by tradespeopleinsights | Aug 22, 2013 | Uncategorized
Today we have a guest blog from Jennifer Murphy, the vice president and COO at NetPlus Alliance.
Two years ago at the Industrial Supply Association Product Show and Conference, I was fortunate to attend one of the educational tracks hosted by a former Navy SEAL, Eric Greitans. His presentation related his experiences as a SEAL to the challenges we face in life, both personally and professionally.
Greitans served abroad first as a humanitarian, and then on the front lines in Afghanistan post-9/11. His book, The Heart and Fist, has a permanent place on my nightstand and I reread the pages that I’ve dog-eared whenever I need a reminder to keep my head up and continue to move forward.
I have many years to go before I am a veteran of this industry. I’ve worked at NetPlus Alliance, a buying group for industrial and contractor supplies distributors, for only seven short years. This pales in comparison to my father, Dan Judge, who’s been around the industry for almost 50. I’ve learned from him, though, about the tough times that our family distribution business, Ward Beals & McCarthy, faced over the years, and how hard it was for him to sell the assets of that business to a bigger company back when I was in college. He kept the corporation intact, and now I am the fifth generation of an industrial business that was started by my great uncles in 1931.
During the recession in 2009, we also heard from many of our distributors about the challenges that they faced. Our members that survived fought hard to gain back the ground that was lost, but the road ahead is still uncertain. The challenges many of us face now, although different from what my great uncles faced, are no less frightening than the rapid-paced social and digital media environment that distributors compete in today.
In The Heart and the Fist, Greitans describes Navy SEAL training: marathon swims in freezing water, followed by miles of running in combat boots and countless other physical and mental challenges. All of this happening in a chaos-driven environment where you don’t know what is going to happen from one hour to the next. Sound familiar?
Throughout the training, they don’t call these exercises tests or challenges; they call them ‘evolutions.’ Because every time you make a decision to accept pain, take on a challenge, put someone else’s needs in front of your own, confront your fear or move through defeat, your character evolves. And eventually you get to a place where you lead.
He said, “Everyone has a front line in life and in business. You are not going to win everyday. You need to work through the challenges and find the people that will be a part of your own front line who will push you through the tough stuff.”
So on the days when I need a reminder to move toward my fears, I pick up that dog-eared book, and reread the words that Eric Greitans put down in his memoir.
Certainly, the economy is better now; its taken time and we’ve gained some of the ground that was lost. But the business environment is also evolving beyond my father’s generation of running a distribution business. The new digital playing field evolves at a rapid pace, and social has new meaning for an independent business owner.
by tradespeopleinsights | Aug 21, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
I guess we haven’t talked about this for some time, but I’m seeing more and marketers reverting back to selling on social media platforms and complaining that social isn’t working for them. Should that surprise them?
I recently read a post by Jason Falls in Social Media Explorer that outlined Why Marketers Get Social Media Wrong. I don’t know if their management is putting pressure on them to sell more or what the problem is.
Here are a few tips from Jason’s post:
- Understand your audience – this is social and they probably aren’t there to solve the problems of the world.
- The audience, contrary to some opinion, is not there to buy.
- Social should nurture your brand – talk about experiences or solution to things you’re doing and hope for engagement.
You need to understand why the audience is participating in these networks. Don’t try to measure/compare to traditional channels because they’re apples and oranges.
by tradespeopleinsights | Aug 20, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Traditional Marketing
I have this running conversation with clients about which is better, a traditional direct mail program or an e-blast. It’s a tough question to answer and I’m not too sure there is only one answer.
There are challenges for using both methods and we have seen it become more and more difficult to get emails delivered even if we use opt-in lists from trade publications and have them send it out under their name.
I think that when reaching out to our target market, the professional tradesman, you have just as good if not better of a chance of reaching them with the traditional snail mail.
We recently did a sampling program for a client who wanted to focus more on the electronic side of things and wanted to use more, if not most, in this media. They assumed that direct mail was a thing of the past and was too costly (neither of which are true). We convinced them to give both a try and the results were surprising.
The DM portion of the program outperformed on average 3 to 1 over the e-blasts. We used the same criteria for both lists and did both within 2 weeks of each other. We’re doing a second test using the same message and list parameters and it will be interesting to see if it still holds true.
We’ve all used both of these marketing tools. My question to you is have you found one better than the other in reaching contractors or the professional tradesman?
by tradespeopleinsights | Aug 15, 2013 | Uncategorized
Right now we’re in the middle of our annual Tool Drive supporting the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. Since our efforts started in 2010, we’ve found amazing support from our clients, partners, friends and community members.
We talked with Frank Drahan with the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity to find out more about him, Habitat for Humanity and their ReStore. Here’s the conversation:
Q. What is your position at Habitat for Humanity?
A. I’m the ReStore Manager
Q. What is the Habitat for Humanity ReStore?
A. The ReStore is about the four Rs: Recycle! Reuse! Reduce! Rebuild!
Regarding “recycle,” the ReStore is operated by Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity as one of the largest reuse and recycle centers in Cuyahoga County.
For reuse, the ReStore recycles and resells salvaged and reclaimed building materials, fixtures and tools that are in good condition.
In order to reduce, the ReStore diverts thousands of tons of usable materials from local landfills.
And finally, rebuild: The community can purchase affordable home improvement items at a fraction of retail cost and proceeds from the ReStore support Habitat’s mission to eliminate poverty housing through home construction and rehabilitation.
Q. How long have you been there?
A. 9 years
Q. What are your responsibilities at Restore?
A. I schedule donations, do customer service, help and work with our great volunteers, coordinate projects around the store and much more that comes with the day-to-day operations at the ReStore.
Q. What’s your most memorable moment working for Habitat for Humanity?
A. It would have to be opening the new ReStore at the new facility, where it’s currently operating.
Q. What do people most commonly donate?
Cabinets are the most common donation but are also needed
A. Kitchen cabinets and appliances
Q. What’s the most unusual donation that you’ve seen come in?
A. The strangest item that has been donated was an embalming machine from a funeral home.
Q. What’s on the ReStore donation wish list?
A. We always have a wish list of items that people might or might not think to donate which includes: appliances, kitchen and bath cabinets, lighting fixtures, sinks, furniture, tubs and showers, architectural salvage items, tools hand/power/yard… any tools!
We also need lumber that’s six feet or longer so we can use it, landscaping equipment, flooring and so much more.
Q. What’s best about working for Habitat for Humanity?
A. Getting to know all of our wonderful volunteers. Also, working with our customers and donors.
Q. The Sonnhalter tagline is “Not Afraid to Get Our Hands Dirty.” What is your favorite way to get your hands dirty at Habitat for Humanity?
A. Picking up donations and meeting the donors around Cuyahoga County
Q. What’s your favorite way to get your hands dirty outside of work?
A. BBQing!
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
A. Thank you so much for your awesome support for the ReStore. We really appreciate everything you have done for us!
If you’re interested in participating in the Sonnhalter Tool Drive, visit sonnhalter.com/tooldrive or contact us to find out more.
by tradespeopleinsights | Aug 14, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Marketing Trends, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
B-to-B marketers are always trying to identify more/better qualified leads. Does it surprise anyone that social media ranked very low in this category? The traditional methods of telemarketing, event marketing, webinars, trade shows, email marketing and yes, even direct mail pull better results according to a Survey in MarketingProfs from InsideSales.com
They surveyed 423 B-to-B Sales and Marketing professionals that cited that generating and improving leads was their biggest challenge.
I think sometimes we’re all so focused on the new tools available to us to generate leads that we forget about some of the old standbys.
I have found that we usually have more success using traditional marketing tools when it comes to actually generating good qualified leads.
What are you finding out that works best for you in a B-to-B environment?
by tradespeopleinsights | Aug 13, 2013 | Marketing Tips
Today, Matt Sonnhalter is sharing about a recent seminar he co-presented.
I recently had the privilege of co-presenting a “Marketing 101 for Manufacturers” seminar for MAGNET (Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network) with a colleague of mine, Sage Lewis, president of SageRock. You can see the full presentation here, but I want to focus on one of the closing slides of this presentation, “10 Key Factors for Successful Marketing Programs.”
- Upfront Planning – it’s not ready, fire, aim! Make sure you have clearly defined your objectives, target, budget and message. Also make sure you set priorities, it is better to do one thing well than multiple items poorly.
- Marketing Champion – often times marketing is one of the most overlooked functions within an organization. It is important to make sure someone internally is dedicated to leading your marketing efforts and ensuring their success.
- Lead Process – I can’t tell you the stories I’ve heard from manufacturers who spend tens of thousands of dollars at a trade show to generate leads, only to find out the leads are never followed-up on. You have to have a clear plan in place to handle the leads generated by your marcom efforts, from where the leads are going to be stored, and how these leads are being qualified, to who’s following up on the leads and in what time frame.
- Patience – in this technologically driven world where we have access to everything 24/7, we seem to always expect results instantly. Sometimes marketing programs take time to run and reach their full potential, so you must be willing to make a commitment and have faith in your marketing programs. If you’ve done your initial upfront planning, you have nothing to worry about.
- Resources (internal/external) – none of us have all the resources or time to do everything we would like…not even mega-brands like Nike and Coca-Cola! It’s important to be realistic about what resources you have internally at your company, and if you do not have the bandwidth to successfully implement all of your marketing programs, then you need to prioritize the list and focus on the ones you can handle and/or leverage outside firms to help augment the workload.
- Strong Call-to-Action – all of the elements in your marketing program need to have some sort of call-to-action. It can be as simple as going to your website, but you should always give your customers a “next step” with your marketing efforts.
- Marketing & Sales on the “Same Page” – if there are ever two departments within an organization that need to work closely together, it’s Marketing and Sales. While they are two very distinct disciplines within a company, marketing is there to support sales and it is critical that both of these departments are working towards the same goal.
- Integrated Program – there is no single one marketing tactic that works all the time, so it is important when building your marketing program to have a mix of marcom tactics.
- Measure – in order to grow and optimize your marketing plan, you need to try and measure results wherever possible. Otherwise, how do you know if something is working?
- Experiment – you can’t be afraid to experiment. There is no “magic formula” or “silver bullet” in marketing; what works for one manufacturer is not going to work for the next.
These are some of the top factors for helping ensure a successful marketing program, but it is by no means an exhaustive list. What are some of the key factors for your successful marketing programs?
Today we have a guest blog from Jennifer Murphy, the vice president and COO at NetPlus Alliance.
