by tradesmeninsights | Sep 5, 2018 | Tips, Tradesmen Insights
By John Sonnhalter, Rainmaker Journeyman
I don’t know if it’s getting easier, but it sure is different from years ago. Twenty to 30 years ago, salesmen needed to make cold calls, and the only way to communicate was through land lines, faxes, letters and direct mail. The selling cycle certainly took longer back then!
Now, with the internet, cell phones, email and social media, much of the upfront work is already done for sales. YouTube videos, application data sheets and competitive comparisons are just a few of the resources available.
The key is not to try to sell something; instead, your main objective is to help solve a problem or issue. Here are a few key takeaways when selling to professional tradesmen:
– If possible, actually show you have a solution by demoing your product on an actual job site.
– Sell your value proposition on why using your product will be the reason to choose you over the competition.
– Give them names of other contractors who have similar problems/issues that you helped solve.
– Respect their time; show them your solution and ask when you should follow up.
Here are some tips:
- Deliver outstanding quality – from a great quality product to courteous customer service and user-friendly info – and then let them have the option on how they want to receive it.
- Understand what your customers want – don’t assume to know what they want – ask them.
- Connect with them – direct relationships are the most important and the most challenging. Always think WIIFT (What’s In It For Them). Be sincere and upfront with them. When communicating with them, don’t always be selling. Try to help solve a problem even though it might not, in the short term, result in a sale.
- Under promise and over deliver – exceed your customers’ expectations, then do it again.
- Don’t sit on your laurels – yes, you have real neat products, but instead of sitting there and just doing the same old, same old, innovate. If you don’t, someone else will.
by tradesmeninsights | Aug 9, 2018 | Marketing Tips, Tips
Think customer service isn’t an integral part of your marketing? Ask yourself the following questions:
- What part of your company do existing customers deal with the most?
- Have you ever avoided a business because of a negative remark a friend made?
If the answer to both is yes, you’ve just seen how an effective customer service program is also your best marketing strategy.
Need more proof? In our latest Tip Sheet, we’ve laid out eight tips for making customer service a priority in your marketing efforts, and as always, it’s geared toward manufacturers, distributors and others in the B2T marketplace. You can sign up to download it for free here.
Let us know what challenges you’ve had with customer service and check out our other tip sheets here.
by tradesmeninsights | Jun 15, 2018 | Social Marketing, Tips, Tradesmen Insights
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent
YouTube has become the prime research tool on the web. With a staggering breadth of content and connected communities for almost every niche, it’s definitely earned a place in your marketing efforts. If you don’t have a video program yet, check out articles here, here and here on how to incorporate video. In the meantime, if video is already a part of your efforts, here are a few simple guidelines to making the most of the content you post:
No Channel is an Island
- You can’t make your channel a one-sided affair. Make sure you get into as many “networks” as possible by subscribing to other channels, i.e. trade organizations, publications, online reviewers, people already using your products, etc.
Engage Frequently
- Don’t be a passive subscriber. Like videos and comment, even if it’s just “great video.” The more you put your channel out there, the more likely people are to find it.
Forget Who You Are
- When it comes to video tags and descriptions, think like a potential customer, rather than as a salesperson. Don’t use product numbers or use common terms, instead, put yourself in the shoes of someone just starting a search, with no prior brand loyalty or knowledge of the industry, and then tag accordingly.
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by tradesmeninsights | Jun 1, 2018 | Agency Insights, Marketing Tips, Tips, Tradesmen Insights, Traditional Marketing
Multimedia can seem like another of those “marketing buzzwords.” But when it comes right down to it, the key is to effectively use images to tell your product’s or brand’s story, and it can be incredibly successful and easy.
In our latest Tip Sheet, we’ve laid out 6 tips for integrating multimedia into your marketing efforts, and as always, it’s geared toward manufacturers, distributors and others in the B2T marketplace. You can sign up to download it for free here.
Let us know what challenges you’ve had with integrating multimedia and check out our other tip sheets here.
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by tradesmeninsights | Apr 10, 2018 | Agency Insights, Public Relations, Public Relations, Tips, Tradesmen Insights
Public relations should be a part of any size company’s marketing plan. Effective communication with your current and prospective customers, industry trade publications, electronic media and the general public is not only essential to your company’s success, but a cost effective way to get your brand and products exposure.
In our latest Tip Sheet, we’ve laid out 9 strategies for making sure you’re integrating PR into your marketing efforts and how to re-use the content you produce. You can sign up to download it here.
Interested in setting up a PR program? Give us a call or email. And check out our other Tip Sheets here.
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by tradesmeninsights | Feb 22, 2018 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Tips, Tradesmen Insights
By Chris Ilcin
Everyone (and especially marketing communications firms) creates an aura that content marketing is some huge, time consuming mystery. But the real secret is that it’s all about having a clear, consistent message and then placing the right part of that message into the right format. To demonstrate that, we’ve created the following infographic that shows how we repurposed the content from a single, 45-minute interview with our client’s product engineer, into numerous pieces of content across multiple platforms, where the messaging received thousands of views.
Check out our infographic, “A White Paper Life Cycle.”
How are you repurposing content?
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