Powell Marketing and Business Info

Here are some other benefits from the existence of promotional activities:

Knowing the products that customers want
Knowing the level of consumer demand for a product
Knowing how the introduction and delivery of the product until it gets to the consumer
Knowing the price according to market conditions
Knowing the right promotional strategy to consumers
Knowing the conditions of market competition and how to cope
Creating the image of a product with a promotional

To take advantage of promotional strategy, it is not easy. Since it takes some promotional activities that could support it, these activities are as follows:

1. Advertising (Advertising)

Advertising services can introduce our products to consumers, but it also can help the formation of image products that we offer. We recommend using ads that are interesting and easily understood by consumers. Advertising can be through the mass media or electronic media, such as advertise our products through television or through magazines. Ease of promotion through advertising also can be felt, by advertising through online media are cheaper even more frequently when installing free classified ads in some particular website.

2. Sales promotion (Sales Promotion)

The existence of sales promotions can help increase sales in the short term, usually only during the activity is held. Sales promotion can be done by giving a free gift with every purchase of products with a certain amount, provide free product samples to customers to attract their interest for the products we offer, thus encouraging consumers to buy products or services that we offer at the time of the activity carried out .

3. Sales of individual (Personal Selling)

Sales of individual beliefs and aims to provide a deeper product introductions to consumers. So consumers get more detailed product information, while business people can also study the response of consumers directly.

4. Public relations (Public Relations)

Once the product image embedded in the hearts of consumers, the important thing is to be kept good relations between consumers and companies. It was to maintain the trust that has been given to consumers for our products, and to protect the company image or products.

From the discussion there, it can be concluded that promotional activities helped the company to inform a product on the market opportunities. Product quality will be difficult to sell, if not use the promotional activities that can introduce the product to consumers. Determine the proper promotion strategy for your business. Regards success.

Your marketing efforts begin the process of the eight contacts that studies show it takes to move a prospect or potential client to the close of the sale. If marketing is done effectively you can begin to move that prospect from a cold to a warm lead. When the prospect hitsthe”warm” level it’s much easier for the sales professional to close the sale.

Do you see the cycle?

As you see in my explanation above it takes multiple contacts using both sales and marketing to move the prospect from one level to the next. That is why it is import that you develop a process that combines both sales and marketing. This will enable you to reach prospects at all three levels; cold, warm, and hot. It’s all about balance.

Are you unsure of how to integrate your marketing and sales?

Try this. Take a few moments and divide your prospect lists and database into categories of cold, warm, and hot leads. Then sit down and identify a strategy on how to proceed with each individual group.

For example you could try the following methods of contact:

• Cold Lead Strategy – Send out a direct mailing or offer them a special promotion
• Warm Lead Strategy – Try a follow-up call, send out a sales letter, or schedule a special seminar or training session to get all of your warm leads together.
• Once you’ve moved your prospect to the “warm” level it’s time to proceed in closing the sale. This will be easier to do if you somehow engage the prospect. You can do this by conducting a one-on-one call, make a presentation, or present a proposal, estimate, or contract.

Most business owners would like to focus all their energy on daily business operations and serving existing client demands. It’s critical to your success, however, to focus on gaining new business from current and potential customers in order to grow and sustain your company.
The selling process has six key steps. Virtually every sales interaction will follow these steps, whether it lasts several minutes or several months:

• Prospecting
• Initial Contact
• Sales Presentation
• Handling Objections
• Closing the Sale
• Follow-Up and Service after the Sale

As you develop a sales process that is right for you and your business, here are some other pointers to keep in mind:

• Continuously improve your sales skills, learn from others and stay open to new ideas.

• Be sincere about your desire to help the prospect. Making the sale should be your secondary objective. This attitude will come through in every encounter and will help you build long-term relationships.

• Contribute more than just your product. Provide industry news updates, creative ideas, and business advice as part of the service you offer.

• Be direct with your communication. Beating around the bush only frustrates people. Answer all questions. Never patronize.

• Enclose your business card with every letter and note.
• Thank people who refer prospects to you. If the referral results in business, send a small, business-related thank-you gift also.
• Never lie. Don’t badmouth the competition or say negative things about their clients. Don’t gossip.
• Don’t overbook yourself so much that you don’t have time to listen and be available to your customer for their questions and comments.

Recently I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite authors and sales trainers Jeffrey Gitomer speak. I enjoyed his three hour seminar and walked away with information I could begin utilizing the same day – that’s the kind of seminar I like.

The seminar was on sales, but one thing I noticed in the session was that Jeffrey continued to bring up the topic of sales teams getting materials from the marketing department. The materials simply didn’t do the job. The statement actually brought laughter to the room; especially the comment of having the marketing team sell using the materials they had given the sales department.

While I too laughed at the statement, I was also reminded on how divided and disjointed our sales and marketing departments are. This is especially true in large companies. Why is this?

Marketers often feel frustration when encountering the difficulties of getting their brand message translated into equity-building, price increasing, and margin-enhancing results by the sales force. Salespeople feel frustration when trying to get marketers to understand the real business situations sufficiently to deliver them practical and effective sales tools that will actually convert a potential customer into a customer.

It doesn’t matter what side you are on, the truth is we both need one another. As marketers we can help the sales department when we understand what it is they need to be successful. A sales person goes through several phases in order to court a prospect into a client or customer. When we understand those phases we are better at creating marketing materials that will work for them, both in efficiency and effectiveness.

however, that sales people aren’t restricted to the use of the sales concept; oftentimes they use the marketing concept instead.)

At the heart of the sales concept is the desire to sell a product that the business has made as quickly as possible to fulfill sales volume objectives. When viewed through the marketing concept lens, however, businesses must first and foremost fulfill consumers’ wants and needs. The belief is that when those wants and needs are fulfilled, a profit will be made.

Do you see the difference? The selling concept, instead of focusing on meeting consumer demand, tries to make consumer demand match the products it has produced. Whereas marketing encompasses many research and promotional activities to discover what products are wanted and to make potential customers aware of them.

What is the difference between marketing and sales?

Let’s think about this question for a moment. Without marketing you would not have prospects or leads to follow up with, but yet without a good sales technique and strategy your closing rate may depress you.

Marketing is everything that you do to reach and persuade prospects. The sales process is everything that you do to close the sale and get a signed agreement or contract. Both are necessities to the success of a business. You cannot do without either process. By strategically combining both efforts you will experience a successful amount of business growth. However, by the same token if the efforts are unbalanced it candetour your growth.

Your marketing will consists of the measures you use to reach and persuade your prospects that you are the company for them. It’s the message that prepares the prospect for the sales. It consists of advertising, public relations, brand marketing, viral marketing, and direct mail.

The sales process consists of interpersonal interaction. It is often done by a one-on-one meeting, cold calls, and networking. It’s anything that engages you with the prospect or customer on a personal level rather than at a distance.

Remember, the primary goal of the marketing plan is to get people to buy your products or services. The Sales and Distribution part of the marketing plan details how this is going to Happen.

There Are Traditionally three parts to the Sales and Distribution section of the marketing plan, although all three parts May Not Apply to your business.

Outline the distribution Methods to be Used.

How is your product or service going to get to the customer? For instance, will you distribute your product or service through to Web site, “Through the mail, Through sales representative, or retail-through?
What distribution channel is going to be Used?

In a direct distribution channel, the product or service goes Directly from the manufacturer to the consumer. In a one stage distribution channel it goes from manufacturer to retailer to consumer. The traditional distribution channel is from manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Outline all the Different companies, people and / or technologies That Will Be Involved in the process of getting your product or service to your customer.

The pricing strategy you outline in your marketing plan will answer questions the Following:

• What is the cost of your product or service? Make sure you include all your fixed and variable Costs When You’re Calculating this, the cost of Labour and materials Are Obvious, But You May Also Need to include freight Costs, Costs adminstrative, and / or selling Costs, for example.
• How does the pricing of your product or service compare to the market price of similar products or services?
• Explain how the pricing of your product or service is competitive. For instance, if the price you plan to charge is lower, why are you Able to do this? If it’s higher, Why Would Be your customer willing to pay more? This is Where the “strategy” part of the pricing strategy eat into play, your business will Be more competitive if you charge more, less, or the Same as your Competitors and why?
• What kind of ROI (Return On Investment) are you expecting with this pricing strategy, and Within What Time Frame?
• Continue on to the next page to learn how to put together the Sales and Distribution part of the marketing plan.

When writing the business plan, the Marketing Plan section Explains how you’re going to get your customers to buy your products and / or services. The marketing plan, Then, will include sections detailing your:

• Products and / or Services and your Unique Selling Proposition
• Pricing Strategy
• Sales / Distribution Plan
• Advertising and Promotions Plan
• The Easiest Way to Develop your marketing plan is to work Through Each of These sections, Referring to the market research completed When You Were you writing the previous sections of the business plan.

(Note That if You are Developing a marketing plan on Its Own, Rather Than as part of a business plan, the marketing plan will Also Need to include a Target Market and the Competitive Analysis section. You CAN find out how to do These sections of the marketing plan in “Writing the Market Analysis Section of The Business Plan” and “Writing The Competitive Analysis Section” .)

As an aid plan for entrepreneurs BBVA has launched a call to the second edition of its business plan called open talent, this is a great opportunity for those who have a project in mind and even for those who already have started.

If you are an entrepreneur and you have an innovative project to develop some of the themes that has the program and you present your project in the second edition of BBVA open talent. Since today is open to the acceptance stage of projects that will end on December 15, 2009. We encourage all entrepreneurs to participate. (more…)