November 23rd, 2009
Are you as amazed as I am about how many people do not return phone calls? Insane.
As marketers, making a connection with prospects and customers is our lifeblood. Think about all the opportunities you have to gain insight into others’ thinking, needs and concerns when you engage in the simple act of conversation.
But, if you participate in what I call ” selective return”, you are probably short-changing opportunity. You know, it’s the practice of pre-determining what the person who left you a message wants, or what the outcome of the call will be. I think that’s just plain egotistical.
A mentor taught me a long time ago that if one wants to build a reputation of respect for other’s time and efforts, return phone calls and do so promptly. This mentor is a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. Ask anyone who knows him and they’ll tell you that he is a master relationship builder … with customers, prospects, competitors, suppliers … because, among other things, he returns phone calls. He once said to me, “you never know when you might meet the person whose call you ignored.”
Sometimes the person you’re calling back may not like the message you’re delivering, but I guarantee they will appreciate the fact that you took the time to call.
Seems so simple, doesn’t it?
Posted in Lead Generation | No Comments »
November 19th, 2009
Do you know this old parable? A man has a large boulder in his back yard, and every day he goes out a hits it with a sledgehammer in a effort to reduce it to ruble so that it can be removed. Each day he hits it one time. This goes on for a year. And on the last day of the year, he swings the sledgehammer, and it cracks and crumbles in to a million small pieces.
The question is: Was it the last strike of the hammer that cracked and crumbled the boulder, or was it the result of the man’s daily efforts?
If you’re not converting as many leads as you would like, chances are you are not going out back and paying attention that that boulder.
Having a lead nurturing program is essential to reducing sales costs and increasing profits.
Companies with organized, systematic programs to reach back to leads are the companies who enjoy an above average conversion rate.
It takes constant attention.
Leads convert at different times for different reasons. And if’ you’re not staying in contact with your leads, engaging them in value-based conversations, then you are short-changing your efforts.
Seth Godin had a great point in his blog today when he asked why more companies don’t consider the lifetime value of a customer. You can’t convert what you ignore.
You’ve paid for the lead. Leverage that spend and increase your marketing your ROI.
(Image courtesy of Corbis)
Posted in Brand, Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing, Market Leading, Segmentation | No Comments »
June 1st, 2009
I often get a quizzical look from prospects and clients when I tell them there is a difference between “generating” leads and “capturing” leads.
What do I mean?
Companies spend money to generate leads, right? ( if you’re in retail substitute customers for the word leads)
Once generated it’s time to maximize return by capturing as much information as possible about that lead. Most important is capturing contact information. With this in hand you can now initiate an organized lead nurturing program. You will likely have to provide something of value in return for that information. It could be a free report, a time sensitive discount offer, etc.
Let’s face it, every lead doesn’t convert immediately. And depending on your particular enterprise, your conversion cycle may be longer than others. You can’t afford to let leads simply evaporate because you couldn’t convert them today.
I’ll talk about the essentials of a lead nurturing program in a future post. Take time to hone your lead capture process and boost your marketing ROI.
Tags: boost your marketing roi, Customers, Lead Capture, Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing, Marketing ROI
Posted in Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing, Return On Marketing Investment | No Comments »
April 29th, 2009
What is the last thing you said in an ad … an email … a conversation with your prospects that actually got them excited about your business or service? If you can’t remember, it’s time to get to work.
Which of these do you think a prospect is more likely to respond to:
1. Our Services Can Save You Money.
2. Every New Customer Saves At Least 35% When They Use Our Service
Obvious, isn’t it?
Think about it … If you’re spending money to generate business, the surest way to boost your marketing ROI is to make certain that what you say, and how you say it is compelling and offers the prospect every reason to make you their preferred choice. It does not matter if you’re selling software, solutions to combat eye wrinkles, engineering services … the same applies.
I know it sounds simple, but simple is often overlooked.
Tags: Email Campaigns, Engineerng Services, Eye Wrinkles, Generate Business, Marketing ROI, Prospects, Software
Posted in Customers, Return On Marketing Investment | No Comments »
April 8th, 2009
Have you ever wondered why so many small businesses were successful years ago? The answer is simple. They really knew their customers.
I’m reading a book about Latonia, Kentucky right now. It’s where I grew up. A couple of chapters are devoted to stories and images of small businesses in the town and how they served their customers.
My grandparents owned and operated a jewelry store in Latonia that my great-grandfather started in the 20’s. 
As I read the book I was reminded by the way my grandparents nurtured their customers. They would (mostly my grandmother) would send handwritten notes to those who made purchases thanking them for their patronage. They also sent birthday and anniversary greetings. If they saw an engagement announcement in the paper they would cut it out, laminate and mail it to the bride’s family with a congratulatory note. Railroaders needed to have their watches regulated (I guess at some point trains ran on time) and they would mail reminders so that the engineers and yardmen would all be in sync.
Here’s the lesson from those stories that can help you boost your marketing ROI.
It’s critical to fully leverage the customer relationship to maximize lifetime value. While my grandmother kept a card file of names and addresses, we can utilize data mining and automated delivery systems to stay in front of our customers. And because my grandparents’ customer universe was small, they could get to know those who traded with them personally. Today, we have sophisticated profiling tools today that help us know our customers and enable customizing communications based on those understandings.
Occasionally it’s good to look back to see where you can go.
Posted in Brand, Digital Markeing, Direct Marketing, Lead Generation, Return On Marketing Investment | No Comments »
March 17th, 2009
Go with me on this one. Look at your phone. What do you see?
I know, buttons … a screen … a handset if it’s on your desk. But, what do you really see?
This may sound elementary, but I see a way to increase marketing ROI. When is the last time you picked up the phone and called your customers?
The simple act of just saying “thank you” for your business is a powerful statement.
Your customer will appreciate the fact that you actually care and took time to say so.
And as you move through the conversation, offer up a couple of business building ideas that have nothing to do with what you do.
Just pay it forward.
Personal contact doesn’t cost you anything but time. If you’re looking for a way to increase your marekting ROI, I can’t think of a better return than you can achieve by picking up the phone and saying, “thanks.”
Posted in Lead Generation | No Comments »
March 9th, 2009
I was in San Francisco for meetings the past few days and one of the city’s growing number of panhandler’s offered up a marketing lesson in cutting through the clutter.
As we were walking to a restaurant on the wharf we encountered no less than eight or nine individuals asking for money. Some had cups they simply held out, some were standing, and others sitting and making a general motion in our direction, suggesting what they wanted.
But one guy had a sign that read: “Why lie. I’m gonna spend it on booze.”
This is not to minimize the struggle of those who find themselves in desperate situations or the issue of alcoholism
But, this particular individual was grabbing the attention of everyone who passed by and his cup was full. Talk about effective direct marketing.
The point is that if you are in a highly competitive, cluttered market, you need to make sure that your message manages to stand out, and as a result you boost your marketing ROI.
Tags: Cutting Through The Clutter, Marketing ROI, San Francisco
Posted in Direct Marketing, Marketing, Return On Marketing Investment | 1 Comment »
March 2nd, 2009
I subscribe to blogs that offer practical insight and inspiration. As a rule I don’t re-blog about what I’ve read, but there’s exception to every rule. Right?
Today, Seth Godin’s blog about “Looking for Yes” was very insightful and inspirational.
Seth contrasts experiences at the post office and FedEx. It’s about the importance of looking for a “yes.” You know, those encounters where someone tells you “no”, what you want is not possible versus those where you hear, “yes”, we can get that done for you.
It made me think about the impact a “yes” can have to boost your marketing ROI. If the common denominator of a customer or prospect interaction is “yes”, it creates incredible leverage for establishing a lasting relationship.
What a mistake it is when employees think of a prospect or customer encounter as an interruption of their work. The customer is the reason for the work.
And as we persevere in this economy, I can’t think of a better way to improve business than finding a way to say, “yes.”
Tags: Boost Marketing ROI, Customer Interaction, FedEx, Seth Godin, Yes
Posted in Customers, Return On Marketing Investment | No Comments »
February 19th, 2009
In the high stakes, winner take all game of internet marketing, if you’re not on the first page of Google, it’s game over.
These marketers go to great lengths, using all types of tools to put themselves in that coveted first position. It’s worth about 40% of the clicks from the prospective searchers.
Let’s assume you have a brick and mortar business. Can you imagine if 40% of the traffic driving past your store were to stop and come in. What would that mean to your business?
You want your prospective customers to find you, right? Why not take the time and resources to ensure that they can do so. Managing your Web site’s effectiveness is an excellent objective if you want to boost your marketing ROI.
Search engine optimization is certainly the first step. But there are many more legitimate tools you can and should use to get your site on Google’s first page. Google makes it easy to follow their guidelines.
Even if you are in a crowded space like weight loss or eye skin care or lasik surgery, you can separate yourself from the competition and make it easy for your prospective customers to find you.
Tags: Eye Skin Care, Google, Lasik Surgery, Prospective Customers, SEO, Weight Loss
Posted in Customers, On-Line Marketing, Return On Marketing Investment | 2 Comments »
February 2nd, 2009
So the groundhog says there will be six more weeks of winter. But, six more weeks of winter may mean something entirely different to someone in Waterville, Maine than it does to a guy in San Diego.
And that’s the lesson on this first Monday of February.
A predictive model is not “one size fits all.” You have to understand your audience.
To the person in Maine who has been buried under five feet of snow since November, winter won’t be anywhere near over in six weeks. In San Diego, it will probably be just another 74 degree day accented by a nice soft breeze.
Beware of marketing using broad assumptions. Segmenting your customers and prospects into specific categories and then applying that understanding to your marketing efforts will boost marketing ROI.
And, today’s economic reality mandates that companies get maximum return out of every marketing dollar.
Now’s the time to market aggressively with a intelligence-driven campaigns that resonate appropriately with the target.
Remember, you have to power to create your own marketing forecast!
Tags: Boost Marketing ROI, Groundhog Day, Intelligence-Driven marketing, Marketing ROI, San Diego, Waterville Maine
Posted in Customers, Marketing Intelligence, Return On Marketing Investment, Segmentation | No Comments »
