sales + marketing

Twittering?

Larry Mersereau — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:25:08 -0400

I recentely started twittering ( follow me: promopower ) and it's an interesting challenge to create a message within the 140 character limitation.
It's a great test of copy writing skills, actually. It's a little bit like the old question: Can you fit it on a t-shert?

Marketing in Changing and Challenging Times

Larry Mersereau — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:53:23 -0500

Consumer confidence is at an all-time low. Businesses are cutting their expenses to the bone. So how are you supposed to sell anything to anyone in these challenging times?
The first thing I want you to do is get focused. It may sound counterintuitive to say that you should shrink your market at a time like this. People haven't stopped buying. They've stopped buying promiscuously. They're not taking big risks with their money.
That means they want to buy from specialists. Experts.

Who Gets It? Savvy Trade Show Exhibitors & Their 5 Rules For Success

Alder Crocker — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:04:42 -0500

I recently returned from the bi-annual Professional Materials (ProMat) trade show at Chicago’s McCormick Center, and it was quickly evident that many companies have lost sight of the 5 rules of B2B trade show process.

Time to Renegotiate

Larry Mersereau — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:01:05 -0500

If ever there was a time to be negotiating (and renegotiating) contracts with vendors for the coming year, now is it.

Before you read further, I want to state this: You should not look at this as an opportunity to take advantage of anyone. You should be looking to make deals that benefit both parties.

Let’s start with all of the places where you buy marketing support and/or advertising. The newspaper, your web site host, mailing house, radio and TV stations... anyone who has been receiving revenue from you on a regular basis is fair game.

Reach vs Repetition

Larry Mersereau — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:25:58 -0500

If you're marketing on a finite budget... and aren't we all these days... it's important to be aware of the constant balancing act between reach and repetition.

Reach is how many people you are trying to put your message in front of. Repetition is how many times they'll see it.

A lot of my clients use direct mail, so the illustration is pretty simple for them. We're talking about how many pieces they mail out, and how often they do it. They have a specific amount of money in the budget, and they have a specific cost per piece for mailing.

Who Gets "It"? The Alliance For Climate Protection Doesn’t

Alder Crocker — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:21:25 -0500

I like looking at logos. The good and the not so good, and trying to discern how they were conceived, the strategic thought process that went into developing the strategy, and then into the design itself.

But a few months ago I read in Brandweek the convoluted psychobabble about the genesis of the we/me logo for The Alliance for Climate Protection and was left with the feeling that the people who contributed to the article have a relationship with mirrors that is unhealthy.

Who Gets "It"? NFL Players Association Doesn’t

Alder Crocker — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:15:03 -0500

I have never accused myself of, nor misled myself about, being in tune with the strategic rationale of some marketers because I wasn't in those meetings, but I simply can’t explain the new campaign for the NFL Players Association and the most recent bind-in in this week’s Brandweek.

Yes, I understand that the NFLPA is trying to re-position itself away from being the protectors of the rights of the commonly perceived overpaid, unsophisticated and off-the-field, one step away from jail NFL player.

Private Equity Firms Overlook Some Basics – Parts II and III

Alder Crocker — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:28:22 -0500

If, on average, only 30% of companies bought or invested in by private equity firms achieve the success the PE company envisioned when the investment was made, one has to wonder why those firms spend little or no time and effort trying to increase the sales of their new purchase through better marketing strategies.

Who Gets “It?” Private Equity Firms Overlook Some Basics - Part I

Alder Crocker — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:12:37 -0500

Buying or investing in a range of strategically similar companies, and then combining IT and back office operations, is a common practice for private equity firms to reduce overall costs of ownership and wring out more cash flow among all properties.

Introducing large or “important” potential same-sector customers to those PE-owned companies by leveraging relationships is another. Of course, there are many more that go along with those, but the collective goal is to increase the value of that company and either sell it off later or take it public.

Raising Capital via Private Placements – Myth or Real Option?

Mark Alexander — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:23:03 -0400

In a day and age where venture capital investments require vast financial return potential, bank loans cannot be obtained without an unconditional personal guarantee, and high-interest credit cards have become a mainstream source of financing for bootstrapping entrepreneurs, many are turning to private placements or private offerings in hopes of a much needed capital infusion for their businesses.

Marketing Savvy Vital For Real Estate Agents Today

John Benson — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:20:56 -0400

Real estate agents constantly need to adjust to the changes in the real estate industry. With 83% of consumers with real estate needs starting their research online and an equal 80% or more of consumers working with the first agent that establishes contact, the competition to occupy online "real estate" for real estate agents has never been more important.

More Leads = More Business

Larry Mersereau — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:27:59 -0400

Leads are the fuel that makes your financial machine run. You must constantly add new names of prospective customers to your pipeline, then work on taking as many of them as you can to the next step in the dance: customer.

Don’t just sit back and wait for leads to show up. Institutional advertising gets your name out, maybe even makes you "well known" in your market. But it does nothing to generate real live leads.

A Better 2009

Larry Mersereau — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:53:44 -0400

There's no doubt in my mind that 2009 will be a better year for business.

The economy will turn around, if it has not already done so before the end of 2008. Many businesses will disappear in the mean time, some closing their doors, some just dropping out of sight. It's those "dropping out of sight" businesses I want to talk to you about...and I want to make sure that you're not one of them.

Who Gets "It"? Companies That Understand The Value Of Their Dealers

Alder Crocker — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:22:00 -0400

With all that is available to us today, why is it that a company's greatest asset can more often than not, be its most under-utilized?

Short-sightedness? Tunnel vision? Bravado? Strict adherence to long-standing senior management foibles? Or a simple strategy that only "we" know how to truly sell our products better?

All of the above, and in many different combinations.

Who Gets "It"? Only A Few Industrial Manufacturers - Part II

Alder Crocker — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 22:18:06 -0400

If many manufacturers and their sales teams sell products and not solutions, does that mean that their customers buy products too, and not solutions?

Who Gets "It?" Not Political Admen

Alder Crocker — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:39:34 -0400

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

Every four years, the country is over-run with political ads from presidential hopefuls, and for the most part, they are aggressive, in-your-face and pushing the limits of the truth....all supposedly to make a point about the other candidate's inability to govern and make decisions that are in our collective best interests.

Personality

Larry Mersereau — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:17:39 -0400

I want you to give some serious thought to a specific part of your branding: your personality. Not your own, that of your business.

Yes, your business has a personality. If you don’t know what it is, ask your customers. What’s it like to do business with us? Is it fun? Boring? Do we come across as overly eager? Not eager enough? Are we grumpy? Slow? Fast? Easy to work with? I bet you’ve bought from someone in your lifetime who was very difficult to work with. Do you ever want to buy from them again?

IT Consulting Business Client Attraction Secrets

Joshua Feinberg — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:20:32 -0400

Owners of IT consulting businesses usually have very valuable technical skills. Yet these same IT consultants often fall short when it comes to business know-how, and specifically how to attract clients.

Who Gets "It"? Only A Few Industrial Manufacturers

Alder Crocker — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:21:17 -0400

In terms of marketing and sales techniques, the vast majority of US-based industrial manufacturers continue to live in the past. And so do their agencies or in-house departments.

Sell products on features and benefits. Show big pictures of the products in use. Hammer home reliability, durability, engineering, quality, productivity and cost efficiencies. And then repeat with the next, new and improved! product.

Should you try Mobile Advertising?

Larry Mersereau — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:54:07 -0400

If you sell to anyone under about 30 years old (and that number gets bigger every year) you must start looking at mobile advertising.

Mobile advertising is placing your message on mobile phones. It can be as simple as sending text messages to a list of people who have asked you to keep them up to date on specials (How about a weekly special text message?), to as complicated as sending a widget that lets them play a game that features your brand.

Should you try Mobile Advertising?

Larry Mersereau — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:46:37 -0400

If you sell to anyone under about 30 years old (and that number gets bigger every year) you must start looking at mobile advertising.

Stubborn vs Consistent

Larry Mersereau — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:26:22 -0400

I've always preached continuity in your marketing and advertising. By that I mean that you establish a certain look and fee (and sound if applicable). You establish a color theme, general layout, borders, type faces, colors... and you stick with them accross all media. Your mobile site looks just like your web site. Your print ad looks like your direct mail piece. Your TV ad uses the same voice over and background music as your radio spots.

Who Gets "It"? Marketers That Develop Brand "Programs", Not "Campaigns"

Alder Crocker — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:57:13 -0400

Marketing schizophrenia can be defined in many ways, but one of the most compelling barometers I've found is an advertiser's consistent creation of short term "campaigns". (And of course, use of the term brand campaign.)

Live networking

Larry Mersereau — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:37:40 -0400

Lots of people are talking about social networking. They're generally talking about the online version of what people have done for hundreds of years: interact with numerous people, realizing that some will become valuable relationships (personal or business) and some will not.

Who Gets "It"? Most Broadcasting Companies Sound Off and I Shut Down

Alder Crocker — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:44:24 -0400

It's been an accepted practice for many years, but the time has come for broadcast companies and their advertisers to change the "tricks" they play on us TV viewers.

Because they are losing eyeballs and therefore potentially lucrative sales.

I am talking about how most channels increase the volume as soon as the show goes on commercial break. And the increase isn't just a few decibels, it's deafening in many cases.