Have you realized that fresh sales leads are not always synonymous to new people or even new information? As a matter of fact, it could be as successful as in treating lost clients similarly as you would in your new business leads. Yes, despite some reasons why these customers left, here are some tips on winning back your previous clients.
•Divide your customer list depending on buying behavior so that you identify who you can send to the same way you would do lead qualification. Separate that list into two: those who have not bought in the last year and beyond, and those who have not bought in the last 6-12 months. This is done so that you can target these sets with a relatively dissimilar message to make them return.
•Refresh their memory in your subject line. Old clients were already familiar with you, unlike new sales leads. That’s why you have to make your subject line more unique and inform them that you want them back again. Make your subject lines catchy like “(First Name), where have you been?”
•Entice them with a genuine special offer. In order to win them back, make sure that you have an attractive offer in store for them. Begin by letting them know how grateful you are for whatever they bought from you, being specific in what and when they bought from you. Remind them of that good experience they had with your firm and convince them to communicate all over again.
Having loyal customers mean that they are happy and contented with your company. It is important to keep old customers interested.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Should Marketers Pin Their Hopes On Pinterest?
via callboxinc.com
Pinterest is the current marketing trend. Business and consumers alike are using this. The question however is, should marketers pin their hopes in pinterest?
Sunday, March 18, 2012
The Evolution of Social Media Marketing
Before the social media boom, marketers thought social media marketing was just another fad that would soon likely pass, something in the vein of pyramid and networking scams. But when Facebook started attracting attention from the year 2004, more and more social media marketing strategies were developed. Today, this marketing tool has allowed start-ups and established companies to gain attention without having to spend millions of dollars on advertisements.
A Brief History
Before there was social media, netizens in the 1970s and 1980s spent most of their time on social networks like dating sites and online forums. Six Degrees, Livejournal, and Friendster were the earliest form of social medias.
The dot-com bubble of 1995 - 2002 was a critical event that allowed the internet to become a viable marketing tool. It began with search marketing, prompting brands to create websites to establish an online presence. As Google, Yahoo and MSN’s search engines evolved, companies turned to SEO strategies to remain at the top of search results.
When web 2.0 sites - blogs in particular - increased in popularity, marketers began to recognize the potential of content marketing. Inbound marketing, where more value is added for the customer and business is earned, starts replacing age-old “buy, beg or bug” outbound marketing strategies.
In 2003 - 2004, the arrival social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and My Space initiates the shift of internet users from multiplayer online games into social networking sites. Eventually, businesses picked up on the positive effects of a social media site presence on e-commerce and started creating their own profiles on the popular networking sites.
In the years that followed, customer’s favorable attitude towards social media marketing slowly changed business marketing preference from the more aggressively-proactive outbound marketing to the more reactive inbound marketing.
Nowadays, over 90% of marketing executives utilize social media as part of their marketing strategies, and successful businesses utilize social media marketing for branding, lead generation, customer retention, research and e-commerce. Not only does social media manage to significantly reduce marketing expenses and the time needed to market products and services, it also increased the effectiveness of marketing and overall customer satisfaction. 83% of customers who post complaints on a brand’s social site like Twitter and get a reply state that they are satisfied. This helped companies retain more of their customers, resulting to increased existing customer transactions.
Capitalizing on free Internet
There are over 2 billion people online at any given time. Around 23% of the total time spent on the internet is spent on browsing or interacting within social media sites. At least 53% of individuals who are active on social media sites such as Facebook are following a brand. With the help of global internet, more and more customers (if not all) are expecting their brands to have an online presence.
This year’s tablets, iPads, and Android-operated phones will only make internet browsing all the more accessible for consumers, and social media marketing will allow companies to reach out to more target markets. As long as the internet exists, social media will remain an important part of marketing strategies.
A Brief History
Before there was social media, netizens in the 1970s and 1980s spent most of their time on social networks like dating sites and online forums. Six Degrees, Livejournal, and Friendster were the earliest form of social medias.
The dot-com bubble of 1995 - 2002 was a critical event that allowed the internet to become a viable marketing tool. It began with search marketing, prompting brands to create websites to establish an online presence. As Google, Yahoo and MSN’s search engines evolved, companies turned to SEO strategies to remain at the top of search results.
When web 2.0 sites - blogs in particular - increased in popularity, marketers began to recognize the potential of content marketing. Inbound marketing, where more value is added for the customer and business is earned, starts replacing age-old “buy, beg or bug” outbound marketing strategies.
In 2003 - 2004, the arrival social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and My Space initiates the shift of internet users from multiplayer online games into social networking sites. Eventually, businesses picked up on the positive effects of a social media site presence on e-commerce and started creating their own profiles on the popular networking sites.
In the years that followed, customer’s favorable attitude towards social media marketing slowly changed business marketing preference from the more aggressively-proactive outbound marketing to the more reactive inbound marketing.
Nowadays, over 90% of marketing executives utilize social media as part of their marketing strategies, and successful businesses utilize social media marketing for branding, lead generation, customer retention, research and e-commerce. Not only does social media manage to significantly reduce marketing expenses and the time needed to market products and services, it also increased the effectiveness of marketing and overall customer satisfaction. 83% of customers who post complaints on a brand’s social site like Twitter and get a reply state that they are satisfied. This helped companies retain more of their customers, resulting to increased existing customer transactions.
Capitalizing on free Internet
There are over 2 billion people online at any given time. Around 23% of the total time spent on the internet is spent on browsing or interacting within social media sites. At least 53% of individuals who are active on social media sites such as Facebook are following a brand. With the help of global internet, more and more customers (if not all) are expecting their brands to have an online presence.
This year’s tablets, iPads, and Android-operated phones will only make internet browsing all the more accessible for consumers, and social media marketing will allow companies to reach out to more target markets. As long as the internet exists, social media will remain an important part of marketing strategies.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing
There is some debate on which marketing strategy is most effective, or rather, whether or not outbound marketing is still relevant. New age marketers are quick to point out that inbound marketing is far cheaper compared to outbound marketing, and the leads generated from inbound marketing tactics are more likely to convert to sales. Before joining the argument, let us first take a closer look at the two marketing strategies.
Inbound Marketing
The premise of inbound marketing is to attract prospects to come to you of their own free will by rousing their interest in your product, service or brand through helpful information. It is a two-way communication that makes use of various media available on the internet with the goal of educating or entertaining your target market and providing them with the information that they want.
As a marketing tactic, inbound strategies rely much on the internet, which isn’t at all an inconvenience in this day and age where everyone’s instinct whenever they want to know something about anything is to “google” it. The same holds true for consumers. When a consumer wants to purchase something, the initial instinct is to look for reviews and comments about it on the web.
Inbound marketing makes use of websites, SEO, inbound telemarketing and an active social media presence. An informative and engaging content marketing strategy which includes blogs, podcasts, white papers, vlogs, ebooks, and attractive infographics is created to entice your target market to come to you.
For this marketing tactic, you have to make sure that your online presence interprets your brand as reliable and informative. And if you really want to keep attracting more leads, you have to keep it entertaining as well. As long as they know that you can provide them with what they need, your target market will keep coming back to you, and if they wish to purchase, your brand will be on the top of their list because they know they can trust you.
Outbound Marketing
This marketing strategy can be considered as mainly “traditional.” Outbound marketing normally makes use of paid advertisements, TV commercials, huge billboards, outbound telemarketing through cold calling, email marketing, direct mail and trade shows.
Although considerably more expensive compared to inbound marketing, outbound strategies are more effective in generating lead volume, providing a greater quantity of leads for filling the top of the pipeline. Also, by utilizing behavioral analytics on target markets, this marketing tactic can actively seek out and appeal to specific audiences. It is also able to reach a wider audience within a short span of time, as in the case of billboards and TV commercials.
Outbound tactics are mostly used in B2B marketing. Unlike B2C companies, B2B companies don’t have the luxury of leads who actively seek out their products and services as most of their leads already have them. It is the goal of outbound marketing to show these leads that there are better products and services than the ones they are currently using.
Inbound marketing is able to provide quality leads for a cheaper price, but quality without quantity can never sustain a business, and it is outbound marketing who is able to provide the required numbers. In the end, the best marketing strategy is to combine the best of both in developing your own marketing plan to generate as much qualified leads for your business.
Inbound Marketing
The premise of inbound marketing is to attract prospects to come to you of their own free will by rousing their interest in your product, service or brand through helpful information. It is a two-way communication that makes use of various media available on the internet with the goal of educating or entertaining your target market and providing them with the information that they want.
As a marketing tactic, inbound strategies rely much on the internet, which isn’t at all an inconvenience in this day and age where everyone’s instinct whenever they want to know something about anything is to “google” it. The same holds true for consumers. When a consumer wants to purchase something, the initial instinct is to look for reviews and comments about it on the web.
Inbound marketing makes use of websites, SEO, inbound telemarketing and an active social media presence. An informative and engaging content marketing strategy which includes blogs, podcasts, white papers, vlogs, ebooks, and attractive infographics is created to entice your target market to come to you.
For this marketing tactic, you have to make sure that your online presence interprets your brand as reliable and informative. And if you really want to keep attracting more leads, you have to keep it entertaining as well. As long as they know that you can provide them with what they need, your target market will keep coming back to you, and if they wish to purchase, your brand will be on the top of their list because they know they can trust you.
Outbound Marketing
This marketing strategy can be considered as mainly “traditional.” Outbound marketing normally makes use of paid advertisements, TV commercials, huge billboards, outbound telemarketing through cold calling, email marketing, direct mail and trade shows.
Although considerably more expensive compared to inbound marketing, outbound strategies are more effective in generating lead volume, providing a greater quantity of leads for filling the top of the pipeline. Also, by utilizing behavioral analytics on target markets, this marketing tactic can actively seek out and appeal to specific audiences. It is also able to reach a wider audience within a short span of time, as in the case of billboards and TV commercials.
Outbound tactics are mostly used in B2B marketing. Unlike B2C companies, B2B companies don’t have the luxury of leads who actively seek out their products and services as most of their leads already have them. It is the goal of outbound marketing to show these leads that there are better products and services than the ones they are currently using.
Inbound marketing is able to provide quality leads for a cheaper price, but quality without quantity can never sustain a business, and it is outbound marketing who is able to provide the required numbers. In the end, the best marketing strategy is to combine the best of both in developing your own marketing plan to generate as much qualified leads for your business.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sales And Marekting 101
Sales and marketing are both necessary processes which allow all business ventures to succeed. However, they are used together so frequently that their individual meanings tend to get muddled together. Both terms so interdependent on each other that defining one term often requires comparing it to the other.
For small and medium enterprises, these two processes tend to be performed by the same individual or the same group of personnel, which is why they are often confused as one process. The boundaries between the two terms (or business departments) often overlap, but this actually makes them both more effective. It should be mentioned that a marketing plan without a complementing sales process would render the entire plan useless, while a sales process without any marketing plan would hardly produce satisfactory results, if any at all.
Of the two terms, marketing has a broader definition. Marketing is how you present your products and services to your prospects and is done so that the sales process can proceed much faster and eventually end in a closed sale. The marketing process includes market research, design, packaging, pricing, print advertising, direct mail, TV and radio advertisements, online marketing, pay per click, banner advertising, email marketing, organic search (the use of SEO to rank high on search engine results), use of social media platforms, etc. Telemarketing is a form of marketing, but is also used to close sales. The former is usually outbound telemarketing, while the latter is mostly inbound telemarketing.
In all essentiality, marketing is everything you do to place your products and services on the market. A sale can never happen without some form of marketing preceding it, and it is sufficient to say that a large number of qualified sales leads from a lead generation campaign is the product of highly effective marketing strategies.
The sales process, on the other hand, is a personal interaction with your sales leads or prospects where you convince them that your products and services is the answer to their problems or that their life will be much easier when they avail of your business offerings. The sales process or sales cycle is usually broken down into several steps intended to eventually lead to a closed sale. The steps on the sales cycle varies from one marketer to another, but usually includes the following steps more or less: initial contact, pre-approach (includes planning the sale), approach, need assessment, presentation, meeting objections, gaining commitment, and follow-up.
An effective amalgam of sales and marketing is important to be able to pull off a successful lead generation campaign. After the sales leads have been qualified, the team responsible for appointment setting comes in to initiate the actual selling process. Especially for business to business companies, the sales process will be difficult to complete unless business appointments are made to initiate contact with the prospects. Most entrepreneurs run their business without a clear knowledge of how these two processes interact. However, knowing how to differentiate sales and marketing will help your business in developing effective strategies to maximize profitable results.
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Thursday, March 8, 2012
Hire A Telemarketer Like Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett, Forbes’ 3rd richest man of the world (2011) is the owner and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, which in turn owns at least 53 other companies in stocks and controlling interests. Because of the number of companies under his leadership, Buffett is not new to hiring employees in key company positions. According to his book Warren Buffett on Business: Principles from the Sage of Omaha, Buffett cites three important characteristics that an applicant must possess to be considered as a candidate for a key company position. Should even one of these characteristics be lacking in the candidate, he will immediately be disqualified. These three qualities are brains, passion and integrity.
Unlike Buffett, there is so much that needs to be done in managing a business but never enough existing revenue to implement necessary expansions, add to that the target markets that continue to become more and more competitive. These are the problems that frequently compound and bear down on small and medium company directors and business owners which makes it almost inevitable for them to seek outsourced help. This help is usually found in call centers who provide lead generation and appointment setting services, the two processes necessary for any business to succeed.
Hiring a telemarketing team from call centers is an investment, not just a one-time business transaction. The success or failure of your lead generation and appointment setting campaign will have significant impact on your ROI, and the future of your business. Like the frugal billionaire, one must be careful in all investments that one undertakes.
Let us see how hiring professional telemarketers with all of the characteristics of Warren Buffett’s ideal employee affect the result of your business (not just your ongoing lead generation campaign).
Brains
It is important that the telemarketer understands the products and services he is pitching. When he knows his products and not just memorizes his lines, the calls he makes will naturally flow like in a conversation. Not only that, his voice will exude confidence that will naturally be picked up by the sales leads, making them understand that they are talking to a knowledgeable marketer and not just a drone. With these kinds of telemarketers in your sales and marketing team, you can be assured of a better future for your company.
Passion
A telemarketer who lacks passion will easily let disappointments get him down, eventually affecting his overall performance. On the other hand, a telemarketer with the passion for his work will never back down when faced with extremely long calling lists and will make a conscious effort to reach his quota. Finding a passionate, professional telemarketers is almost the same as securing a qualified lead in itself.
Integrity
How would any business fare if all its employees lacked integrity? Like Buffett, you must ensure the integrity of your marketing team before you hire them. But if you’re outsourcing, it means you don’t have enough time to perform a comprehensive background check. Call centers understand this and already do this task for you.
Like Warren Buffett, one must value experience when hiring new employees, but it is the skills they possess that should inevitably be the deciding factor for their employment.
Unlike Buffett, there is so much that needs to be done in managing a business but never enough existing revenue to implement necessary expansions, add to that the target markets that continue to become more and more competitive. These are the problems that frequently compound and bear down on small and medium company directors and business owners which makes it almost inevitable for them to seek outsourced help. This help is usually found in call centers who provide lead generation and appointment setting services, the two processes necessary for any business to succeed.
Hiring a telemarketing team from call centers is an investment, not just a one-time business transaction. The success or failure of your lead generation and appointment setting campaign will have significant impact on your ROI, and the future of your business. Like the frugal billionaire, one must be careful in all investments that one undertakes.
Let us see how hiring professional telemarketers with all of the characteristics of Warren Buffett’s ideal employee affect the result of your business (not just your ongoing lead generation campaign).
Brains
It is important that the telemarketer understands the products and services he is pitching. When he knows his products and not just memorizes his lines, the calls he makes will naturally flow like in a conversation. Not only that, his voice will exude confidence that will naturally be picked up by the sales leads, making them understand that they are talking to a knowledgeable marketer and not just a drone. With these kinds of telemarketers in your sales and marketing team, you can be assured of a better future for your company.
Passion
A telemarketer who lacks passion will easily let disappointments get him down, eventually affecting his overall performance. On the other hand, a telemarketer with the passion for his work will never back down when faced with extremely long calling lists and will make a conscious effort to reach his quota. Finding a passionate, professional telemarketers is almost the same as securing a qualified lead in itself.
Integrity
How would any business fare if all its employees lacked integrity? Like Buffett, you must ensure the integrity of your marketing team before you hire them. But if you’re outsourcing, it means you don’t have enough time to perform a comprehensive background check. Call centers understand this and already do this task for you.
Like Warren Buffett, one must value experience when hiring new employees, but it is the skills they possess that should inevitably be the deciding factor for their employment.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Attain More Carpet Cleaning Leads by Outsourcing to Professional Telemarketers
If you’re an entrepreneur and you got a carpet cleaning company, there may be rough times you have to go through when you have difficulty in getting more clients for your firm; not to worry since you can always turn into outsourcing for obtaining generous supply of carpet cleaning leads to the professional telemarketers.Professional telemarketing entails the use of extensive database which includes various details regarding prospects for any carpet cleaning companies. You could also aim for other businesses within any market in order to attain more customers and clientele for your carpet cleaning firms.
On top of getting new consumers and clients for the carpet cleaning niche, you can also maintain client retention to greater degree. These telemarketers ensure that all of your customers are handled well to retain the establishment of trust and confidence at the highest level possible.
Once you plan to outsource, it will help boost your sales campaigns in getting more sales leads for your organization—which in the process, will help propel your business to success.
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