by tradespeopleinsights | Sep 24, 2013 | Marketing Tips
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’m finding dealing with people, both personally or in business, is that they just don’t seem to care about the “customer experience.” I eat out a lot and I tend to go back to places where they treat me better. Their food might not be any better than the guy down the street, but I feel they appreciate my business.
The same holds true in my business dealings. I tend to do business with people I know, like and trust. Yes price is a consideration, but it certainly isn’t the main one. Unless you have a one-of-a-kind product or service, there are other options, whether it be for dining, dry cleaning or buying a new contractor tool storage box.
From a marketing perspective, I see this as a great opportunity to not only keep existing customers happy, but to convert potentials. Just think, if your competitors are just treating their customers OK, doesn’t that leave room for an opportunity for you?
What a missed opportunity for some folks! When someone does go that extra step, whether it’s a waiter or a CSR at a manufacturer, it makes an impression and not only do I take notice, but when the opportunity arises, I tell people about it.
So what are you doing to ensure that your customers are having a better than OK experience with you?
by tradespeopleinsights | Sep 19, 2013 | Public Relations
Today we have a post from Rachel Kerstetter, Sonnhalter’s PR Engineer.
I have noticed in some companies that internal communication is not made a priority. External communication in the form of advertising and marketing seem to be pretty important though.
Here’s the problem: Within a company, if you can’t communicate internally enough to get everyone on the same page, how exactly do you expect to communicate with anyone else?
One of my mentors once told me that internal communications is definitely “public relations,” because a company’s employees are its most important audience.
Think about it: Would you want to hear news about your company from a source outside of your company?
If a friend comes to you and says, “Hey, I heard your company just started Initiative X,” but you have no idea what they’re talking about, it’s embarrassing to you and your company. Internal communication is really very simple, talk to each other. Clue your employees in and let them know what you’re doing. Word-of-mouth recommendations are incredibly valuable and have to be earned through solid communication. We live in an age where we look at online reviews before purchasing a pair of flip flops, so if your staff knows what your company is doing, they can be an excellent resource for recommendations.
I know that my answer to the question: How’s work going? is a lot more interesting when I know about new things happening at Sonnhalter.
Internal communication is also important if you’re hiring outside help… for example, an agency.
There’s a reason for a reporting structure, even for outside help. It saves you not only hassle, but also money, if everyone on your team is on the same page, because your outside help won’t have to decipher what your messages and goals are.
by tradespeopleinsights | Sep 18, 2013 | Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
Here is another reason Suppliers should think about the value of joining a buying group. The trends are that they are starting their own meetings which means lots of quality time with distributors. Here are the details:
Lockport, NY – NetPlus Alliance, a buying group for industrial and contractor supplies distributors, has opened registration for its first annual group meeting. The event is scheduled for March 16-18, 2014 and will take place at the M Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The group’s first stand-alone gathering will engage NetPlus distributors and suppliers through one-on-one business meetings, networking and educational breakout sessions.
M.K. Morse, ORS Nasco, Proto Industrial Tools and Walter Meier will host the breakout sessions that will deliver product knowledge and sales opportunities to NetPlus distributors in a classroom style setting. Dan Judge, NetPlus Alliance Chairman and CFO spoke on the value of these sessions. “The breakouts were an idea that came out of our advisory meetings last fall. These sessions will give our distributors something to take back to the office: product knowledge and new sales opportunities.”
by tradespeopleinsights | Sep 17, 2013 | Marketing Tips
When we think about sales training, we all think about teaching our sales crew about the latest and greatest product we have and seeing how many we can sell. But these folks who we send out into the trenches each day aren’t our only salespeople. What about your non-selling sales people?
Think about your guy who does will calls or the truck driver who delivers your products. How about the receptionist that answers the phones (yes, some companies still have them), customer service folks and yes, even your credit department. These are all non-selling roles that could ultimately affect future orders.
The point I’m trying to make is anyone who comes in contact with your existing customers has an impact on future sales whether they’re thinking about it or not. Think about the last time you called in with a problem or an issue and got treated like they were doing you a favor by taking time to talk to you? Now you’d expect that the customer service department is aware and has had training in how to be nice to people.
Think about your credit department (most people would break out into a cold sweat). Are they working on future sales or just trying to collect money. I know of credit departments that are firm but flexible in coming up with ways that treat customers fair and foster the relationship. Abe Walking Bear Sanchez gives you a fresh perspective on this job function and how it can be a positive way to increase sales.
But are you overlooking other ambassadors within your company that can influence future purchases? We need to instill in all that come in contact with our customers that our future paychecks are hinging on keeping them happy. I think companies need to make sure the attitude and culture is reflected on the front lines and not just in a mission statement that’s on our lobby wall or on our website.
We are who we appear to be and success is based on the weakest link in the chain. Maybe we should all be a little more sensitive on how we present our companies… and a THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS every once in a while couldn’t hurt.
by tradespeopleinsights | Sep 11, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
Email is still a preferred marketing tool, especially in the B-to-B space. The key to success is having a plan to build relationships with your audience whether they are existing customers or potentials.
To be successful, you need to pay attention to your audience, the messages you’re sending out and not be so self-promoting. Marketo has published Top 10 Tips for Better Email Performance. It’s a quick read and gives you the basics you need to be successful. Highlights include:
- Don’t talk at people, but rather create a dialog.
- Segment your audiences and the messages for each.
- Automate where you can. It makes life easier for you.
- Mix it up – days you send them out, use of surveys or a fulfillment piece.
- Make sure it can be delivered. Check to ensure that there’s nothing that might prevent your message from being delivered.
If you’re going to make the effort, let’s make sure you’re getting the most out of it!
If you like this post, you may want to read:
Why Email Marketing is so Important in Lead Nurturing to the Professional Tradesman.
Benchmark Report on Email Marketing Sheds Light on Priorities and Challenges to the B-to-B Markets.
by tradespeopleinsights | Sep 10, 2013 | Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
Sonnhalter is deeply involved with the professional tradesmen. We recently updated our overview of the Plumbing market. The purpose of the document is to give the reader a quick snapshot of the industry and its players for the balance of 2013 and what to look for in 2014.
Included are association and buying group contacts, training firms, best practices, codes and standards, online resources, trade shows/meetings and media publications. A free copy for download is available. Click here to sign up.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’m finding dealing with people, both personally or in business, is that they just don’t seem to care about the “customer experience.” I eat out a lot and I tend to go back to places where they treat me better. Their food might not be any better than the guy down the street, but I feel they appreciate my business.
