Date post: | 21-Oct-2014 |
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Understanding Lead Generation; As a Growth Strategy
Presented By: Chris Scafario
2010 NIST- Manufacturing Extension Partnership Conference
About Your Instructors:
Group Introduction:
Who Are You?
Where Do You Work?
What Do You Do?
What Are Your Client’s “BIG” Challenges?
Why Are You Here Today?
Why are We Here?
In 2008, a NIST Study of owners of small and midsized companies identified:
6 of 10 need a process for Cost Savings
8 of 10 need a process for Growing Sales
Our Response…
In an effort to offset the economic challenges of the early 1990s, DVIRC introduced Lean Thinking as a means to achieve world-class operational efficiencies and help our region sustain its lucrative manufacturing base.
In 2009, we were faced with a new series of challenges that required the inclusion of some new solutions. That is why we developed a new base of best practice services designed to actively address the need for sustainable pools of diversified revenue.
Our Solutions to Today’s Challenges:
Web
Marketing Lead
Generation
Tactical
Support Marketing &
Sales Planning ResearchStrategy
Our Results…
Over the course of the last 18 months, we’ve helped more than 40 clients establish a distinct value proposition, identify growth markets, and grow sales by as much as 25%.
This agency model provides a one-stop-resource for sales and marketing solutions. As a result we have achieved a 60%+ client retention and migration rate for our consulting services.
Our Results…
This suite of right-sized consulting services drove a 600% increase in departmental income, reinventing DVIRC’s market penetration and ultimately succeeded where all other organizational efforts fell short.
Going Into This…
We knew standardization would be the necessary foundation for continuous improvement.
We’ve learned an agency approach trumps the traditional learn-and-do model when it comes to managing and fulfilling a structured sales and marketing effort.
We Introduce a Structured Process
Our Process for Business Growth
Profile Target Opportunities
Build Databases
Create Messaging
Communicate to Target Markets
Get Sales Appointments
Our Process Goes To Work On:
Identifying specific growth opportunities to match competencies
Collecting purchasing intelligence related to specific decision makers
Building a call-screened database, complete with emails
Creating reusable marketing collateral to support active sales efforts
Real-time Project Management and follow-up
Securing qualified Leads!
In Our Travels
ABC Industries Inc.Good People Selling Industrial Items to Industries Since 1965
Lifestyle Business (more than 60% are less than $3 Million in sales)
Aging Boomers – with a limited/nonexistent succession plan
D.I.Y. Mentality- they view the need for outside help as a weakness
Over the last 18 months, sales are off by 20% or more
Postpone or avoid game changing decisions
They believe inaction is a legitimate course of action
They lost a lot of their own personal wealth and are not happy about it!
We All Know These Folks…
“We used to be a very successful business until, China came along.”
“We had 6 client’s but 1 good one the made up 85% of our sales.”
“Our account’s liked us so, Word of mouth was all we needed to grow”
“Last recession we sat things out…I got rid of some of the deadweight and we went from a 20 person shop down to 10 and we are still here.”
“If I am going to spend money, it should be on equipment. That’s what’ll make me money… You guys are just an expense.”
“I have a guy I pay that manages our office. I can tell him to pick up the phone and call some folks and get us some work.”
They Compete Where They Shouldn’t
This is Their
AKA… Being in a Commodities Rut!
Their Uniqueness Wore Out
Their Offerings Got Copied
Their Markets Became Commodities
They Have Nothing New To Deliver
They Lost Their Edge!!!
Companies Can Fight Back….
Scouting Growth Markets
Targeting New Customers
Creating New Products/Services
Committing to Sales & Marketing
Identifying USPs
Delivering a Value Proposition
Being Up For a Fight!
The Good News is…
Nearly every product has a market!
Some markets are better than others… And, not all products are created equal…
But ultimately, a healthy competition is when two rivals battle over who is doing a better job marketing and selling to potential customers.
Competition Makes Us Stronger and More Creative
We Believe in Holistic Approach to Grow Sales…
This includes:
The foundation for a sales and marketing plan
Primary & secondary market research
A clear and distinct value proposition
Scouting relevant market opportunities that match competencies
A call-screened, custom database featuring well over 100 category-specific decision makers
Marketing to selected decision makers (letters, post cards, emails*)
Internal sales support (we make over 100 targeted cold calls!)
Why It Works…
Profile Target Opportunities
Build Databases
Create Messaging
Communicate to Target Markets
Get Sales Appointments
Products Markets
SellersDecision Makers
Market Needs / Pains
Unique Selling Points
Structured Outreach
Qualified Leads
It Is Our Job To “Be The Change.”
E V O L V E
Explore Validate Organize Leverage Vest Expand
A Structured Process = Comfort
PLAN: Design or revise the business development process components to improve results
DO: Implement the business development plan and measure its performance
CHECK: Assess the measurements and weigh the results
ACT: Decide on and initiate changes needed to improve the growth process
In Planning for Growth, We Focus On…
Highlighting Distinct Organizational Competencies
Developing a Unique Market Position & Value Proposition
Scouting Opportunities for New Customers/Markets
Researching Potential for New Products/Services/Models
A structured approach towards Prospecting & Sales
Organizational Strengths to target Market Opportunities; We do our homework and define the:
Product (what are we selling?)
Process (how are we selling it?)
Customer (to whom are we selling it?)
Distribution (how does it reach them?)
Finance (what are the prices, costs and investments?)
Administration (and how do we manage all this?)
We Assess…
We Identify…
Strengths(internal)
Weaknesses(internal)
Opportunities(external)
Threats (external)
Capitalize on Perceived Strengths- Positioning each strength as a sales tool or unique difference to help shape market awareness and lead business development/sales conversations with potential clients.
Look at Overcoming Perceived Weaknesses- We center our efforts on areas of weakness that can be addressed through our multipronged approach to business development. This includes things like: a softening client base, lack of new accounts and limited sales support.
-In addition, we call out potentially debilitating weaknesses and recommend next steps to address them.
We…
We…
Identify New Market Opportunities- Our research team goes to work scouting opportunities that match our clients definitive competencies and builds a profiled target audience around these opportunities.
Avoiding Threats- We recognize every company can face threats to its growth, or even to basic existence. And we articulate specific areas where technological advances, competitive breakthroughs, loss of skilled labor, government regulations, stiff price competition from imports, and changes in customer preferences can impact our clients.
Capitalize on the 4 P’s
Getting to the USP…
The Unique Selling Proposition is what makes you more unique, more valuable, and more
visible in your market.
It’s a game of Distinguish or Die….
Businesses have to be unique and fill a special niche to be successful in the marketplace.
– A USP will help them get there.
Getting to the USP…
Having a USP will dramatically improve the positioning and marketability of a company. - It can be the force that makes or breaks business success.
It can also be used as a "branding" tool that deploys strategy with every tactical marketing effort you use such as an ad, a postcard, or website.
The ultimate goal of your USP and marketing is to have people say to you... "Oh, yes I've heard of you. You're the company who..." - And then respond by requesting more information or purchasing.
Getting to the USP…
Masters of the trade have the ability to dramatically differentiate one product or service from another; turning commodities into equitable brands.
So What’s In The Recipe ?
To be effective, a USP needs to articulate the very essence of the offering. It needs to be so compelling that it can beused as a headline to sell the product or service. Here are 7 steps we follow…
1. Be Blunt With Your Benefits
2. Be Unique – Aim for Urgency
3. Solve a Pain Point or Performance Gap
4. Offer Validation or Specific Proof
5. Be Clear, Be Concise
6. Be Consistent & Connected
7. Deliver What You Promise
Once We Deliver on the USPs
People Get Excited…. They want to do more
Enhance or Redesign Websites
Build Effective, Low-Cost Email Campaigns
Create Segmented Marketing Campaigns
Train Sales Representatives/New Hires
Create Product Catalogs, Letters, and Postcards
Establish or Redefine the Brand Position
Etc…
Implementation requires doing things…
A Plan is only as good as the actions taken to move it forward. Implementation requires people doing things…
• A Fixed Schedule
•Task Owners
•Accountability
•Success Measures
A Fixed ScheduleA Good Prospect ListDelivery of the Pitch Task OwnersAccountabilityClear Success Measures
Map Out Your Activities……
Microsoft Project 2007 can help you track and manage your goals. It is as easy as:
Building Your Plan
Defining Your Timeline
Tracking & Managing Your Efforts
Closing Out & Reviewing Effectiveness
Set Up a Fixed Schedule
Good Prospect List
We believe in upfront due diligence to trigger unparalleled results.
We use D&B as a foundation
We screen target companiesfor relevance
We identify & record decision makers
We collect emails
All before we take our first steps marketing to the target audience.
We want our clients to know who is
interested in what they have to offer…
Good Prospect List
Good Prospect List
Good Prospect List
We Believe in Building Referral Business…
1. Set A Target: Set a clear goal, 10% increase in referral business over the next 10 weeks.
2. Timing: Give your clients time to experience your service or product before asking for a referral.
3. Top 20 Rule: Find the top 20% that are ecstatic about your business and ask them.
4. Give and You'll Receive: Give your clients extra service and follow-up support before asking for referrals.
5. Type of Customer: Providing a clear picture of the customer demographics will help your referral marketing.
6. Rewards Program: Provide special rewards to your referring customers on a regular basis.
7. Thank-You: Create a basic thank you letter that can be personalized and sent to each referral you receive.
Good Prospect List
Is a great resource for identifying target titles, networking, SEO & much more…
Start a group, connect with peers, stay out there & build your network!
A Good Pitch
Organic (Free) Website Traffic Development
New Link Development
Local Search Optimization
Social Media Optimization
Blogging
Pay Per Click Marketing Program Development
Pay Per Click Marketing Program Management
Web Analytics Setup and Management
A Good Pitch
Stay connected, promote your products, offer incentives, or share some news
Simple to design, easy to send Email Campaign Management Tools are always a great idea for cost-effective measurable campaigns
A Good Pitch
Optimize your video
Make it easy to view
Go Viral- Exposure is king.
Use social bookmarking to help with visibility.
End the video with a ‘send to a friend’ option.
Give them some incentive to help you spread the word.
A Good Pitch
Collect Customer FeedbackSurvey Your EmployeesPerform Low Cost/ No Cost ResearchOffer Incentives For Information
Survey Monkey is an ideal tool to learn where you excel and where some improvements are needed.
It can help in validating a good idea for a new product or service and much, much more…
Check, Recheck, Then Check Again….
• As efforts are made to grow business, monitor your progress, and assess your performance.
• Obviously you will want to do more of the good, but also try to correct whatever is not working.
Measure Success
“The ancestor of every action is thought…”
Our Actions Go To Work:
Identifying specific growth opportunities to match competencies.
Collecting purchasing intelligence related to specific decision makers.
Building a call-screened database, complete with emails when possible.
Creating reusable marketing collateral to support active sales efforts.
Real-time Project Management and follow-up.
Securing qualified Leads!
“The ancestor of every action is thought…”
Where We’ve Been…
Where We’ve Been…
Everyone Received….
Over 100 uniquely profiled target opportunities.
Over 200 names and titles for category specific decision makers.
Real-time purchasing intelligence related to specific decision makers.
A call-screened, CRM-friendly database (complete with emails in most cases).
A comprehensive Positioning Report containing: sales and marketing, planning recommendations, and a uniquely-crafted set of promotional copyto be used across applications.
Real-time market intelligence/the specific wants and needs of a new prospect.
A CRM-friendly record of every conversation our sales team has!
An average of 12 Qualified Leads!!!
Our Results…
Small Company, Big Rut…
Before:
40+ Year Old Product
No New Customers in 6 Years
Over 1700 SKU’s and No Category Management
No Clear Target Market
Rampant Product Line Overlap
Zero Market Intelligence
Website Wasteland
No Structured Path to Market
No Unique Product Positioning
After:
A Structured Path To Market
A New-Stand Alone Brand
Unique Selling Points
New Promotional Copy / Materials
A New Database of Prospects
Valuable Real-time Market Feedback
1 BIG Opportunity to Grow the Business by 25%
Multiple Diverse Leads Across New Industries
Line of Sight to Changes that Need to Occur
Our Results…
The Best Resource You’ve Never Heard Of …Before:
World-Class Operation - Obsolete Market Perception
Growth Occurring Through Existing Client Channels
Limited Prospecting- Zero Cold-Calling
Sales & Marketing Resources Constrained
The Message Not Getting Out
Growth Not Aligned with Objectives
After:
A Structured Path To New Market Opportunities
New Promotional Copy to Fuel GPCC Nomination
A New Database of Strategic Prospects- With Emails
Real-Time Market Intelligence (Who is Planning What?)
Exposure to 12 Leads Across Several New Industries*
A new Brand and Market Position are in the works
Widespread Media & Trade Coverage
“This process has opened doors for us that our sales force could not. Over time, the results could be great!”
* This project is still ongoing…..
Thank You!