I often describe our approach to marketing as based on two simple principles. They are 1) the flow of information and 2) the exchange of information. The exchange of information leading to a resolution... this is how we describe sales.
At the end of the day, we are all in sales. Some organizations are order-taking businesses and some have to work a sales equation in order to get new business. (Misunderstanding how media buys works with this is a whole other blog but, let me say, this is a major small business problem.) When marketing a small business, particularly a professional service, it is vital to understand how the sales equation is enabled by marketing. This is how you get a truly in-concert marketing and sales program that results in sales.
So, in a nutshell, this is how we apply this principle to marketing. Sales is the exchange of information leading to a resolution. This requires participation from two parties: someone or something from your business and the prospect or prospective patient. In other words, we want to start and maintain as many conversations as possible. This gives your sales person a chance to use their selling skills to make sales. Very little business closes itself, so participation is key.
In the old days, a sales person was limited by capacity, or the number of relationships he/she could maintain at one time. Now, we have databases and communications technology that help us increase our capacity. But this is really only more bandwidth on what you can manage, it has little to do with how much you can really handle in terms of closing business. So, prioritization is now the key to greater sales productivity. We want your sales people to spend the majority of their time exchanging information that can result in immediate sales.
So, what and how should our sales people be prioritizing? Clearly, the prospects that are nearest to closing demand the first, best attention and other prospects can be channeled into a “pipeline,” or possible down-the-road business. The key to a future flow of business is to establish as big a pipeline as possible. We like to call this your Circle of Influence. (You can read more about Circle of Influence in Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People). However, this is much more than a list of names. It is a group of people who still require the exchange of information leading to a resolution, only with a little less urgency. Stop exchanging information with them and they will get their information somewhere else. So, it is necessary to use technology to allow you to keep as many people warm as possible.
So... Key Marketing Objective: Keep prospects and sources of referrals in your circle of influence receiving information. Blogs, social networking, email marketing... these are all ways to use technology to broadcast your information on a one-to-one basis and set yourself up for both direct and indirect responses.
Once you have some information that someone has shown interest... they have clicked through on a topic you emailed them... they have expressed some interest directly... they give you indications that they are listening... they become fans on your Facebook page... you can make rifleshot lists for follow-up. This is a marketing step that requires some sales support. It requires participation and pro-activity.
Let’s say you email market a general list about a specific topic. By clicking through to read about that topic, they indicate some interest. That shorter and refined interest list can be contacted directly with a friendly follow up call with a related offer or more information, or a question about their interest. In this scenario, a pattern of click-throughs indicates a greater interest. If someone continually clicks through on blogs about a specific cosmetic procedure, don’t you think that indicates some interest? Ok, the marketing part is done. Time to hand off to sales. With some sales follow up on those more defined targets, the chances of taking the exchange of information to a more meaningful level improve. Now, you are back to sales. Be proactive. Go get the new business.
This is just one example of how measuring technologies, understanding how messages work and having marketing activities that support a sales plan can make your marketing and sales more effective. Using these and other One-to-One Marketing techniques can fill your pipeline and refine the time your sales people spend on selling. Less time wasted, more ground covered, better prospects... it all equals more business. You just have to coordinate the marketing systems and sales.
We teach you to do this in my coaching program. If you are ready to run your business like a sales organization that is more efficient and more profitable, installing techniques like this will help greatly. If you are interested in learning more in my coaching program, please let me know. The cost is only $300/month for coaching and usually it pays for itself right away when we cut wasteful parts of your current marketing plan. If you are interested in my coaching program, please email me at donald@dogstarmedia.com.
