...YOU certainly can't disagree with part of Obama's speech where he said...
"Our workers (YOU and ME) are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds (YOURS and MINE) are no less inventive, our goods and services (OURS) no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished, but our (YOUR) time of standing pat, protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."
To put this into marketer's and seller's perspective... it's time to get off you asses and STOP blaming each other.
Marketing blames sales for poor lead follow-up, and sales blames marketing for poor quality leads.
Sound familiar? If so... DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT... even if it's wrong. That way, at least you will have learned something from which to improve upon.
It's time to STOP waiting for someone else to fix the problem, when the fix is up to YOU.
If you know how to fix the problem, and can do it YOURself... then by all means don't ever call me.
But if you don't know how to fix the probelm, and want to learn what other companies JUST LIKE YOURS do to convert their leads to sales... call 630-642-6500. and ask for Rich
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Shhhhhhhhhhh... Kaaaaaa BOOM!
Did you ever hear a sales person say "I can hear a pin drop in my territory" (meaning they know everything that's going on and where all the sales opportunities are) when in fact they couldn't hear an explosion today?
Why do you think sales people say that? Simple. It's human nature. And despite what MARKETING people may think, SALES people are human.
Sales people basically say that, so no one finds out what they are not doing in their territory. Let me explain...
Suggest to that same sales person, that based on statistics relating to the number of telephone dialing attemps to reach people today to set appointments, the cost of sales calls, the number of sales calls it takes to close a sale, the number of reps seen in a week by customers, and all the other things they have to do besides follow-up sales leads, you know that it's IMPOSSIBLE for sales people to call on prospects and know everything that's going on in their territory -- and guess what? They will agree with you.
FACT: Less than 20% of sales leads ever get followed-up.
There is good reason for poor follow-up. And guess what else? From having qualified more than 1,000,000 sales leads for more than 150 companies over the past 2-decades, we found that in the leads that DID get followed up by the sales department... 87% of them were from EXISTING customers.
So what does all that tell you? It should tell you that sales people are being forced to LIVE with their EXISTING customers today, and IGNORE their PROSPECTS. And that you will get a lot more from your sales team with EMPATHY for their lead follow-up problems, than you will with BLAME for not following up.
Empathize with your sales force's problems and make it easier for them to follow-up leads, then listen to the PINS DROP TOGETHER.
Why do you think sales people say that? Simple. It's human nature. And despite what MARKETING people may think, SALES people are human.
Sales people basically say that, so no one finds out what they are not doing in their territory. Let me explain...
Suggest to that same sales person, that based on statistics relating to the number of telephone dialing attemps to reach people today to set appointments, the cost of sales calls, the number of sales calls it takes to close a sale, the number of reps seen in a week by customers, and all the other things they have to do besides follow-up sales leads, you know that it's IMPOSSIBLE for sales people to call on prospects and know everything that's going on in their territory -- and guess what? They will agree with you.
FACT: Less than 20% of sales leads ever get followed-up.
There is good reason for poor follow-up. And guess what else? From having qualified more than 1,000,000 sales leads for more than 150 companies over the past 2-decades, we found that in the leads that DID get followed up by the sales department... 87% of them were from EXISTING customers.
So what does all that tell you? It should tell you that sales people are being forced to LIVE with their EXISTING customers today, and IGNORE their PROSPECTS. And that you will get a lot more from your sales team with EMPATHY for their lead follow-up problems, than you will with BLAME for not following up.
Empathize with your sales force's problems and make it easier for them to follow-up leads, then listen to the PINS DROP TOGETHER.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Trade shows are seemingly GOING... where trade publications WENT.
Is there anyone other than me that's old enough to compare what's happening to trade shows today, with what happened to trade publications in the past decade?
It's even spooky to look at the comparisons.
Trade Show = Publication
Show organizer = Publisher
Booths = Pages
Unions = Ad Agencies
Exhibit Manager = Ad Manager
Consider what happened to trade publications during the past decade. As readers began to find other ways to communicate with advertisers besides circling a reader service card (RSC) and waiting weeks to be contacted by the advertiser's sales force (if they ever were), they began using the Internet to ACQUIRE information about the advertised product, long before they picked up the phone to INQUIRE. Then, advertisers did a poor job measuring where the phone calls (leads) were coming from and lost track of any way to measure advertising ROI. The result? Look at the thickness of trade publications today.
LQQK what's happening today in the trade show world.
Show organizers are wayyy too focused on square-footage sales, general contractor's service costs are skyrocketing, exhibit houses are increasing pricing within their "bundles" and exhibitors (that can't prove ROI) are being forced to find other ways to SHOW their products and services. The result? Look down the aisles at the next trade show you attend.
Enter 2009... and the INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL WORLD for exhibiting and individual company events, and check back here soon for a "peek" at what this writer has found to be an upcoming trend to turn yesterday's SHOW n TELL into... SHOW n SELL.
It's even spooky to look at the comparisons.
Trade Show = Publication
Show organizer = Publisher
Booths = Pages
Unions = Ad Agencies
Exhibit Manager = Ad Manager
Consider what happened to trade publications during the past decade. As readers began to find other ways to communicate with advertisers besides circling a reader service card (RSC) and waiting weeks to be contacted by the advertiser's sales force (if they ever were), they began using the Internet to ACQUIRE information about the advertised product, long before they picked up the phone to INQUIRE. Then, advertisers did a poor job measuring where the phone calls (leads) were coming from and lost track of any way to measure advertising ROI. The result? Look at the thickness of trade publications today.
LQQK what's happening today in the trade show world.
Show organizers are wayyy too focused on square-footage sales, general contractor's service costs are skyrocketing, exhibit houses are increasing pricing within their "bundles" and exhibitors (that can't prove ROI) are being forced to find other ways to SHOW their products and services. The result? Look down the aisles at the next trade show you attend.
Enter 2009... and the INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL WORLD for exhibiting and individual company events, and check back here soon for a "peek" at what this writer has found to be an upcoming trend to turn yesterday's SHOW n TELL into... SHOW n SELL.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Show management says "The show must go on." Exhibitor management says "The show must go." WTF? (What's The Formula - for success)
The Forumla for success is Education. Exhibitors need education.
Exhibitors + Education = ROI
Last week at the IAEE conference, in Miami, everything but smoke signals, a blimp, sky writing and air-raid sirens were SCREAMING that exhibitors need "Measurement Metrics" to prove the ROI from shows to their management.
Yesterday, I was a guest speaker at Steve Miller's telesummit Webinar, and after my presentation on an industry proven way to get 100% lead follow-up after a show, I displayed my e-mail address in my Power Point presentation and got 17 e-mails from listeners/attendees asking for more information. HELLO!!! ??? Is anyone listening or connecting the dots in that action?
FACT - Less than 20% of leads get follow-ed up after a show. Everybody's heard that. Everybody knows it. But it's the 800# Gorilla in the living room that no one wants to admit is there, while exhibitors simply want to LEARN how to get rid of it without their management knowing. And they can by getting all of their leads followed-up after the show.
In my worldwide business travel, educating exhibitors, I see the disconnect between exhibitor companies' marketing department lead "generation", and their sales department's lack of lead "follow-up." (Which BTW is for good reason.)
Having recently joined the IAEE, I now see a similar disconnect between show management's focus on trade show "activity" and exhibitors focus on need for measurable "results." WTF?
In my fact based opinion, the formula for success and solution to both problems is relatively simple and goes wayyy beyond emerging social media, or the proliferation of sophisticated and expensive CRM software. Because social media or software doesn't "follow-up" leads after a show... people do! And the easier show management and exhibitors can make it to improve lead follow-up, the easier it will be for exhibitors to measure and prove show ROI based on "results" and not "activity."
Some more dots to connect... It's the "activity" of trade shows that costs money. It's the "results" that make money.
One show organizer in the IAEE conference last week stated... "We advertise exhibitor education and no one signs up." Again in my opinion, there is a "perfectly" logical reason why they don't, but unfortunately I have to catch a plane now and can't elaborate. But if you follow this blog, or contact me, I'll be glad to tell you, if you agree to stop feeding that damn Gorilla.
Therrrrrrre's no business like show business..........
Exhibitors + Education = ROI
Last week at the IAEE conference, in Miami, everything but smoke signals, a blimp, sky writing and air-raid sirens were SCREAMING that exhibitors need "Measurement Metrics" to prove the ROI from shows to their management.
Yesterday, I was a guest speaker at Steve Miller's telesummit Webinar, and after my presentation on an industry proven way to get 100% lead follow-up after a show, I displayed my e-mail address in my Power Point presentation and got 17 e-mails from listeners/attendees asking for more information. HELLO!!! ??? Is anyone listening or connecting the dots in that action?
FACT - Less than 20% of leads get follow-ed up after a show. Everybody's heard that. Everybody knows it. But it's the 800# Gorilla in the living room that no one wants to admit is there, while exhibitors simply want to LEARN how to get rid of it without their management knowing. And they can by getting all of their leads followed-up after the show.
In my worldwide business travel, educating exhibitors, I see the disconnect between exhibitor companies' marketing department lead "generation", and their sales department's lack of lead "follow-up." (Which BTW is for good reason.)
Having recently joined the IAEE, I now see a similar disconnect between show management's focus on trade show "activity" and exhibitors focus on need for measurable "results." WTF?
In my fact based opinion, the formula for success and solution to both problems is relatively simple and goes wayyy beyond emerging social media, or the proliferation of sophisticated and expensive CRM software. Because social media or software doesn't "follow-up" leads after a show... people do! And the easier show management and exhibitors can make it to improve lead follow-up, the easier it will be for exhibitors to measure and prove show ROI based on "results" and not "activity."
Some more dots to connect... It's the "activity" of trade shows that costs money. It's the "results" that make money.
One show organizer in the IAEE conference last week stated... "We advertise exhibitor education and no one signs up." Again in my opinion, there is a "perfectly" logical reason why they don't, but unfortunately I have to catch a plane now and can't elaborate. But if you follow this blog, or contact me, I'll be glad to tell you, if you agree to stop feeding that damn Gorilla.
Therrrrrrre's no business like show business..........
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
TRENDS reduce SPENDS for TRADE SHOWS
Did you know... that "labor" for Installation and Dismantling (I&D) of your exhibit DOES NOT have to come from the show's General Contractor goon-pool, or your exhibit house that simply buys it from a 3rd party, marks up the cost an average of 29% (Per Exhibitor Magazine), and passes the markup on to you?
That's right! Now you can go-direct and "un-bundle" these services from traditional suppliers and save as much as 40-60% on your trade show services cost.
The key is to know HOW to get it done, WHEN to order it, and WHO the experts are that do it the best.
Give me a call at 630-642-6500 if you need the name of an I&D company that can save your company a fortune -- and make you a hero. Or, I'll manage the entire process for you, so all you have to do is SHOW up.
That's right! Now you can go-direct and "un-bundle" these services from traditional suppliers and save as much as 40-60% on your trade show services cost.
The key is to know HOW to get it done, WHEN to order it, and WHO the experts are that do it the best.
Give me a call at 630-642-6500 if you need the name of an I&D company that can save your company a fortune -- and make you a hero. Or, I'll manage the entire process for you, so all you have to do is SHOW up.
Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas -- BET on it!
If you have never heard of it, the Exhibitor Show is the trade show... for trade shows. Whoda thunk it?
Held again this year in Las Vegas, it's a MUST ATTEND if your responsibility has ANYthing to do with trade show exhibiting. Check it out at www.exhibitoronline.com
I'll be moderating a panel on the subject of trade show leads, and speaking again at their conference for the 14th year. The title of my presentation this year is "Trade show leads... STOP counting... START closing" in which I will be sharing "secrets" of an industry proven process of post-show lead responce management that assures 100% lead follow-up and positive trade show ROI.
In fact, American Airlines named the process I will be demonstrating a "Best Practice" in trade show marketing as it relates to post-show lead management.
I'm ON from 10:00am - 11:30am Thursday March 26, 2009. So get to Vegas. Don't GAMBLE with your trade show profession. STACK your DECK with the knowledge of an industry proven process you can BET will advance your profession.
Held again this year in Las Vegas, it's a MUST ATTEND if your responsibility has ANYthing to do with trade show exhibiting. Check it out at www.exhibitoronline.com
I'll be moderating a panel on the subject of trade show leads, and speaking again at their conference for the 14th year. The title of my presentation this year is "Trade show leads... STOP counting... START closing" in which I will be sharing "secrets" of an industry proven process of post-show lead responce management that assures 100% lead follow-up and positive trade show ROI.
In fact, American Airlines named the process I will be demonstrating a "Best Practice" in trade show marketing as it relates to post-show lead management.
I'm ON from 10:00am - 11:30am Thursday March 26, 2009. So get to Vegas. Don't GAMBLE with your trade show profession. STACK your DECK with the knowledge of an industry proven process you can BET will advance your profession.
Texas Library Association - BOOK it!
On March 31st, 2009 I'll again be conducting my Power-Hour exhibitor educational session at the Texas Library Association (TLA) conference in Houston.
If you're exhibiting in the show, be sure to stop by the exhibitor's lounge at 12:00 noon for some pre-show, during-show, and post-show tips-N-tricks aimed at generating a measureable ROI.
I also write articles for their exhibitors and provide an afternoon of FREE one-on-one consulting to those that want to maximize their exhibiting presence and BOOK biz.
If you're exhibiting in the show, be sure to stop by the exhibitor's lounge at 12:00 noon for some pre-show, during-show, and post-show tips-N-tricks aimed at generating a measureable ROI.
I also write articles for their exhibitors and provide an afternoon of FREE one-on-one consulting to those that want to maximize their exhibiting presence and BOOK biz.
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