Are Traditonal Marketing Strategies Still Best?
A recent survey about marketing to marketers examined how marketers want to be contacted. It claims they do not want phone calls, they prefer an e-mail with links. They say they don’t want cold calls or face to face meetings.
What the survey didn’t examine is how effective the e-mail strategy really is. I know that when a charity calls me to solicit a donation, I usually say no, but occasionally they get me on a day when I’m feeling generous, and I make a pledge (much to my husband’s dismay). They wouldn’t have roped me in with a link.
Traditional sales people call and call and visit and visit. They still believe that if you get the face time, your prospects improve.
My point is, no one likes to get the phone calls, and no one wants to take on long meetings and lunches that go nowhere . So when you’re asked, you may say you don’t want the calls and visits. But if you, as the seller are prepared, succinct, and offering a marketing solution, do you think you have a better chance of getting the business if you speak directly to the decision maker or meet them face to face? I tend to think you do. And I think deals are still as much about relationships as they are about concrete content.
Do you think that times have really changed? Is an e-mail with a link getting the job done for you? I’d love to hear your opinions.
February 21st, 2006 at 2:20 pm
Hi Joan,
One of the benefits of owning and operating a smaller company, is you can treat each client’’s and prospect’’s siduation individually and with a personal touch.
I tend not to go on visits, if I haven”t arranged an invitation with the prospect…I send individualized e-mails to clients and prospects, never a mailing list. And for those customers who are deathly afraid of the computer (yes still) I handle their business over the phone/fax.
As I have a stationery company, I send hand written notes to all contacts…how would it look if a stationery company sent a computerized address label? lol
So again, I try top put contacts into little clusters…we are not large enough yet for it to be too problematic to treat each customer individually, even if we are lucky enough experience broad growth, I will figure out a way to automate my CRM activities.
Regards,
Kim
the-petset.com
February 24th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
Joan,
As a fellow marketer I agree with the statement "we don”t want cold calls." I have found only a limited few have a prepared elevator pitch and sell it with passion. It’’s like the caller was supprised they got you and then don”t know what to do.
A BRIEF e-mail with a link or small attachment is the best. Use a PDF not a PPT - it’’s universal and your information cannot be manipulated. Plus a 5Mb presentation can be shrunk to under a meg. Nobody wants their e-mail clogged by a cold caller.
Joan says it perfectly: be prepared and be succinct.
E-mail is a tool much like a hammer or wrench, use it how it was intended. Fast, complete, convenient communication.
-Aron
February 27th, 2006 at 10:14 am
Cold calling and face to face marketing will always work, the problem is with tecnology it becomes less effective as people become tech savy,The best marketing campagin will use as many marketing methods as possible.The internet is here to stay, if you want to be successful you must learn to market online. I know I never cold call I only talk to people who have requested info on my product.If you do your marketing properly people will call you.
http://2068.1stepsystem.com
February 27th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
Sending e-mails with a link or other images, etc. that support your message…work best when the overall body of the message is relevant to the recipient.
I have noticed that if I just send out a blanket message, without tayloring the contents to the individual, my message most likely either never gets read or it goes straight to their junk file.
Kim
the-petset.com
March 10th, 2006 at 11:39 am
As usual Kim, you make a good point. It is crucial to make sure you are contacting someone who can actually use whatever you are selling and you make it clear how what you offer will improve the life of the individual you contact.
September 15th, 2006 at 9:02 am
I hear you but one of the most least discussed items is how to get the emails of the important contacts for getting new business. You have to have some method to do that or else on the suggestions on using email are worthless.
So without an effective method to collect emails, the only method is calling.