob of business development professionals he consorts with. They discuss marketing that works from solopreneur to enterprise level. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and “Watson” of the dialogue. Get all his publications at: www.JerryFletcher.com/Profit.html

Jerry has been researching and implementing small business marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 25 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

It Ain’t All About Brand

Posted on 2015/09/19 by Jerry Fletcher

Kate looked like she was ready to blow a fuse. Normally, our sales strategist is as calm as a mountain lake at dawn. Today her dark brow was furrowed and her multi-hoop earrings sounded like castanets as she shook her head back and forth.

Bubba asked, “Wha’s stuck in your craw m’dear?”

“Don’t m’dear me,” Kate exploded.

Then, shamefaced she said, “I’m sorry I jumped you Bubba. You’re probably the one that can solve this conundrum.”

Rob, our branding Buddha perked up and responded, “How so?”

“I met with a prospect this morning. Let’s just say he was hard over on brand. When I told him how his untrained sales force was perceived he said it didn’t matter because his brand was so ‘in’ that nothing could stand in the way of success.”

Rick, who runs a world-class direct marketing operation sat down his drink and said, “Walk away.”

Kate shot a questioning look over her glasses.

“I mean just what I said,” he continued. “Don’t bother trying to change his mind. It doesn’t matter whether it is Brand or Sales or Margins or Promotions or something else. When an entrepreneur gets hung up on a single business element it is only a matter of time until that business is no more.”

Bubba blustered, “Mos’ folks think that brand is all about being a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. Believin’ you can control it is like a banty rooster thinkin’ the sun comes up to hear him crow! No way! No how! Brand is the sum total of all the interactions folks have with you or your product or service. You can’t let any part of the business fall behind and dependin’ on getting the business without having an up-to-scratch sales force is just dumb.

Too often folks hear all about the clever ideas and the thing that goes viral and they think that is all there is to it. That lasts about as long as a whiff in a whirlwind.”

“I’m with Bubba on this one,” I said. “The problem is that people think brand is logotypes and slug lines and clever ads but that stuff isn’t what sticks with customers and clients and prospects looking for your product or service.

A brand is deeper. It is capricious. It connects unpredictably. It is fickle. It bonds with one psyche yet not another. It is a capricious summary not a single statement. It is a total of random touches and not a trump card.”

Kate said, “I just figured out what to do. I’m going back at him and ask if he’d like to have lunch with you guys and share his expertise.

The Takeaway:

It ain’t all about brand as a singular way to build a business. It is all about brand if you understand that it is the joint perception of everything you say and do.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Put Your Mouth Where The Money Is [Free Takeaway]

Posted on 2015/09/12 by Jerry Fletcher

The temperature was in the 90’s again so we decided to dine alfresco. We trooped outside, pushed a couple of tables together and became observers of the passing scene until Chris dropped a verbal hand grenade in the middle of things.

He asked, “have you guys heard the latest research on headlines and click Through Rate (CTR)?”

Gail, our writer/editor snorted, “now what!”

Rick just covered his face with his hands, moaned and said, “In direct marketing there is only one measure of what works and what doesn’t and it is not based on Click Through Rate!”

“That’s why I brought it up,” said Chris. “All of us are going to catch flack on this so we need to be ready when clients and managers start trying to push us around.”

“Anyone who has ever written a headline that got people to make a buy is going to love some of these findings,” Chris began. “The report says the words easy, how to, credit, cure, magic and free decrease CTR. But wait, there’s more” he continued. Using You or your or you are also reduces the CTR. And don’t try giving me tips or tricks or telling me it’s simple or amazing. I don’t want to know the secret. And don’t think you can get me to take action quickly I’m not about to act Now.”

“I may be a country boy.” said Rob our branding Guru that hails from Georgia, “but I can tell you somebody’s been sippin’ grannie’s hard cider when she ain’t lookin’ if y’all believe that nonsense. I been getting paid to write for a lotta years and click throughs don’t hold a candle to conversions. Y’all don’t need to go preachin to all them folks outside the tent. The ones that are inside is where the action is. And that is what works across all the media I know.”

Kate snorted and said, “Hear, hear. Bubba. It’s the same in sales. We do a little cold calling but most of the time we are talking to people that want to be talking to us. I figure a prospect is someone that has a problem I can solve, can pay me to do it and is willing to talk to me. I don’t need to convince them to talk to me. I just need to understand their problem so I can help solve it. I’d rather work with folks that want to see me any day!”

“That’s the thing about this report,” Chris said. It’s 28 pages and it took 17 before they started talking about conversions.”

“Then, what did they say?” I asked.

“Suddenly, all those low CTR performers became more important. Being new and meeting a need Now paid off. Suddenly Amazing had power to open wallets. And funny thing, FREE managed to get more orders when used in headlines directed to real prospects and especially when it became part of the close.

The one thing that came out of this study that appears to work across the board is putting brackets in the headline. What helps close the sale in brackets? Here are their top five examples: Template, Quick Tip, Free Download, Infographic, FAQ.”

The Takeaway:

Add a bracketed item to your headline while using the words that have proven useful since promotion began to convince, persuade and generate sales. Conversions are always more important than Click Throughs.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Huggin’ and Chalkin’

Posted on 2015/09/05 by Jerry Fletcher

I arrived a little late and found our branding Guru in the middle of one of his southern fried soliloquys.

“So you see,” he said, “the answer is like my old friend Charlie would put it: You got to go to huggin’ and chalkin’ if y’all are gonna get anywhere in that situation.”

The others all looked just as confused as I felt so I asked, “huggin” and chalkin’ what does that mean?”

“Fletch,” he replied, “I was just talkin’ about solutions to the problem of getting a business from start-up to gettin’ profitable and how it was like my friend Charlie and his romantic intentions.”

“Okay,” I said, “I’ll bite. What’s the story Bubba?”

“We were talkin’ about that story you told last week about the company trying to get to a sustainable level of business and I allowed as how you don’t always have to go whole hog. It’s like my buddy Charlie’s approach to romance.

Charlie is a big ol’ boy He must be about 6 foot two barefoot and tips the scales somewhere about 220. He’s got rugged good looks, played a little football well enough to get a pro look. But he wasn’t interested in that so he took his degree and then went to law school. He’s practicin’ down in Atlanta these days.”

Kate asked, “Bubba what has all that got to do with building sales for a company?”

“Everything, Madame Sales consultant,” he said. “You see Charlie has a different viewpoint about women. As you might expect he is what is considered a very eligible bachelor. But he’s not into all those gals that are continually on diets. Evah hear of Plus size models? Charlie likes Rubenesque women. And his approach to them is what he calls huggin’ and chalkin.’

Just about like any woman, the ones he prefers like to be kissed all over but ever so often time doesn’t allow or other things come up or some distraction interferes so what he does is tell the lass that he’s goin’ to put a little mark on her where he had to leave off and come back to it later.”

There was a chorus of “What’s the point, Bubba?”

“Okay y’all, the point is he calls that Huggin’ and Chalkin’. It’s the same when you’re tryin’ to build a company on limited funds. You go as far as you can to build trusted relationships with the time and money you have making sure that anyone that becomes a customer knows you really care about them.

When you have more time or money or both you go back to huggin’ and bringing more folks to the party. But you never forget where you were. You put the current customers into a regular follow up process. You touch them regularly. You treat them with kindness, courtesy and make them feel loved. You find a way to be there for them. You can chalk all that up to building a brand and a business.”

The Takeaway
Building a business with limited resources can be done. You can reduce your acquisition actions but never eliminate them. Keep contacting your current customers regularly in order to retain them.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Content Schemes

Posted on 2015/08/15 by Jerry Fletcher

Chris our digital director type announced, “I need some help with a content problem.”

Gail, the writer/editor that joined in our luncheons asked, “What seems to be the difficulty?”

“Maybe you better introduce your guest and explain what you mean by content first,” I suggested.

“This is Jennifer, he said. “She’s a consultant who works with companies to bring them into the digital age and understand the benefits of business intelligence.

Jen, this is the lunch bunch: Jerry Fletcher is the one that got us all together and he does the blogs you’ve seen. Next to him on his left is Kate. She’s the most knowledgeable sales consultant I’ve ever met. Next to her is Rob. Do not be fooled by his syrupy southern drawl which is why we call him Bubba. He is the Buddha of branding in this group. Next to me here is Gail. She’s run ad agencies, radio stations and is our resident writer and editor. That empty seat next to you is usually filled by Rick who runs a world class direct marketing firm. There are some less frequent attendees but that is the usual group that comes together here each Friday.”

“So what do you mean by content?” I asked.

Jennifer said, “Like I told Chris, I believe I can be more successful if I do Content Marketing instead of the old fashioned pitching of products and services. The problem is I have to generate all this stuff and I’m not sure what will work and how to find the time to do it. I figure I have to do it well or not at all. Is there some sort of template or basic scheme that will work for me?”

Rick, who had arrived as she was explaining, said, “There’s a Roper Poll that says 80 percent of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. About 60 percent say that information they get from companies helps them make better decisions.”

“That may be true,” I said but let’s do a round robin for Jennifer and each come at it from our area of expertise. I’ll start. I think you need to a have a strategy that is written down, followed religiously and that you need to measure the results regularly”

Kate said, “You also need to be darn sure of who your customer is and how what you do can be differentiated. I mean in benefit terms but more importantly the outcome the buyer gets from you.”

“It is a pleasha to have such radiance at the table with us, Bubba drawled. Y’all need to remember that theahs a Brand piece of this pie to be considered, too. You might could change your brand if you’re not careful. Make sure your brand is in sync with the differentiation that Kate was talkin’ about. Think your way through possible problems and make sure all your content is aligned with the singular brand your customers and prospects are lookin’ to buy into.

Gail, shaking her head said, “Radiance at the table…you have no shame!”

Jennifer blushed.

Gail continued, “I was looking at this another way. In order to provide information in a form or multiple forms that communicates you have to define the targets in depth. Demographics. Psychographics, Anecdotes. You have to understand where, when, how and most importantly why they want to engage with you. And knowing those things never do anything once. If you write an article think about how to turn it into an audio presentation, a video, a slide show, an infographic…whatever way your target might like to get it.

“I guess it’s my turn,” said Rick. “Two things. First, I think you have to consider the channels you’re going to use to get the word out. I understand that time is a concern so do you have to minimize some social marketing or change your emphasis from say a blog to a newsletter or vice-versa? Second, even though you’re trying to get the prospect to move through the Know/ Like/ Trust cycle you still have to ask for the order. Include a direct call to action in everything you do.

The Takeaway:

Successful content strategies are documented. You need to decide:

How it fits into your business plan
Who you’re talking to and what they want to know
What impact it has on your brand and how to cope with that
Which channels you’re going to use to connect
When to tell them how you’re different and ask for the order

Jerry has been researching and implementing small business marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 25 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Bubba’s Newfangled Branding

Posted on 2015/08/01 by Jerry Fletcher

Bubba, who still looks like the Gerber baby, said, as he was taking his seat, “All this newfangled digital stuff makes it harder and easier to build a brand.”

Kate, who could sell just about anything said, “There’s lot of things about branding I might agree about with you but I’m not buying this. You can’t have it both ways!”

He responded, “Mamma always said you cain’t never do sumpin like that but let’s see if we might could get that knot outa your tail. It makes it harder as y’all are bein’ measured way quicker than before so sometimes folks don’t give the strategy time enough to work. On the other hand some of the things you can do today are quicker than stirrin’ up a wasp nest under the eaves.”

“Rob, Take off that beret and put that drawl away for minute or two and tell us what you’re talking about!” I said. “I know you do that on purpose some times. I’ve seen you present and sound like a Midwest announcer. So just tell us would you?”

Sorry,” our branding guru mumbled, “I figured with friends I could be natural.”

Rick and Gail each patted him on a shoulder and said. “That’s okay. What were you saying?”

“I’ve got a bunch of ‘em but I’ll start with one you couldn’t do a few years back:

Blog your brains out… as a guest for other blogs. Start small and work your way up to the big guys. If you do that enough you wind up being seen and repeated all over the place especially if someone actively tweets quotes from your guest blog. I saw this a week or two ago with one of the articles Fletch does for Small Today.

Build a community. This can be done old style. Think baseball cards and Barbies. The new way is to put the trading and comparing and talking about on line. For the latest entries there is no physical item involved. But it still works. Thing is, it takes time. Yelp added reviewer profiles and now has accumulated over 47 million reviews but it took them 5 years.

Share the experience with thought leaders. One of my clients calls this the Johnny Appleseed approach. He’s not looking to get known by everybody in a hurry. His preference is to have one perfect customer tell the next until his product is the most desired in the category. It’s working at the enterprise level.

Create an infographic. Subway posters in the old days were the prototypes of this approach but they were nowhere as heavily packed with information. We know that over 80% of the American public is visually oriented so this is an obviously powerful way into their hearts and minds. The newfangled flip on this is that you can send them to a landing page and sign them up to get more!

Partner with another brand. Borrow that brand’s awareness to kick yours up the driveway. If you’re design-oriented get a deal with the local art museum to let your customers or prospects attend one evening a week or at a special time for a special showing with tickets or vouchers you provide on line. You can go to a broader audience with a coupon for ice-cream or pizza. Just make sure you pick a brand that people think highly of.”

Kate asked, “So what’s the takeaway?”

The Takeaway:

Brands are still built one customer at a time but you can now build a personal relationship with them faster than ever before.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Act Your Age!

Posted on 2015/07/25 by Jerry Fletcher

Kate, our sales doyen, sniffed, “Sometimes I think clients are like unruly kids!”

Gail asked, “How so?”

Kate responded, “Jonathan, a client who has been in business forever and over the years volunteered to advise start-ups is going through a life change. He’s retiring from his old business and about to start a new one. He’s so fired up he is overlooking all the basics that need to be done before a launch.”

Rick, Mr. Direct Marketing, asked, “What kind of business is he starting?”

“Consulting,” Kate said. She went on, “He just doesn’t want to do the work he needs to do to increase his chances of success.”

“Could it be an age thing?” I asked. “I don’t mean his age although that is important for consultants but rather a company’s age. Is he thinking like an ‘old-timer” when he is actually a newbie in the new business?”

You’ve updated your Company Phase research again, haven’t you brer’ fox?” said Rob, the Georgia born branding expert.

Chris looked puzzled so Rob continued, “He’s been surveying successful B to B businesses for more years than you’ve been alive. As I recall there are three phases:

Start up
Growth
Established

He’s figured out what marketing works in each phase and because he’s done so much work with consultants he can streamline recommendations and jus’ plain put a jack under your ROI.”

Kate jumped back in asking, “What should I tell Jonathan other than to come talk to you, Fletch?”

“He’s pretty definitely a start up from what you said, so maybe the thing to do is take him for a trip down memory lane. Every business starts the same way whether we want to remember it or not. The differences over time can be put into a 3D matrix. All that changes is Time, Money and Staff. In part, those variables control what you can do to market a firm. But they don’t really change what is effective.”

Chris asked, “So different things are more effective in each phase?”

“You got it. When anyone starts out, especially consultants, they have to get to Trust. There are three ways to get enough trust to get a contract:

Sell a previous employer
Sell someone referred by a previous employer
Network to a previous contact familiar with your work and sell ‘em

Over time, every successful consulting organization, comes to rely on referrals.

Every successful organization.

The Takeaway:

Here are the key ways consultants get business in each phase in order of importance:

Start Up Growth Established

Direct Sales Referrals Referrals

Networking Direct sales Prior experience

Referral Networking Direct Sales

Prior experience Prior experience Direct Marketing

Direct Marketing Direct Marketing Everything Else

Everything else Everything else Networking

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Coffee, Catchup & Marketing

Posted on 2015/07/18 by Jerry Fletcher

“All I did was take her idea and run with it,” I protested.

“Not according to her,” said Gail, our resident writer. “She tells me that your comments are changing her life.”

I said, “I just met her for coffee and to find out what has been going on. She told me she was thinking about talking to people who stage houses for sale to see if she could get them to display some of her paintings.”

Boy, drawled Bubba, “You’re jus’ like a chicken, you don’t praise your own soup. What did you tell that sweet thing?”

“She’s an artist,” I said. “She’s started painting full time and has been successful at some local art fairs. She’s starting to get interest…not enough to get into a regular gallery yet, but interest. She suggested the staging thing and my marketing brain kicked in.”

“Thas’ all well and good,” said Bubba, “but will you tell us what you told her?”

“This is a perfect example of how I define marketing:

Go where the money is
Sell what they want to buy
Do it again

“I told her to think about the kind of houses that get staged. They are what I call McMansions. They start north of $400,000. Around here most of them have fireplaces.

The one place in a house like that which a painting of size will get noticed is above the fireplace. The painting must be big enough to hang there and command the space. It has to be an original. That’s the only way to get a good price. Big. Original. Commanding. Expensive.

Selling what they want to buy is where the conversation got interesting. She had been making very expensive photo copies of her work and selling those next to the originals.”

“And the originals sold better,” Kate said, finishing for me.”

“Yes, madam sales master,” I replied. “More importantly she had pretty good sales records of the three major styles she was working in. One approach was selling three times better than the others. Visually it was less complex than either of the others but still gave her a great deal of latitude in which to work. She will build an inventory in that series before moving on to the more complex canvases because she will be able to sell them more quickly.

Of course, I suggested she find some way to acquire the names and e-mails of anyone who saw one of her paintings and wanted to see more. For an artist, as foreign as the idea may be, a good CRM system can be crucial. People who buy original art tend to buy again. Staying in touch with them can be the difference between a hobby and career.”

The Takeaway

Go where the money is
Sell what they want to buy
Do it again

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

What Not To Say For Openers!

Posted on 2015/07/11 by Jerry Fletcher

My answer is always the same: “I’m sweet, kind, generous and a regular boy scout. What do you want to sell me?”

12 page How-to booklet includes a complete fill in the blanks script

“Don’t tell me,” said Bubba, “I’m plumb certain the question was the inevitable ‘how are you today’ asked by a person cold-calling on the phone. And I bet it really messed up the caller when you gave that answer.”

“You got it Bubba. How are you today? is the single dumbest thing I believe you can say in a sales script regardless of if it is on the phone or in person.

Kate, you’re the sales expert, why do people do that?”

Kate said, “Okay, wise guy, what do you say to someone to start the conversation when you’ve never talked to them before? In my view you have to do two things:

Put the person you’re talking to in a positive state of mind
Get them to let you ask questions

Chris our digital expert asked, “But what do you actually say to get that done?”

Kate said, “Start with their name and then thank them for taking your call and show some concern for their time by telling them you will be brief. Here’s a script I’ve taught successful sales people for years:

Mr. or Ms. Jones thank you for taking my call. I know you’re busy so I will be brief. Introduce yourself followed by their name

It uses their name. That is the strongest set of words for just about anyone. Said properly they hear the respect. Saying thank you drops their reluctance a notch or two more. Acknowledging that he or she is busy and stating that you will be brief gets you just that little bit more attention. Introducing yourself and then saying their name again starts to build a relationship.”

Bubba asked, “So you’re saying there’s an opening and then an introduction, is that right?”

“You bet,” said Kate, “At that point the best approach I’ve seen comes right out of Fletch’s 30-Second Marketing. You have to do three things in this introduction:

State the problem that most people that buy your product or service are trying to solve
Tell them what you do to solve the problem.
Get them to agree to answer a few questions.

Make sense?”

Chris scratched his head and asked, “Can you give me an example?”

Kate responded, “That training company you worked with is a good example. Here’s what I would say in that case:

You know how companies like yours need to have training that meets state and federal requirements and that you can prove your people have taken?

What we do is provide a fully approved on-line program that keeps track of time spent by every one of your people including all their test scores.

Would that be of interest to you?

Understand?”

The Takeaway:

Start with their name
Thank them
Show concern
Promise to be quick
State the common problem
Tell them how you solve it
Get agreement to ask some questions.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

AutoMagic Marketing

Posted on 2015/06/27 by Jerry Fletcher

“Yes, I have something up my sleeve” I said. The others sat stunned because I’d shown up in a suit.

Rick asked, “Is there a time warp? I haven’t seen you in a suit since somewhere south of 1990.”

“Y’all just haven’t seen him speak then,” said Rob, the southland’s branding poobah we lovingly call Bubba. “When he steps on the platform he looks like he’s been livin’ in tall cotton and sounds like he’s plumb tickled to be there and to preach the gospel of digital marketing to the heathens.”

Gail our writer/editor who always strives for clarity said, “I believe you mean to say that he dresses up nicely and talks about CRM and Automated Marketing enthusiastically, right?”

“Yes Ma’am,” said Bubba.

“And that is what I have up my sleeve” I said. “I started working with Contact Management systems, which have morphed into CRM systems, somewhere around 1990. It took over 20 years for folks to even recognize the term CRM. Most still haven’t figured out what it is. Everybody pretty much knows what SEO means but they mistake things like Mail Chimp and Constant Contact for CRM systems. Those e-mail marketing systems aren’t even close to a full bore Integrated CRM system.”

Kate, our resident sales consultant asked, “So what is up your sleeve?”

“I just came from speaking to group of small business owners at a convention. I offered them a copy of The Golden Triangles of Marketing which shows the absolutely essential data you need for Contact Management plus the basics of a fully integrated automated marketing system plus the seven things anyone can do to give it a personal touch. I have a copy here for each of you.” (Get your copy here)

Chris, our corporate digital guy looked up from scanning the piece and said, “I like the way you showed what is absolutely essential instead of gilding the lily.”

“Thanks Chris,” I replied. I really had to work at finding a way to make it understandable. Remember, this is for small and medium sized companies. Enterprise level organizations have the time, money and resources to throw at marketing but the small business owners just don’t. The point is, most small businesses can take advantage of integrated CRM now because there are products and services out there that are reasonably priced and have some of the sophistication the big guys are employing.”

Kate asked, “What was your speech about?”

“I wrote about this not long ago and I’m continuing to research it. The speech was called The Shortcut to Trust. (See part of it here) What it comes down to is that there is an interesting shift going on in marketing. It may be generational but that is what makes what I’m finding so much more powerful. Younger people seem to not like direct contact, sometimes even from a friend. I’ve watched them make every argument you can imagine to avoid having to respond to a phone call. They literally will send an e-mail to someone that sits 5 feet away. Worse still, they text and don’t check their e-mail. But entrepreneurs quickly learn that people don’t do business with you until they trust you. First they have to get to know you and then like you.

With that younger customer and that younger employee you need what I call AutoMagic Marketing.

You need to use all the capability you can muster to open the dialogue, begin a relationship and get to know each other via automated digital marketing. Then, when you engage with a personal touch, the sales possibilities will be much better.”

The Takeaway:

Digital Marketing integrated with Contact Management is AutoMagic Marketing, the first step on a shortcut to Trust. Add a personal touch and your sales will increase Auto Magically!

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Jerry Fletcher's Secrets of Small Business Marketing

How to build your business, your brand and a life of joy…on and off-line.

Category Archives: Sales

Crossing the Divide.

It Ain’t All About Brand

Put Your Mouth Where The Money Is [Free Takeaway]

Huggin’ and Chalkin’

Content Schemes

Bubba’s Newfangled Branding

Act Your Age!

Coffee, Catchup & Marketing

What Not To Say For Openers!

AutoMagic Marketing