How is marketing like dieting? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Fad diets have been going in an out of fashion for decades. From low carb diets to low fat diets to miniscule portions that come branded, packaged and ready to serve, there are endless options for those looking to take off pounds. An extreme example is Jared, of Subway fame, who lost weight eating nothing but Subway sandwiches. Everyone is looking for the quick fix. The reality is, there is no quick fix. Losing weight and sustaining it requires a disciplined, blended approach to making wiser food choices and exercising more. Likewise, building and sustaining a new business growth engine requires a lot more than implementing the latest marketing fad. It requires a broad-based approach that encompasses everything from the latest in marketing automation and CRM tools to old standbys such as the telephone. Like dieting, it also requires discipline.
Use a Balanced Approach
For those who pay attention to such things, there is a lot of noise proclaiming social media and other inbound marketing methods to be the triggers that will not only send your sales skyrocketing, but put an end to the dreaded cold-call. While there is no doubt that inbound marketing has a place in any sales and marketing organization’s toolkit, it should not be seen as a reason to cut back on outbound activities. Cold calling (or as we call it, introductory calling) is NOT dead.
Adding inbound while cutting back on dialing would be like eating more vegetables but skipping your exercise program. For real results, you need to do it all. No matter what companies selling inbound technology tell you, the fact of the matter is that not everyone who wants to buy your product/service will raise their hand. In anything other than a transactional sale, business development reps need to get involved in the sales cycle early and often.
Get Involved Early and Often
This is particularly important in the consultative selling process necessary for products and services with long sales cycles.
As marketer Dan McDade points out in his CMO Site blog post Inbounditis: There Is a Cure, “Larger, more complex deals are not frequently the result of reactive inbound marketing. In fact, inbound leads drive smaller deals with decision makers who tend to be at a lower level than those involved with outbound leads. That is not just my opinion. It is a fact.
Waiting until a buyer is 70 percent of the way through a buying process is more likely to ensure that you will be evaluated as column fodder against an already selected vendor or partner than to result in a solid deal.”
Cut Through the Noise
While it is true that many people research online before they buy, most CEOS and high level executive decision makers aren’t the ones with time on hand to do the searching.
They’re also the ones being bombarded by emails. To cut through the noise, you need to pick up the phone.
As many CEOs have told us. “I get emails all the time. The ones I pay attention to are the ones that are followed up by a phone call.” That is why, no matter how sophisticated our marketing automation tools and no matter how good an inbound strategy is in place, we still do introductory calls – and follow up in a professionally persistent manner.
Leverage Content Across Channels
Another key point: while marketing professionals often associate content (i.e. blogs, infographics, video, etc.) with a purely inbound strategy, it can also be used to exponentially increase the effectiveness of an outbound effort. Even in outbound phone calls and emails, early interactions should be all about education, building relationship, and building brand — NOT about selling. Professional, persistent, specific, actionable, context-aware outreach is and continues to be effective. When you have a well-stocked arsenal of content you can consistently deliver the right message at the right time.
Partner Effectively
When you are looking for a balanced approach to growing your business through professionally persistent outreach that includes both outbound calling and targeted digital marketing look no further than NuGrowth Solutions. NuGrowth is a Columbus, OH based sales and marketing as a service organization specializing in business development, CRM management and digital marketing. We leverage our proprietary territory management system to help clients grow their business with pace and purpose. For more information please call or fill out a short contact form and we will be in touch.
