by tradesmeninsights | Sep 7, 2010 | Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
Sonnhalter is deeply involved with the professional tradesmen. We recently completed an overview of the Plumbing market. The purpose of the document is to give the reader a quick snapshot of the industry, its players and trends for the balance of 2010 and what to look for in 2011.
Highlights include interviews with editors of the top trade publications. Also included are association and buying group contacts, trade shows/meetings, industry trends and media publications. A free copy for download is available. Click here to sign up.
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 2, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
You only have one chance to make a first impression!
Yes, I realize that some of you have major market shares in your respective industries. Yes, most contractors should know who you are and what you make. Yes, most of us have competitors that are trying to take share away from us.
So what’s the point? You only have one chance to make a first impression! The point is that we all have to continuously be “up” and be promoting our product.
If a contractor walks into a distributor’s open house event or counter days and meets someone representing you that is less than enthusiastic about being there or knowledgable about your products, wouldn’t you say you might have a problem?
I’ve asked Bill Via, President of CSV Marketing, to outline some tips on ways to not only make an impression on the contractors, but also on the distributors you sell through.
Here are 5 tips to help you set yourself apart at a counter day or open house event:
- Arrive early and be the last to leave. This says, I care more about your business than those that came late and left early.
- Take time during the slow periods to educate the distributor’s salespeople on the features and benefits of your offerings.
- 8′ Table cover with your company’s name $200. This creates a professional space and showcases your products. This is ideal for counter days and says to the customer, the products in this area are special.
- 10′ x 10′ Canopy $150. Space under the tent is always at a premium and often limits your ability to bring everything you want to show; bringing your own tent allows you to fill up your own space and most distributors love the fact that you’re a self sufficient.
- Demo Truck $15,000. Whether it’s a ½ ton van or a retired tool truck, pulling in with a completely self-contained marketing machine says that you’re willing to sell and market your products. The truck serves double duty when it’s time to do in-plant sales calls.
We all know that with open houses and counter days, degrees of success come with all kinds of variables, and regardless of attendance, you can make the difference. What are some things you demand from your Reps to make a lasting impression?
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by tradesmeninsights | Sep 1, 2010 | Marketing Tools, Traditional Marketing, Uncategorized
For those of you who are constantly trying to measure ROI on your Advertising/Marketing budgets, things fall short when you can’t say for sure what happened to all those leads you turned over to the sales force. We’re having a free webinar on September 14th at 2 PM EST and you can sign up here.
Here are some highlights:
- Most companies let new business opportunities slip through their fingers… and don’t know it!
- Recent studies found that some 80% of website visitor inquiries are ignored. Earlier studies found that 67% of inquirers are real prospects, yet 72% never hear from a salesperson.
- In this webinar, you will learn how to maximize the sales opportunities in every lead and maximize the return on your marketing investment.
- Learn how to follow-up on all leads quickly, affordably and effectively, how to improve follow-up effectiveness in the field, and how to implement easy-to-use tools to measure results.
by tradesmeninsights | Aug 26, 2010 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
Your knowledge about your business, your niche and your industry is a great asset to your company and that knowledge is often sought after by industry media.
Interaction with the media benefits both parties. A reporter gains depth and substance to the piece they are working on, and you and your company gain priceless publicity.
Here are 6 tips from Rosemarie Ascherl, PR foreman at Sonnhalter, on how to make the most of the trade media:
For this partnering to work though, each party needs to understand how the other works. When you are interacting with a journalist, it is important to remember certain guidelines.
- Prepare – It is important to be prepared when you speak to the media. Before a scheduled interview, take some time to anticipate questions that a reporter might ask. Take some time to learn about the medium, reporter and the audience. By doing this, you can modify your responses to better fit the piece.
- Think before you speak – When talking to a journalist, you want to make sure you are in control and that you have a clear idea of what your agenda is. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to say? And what don’t you want to say? First, don’t go off the record. If you’re not prepared to hear it, see it or read it in the article, just don’t say it. Second, make sure you take the time to think through your answer before it is spoken, because once something is out there, is no going back. You want to control your answers. If a reporter tries to pin you with a tough question or brings up something you don’t want to speak on, either say you have no comment or try rephrasing the question in terms that are more favorable to you. Whatever you do, don’t lie. Tell the truth. Third, make sure you don’t ramble. Make your point and move on. Reporters think concisely so try to answer the same way.
- Use layman’s terms – You don’t want to use company or industry jargon that might confuse the reader or sound too complicated. Keep it clear and concise for the best results.
- Journalists work on deadline – Editorial opportunities, especially interviews, are requested by a deadline. Often times, the editor calls at the last minute without very much lead time, and you have to be able to meet that deadline. Reporters will go to the next opportunity if they don’t get a response, and a lot of the time that means they will turn to your competitors. No one wants to miss out on a valuable and highly credible opportunity, so it is important to respect an editor’s deadline.
- What’s your message – When speaking with a reporter, try to make sure you get in your key points. Don’t simply answer the question, but try to bridge the questions to a key point you want the reporter to know about. This can open new opportunities to you as well. A reporter might expand your addition to the piece he/she is working on or may wish to contact you further on the new points you have spoken on.
- Time is of the Essence – Always make sure you provide information asked of you. If you tell a reporter that you are going to send him/her more information, make sure you do.
Adhering to a few simple guidelines can result in valuable publicity and gain trust between you and the journalist that can generate future editorial opportunities.
by tradesmeninsights | Aug 24, 2010 | Marketing Tools, Traditional Marketing
The current economic conditions have managers looking for marketing options that they may have not considered in the past.
The decision whether to use a direct sales force or an independent rep to call on distributors so often is one based primarily on control and not necessarily effectiveness.
I asked Bill Via, President of CSV Marketing, a leading independent rep firm for his thoughts. Here they are:
Everyone understands that utilizing an independent rep is a fixed cost of sale, but in my opinion that should not be the most important factor.
What is important is that an independent rep gets you access to those customers that have already said no to your direct man, fact is that they are probably already selling them products and the day will come when the opportunity for your products presents itself, will your direct guy be there when that happens?
Sure you do lose a certain amount of direct control and accountability and maybe you’re of the opinion that a focused “direct” guy brings your product an elevated perception of creditability.
One would argue that if you invest the time and energy into product and market training, your independent can bring the same level of professionalism to your product, and most importantly, you get that critical access.
What are your thoughts on this…Direct or Independent?
