Regardless of the type of agency (branding, direct, PR, or on-line) most, but not all, are universally afraid of proving the return on the client’s money put at risk. Granted some are kept at arms length and regardless of their efforts to talk about actual results, the client demurs, hedges, hesitates, backs away, avoids, passes up, circumvents, evades, steers clear of, shuns and just plain hides from any discussion about ROI.

The agency that wants to keep its client base, especially in tough times when marketing dollars are cut, had better ask the tough questions of its clients. For instance:

1. When we create these inquiries, how soon will they be distributed to the sales channel?

2. Are business rules in place for 100% follow-up by marketing, the sales channel or both?

3. How are you qualifying the inquiries we create so that the salespeople are aware of the “Leads” from the non-buyers?

4. Does marketing have a system in place to measure the return on investment for the lead generating dollars we spend on your behalf?

5. May I see reports that show the sales that result from the demand we create?

Tough questions, but agencies that have courage (and want to keep working) will force their clients to face the reality that it isn’t enough to create demand, you have to prove the results. Results are why clients spend money with agencies.

I asked Robert Moreau, VP of Sales & Marketing of the Rubicon Marketing Group, Inc., how they manage to convince their clients to embrace the best practices in inquiry management. He said: Read the entire article.

Here are six key questions to determine if you have the best chance of being successful with your sales lead programs, and a checklist to help ensure it. Read the entire article.

One of the problems many companies experience is that they don’t have enough qualified leads for their sales force. In fact, in a recent Harvard Business Review survey of over 1,000 companies, the number one 2006 priority was to optimize their lead-generation programs.

The article goes on to state, “For a salesperson, a steady stream of worthy leads is practically nirvana.” Does Sales Force Automation (SFA)/Customer Relationship Management (CRM) have a role in helping solve this problem? Absolutely! This article will address the role that SFA/CRM software can take to proactively address this important issue. Read the entire article.

Mark Friedman is an experienced, results - oriented executive with over 20 years of proven success in managing Sales, Sales Lead Management, Telemarketing, Marketing and Customer Service. Notably, world-renown consulting giant Accenture and the Distribution Research and Education Foundation have recognized one of his programs as a Wholesale Distribution Industry Sales “Best Practice”; the program overview was published in “Maximum Sales Velocity: How to Build a World-Class Sales Organization” by David P. Woodrow.  

Watch Mark's Video - "Eliminate the Black Holes in your Sales and Marketing Process and Increase Your Bottom Line Results"

Suppose you had responded to an advertisement from a manufacturer of forged steel valves and requested more information. How would you react to this reply?

Dear Sir:

Chemical Equipment magazine has informed us of your interest in our line of valves for the chemical process industry. Enclosed please find the literature you requested. We will await with interest your specific inquiry.

Sincerely,
Joe Jones, Sales Manger
XYZ Valve Corporation

That letter doesn’t call for action, build trust in the letter writer or tell the reader why he should want to buy valves from XYZ. There’s no salesmanship in it, just a blunt acknowledgment that an inquiry has been made fulfillment package that should help move the sale along will not. Read the entire article.

Bob Bly is an independent copywriter and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in business-to-business, high-tech, industrial, and direct marketing. Bob has written copy for over 100 clients including Network Solutions, ITT Fluid Technology, Medical Economics, Intuit, Business & Legal Reports, and Brooklyn Union Gas. Awards include a Gold Echo from the Direct Marketing Association, an IMMY from the Information Industry Association, two Southstar Awards, an American Corporate Identity Award of Excellence, the Standard of Excellence award from the Web Marketing Association, and AWAI's Copywriter of the Year.

Measurement is a hot topic for marketers today. Everyone is under pressure to demonstrate results, deliver value to the firm—and justify budgets.

Fortunately, we direct marketers have always been measurement-oriented. Our philosophical roots are in metrics and ROI. We set up all our campaigns to be measurable, and we test incessantly—at least on the consumer side.

On the B-to-B side, direct marketers have more trouble with measurement, due to the complexity of the sale and the length of the sales cycle. Sales people don’t want to be bothered reporting back to marketing about sales results. And when selling through channel partners, resellers or retailers, sales figures are frequently unavailable altogether. Read the entire article.

Ruth P. Stevens consults on customer acquisition and retention, for both consumer and business-to-business clients.  Ruth began her direct marketing career in 1986 at Time Warner, where she spent seven years in marketing, new business development, and general management at Book-of-the-Month Club and Time-Life Books.  She then went to Ziff-Davis as Vice President of Marketing for Computer Library, the electronic publishing division.  From 1996, she spent three years in direct marketing management at IBM, and then worked in senior marketing positions at two Internet startup companies in New York City before starting her consulting company in 2000. 

SLMA Loves to Blog: No Easy Subjects Here

Since we posted the first Blog entry four weeks ago the reception has been great.  We have discussed how Marketers are the Builders of Wealth, Sales Lead Management Week, and how Closed Loop Lead Management Systems = Lead Quality and Lead Management (guest author Danny Head from Avaya).  In the coming weeks you’ll see more hard-nosed criticism and great guest authors on controversial in-your face subjects.   

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