Sales Lead Management Today

7 DIY Tips for Marketers & Entreprenuers

1. Check all of your site footers for current copyright date.

You've seen the sites - © 2011, 2012, etc. How can you trust the efficiency and competency of a company that misses a detail  that is on EVERY PAGE of their site, cart, blog, podcast station?

2. Trusting Demo flash drives - it's like inviting someone you met in a bar to sleep at your house.

Really, what do you know about that company other than they gave away a demo flash drive at a trade show or conference? How about your client who sends you a drive with 5 images on it? STOP doing that! Have them upload to Google Drive or Dropbox. They are both encrypted on upload and at rest. So much simpler and the you don't open up your system and network to the "one-night-stand nasties."

3. Making changes to your website or campaigns? Document them in Analytics.

One of the easiest ways to measure the effectiveness of a change in themes, banners, sitemap, feed service, social media systems, content, menus is to document those changes in Analytics using annotations. It gives you a starting point. Take the 30 seconds to add to your online journal of your site. It will save you hours of guessing "what happened?" later.

More here and quick video >

4. When was the last time you tested your subscription process? 

Don't forget to try out your calls to action on your own site. If you don't like the process, chances are new potential customers won't either. Be objective, remove your ego and try it out as a bystander who happens on your site from Google Search.

5. Speaking of search - think your home page is the most common landing page?

It may be, but you may be missing opportunities on some of the other popular pages. Review your analytics to see where they are coming in, and from where. THEN, make sure you are delivering the content they expect. While you're at it, make sure you have a direct, simple call to action. Try to de-clutter those pages as much as possible to keep them focused, and wanting to stay longer or give you their email. 

6. Where's your D*mn Contact information?

I understand the point is to sell your products. But HUMANS created the product or service and HUMANS must support the product or service. Where are the humans on your site? How can we reach the humans? If you are so popular you cannot keep up with website inquiries and people contacting you directly through your site - go cry me a river - oh, boo hoo - you are way to popular. HIRE some HUMAN to help you keep up. Faces, titles, positions, snail mail address, support or inquiry phone - these are the basics you should have links to on EVERY PAGE OF YOUR WEBSITE - put it by that current copyright year if you want to tuck it away - but DO IT.

More on this rant here >

7. Mobile browsers can be pickier on vague links. Choose a target!

It used to be we could create a link on a site, and by default it would replace the window you were on with the linked window; unless you chose a target to open a new window or _blank. Not so with mobile browsers. You are asked the question frequently, "would you like to open a new tab?" To avoid this, make sure you select a target of either "_self" or "_blank" unless your website editor has it built in to have "_self" as the default when you don't choose anything.

More on this here >

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Tips provided by SLMA Director of Online Marketing, Susan Finch. You can subscribe to her free tips here >

Better to find out the rest of the story before showing off our smarties.

If you are an expert in ANY field, you must admit to, even if quietly where no one can see you, that you feel superior to those who don't do it as well as you. You may even go so far as to showcase your vast experience and shiny skills to any audience willing to listen at the expense of the one with less experience. Resist that temptation. There may be more to the story than you think. Usually the full story is far more interesting than the one of pointing out a supposed dullard or dunderhead. It's not a great quality to possess, but we are human. What we do with those initial thoughts of superiority defines who we are.

Recently a nearby neighborhood replaced a VERY dated, bedraggled and shabby sign installed in

On the topic of gender equality in the C Space - why does it matter?

On SLMA Radio recently, Bonnie Crater, CEO of Full Circle CRM was interviewed by me on the topic of gender equality at the C-level. The question of whether or not it is possible was the focus and steps companies can take toward this goal. But one of the byproducts of this interview is the question, "Why does it matter?"

 Here is the replay of that interview:

Or you can view the SLMA Radio interview here > 

This article just posted in USA Today 4/18: Is Meritocracy a joke for women in tech >

The current situation in the tech industry has taken the issues of women in the workplace to new levels of controversy recently. For starters, the number of women in Silicon Valley has been falling precipitously over decades' time.

Pandora's Box of Live Streaming and Paid Events

All the buzz happening with Meerkat and Meerkasting, Periscope, Twitter, LiveStream, streaming in general, and YouTube Live Events in streams has opened Pandora's box on copyright, trademark, privacy and just bad manners in general.

Visiting with a friend on this topic, Krishna De in Dublin, we reminisced about the time when we used to set up IP based webcams to stream live from our homes and businesses back in the day and

Social Media: If you list it on your resume, you'd better really do it.

Unless your name is John Smith, Li Nguyen, Jose Fernandez, Rajesh Kumar or Mary Jones, don’t be too confident people won't be sure which you is YOU when they try to connect on social media. Actually, if that's what you are hoping, then stop reading.  

Your goal for clients, potential prospects and strategic partners is for them to EASILY find you, and be positive they have found the correct YOU. Next, people will want to see you have helpful, credible, supporting information on your profile so they will want to connect with you.

Mentoring is NOT a to-do list and handbook of stock answers.

Authenticity without filters can just be mean and unprofessional

Sticks and stones can still leave quite a sting for a long time later.

We are all taught that adage "honesty is the best policy" from a very young age - partly because it somewhat rhymes. Further definition to "honesty" needs to be given. We can be honest in admitting mistakes - rather than denying them. We can give an honest opinion on a topic or product. This does not mean abandon all courteous filters. How many times lately have you read or heard about being "authentic" and "genuine?" I purposely use the big air quotes here because these words are being tossed around by many as an excuse to blather on about their flaws, dirty laundry and heavily biased, rude opinions on anything, everything and everyone. The words are so over-used that in some of my circles we have put a moratorium on the words to stop the misuse.

Pitching when you aren't on your mound and other networking missteps

"It's the wind up, and the pitch!

There is a time and a place. I realize that many sales professionals, consultants, and others professionals are in a constant state of hyper-alert opportunity-seeking mode in most situations. Sometimes you have to give it a rest. Make more mental notes or voice memos if you have to. There are times when you should look to set up an opportunity to continue a conversation later. This way both of you can focus and your victim isn't walked by you and your wild-out-of-place pitch.

 

 

Cartoon: Now all we need is salespeople who will follow up!

From our Humor relations department comes a question that has been asked and seldom answered, why aren't sales leads followed-up?  In spite of the promise of CRM software, follow-up of sales leads has essentially not improved with just this tool.  

Why it matters: only 10-25% of all sales leads are followed-up by sales.  Increase sales lead follow-up and you will increase sales. 

Marketing automation's promise has produced more results because it aggressively assumed follow-up “duties” that salespeople so cavalier ignored.  But the simplest of functions, failure to follow-up of inquiries and leads, cost B2B companies billions a year in wasted marketing expenditures because a major team player doesn't do their job.  Lack of sales lead follow-up is a real-life cartoon in more ways than one.  

Of course, there are acceptations.    When the leadership in sales and marketing demands 100% follow-up and uses all the tools at their disposal, ah that is a fine thing to see; profitable too.

Lies, Lies, and Damn Lies.

Recently Dan McDade, CEO of PointClear, asked me to contribute to an article in his blog, Viewpoint, The Truth about Lead Generation.  The article was entitled:  Lead Generation Lies That are Wreaking Havoc with Your Sales.   Being an over-achiever, I gave him more than he asked for.  He printed 5 of my lies, plus some great ones fromArdath Albee | Marketing Interactions, Craig Rosenberg | The Funnelholic, Paul Gillin | Paul Gillen Blog, Ginger Conlon | DMNews, and Jamie Turner | 60 Second Communications.  Here is my full list of lies:

Connecting is more than a like, follow, circle, or +1

As we deepen our relationships through online communities such as Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube, we can get caught up in the quick scroll through the newsfeeds with limited time and attention as to what is being posted by whom. We quickly jam through the "liking" of posts, +1-ing shares, posts and images, retweeting something from someone without even visiting the link just to add something to our timeline. That's not connecting.

Next, our online profile is your HANDSHAKE. If you have a profile on Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter - don't forget to lose your newbie moniker by filling in ALL of the blanks. This includes a REAL headshot - HEAD - not your full body in some pose because in streams you are REALLY tiny next to your post. If it is YOU and not a company page or brand page - it needs to be YOU not your logo. How about the default or blank BANNERS on Google+, Twitter, Facebook? It reeks, "NOOB." - find something, a photo of a place you love, a quote, SOMETHING other than the default or blank or stock background images Twitter offers.

Onward - what is your criteria for connecting with people? Do they simply have to ask you and you say yes? Really? You realize this not only gives them access to shove stuff at you, links, promos, requests, invitations, but in the case of LinkedIn it allows them to be one step closer to your carefully cultivated connections. Did those connections know that you just open up to anyone that asks? Seems a bit loosy-goosey to me.

I can’t hear about what you do, because I’m busy telling you about what we do.

By Mari Anne Vanella, The Vanella Group

This statement gets back to the quantity versus quality leads. Lead generation companies making buckshot calls to countless companies hoping one will hit the target. A bit of research may reveal that not only is this company you are calling NOT a potential client, but that they may indeed be a competitor offering the same services.

This reminds me of tradeshow, webinar and other “guest” situations. Periodically, I’ll bring a customer or partner to tradeshows and other sponsored events as my guest. Their company name is usually included in the registration, yet no one vets the list so perhaps up to four years later our main line is receiving calls seeking out our “guest” as if they work for our company. Did you read this part, “FOUR YEARS LATER.” How big was that event list? Chances are a bit of research on LinkedIn would have revealed they are currently a VP at a large software company and has been since the time of the past event.

You call THIS networking and Lead Generation?

Guest author Mari Anne Vanella of The Vanella Group (NEVER call her MARI) - shared some stories and I had to add in my feedback, as well. This is a big topic and becoming a bigger problem in lead generation.

From Mari Anne Vanella:

Have you noticed an increasing trend of very poor outreach techniques on LinkedIn both via messages, InMail, and calls? A lot of it is laziness and the fact their mamas never taught them any manners, and their managers didn’t instill the respected way to introduce yourself to avoid having the door slammed in your face.

The complete lack of research people do before reaching out continues to amaze me.  A week or so back, I had someone reach out to me saying he knows I manage the Ace Hardware account and went on to ask me, “What can you tell him about them?”  First off-- why would I tell a complete stranger about a client?  Then we get to the LAZY part. This guy was referring to the job I had 17 years ago managing their EDI roll-out. 17 YEARS AGO.  Curious how he could be so desperate for information that he would ask someone about something so far from current experience, I asked if he looked at my profile.  His response was, “Yes, very impressive.” and then right back to asking what can I tell him about Ace.  Under the circumstances, what else is there to share except "They sell hardware.”

This gets us into another topic covering “being too familiar with the unfamiliar.”

RANT: Are you really visiting, or is that just your feed I see?

As tools and feeds become more sophisticated, time becomes more fleeting, social media demands become daunting, the temptation to put your networking on auto-pilot is too tempting for a larger percentage of professionals and companies. 

In the past, you would receive an email, view a post, and it was almost like shaking hands with that person, or at least being in the same room with them.  As I make the tour around my various LinkedIn groups and Twitter news feed (I don't have time for much more than those two venues), I notice the bulk are automated posts linking to that person's "stuff" or content. There is no engagement, no conversation, no collaboration. "BUY MY STUFF!" "LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME!" LinkedIn groups have become a joke filled with avatars pushing transparent content and pitches, as well as automated posts that turn groups into another RSS reader. I spend more time moderating and deleting than reading true content.

Where are the real converstations happening? Some of us value video conferencing, teleconferncing, personal emails and in person lunches. I am bombarded with piles of automated crap every day. Not one person realizes I received it, until they check the stats from their marketing automation program and monthly reports. That is becoming the extent of their networking, growth, and relationship nurturing. 

Remember when MTV had MUSIC and videos? This is seeming quite familiar. Useless waste of bandwidth, time and resources.

A wish for LinkedIn:

All automated pushes from feeds, aggregators and the like BLOCKED from all groups. Put what you want on your own profile. Google+, Twitter, Facebook - same thing. If what you have to say is really of value and you sincerely want to open a conversation rather than just shooting buckshot into the universe - or more like a good dose of AquaNet for all of us to choke and gag on - Take the time to actually WRITE IT YOURSELF - TYPE IT, tailor it for the venue, audience or group. Invite the conversation. Try it without linking to your stuff once in a while. You may be shocked at the results.

How do you feel about this topic? Are you experiencing the same clutter in all of your feeds of the same things from the same people, knowing full well they don't even visit these venues 1/10 of the time the spent automatically pushing their crap down our throats.

Susan Finch, Chief Ranter

Who's Numbers do you trust? The problem of skewed ad impressions.

AdAge Digital posted an article:

Fake Pageviews Cost Online Advertisers More Than $6 Million Per Month

Hijacked Computers Generating Billion of Fake Ad Impressions Monthly

By: John McDermott

London-based startup Spider.io, which helps publishers and advertisers identify legitimate web traffic, has discovered a ring of more than 120,000 hijacked computers that have been flooding websites with fake traffic and in turn costing advertisers more than $6 million per month, the company said in post on its blog. Called the Chameleon botnet, this cluster of computers typically generates more than nine billion illegitimate ad impressions across 202 websites monthly.

Spider.io, which said it has been tracking the Chameleon botnet since December 2012, found that 95% of the machines involved access the internet from residential IP addresses in the United States. Each bot within the network of computers resembles a group of web users concurrently visiting one the 202 implicated websites. In a typical month, the botnet accounts for at least seven million ad-exchange cookies.

You can read the full article here.

Granted, we are only talking about 202 websites, but how many ads are on those sites and who is behind those ads and their placement? Hope it isn't one of YOUR ads. That would be awful. You'd be paying for more fake results, goes with our post about fake and automated networking on LinkedIn.  Feels different when you may be the victim and have to pay, doesn't it? How is it very different from automatically posting status updates without engaging? Shoe is just on the other foot. Think of your advertising dollars as minutes. Would you want to waste precious minutes every day thinking you are engaging your target audience, sincere prospects, etc.? Of coruse not.

If you run advertising campaigns, be they over mobile devices, print ads in publications, direct mail, direct email - check out the numbers. How do they arrive at the number of delivered "impressions." We receive three yellow pages each year - 3. If I get outside quick enough, before the children come home from school, I toss them right into the recycle bin. They have been delivered, the company has an automated call asking me to push 1 it was delivered and 2 if it was not. If I push 2 because I tossed it, I receive another set. If I push 1, that number is reported to the advertisers to prove value. If I don't make it out to the trash in time and my children find the books, they become sleds down the stairs due to the slick cover.

You need to understand the numbers claimed BEFORE YOU pay or commit to another season or advertising period.

Susan Finch, Chief Ranter