Gotta Be A Better Way

I went to lunch today with the VP of Marketing for a major hospital here in Florida. Very educational. It appears that we can all learn to get along better, if we would just "walk a mile " in the other persons shoes. This means that when you can appreciate what the other person is going through, patience and understanding will manifest. From all salesmen, a routine complaint is voiced. The evergreen frustrating impossible to reach or why won't she call me back, after I left three messages gripe. This isn't just a self esteem issue, but a fact that when sales are not made, people don't eat. Not to mention keep a job. THEN.... The VP of marketing becomes annoyed that they are being stalked. You know the drill. The barrage of voice mail and email messages, facebook updates, in person office visits or any other potential way to get in front of them transpires. They scratch their proverbial head and ask themselves why the salesperson who presented three weeks ago won't leave them alone. What is wrong with these salesmen, can't they take a hint. I'm not sure why these marketing folks do not make their lives easier. All they would have to do is be honest and upfront with the salesperson when they call. The reason why sales guys continue to call, send emails, text and send carrier pigeons through windows is the belief there is a chance of closing the sale. Until the salesmen hear the phrase "please stop since we are not interested", expect them to continue calling. This system is so broken. My thoughts and wishes would be that when the initial meeting occurs, rather than filling the salesperson with empty promises, tell us straight. Not easy to look someone in the eye and not be the good guy, but it needs to be done, since nothing positive derives from avoiding and ignoring the inevitable. www.dontolep.com

"Tried it but didn't work"

I'm sure it is very difficult for certain small business owners to go to work and receive a large amount of cold calls throughout the day.  For example, a restaurant owner can receive calls in one day from reps selling Yelp,  Groupon, Valpak, Radio, TV, Billboard, long distance, online advertising and so much more.  It can be maddening. However, I find part of a successful business owners responsibility is to know how to separate the true offers from the rest.

For example, I offer local online and cable TV advertising on  a geo targeted basis. Our clients have seen double and triple digit return on investment figures.  They can partner with major brands such as ESPN and Fox News, yet, before I even get a chance to breathe and say hello, many prospects state they are not interested.  Not interested in what? 

There are times when the person will share the reason they are not interested is they have tried it before and failed. I find this to be absolutely ridiculous. Why? Firstly, all media buys are not created equal. Secondly, the :30 commercial that was produced may not have been memorable, creative or emotional.
Thirdly, perhaps they pulled the spot off the air to quickly. I have seen advertisers remove their ad in less than one month, due to the fact that it "wasn't working". The reasons can be vast.

Think about it for a moment. When someone goes to the gym for a few weeks, do they get ripped and strong. No.  So since they are not the next Arnold Schwartzneggar, should they quit. You get my point. This is where the expression patience is a virtue comes to life.

If you are one of those people that are in such a rush and claim not to be interested before hearing what the other person has to offer, perhaps you are missing out on the next best thing.

It's Not That Hard.

Every day I meet with owners of retail stores, Doctors, bankers, musicians, chefs, entrepreneurs and bottle washers.  It should come to no surprise that 98% of people really have no idea on how best to advertise their business. The vast majority of people will throw a little money into a radio ad, a bit more into a billboard, quit that after one month, try social media for two months, quit, produce a TV spot, quit after two months and so on. Others claim they can build a solid business on word of mouth only.  This is not a strategy. Neither is I cannot afford to advertise.  But yet, this is how it is done. WHY?
Well, in my opinion, most people are so busy, that they desire to just perform their main occupation. Then, squeezing a bit of focused concentration on marketing their business.

The major challenge with this concept is that when the phone doesn't ring, or no one comes to visit the store, you close up shop. Nothing can be more important that keeping your existing customers on top of mind and bringing in new ones daily.

Unfortunately, there are way too many people selling marketing products, services, ideas and concepts.  Now, if a typical advertiser were to build a house, would they start on the third floor loft, without designing a floor plan first?  NO! But this is exactly what people will do every day with their marketing plan.

Take the time and discover someone who can brainstorm, design and build you a sound marketing strategy based on research, experience and common sense. Oh and of course your budget as well.