by Scott Howard | Jan 16, 2015 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips
Email marketing can be effective, but it can also be a waste of time and effort. Years ago I switched my own email provider to a Google based account because of their excellent spam filtering algorithms. My Yahoo account was filled with crap and Gmail was soooo much better.
Last week someone sent me an email to my radio station email account that made it past our spam filters. It was pretty bad. Take a look:
Dear Scott,
As a business professional, ReachBase would like to occasionally send you relevant and informative business related offers via email.
Each message will contain a link that will allow you to be immediately removed from this valuable program at any time.
We look forward to providing you with this useful business resource.
If you do not wish to receive these useful business offers, please use the link below.
Thank you,
ReachBase
I had never heard of this company. I don’t know how they got my email address, but the real issue is what this email message is missing.
Who the heck is ReachBase and why do I want their email offers?
They failed to give me a Valid Business Reason for wanting to read their email.
Read it again. It’s all generic babel. 
Most people would ignore this or label it as spam. But I decided to turn it into a lesson. The one you are reading right now.
I Googled ReachBase included the address that was in the fine print and discovered that the company name is really Reach Marketing. That’s a big mistake. If you are going to send me an email, you probably need to have a spot online that is the same as the name you are promoting. At least a landing page telling me who you are with the same name you are promoting, not some off shoot.
But here’s the kicker. I discovered this on their website:
Reach Marketing is the only company that brings together an inter-disciplinary team of IT, software development, marketing, audience development, database marketing, analytics, SEO/SMO and digital experts within one organization to drive the success of its clients.
And:
Email is the single most powerful marketing medium because it generates high response rates at a relatively low cost. Email marketing is immediate, can be tracked real time and remains the preferred method to communicate with professionals and consumers. Despite their benefits, email campaigns can fail to produce maximum results when not properly executed; strong performance depends on skill and expertise.
My B.S. filter just exploded.
First off, to claim you are the only company that has such a team is a lie. I know other companies and worked for one that has all those bases covered.
Maybe they are the best at something? Nope. As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece and you can read for yourself, their own email marketing campaign to me was not “skillfully executed with expertise”.
But it did give me something to write about.
I don’t know all the answers, and I won’t pretend to either. But if you want help with your marketing efforts to attract customers either digitally or on one of my radio stations in Fort Wayne, Indiana…contact me.
by Scott Howard | Jan 12, 2015 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips
It was a Monday.
December 29th to be exact.
Just a few weeks ago when I was reviewing some of the people I had contacted in the past year and some that I was going to contact for 2015.
I’m talking about business here. In my world that means advertising and marketing both radio and online. But my style isn’t that of a pushy sales guy. I focus on relationships. For the long haul, not something short term.
Two particular conversations with two folks online come to mind as I write this.
The first was with a young guy who does web work and also oversees the marketing for an upscale car company. “J” and I met a few years previously when we were both involved with a local TEDx Fort Wayne event. In 2014 we connected and I helped him by selling him advertising for an event he created for the car company. It was short term, not the way I usually work, and not the way I wanted to work.
However “J” had a plan and I needed to work with his plan instead of attempting to force him to follow my plan. Afterward, “J” wasn’t available very much and I was concerned that it was a one shot deal. But then I simply focused on the relationship. A couple of months had passed and we connected again in the late fall about doing some brainstorming for 2015. These were just online communications, but then on December 29th, “J” contacted me. He wanted to meet to discuss plans for 2015. Which we are now working on. This was not a lost customer, it was simply a matter of timing. My time table wasn’t as important as his. That’s a lesson all people in sales need to remember and practice.
The other conversation on December 29th also took place online. “T” is this guys name. I first met “T” in 1998 when we both worked on the air at a couple of radio stations in Fort Wayne. 5 years later, we worked together again, this time in the sales world of radio. “T” was my manager at first. Of course I outlasted everyone except some of the jocks at that station and over the years kept in touch with “T”. He is very passionate about what he does and for the last couple of years he has handled the advertising for a home builder. But I have known “T” when he was not on top of the world too.
I saw his company on an account list last year and in November asked my manager if they ever did business with “T”. I was told that no one wanted to work with him. My co-workers were frustrated with “T” and after multiple meetings, gave up. I asked if I could have a try at working with “T” and was given the go-ahead.
My December 29th conversation with “T” was done entirely on Facebook’s private messenger feature. I got to hear “T”‘s side of the story. Man, was he frustrated. He said all anyone wanted to do was argue with him and no one really listened to what he wanted. They all had their own agenda and were trying to push him into something other than what he wanted.
I listened. I offered to help. I empathized. All I wanted to do is sit down with “T” and see if I can help him with his company advertising. We will meet in a couple of days. I have nothing specific to sell him at this point. Instead I need to find out what he wants to buy. But before we even get to that stage, “T” is going to get to rant and rave to my face about how things didn’t go well in the past. Then we are going to see what can be done to repair that relationship. “T” is not mad at me, I wasn’t the one who he has dealt with in the past. But I can see if I can make it better and perhaps one day help him spend his advertising money in a way that he is comfortable.
I won’t get there by arguing. Or by trying to push him into something he doesn’t want. And there is a possibility that “T” will not spend any money with me. If he does, he could become one of my best customers. Not just because of the money he spends. But because he will then recommend me to others, if I treat him right.
First things first, as my Dad would say.
Don’t be afraid. And don’t forget about those customers you think you lost. Find out why and do what you need to, to build that relationship.
by Scott Howard | Jan 10, 2015 | ScLoHo Sales Tips
As I kick off a few changes this week for 2015, one of those is a weekly sales tip that will show up on Saturdays. Today’s sales tip from RAB.com is one of my strengths, learn how to make it yours:
Questions are the answer
Sales author/trainer Paul McCord
We’ve all been taught the difference between closed-end and open-ended questions. We’ve been given instructions on when to use which type question. Some trainers have given us formulas; others have given us specific questions to ask.
It’s these detailed guidelines that seem to get many sellers in trouble — that gets their questions to resemble Gestapo tactics rather than a discussion with a prospect.
So how do you use questions without intimidating or badgering?
The answer is actually quite simple — don’t interrogate your prospects. Instead of trying to figure out whether to ask an open-end or closed-end question here or which specific question to ask now, just ask the natural questions you’d ask your friends if you were trying to understand their problems.
Certainly there are different uses for different types of questions. Certainly there are times when an open-ended question will be more productive than asking a close-ended question. But ultimately, the goal isn’t to ask the correct question type but to communicate with your prospect.
Communication is an art. We all can and need to improve our communication skills.
That being said, I’ve found that if I am sincerely interested in understanding my prospect’s needs, my questions come naturally. They’re the same questions — delivered in the same tone of voice — I’d ask a friend or my spouse if I were trying to understand their situation, and those questions and that tone of voice is hardly that of an interrogator.
Rather than being perceived as an unwanted interrogation, my questions are viewed as a sincere desire to understand, to communicate, to help. Rather than putting my prospect on the defensive, my questions usually cause the prospect to willingly open up more.
If you find you’re uncomfortable with using questions for fear that you’re putting your prospect on the defensive or you’re coming across as a prosecutor cross-examining an unwilling witness, don’t give up on using questions because questions are the answer to understanding your prospect’s needs and how you can help.
Instead, give up on trying to use formulas or control the conversation and simply approach your prospect as a friend who has a problem you want to understand. Ask the natural questions that come to mind and you’ll find your prospect will not only open up more easily, they will be more open to listening when it’s your turn to offer a solution.
by Scott Howard | Dec 18, 2014 | ScLoHo Sales Tips
More sales basics from RAB.com:
Diagnose before you prescribe
Sales consultant Nick Maslanka
Think about the last purchase you made where you felt you had a positive experience with the salesperson. Did the salesperson introduce themselves and immediately tell you what they thought you needed? Or did they ask you questions to better understand your situation and accurately diagnose your needs?
Here is a good way to test yourself to see if you understand your customer’s real problems. Think of a specific opportunity you are working on and name two or three challenges that your prospect wants your capabilities to help them resolve. In most cases, this is the easy part.
Now comes the hard part. Ask yourself, “What bad thing will continue to happen if they don’t do business with us?” It could be that their revenue won’t grow, they will lose market share, miss a goal, etc. Obviously, it varies based on product or service.
But if you can’t answer the question, chances are your prospect can’t either.
The basic principle here is to diagnose before you prescribe. When you can answer the question, “What bad thing will continue to happen if they don’t do business with us?”, you are ready to provide your prospect with a recommended solution. Challenge yourself to answer that question for your clients. They will reward you with their business.
by Scott Howard | Dec 11, 2014 | ScLoHo Sales Tips
For those new to the world of sales, a few negotiating basics from RAB.com:
Ask For Something In Return
Sometimes concessions are necessary in order to get a deal done. Granting a concession may even go a long way toward earning a prospect’s trust.
But even in a case where granting the concession is the best way to create a win-win outcome, it’s often best to:
— Tell the prospect you need to consider the request first, and
— Ask for something in return (e.g., a higher volume purchase or a long-term contract).
Granting a concession immediately (especially a price concession) sends a message that salespeople don’t stand by the inherent value of their offer.
It also makes buyers wonder if they might be entitled to additional concessions.
As a safeguard, some salespeople may even ask (before granting a concession), “If I can get my company to agree to the terms we’ve outlined, do you see any other reason you wouldn’t move forward with the sale?”
It ensures the prospect won’t ask for additional concessions and it moves you one step closer to finalizing the deal.
Source: Based in part on 7 Strategies to Build Negotiating Power, by Geoffrey James
by Scott Howard | Dec 4, 2014 | ScLoHo Sales Tips
I admit that like you, there were a lot of things I was planning on doing this year. It was 52 weeks ago that I returned to radio after spending most of the previous year earning my living in social media.
Here’s a suggestion we can apply now to see how we manage our time, to better prepare us for 2015.
From RAB.com:
Using your time wisely
Sales consultant/author Barry Farber
The harder you work, the luckier you get. There’s no getting around it; it takes effort to get lucky. Tiny pieces of luck seep into every small step you take toward your goal. Put all those steps together, and you’ve got your lucky break!
Luck is created by increasing the frequency of those activities that are most likely to lead to success. For instance, a salesperson who calls on 10 people is going to be luckier in terms of finding a viable prospect than a salesperson who calls on just two people.
One way to help increase your activity level is with something I call the “Time Management Test.” It’s really very simple: Starting on Monday, keep a journal of what you’re doing every hour that you’re working. If you start at 9:00, stop work at 9:55 and record what your last hour’s activity has been. Do the same thing at the end of each hour throughout the day.
On Friday, compare that week’s activity and productivity to the week before. I guarantee you will have accomplished more during your journal-keeping week. It’s a proactive way to think about how you can work more efficiently, and you’ll automatically start allocating your time more wisely.
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