No matter what line of business you are in, sticking to a well thought-out marketing strategy can give you a competitive advantage, especially as we close out one of the toughest years on record. The fact is no direct mail, ad or press release can stand on its own—building relationships by following up consistently is the key to successfully drumming up business, no matter what the economic climate is like.
It can seem much easier to simply send one follow-up e-mail or call once rather than several times to really get a prospective client’s attention. There are a whole handful of reasons why we don’t follow up as rigorously as we should, even though technology has made it tremendously easier to communicate more frequently than ever before.
It’s important now more than ever to set aside that fear of rejection and stop taking it so personally. When a prospect turns down your product or service, they are doing exactly that—turning down your product/service, not you.
Following up more than once also makes you stand out to the prospect simply because most people do not. Most people don’t like cold calling and don’t do it. But consider this. A call following two direct mail pieces is not a cold call at all; it’s a warm offer to continue the conversation.
I’ve written about this concept before but it’s worth repeating—opportunity favors those who are knocking at the door consistently. Circumstances change almost every second of every day. That prospect that had no need for your product or services last week may now be looking for exactly what you have to offer.
Unsure where to start? Let CMA know if we can help you develop the key messages and strategies needed before you even pick up the phone.
Jeffrey Barnhart
CMA President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A World Without Marketing
It’s October and 2010 projections for some businesses may continue to be even scarier than even the goriest Halloween horror flick. But what really scares me as a veteran of the marketing industry is how some business owners may be taking their eye off the ball and losing focus of what really generates sales—creative marketing programs.
Imagine for a minute a world without the added spice marketing brings the marketplace. Without the creativity of advertising or PR stunts, the world would be a boring place. Your trip to the supermarket would be vastly different, for one—no variety, no competition and probably no special sales or incentives.
Just think, had you never been introduced to the wide variety of advertising characters on TV—whether it may be Juan Valdes, Tony the Tiger or the Geico Cavemen—you might have never developed brand loyalty or been exposed to quality products and services. Whether you’re aware or not, the creative minds in the marketing profession inspire your decisions with their chuckle-worthy anecdotes that people often can’t wait to tell others about. “Hey have you seen the commercial with the…” would no doubt be eliminated from the usual cocktail party conversation, and Super Bowls would simply be focused just on the football game instead of the great sponsorship spectacle it is become in recent years.
The business-to-business market would be even scarier, as it’s often the creativity of a marketing program that draws new business partners and reminds the most loyal supporters why they got involved with your company in the first place.
Times are still tough, but those who continue to market to their customers in clever ways, challenging them to consider something new or restore their faith in their own personal brand loyalty, are the companies that will remain ahead of the game once the recession fully lifts.
Jeffrey Barnhart
CMA President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
Imagine for a minute a world without the added spice marketing brings the marketplace. Without the creativity of advertising or PR stunts, the world would be a boring place. Your trip to the supermarket would be vastly different, for one—no variety, no competition and probably no special sales or incentives.
Just think, had you never been introduced to the wide variety of advertising characters on TV—whether it may be Juan Valdes, Tony the Tiger or the Geico Cavemen—you might have never developed brand loyalty or been exposed to quality products and services. Whether you’re aware or not, the creative minds in the marketing profession inspire your decisions with their chuckle-worthy anecdotes that people often can’t wait to tell others about. “Hey have you seen the commercial with the…” would no doubt be eliminated from the usual cocktail party conversation, and Super Bowls would simply be focused just on the football game instead of the great sponsorship spectacle it is become in recent years.
The business-to-business market would be even scarier, as it’s often the creativity of a marketing program that draws new business partners and reminds the most loyal supporters why they got involved with your company in the first place.
Times are still tough, but those who continue to market to their customers in clever ways, challenging them to consider something new or restore their faith in their own personal brand loyalty, are the companies that will remain ahead of the game once the recession fully lifts.
Jeffrey Barnhart
CMA President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Following Up After the Show: A Crucial Part of the Sales Process
The tradeshow was a success. You’ve made connections, had great conversations and even exchanged contact information with a variety of potential leads. Now you’re back in the office with the goal of turning those prospects into clients. Following up with leads you’ve obtained after a tradeshow is a crucial part of the sales process that is often missed and even overlooked. The conversations you’ve had should not stop once the show is over, as following up is another important step in helping to secure new clients. Consider these tips for following up after a tradeshow:
Timing
Timing is everything. Once you return from a tradeshow, it is important to follow up with any leads you have obtained. The sooner you follow up with prospects, the better chance you and your company have of being fresh in their mind as well as any information you have provided regarding your company’s products or services. If you follow up a few days or even a week later, you run the risk of them forgetting about you and your message, further delaying your progress and the relationships you’ve worked so hard to create.
Use the Appropriate Form of Communication
Whether you follow up via phone, email or mail, make sure you understand the best way the prospect would like to be contacted. Nothing annoys people more than being contacted in a way that does not suit the manner in which they prefer to receive information. This can also result in a loss or deletion of information about your company and its products or services if not filtered through the appropriate channel.
Offer Something New
Everyone enjoys receiving new information, especially if it relates directly to them. When following up, make sure to offer something new, whether it is a new success story, additional product features, etc. This will help give you another topic to discuss with the prospect as well as further engage them in your conversation and your message. Also, make sure the information is of interest to them, this shows you’ve done your homework and are truly thinking about their individual needs.
The above tips will help you continue the conversation with potential tradeshow leads, in an effort to turn them from prospect to client. Conversation never stops, so why should you?
Erin Higgins
Manager, Client Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com
Timing
Timing is everything. Once you return from a tradeshow, it is important to follow up with any leads you have obtained. The sooner you follow up with prospects, the better chance you and your company have of being fresh in their mind as well as any information you have provided regarding your company’s products or services. If you follow up a few days or even a week later, you run the risk of them forgetting about you and your message, further delaying your progress and the relationships you’ve worked so hard to create.
Use the Appropriate Form of Communication
Whether you follow up via phone, email or mail, make sure you understand the best way the prospect would like to be contacted. Nothing annoys people more than being contacted in a way that does not suit the manner in which they prefer to receive information. This can also result in a loss or deletion of information about your company and its products or services if not filtered through the appropriate channel.
Offer Something New
Everyone enjoys receiving new information, especially if it relates directly to them. When following up, make sure to offer something new, whether it is a new success story, additional product features, etc. This will help give you another topic to discuss with the prospect as well as further engage them in your conversation and your message. Also, make sure the information is of interest to them, this shows you’ve done your homework and are truly thinking about their individual needs.
The above tips will help you continue the conversation with potential tradeshow leads, in an effort to turn them from prospect to client. Conversation never stops, so why should you?
Erin Higgins
Manager, Client Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Trade Shows: the Original Social Networking Sites
A 2008 study of business-to-business marketers by MarketingProfs.com and Forrester Research found trade shows rank among the top three most frequent marketing tactics for cost-effective lead generation, customer loyalty and prospect awareness. A year later, the 2009 iteration of the survey found 58% of the same marketers are considering a reduction in their trade show budgets.
Trimming budgets may be an economic necessity in trying timers but trade shows remain one the most valuable and effective opportunities for face-to-face interaction with customers and prospects. Trade events additionally provide essential continuing education and networking opportunities for employees to help them excel.
By all means, review the trade shows you attend to be certain each event is targeted to and well-attended by your audiences. Make sure you’re getting the most ROI out of your trade show investment. Conduct pre-show outreach to attendees and give them a reason to visit your booth. Leverage the significant public relations opportunities by contacting trade media attending a show to schedule interviews with your spokesperson at the event. Make sure exhibit booth staff are well-trained in key presentation, sales and marketing messages as well as the goals of event attendance.
I agree with John Baldoni, author of Leadership at Work, who points out that “meetings are far more than a collection of speeches or talking points. They are an opportunity for people of similar interests to come together and share their stories about how they are coping as well as what they are doing to increase business.” The opportunity for idea sharing Baldoni refers to is the heart of many American businesses, and may very well hold the key for pulling struggling companies out of economic turmoil.
Trade shows mean business, and business means revenue. The bottom line—scaling back on costs might be necessary, but cutting off employees and your company from sales, networking and educational opportunities is not.
Erin Higgins
Manager, Client Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com
Trimming budgets may be an economic necessity in trying timers but trade shows remain one the most valuable and effective opportunities for face-to-face interaction with customers and prospects. Trade events additionally provide essential continuing education and networking opportunities for employees to help them excel.
By all means, review the trade shows you attend to be certain each event is targeted to and well-attended by your audiences. Make sure you’re getting the most ROI out of your trade show investment. Conduct pre-show outreach to attendees and give them a reason to visit your booth. Leverage the significant public relations opportunities by contacting trade media attending a show to schedule interviews with your spokesperson at the event. Make sure exhibit booth staff are well-trained in key presentation, sales and marketing messages as well as the goals of event attendance.
I agree with John Baldoni, author of Leadership at Work, who points out that “meetings are far more than a collection of speeches or talking points. They are an opportunity for people of similar interests to come together and share their stories about how they are coping as well as what they are doing to increase business.” The opportunity for idea sharing Baldoni refers to is the heart of many American businesses, and may very well hold the key for pulling struggling companies out of economic turmoil.
Trade shows mean business, and business means revenue. The bottom line—scaling back on costs might be necessary, but cutting off employees and your company from sales, networking and educational opportunities is not.
Erin Higgins
Manager, Client Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com
Friday, September 18, 2009
Multiple Events Prove to Be No Problem for CMA Event Planners
Multiple Events Prove to Be No Problem for CMA Event Planners
This week, several members of the CMA staff worked diligently out of the office to provide the expert on-site event management our association clients have come to expect. The fall conference and tradeshow season is officially underway!
PAICR’s 11th Annual Conference
CMA started off the week with a two-day conference in New York City for PAICR (the Professional Association for Investment Communications Resources). The CMA team created an atmosphere perfect for the essential networking and education this niche of the financial industry depends on, even amidst the slight commotion in the Wall Street area due to a visit by the President on Monday. CMA’s PR team coordinated media attention from key industry publications who reported on the lively discussions on the future of financial marketing.
IFPUG’s 4th Annual ISMA Conference & Workshops
Three other members of the event management team spent the week in Chicago with some of the most technically-advanced minds in the nation at the International Software Measurement and Analysis (ISMA) Conference, hosted by the International Function Points Users Group (IFPUG). At Chicago’s historic Palmer House Hilton, CMA’s IFPUG account team coordinated a series of workshops and presentations for the best of the best in software development. Attendance was boosted by CMA’s effective marketing campaign prior to the conference that played on the skyscrapers of the city.
ICMA’s Green Summit II and Fall Academy Workshops
The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) held back-to-back events this week, also in the Chicago area, starting with the association’s Green Summit II: The Greening of the Factory. Attendees felt they benefitted tremendously from the perspectives of major lighting manufacturers, waste management experts and environmental packaging professionals. All speakers were arranged and promoted by the CMA event management staff, keeping in mind the association’s newly-created Green Task Force’s quest to determine an ecolabelling system for the industry. Later in the week, ICMA conducted its annual Fall Academy Workshops, which examined multiple trends in the card manufacturing industry. Next week, the seasoned CMA event team will travel to Dubai for the association’s first-ever Middle East Workshop and then on to Rome, Italy for the European Workshop in mid-October.
This week, several members of the CMA staff worked diligently out of the office to provide the expert on-site event management our association clients have come to expect. The fall conference and tradeshow season is officially underway!
PAICR’s 11th Annual Conference
CMA started off the week with a two-day conference in New York City for PAICR (the Professional Association for Investment Communications Resources). The CMA team created an atmosphere perfect for the essential networking and education this niche of the financial industry depends on, even amidst the slight commotion in the Wall Street area due to a visit by the President on Monday. CMA’s PR team coordinated media attention from key industry publications who reported on the lively discussions on the future of financial marketing.
IFPUG’s 4th Annual ISMA Conference & Workshops
Three other members of the event management team spent the week in Chicago with some of the most technically-advanced minds in the nation at the International Software Measurement and Analysis (ISMA) Conference, hosted by the International Function Points Users Group (IFPUG). At Chicago’s historic Palmer House Hilton, CMA’s IFPUG account team coordinated a series of workshops and presentations for the best of the best in software development. Attendance was boosted by CMA’s effective marketing campaign prior to the conference that played on the skyscrapers of the city.
ICMA’s Green Summit II and Fall Academy Workshops
The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) held back-to-back events this week, also in the Chicago area, starting with the association’s Green Summit II: The Greening of the Factory. Attendees felt they benefitted tremendously from the perspectives of major lighting manufacturers, waste management experts and environmental packaging professionals. All speakers were arranged and promoted by the CMA event management staff, keeping in mind the association’s newly-created Green Task Force’s quest to determine an ecolabelling system for the industry. Later in the week, ICMA conducted its annual Fall Academy Workshops, which examined multiple trends in the card manufacturing industry. Next week, the seasoned CMA event team will travel to Dubai for the association’s first-ever Middle East Workshop and then on to Rome, Italy for the European Workshop in mid-October.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
CMA Launches Second Seminar in Power Series
Check out CMA’s upcoming Power Series! - A free interactive seminar taking place for business owners and marketing executives in the Central New Jersey area. In the "Tricks of the Tradeshow” series, CMA Manager Client Services, Erin Higgins will discuss how to get the most out of the overall tradeshow experience.
What: Tricks of the Tradeshow
When: Tuesday, October 20 or Thursday, October 22
8:30-9:30am
Where: CMA’s Headquarters
191 Clarksville Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
Why: The series will discuss how to optimize the way you plan and implement your next tradeshow exhibit by learning to avoid the money-wasters that may be keeping you from freeing up budgeted dollars. Attendees will also learn: what to do before, during and after the tradeshow, how to create a welcoming booth, understand rental, labor and shipping costs and how to maximize them and the importance of consistent branding. Join CMA's marketing team for this event and find out how CMA can help you maximize your tradeshow experience.
Email info@cmasolutions.com or call 609.297.2235 to sign-up. Since space is limited, pre-registration for the event is required. Do not miss out on this valuable marketing opportunity!
Erin Higgins
Manager, Client Services
www.GoToCMA.com
What: Tricks of the Tradeshow
When: Tuesday, October 20 or Thursday, October 22
8:30-9:30am
Where: CMA’s Headquarters
191 Clarksville Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
Why: The series will discuss how to optimize the way you plan and implement your next tradeshow exhibit by learning to avoid the money-wasters that may be keeping you from freeing up budgeted dollars. Attendees will also learn: what to do before, during and after the tradeshow, how to create a welcoming booth, understand rental, labor and shipping costs and how to maximize them and the importance of consistent branding. Join CMA's marketing team for this event and find out how CMA can help you maximize your tradeshow experience.
Email info@cmasolutions.com or call 609.297.2235 to sign-up. Since space is limited, pre-registration for the event is required. Do not miss out on this valuable marketing opportunity!
Erin Higgins
Manager, Client Services
www.GoToCMA.com
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Big Chill
Like every President of their own business, it’s hard not to feel puzzled by the uncertainty in today’s business world. The truth is today’s business environment is different than it was a few years ago because of the consolidation of roles and possibly, the creation of new positions. Many executives and managers new to this level of power feel paralyzed, FROZEN even, by uncertainty, leading to long periods of indecision.
Aldonna Ambler, The Growth StrategistTM who has helped literally hundreds of companies live up to their potential over the course of her career, recently became CMA’s strategic partner as we advise our clients on the right path to take. She says: How can you be an effective leader if you don’t want to take a chance, risk failure or disappoint anyone? And she’s right.
Businesses are fluid and always changing due to outside forces you may be unable to control. CMA’s MarketectureTM process, analyzes the best ways to position a company through marketing and advises company executives how to deal with outside forces such as technological advances, political/policy changes and socio-cultural implications. This strategy is needed now more than ever as the recession causes us all to rethink the way we approach marketing and redefine our value propositions.
Ask yourself this—will you ever know when the right time is to take a risk? Is being proactive really a risk anyway? Maybe forgetting about the “all or nothing” approach to marketing your business is the key to thawing out your business’ big freeze.
Jeffrey Barnhart
CMA President and CEO
www.GoToCMA.com
Aldonna Ambler, The Growth StrategistTM who has helped literally hundreds of companies live up to their potential over the course of her career, recently became CMA’s strategic partner as we advise our clients on the right path to take. She says: How can you be an effective leader if you don’t want to take a chance, risk failure or disappoint anyone? And she’s right.
Businesses are fluid and always changing due to outside forces you may be unable to control. CMA’s MarketectureTM process, analyzes the best ways to position a company through marketing and advises company executives how to deal with outside forces such as technological advances, political/policy changes and socio-cultural implications. This strategy is needed now more than ever as the recession causes us all to rethink the way we approach marketing and redefine our value propositions.
Ask yourself this—will you ever know when the right time is to take a risk? Is being proactive really a risk anyway? Maybe forgetting about the “all or nothing” approach to marketing your business is the key to thawing out your business’ big freeze.
Jeffrey Barnhart
CMA President and CEO
www.GoToCMA.com
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