Sales Begin Before Your Salesman Calls

SALES BEGIN BEFORE YOUR SALESMAN CALLS

This decades-old ad absolutely hits the mark. It was produced by McGraw Hill Magazines and was meant to entice corporate advertisers to think about the power of advertising. You may or may not consider marketing important in this economy. I'm sure you can recognize the difficulty of having your salesman face a cold, uninterested stinker of a potential customer, like this guy. If a company chooses to ignore the benefits of creating a positive brand image, they take the risk of handicapping their sales force when they are trying to make a sale.

Remember, Everyone is a Consumer.

What consumer doesn't want to do business with someone they know and respect? This is why many corporations have found success in marketing their corporation versus purely marketing their products. Customers measure Brand Equity through Brand Associations to determine who the corporation is and what they represent. Are they good stewards? How do they treat their customers and their employees? Are they community oriented? All these factors serve to increase Brand Equity and employee morale. Seeing their company name in the media builds pride among a company's workers. Ok, start from the beginning.

First and foremost you must Set a Clear Objective.

What is it you want your marketing efforts to accomplish? Analyze the task by asking who do you want to reach and what do you want them to do once you've reached them? With all the new electronic media and proven traditional media available, it is critical to choose the most effective and least expensive avenues available. In some cases pure Public Relations may suffice.

There is no one size fits all.

Social and Viral media are very affordable, but may not work to target your audience. Even if these methods reach your audience, they may not be able to stand alone without the support of more traditional tactics.

So, once you determine the task, it is necessary to Establish A Budget.

You don't want to spend more than you can afford. You can't plan the building of a house without the architect knowing the dollars available. Once your architect designs a house, if you can't afford it, he can't remove rooms and expect the structure to stand. The same holds for a marketing budget and plan. After a Budget and Media plan is developed, it's time for the fun stuff. The Creative. Number one, know who you are talking to and what they're looking for. Your potential and existing customers want to realize a benefit from doing business with you.

This benefit is known as the Value Proposition.

This message needs to be easily communicated and understood. The graphics should never get in the way of the overall message. Yes, you want your ad to be noticed, but in a good way. Stand out from the crowd by offering information that the recipient wants and needs. Most foreign firms talk features. They chest pound how they are the best in their category. In the USA it is more important to sell the benefits to the customer. Americans want to know, "What's in it for me?".

Remember, it ain't creative unless it sells.

Always, and I mean always end with a call to action which enables you to collect information. Open a dialog with your audience. The worst advertising is that which leaves a consumer without a response mechanism. How would you ever know if your advertising is working or if you've made the right media choice without feedback? If something is not working after giving it at least 3 impressions, change the message and/or the placement. After over 35 years of being in the advertising business, I can tell you it's not magic. It takes work. Research and Testing are your best friends. Just like any good friend, they will keep you from making the same mistakes over and over.

Sales begin before your salesman calls.