Marketing and Sales Guru

There are 1,000 ways to invest your time every day as an internet marketer, you will never, ever run out of ways that you could improve what you are doing or expand what you are trying to accomplish. There are always more tools, methods, strategies, and avenues to explore than there are minutes in a day to even comprehend them.

Here are the top 4 time wasters I have seen in the internet marketing space:

1. Trying to please everyone who emails you with feedback about your product. Yes, you should “crowd source” and innovate and pay attention to both negative and positive feedback but if you focus too much on tweaking your product or service forever you will miss the next big opportunity coming your way.
2. Believe that more links are always better links. There is a lot that goes into SEO besides quantity of links nowdays to rank well so sit back and try to design your ideal link graph. How can you strategically gain links from the top 100 websites within your industry? Those links are typically worth more than 3,000 links that are from domains outside of your space.
3. Thinking that by throwing money at a problem it will get solved. Cash can serve as a catalyst but it does not create solutions and often by doing things the hard way you learn how to do them efficiently and you see the extra benefits of the approach. This is hard to balance as your websites grow bigger, stronger, and more diverse in their nature but never forget when you started how you ran your whole marketing campaign on a shoestring budget. You can waste a lot of time by waiting for problems to be solved just because you have spent some money on them – like everything else what you invest into something is what you will get out.
4. Moving in too many directions at once. It is tempting to go after every opportunity we see but as a result we don’t do anything very efficiently. This is the #1 time waster in the internet marketing, never be working on more than 5 priorities and always know what your #1 and #2 goals are so you can focus on those first every single day when you start working.

I hope these internet marketing time wasters are things that you and all of us can avoid as often as possible. Cheers.

tags: time management and internet marketing, time management, internet marketing, online marketing, how to invest my time in internet marketing, how to invest my marketing time, internet marketing time savers, how to be more efficient at internet marketing

When working together, marketing and sales can do wonders for a company of any size. For small companies, PR should also be added to the mix, as it helps to create trust and credibility in the eyes of your buyers. Marketing, on the other hand, can also help to do that, but it can do more in terms of advertising. Marketing should be used at all points of the customer experience. Whether the buyer is contemplating buying your product, or is at the check-out, marketing materials should be present.

This consistent presence of marketing materials can be less invasive than advertising, like TV ads. It can also help to remind the customer of your existence when the purchasing time comes. You want to be on their minds and the first one they think of when they need your product or service. Ways to help encourage this include customer quotes, your mission statement, your goals, accomplishments, and your expertise. If you know something about the industry that buyers should know in order to make the best, most well informed decision, share it with them! When it comes time to buy, they will remember that you’ve helped them in the decision making process, and perhaps be more inclined to buy from you.

Another way to remind buyers of your offerings is to use promotional tactics. Depending on your goal, there are a variety of tools you can use, including promotional events, like sponsoring a fundraiser, sponsoring a concert or festival that your target market frequents, etc. You can also use promotional items like reusable totes (if you’re target market is concerned with being environmentally friendly), water bottles, pens, etc. These items are like free advertising for you when they are used, and free items for your customers that they will hopefully use as well. Buyers are big, big fans of free things, but only if they’ll use them. What value does free information or items have if the customer finds them useless?

You can also do things like host a contest, raffle, or other sort of prize drawing. Not only will this help to generate interest in your product, you can also generate leads with the information gathered. Email addresses are vital pieces of information to gather. Though the customer may not want your email, and may simply delete it, it’s hard to ignore something your eyes see if the email is opened. You’ll be reminding them of the raffle, which should increase interest in the email more, and you’ll be reminding them of your company.

The best way to make use of these tactics is to be aware of customer feedback and to offer something more than just a pen. Offer a connection, and way to communicate with you. Use social media to give updates on the contests, to get in touch with people who’ve talked to/about you, and be there. There is nothing more annoying to a customer who’s complaint goes unnoticed because a company is unaware of the things being said about them. This sort of monitoring can help your company to avoid a crisis, and possibly diffuse a potentially bad situation. Negative WOM (word of mouth) can be rather detrimental.

Remember that marketing tactics are not meant to trick customers, but rather generate interest and offer them something of value that will make them glad they made the decision to talk to you, get to know more about your company, and see what you have to offer. This sort of satisfaction in their decision will make them even more likely to stay with you and make the move toward a sale.

When looking to increase your revenues, it’s often recommended to go one way or another: find new leads, or lead old ones to repurchase. There doesn’t seem to be a happy medium that consultants or companies can agree upon. Old leads/customers are often sent to the client managers who maintain satisfaction for their customers, but they don’t remain in the sales teams’ hands to try and increase more sales per customer. Then, there’s the alternative, sales teams are the client managers who try to make more sales, but don’t worry about looking elsewhere for new leads.

There is a happy medium that can work for both ends of the spectrum. Here are a few tips to finding the mix that works best for you and your customers:

1. Define your strategies. These are the goals tied to the company’s overall objectives. What is the company aiming to do? Increase sales? Awareness? Sales per customer? Whatever it is, you have to know them before you can move on to step two.
2. Define your tactics. How are you going to reach those goals, meet those objectives? Create an action plan based on your strategies. This way, and only this way, will you be able to create meaningful actions that are related to the company’s objectives.
3. Think creatively. Many companies still do things without realizing or knowing why, and often continue to do them because they either worked in the past or are simply the way they’ve always done things. When doing steps one and two, take into consideration the things you’re already doing, and be willing and able to say, “maybe this isn’t the right way to gain this strategic goal…” Then you can continue to grow.
4. Implement your tactics. This is an important component to being able to see results. Assign responsibilities and put your tactics into place. Also prepare for step 5 by implementing measurement tools, guidelines, and benchmarks.
5. Evaluate. Take a look at the results. From the benchmarks you created previously, you should be able to see if your results were successful or not, based on the criteria already established. This is the only way you can improve future efforts to create an even better plan or course of action next time.

Remember that, though this may be useful here in business development planning and creating sales objectives, this method can and should be used for marketing, advertising, PR, and any other business venture. You need to know your goals (strategies) before you begin acting (tactics).

Selling and sales results are pretty clear cut: you get what you put into your sales efforts. If your employees are unhappy, or if you do little to sell your product, you’ll likely do just that: sell little of your product.

So, what are the most important aspects to pay attention to when developing your sales plan and sales tactics? Let’s take a look at the 4 P’s of Marketing from a Sales perspective;  they will greatly help you to develop a successful sales plan:

1. Product: Are customers looking to buy what you are offering? Many companies forget to ask this question because they want to create a company, cause, product, or service that they are passionate about. This doesn’t necessarily mean someone else will feel the same way, let alone hundreds or thousands. It also doesn’t guarantee that another company isn’t already offering what you plan to offer, making your product somewhat obsolete.
2. Place: Also attached to the last idea in Product, are you offering your product in a place where people can access it, are willing to go to to obtain your product, or a place that your competition is not offering it? This is a crucial component of your sales success, and needs to be addressed. When it comes down to a product being the same as another product, place can make all the difference and make or break your success.
3. Promotion: Where are you advertising your product? Is your sales team getting enough leads from your marketing efforts? How is your sales team promoting the product when trying to qualify or close a sale with a customer? Advertising and sales promotions should be in line to create a transparent and consistent company.
4. Price: Though the sales team may not have much say in this area, it is also an important aspect to pay attention to. Know how your target buyer feels about price, what your competition is doing with prices for their similar products/services, and know how to improve your pitch in contrast to what your competition is doing.

How are you creating your sales plan? Are you including people from all areas of your business? If you are not, you may consider doing so in order to create a holistic approach to selling. You should also consider including your target buyer; most buyers are more than willing to tell you something about your product or service, and often times there’s a person willing to tell you it for free. Talk to your audience, your target buyer, and the buyers you already have; you may get some enlightening feedback.

Though entering the sales world can be a tough transition from the safety and security of college (or your past job) there are many rewards available to successful sales professionals. That can include things like increased pay, increased/professional training, opportunities for advancement, etc. To elaborate on some of those things, here are 4 items to prepare yourself for when taking on a sales job:

1. Hard work. Sales is tough. Even with the right personality, sales can be a daunting job that takes a lot out of you. Being a successful sales pro means that you’ll have to work hard to overcome fears, take constructive criticism, and move on when things are taken personally. This also means that you’ll have to put in the time and effort to close sales, find new leads, and offer something of value to your customers, which can also be hard more. Moreover, you must work hard to stay moral and ethical, especially when working in an environment that does not condone that sort of workplace.
2. Rewards. As mentioned above, there are great opportunities to a sales professional who does well and works hard, as #1 indicated is important and necessary for a sales position. These rewards have to be earned, however, and things like larger pay than other entry-level jobs involves that hard work to earn things like commissions and bonuses.
3. Training. I include this here and in the rewards mentioned in the first paragraph because it can be something of a reward as well as something is simply another aspect of hard work required to move up in a business. This training will benefit you in the long-run, however, so take advantage of what is being taught to you as a sales professional.
4. Working differently. This can be in a team, on your own, during weird hours, or in an entirely different work environment, like outside of an office or in a warehouse. Be prepared to work together with others as a team as that sort of collaboration is best when it comes to sales. It can also create better relationships and moral throughout a team, so be sure to be a real team player. You may need your teammate’s help in the future, and they may need yours.

The downside to the sales career? You must have the personality and characteristics of a sales professional. While there is a difference between the dreaded “salesman” and the sales professional, both require the ability to be outgoing, indifferent to negative feedback, and unaffected by rejections. Another downside is the fact that while companies definitely look to hire someone with experience, most companies look to hire professionals from their sales teams when it comes to moving someone up to the marketing, advertising, etc., positions. That can make it hard to compete with people who’ve already gone through the sales gauntlet.

Just remember to do your best, take things as they come, and be prepared for the above. Knowing what to expect can greatly increase your chances of success, and knowing up front that sales is not the most enjoyable career path is something that will help you to reach your goals if sales is just the first stop. No matter what, though, be sure to give your all, even if you do not plan to stay in sales. Not all sales professionals have to be the cheesy car-salesman, and if you don’t want to be that person, don’t. Be the salesperson you want to be, and remember that you’re there to help the customer, who is the only reason you have a job in the first place.

What tips do you have for someone looking to enter the sales industry?

Working in business development can be a high energy and sometimes hectic position. This is because things change, and need to change, with the changing needs of customers. More importantly, the business development team needs to keep up with that change in order to stay ahead of the curve. Positions in business development can include managers, people in sales, and people in marketing.

Below are some of the common and essential responsibilities/roles of a business development manager:

1. Representative – for the team and for the management goals.
2. Execution – of strategic tactics.
3. Measurement – of results so as to assess future goals and to create future strategic standpoints.
4. Manager – of third party resources and contracts.
5. Leader – of the biz dev team of competencies on specific projects or targets, and assist with other areas of business.
6. Evaluate, organize, and negotiate opportunities to executives.

Many places hiring will require a degree of some sort, though the degree will most likely need to be in some area of business. MBAs may be preferred as well, so know that education is important. Experience will also be required, though depending on the position, not much will be requested. For a managerial position, more experience will be sought after.

Other skills that are required include:

1. Strong strategic thinking abilities.
2. Analytic skills.
3. Creative but realistic.
4. Ability to present and talk in front of an audience.
5. Leadership skills.
6. Excellent writing abilities.

Be open to thinking outside of the box, and work well in teams. Business development is largely a team effort, so you must be comfortable working in such an environment.

The Internet has made it easier than ever to create a lasting relationship with customers, and fast. The important thing here, however, is that you do so correctly. There are many ways to create and initiate the relationship process, including email marketing. Email marketing is essentially the use of email to market to your target audience, potential buyers, and current customers to increase sales, encourage engagement, etc.

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Here are a few tips to increasing your effectiveness through email marketing:

1. Make it easy to sign up. Encourage people to sign up for your mailing lists by offering them something in return or by really selling the important characteristics of your email lists like free offers, tips, etc. These benefits should be listed. Additionally, tell people to sign up for your mailing list. This “telling” is a call to action, something that should be present in press releases, blog posts, etc. These calls-to-action are recommendations for what the visitor/reader/customer should do next, like signing up for your mailing list.
2. Make your content relevant. No one wants to receive an email that is pointless, useless, and irrelevant. Make your emails about your products, or better yet, about your industry. If you make the email less about you and more about the customer and the decisions they are making that involve your company (like which company to go through to re-roof their house), they are more likely to look to you when it is finally time to make that decision.
3. Offer something of value. Following from point #2, make sure that what you are sending is valuable to them. People love things for free, but if you send them something that is of no value to them, the results may be less than satisfactory for you.
4. Avoid sending the wrong emails. Some customers can get angry or upset if they get an email that is not targeted to them. For example, you send an email asking someone to sign up for your program, but they are already a participant in your program. This can cause some waves in the otherwise happy life of your customer.
5. Send emails at the right time. Just like the above, avoid sending emails that are not right for the time. For example, someone may not be interested in your holiday services in the middle of April. Be sure to be aware of your target market’s habits, lifestyles, etc., so that you not only send the right email but at the right time.

Email marketing can be very effective, but no one likes spam. If you intend on spamming your entire mailing list, it may be best that you avoid starting at all, because you won’t get far. The point of email marketing is to further position yourself as an authority figure in your industry and to further gain the trust of your buyers and potential buyers. More importantly, however, is that you encourage them to respond and that you, yourself, reply to their inquiries, comments, and feedback.

Have you used email marketing? What were your successes? Downfalls?

A large part of the business development activity list can be included in the marketing category, and rightfully so. Especially today, with information readily available, more and more people online, and easy access to PR and marketing tactics and tools, marketing may be more talked about than sales.

Don’t get me wrong though; sales is also an important aspect of business development. Marketing is simply the necessity to get the ball rolling and to increase brand awareness before sales tactics are even implemented. This sort of before-hand marketing can greatly increase the chances of a potential buyer knowing who you are.

An important part of any business venture or growth, marketing is the means to increased reach and increase visibility. Here are some tips to doing some of your own marketing, though using a firm to assist you in your business development activities:

1. Don’t draw a line between marketing and PR. If you have two different departments, ensure that they talk to one another, talk often, and communicate what’s happening within each one. Marketing and PR need to work together more than ever before. This is due to the changes the business and consumer worlds have seen because of the Internet and the increased opportunities there are to communicate and interact with consumers or businesses.
2. Don’t assume that if something is deemed PR it cannot be used for marketing in business development. Since marketing and PR are more and more alike today, there is no need to say one activity is strictly PR or strictly marketing. Just like the two departments need to work together, so do the tactics and strategies you see best fit for your current campaign or goal.
3. Don’t isolate the marketing and sales departments either. Make sure they talk to one another as well. This is even more crucial than the vitality of the PR and marketing departments talking to one another, and this is due to the fact that, when there is no communication, one team will most likely counteract the other with undermining tactics.

Marketing is an effective tool for any business activity, and it can be a great way to allocate PR activities into your every day routine if PR is still a hard sell to executives. Things like social media and press releases may be seen as PR tools, but they’ve become part of the marketing department’s toolbox as well. This change really requires that everyone talks to one another so that things get done well and are successful.

There are many types of marketing, especially when conducting it online. Internet marketing also involves various methods, one being Affiliate Marketing. Affiliate Marketing is the support and collaboration between two entities where one directs traffics, customers, buyers, etc., to the other’s website, company, etc. This direction on the part of the affiliate results in payment or commissions of sorts.

Affiliate marketing is a marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. Examples include rewards sites, where users are rewarded with cash or gifts, for the completion of an offer, and the referral of others to the site. The industry has four core players: the merchant (also known as ‘retailer’ or ‘brand’), the network, the publisher (also known as ‘the affiliate’) and the customer. (source)

While affiliate marketing can take place offline, it is much easier to track online with the use of cookies and tools like Google Analytics. This ease and ability to track where traffic is coming from (for example, your affiliate), makes Internet Affiliate Marketing much more desirable.

The brand or company that hires the affiliate is doing so to increase their own traffic without needing to do the marketing themselves. Here is some more information from Wikipedia that helps to sum up the activities of the affiliate a brand or company may hire:

Affiliate marketing overlaps with other Internet marketing methods to some degree, because affiliates often use regular advertising methods. Those methods include organic search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, e-mail marketing, and in some sense display advertising. On the other hand, affiliates sometimes use less orthodox techniques, such as publishing reviews of products or services offered by a partner. (source)

Affiliate marketing may not be right for everyone, and with the use of social media and PR online, affiliate marketing may be seen as a less desirable method of advertising, and more like advertising in the end, which consumers do not typically enjoy.

What do you think? Do you use affiliate marketing? Is it still a worthwhile investment?

As a marketer, there are often times where strategies and tactics will need to be implemented that may not make much sense. For some of these tactics, only select few companies have the ability and capability to carry them out. One such tactic is that of cannibalizing.

The term is a bit harsh, but it really does relay its meaning: the consumption of one’s own self. In this case, it is the consumption of a company’s own market. This is a strategy most companies and brands cannot implement, and as such is a luxury for more established brands looking to capture more of a market. The main thing about cannibalizing, however, is that you are simply recapturing your already owned market.

This is a way to take away from your own market, but also reach more of another market that was previously unable to receive or unwilling to obtain your products or services. Take for example the newspaper industry. Their sales are falling, and their readers are moving online (with the rest of the world). What did they do to respond? They moved their papers online. You can often times read free articles or subscribe to read them on their websites. This was a recapturing of their own market, just in a different venue. It’s a way to convince people to stay, but also to convince others in the target market that may have been reluctant or just slow to joining in.

Customers online, as well as your competitors, means that there are times where you may have to change your offerings and risk losing part of your market to gain parts of others. This change is inevitable, however, as more and more information is being consumed and shared online. More importantly is the use of the Internet as a news source. In a post on Public Relations Blogger titled “How Media Consumption Has Changed Since 2000″ | Pew Findings, I go over some of the main changes the Internet has caused to occur in terms of media consumption.

We’ve already learned that more and more people are online, and their use, as suggested above through the Pew study means that you must be online as well as offline if you hope to reach your target audience.

Another way to cannibalize your own market and brand is to create an entirely different brand that competes with yourself. You may take away some of your own market through this other brand, but you can also capture parts of other markets that you were previously unable to access. To do this, though, you must have the resources to do so.