Companies understand that to be successful they and their brands need to stand for something. This results in bold and principled declarations to the world: "At Acme Amalgamated, we're committed to X. We believe in Y. We care passionately about Z." Unfortunately, in the end, it all starts to sound like generic ad-speak.

Here's a modest suggestion: If you really want to show the world what you believe in and stand for, how about telling us what you stand against?

Recently, my agency StrawberryFrog launched a new campaign for smart car that was rooted in this kind of oppositional thinking. We understood that the smart car brand stands for some pretty good things: efficiency, economy, reduced environmental footprint. But put way, it sounds rather dull and predictable.

Read the rest of the article from Harvard Business Review...

Following are guidelines on the symbolic meanings of color and how you can use color more effectively in your own marketing pieces or to help your clients.

Yellow

Yellow, (including coral, orange, amber, gold), symbolizes energy, caution, warmth, cheer and joy.  Yellows are often associated with the following characteristics: homey, friendly, soft, welcoming, moving, excitement or adventure. It is good for press kits, stationery and shopping bags.  Use yellow for signage in work situations warning of danger. Yellow is also good for any project that needs to evoke feelings of lightheartedness, humor or friendliness.

Red

Red (including mauve, magenta, crimson, scarlet, poster red), symbolizes power, romance, vitality, earthly and energy.  Reds evoke highly charged emotions such as aggression, danger or love. Red makes us pay attention and catches our eye immediately so use reds on items that need to grab attention.  In the financial arena, red symbolizes a negative direction.

Green

Green (including lime, leaf green, sea green, emerald, teal, sage), symbolizes life, foliage, grass, trees and water.  Greens are sensuous and alive. Green is associated with the following characteristics: friendliness, dependability, freshness, non-threatening, safe, secure, healthy, strong, expensive and primitive.  In the business world, green symbolizes growth and prosperity.

Blue and Purple

Blue and purple (including sky blue, ultramarine, violet, purple, azure), symbolizes peace, law and order, logic, analytical, intelligent, honest, calm, clean, good will, tranquility, compassionate, serious, thoughtful, quiet, reflective, regal, classic, dependable, trustworthiness, tradition and magical. Blues are often used for older, more mature audiences and situations. Blue is common in financial institutions, hospitals, and legal and medical professions.  Purples have long been associated with royalty, magic and power. Purples are often used with feminine, rather than masculine designs.   Make sure the colors you use in your marketing materials attract the attention of your target market. Check color resource design guides or swatch books to discover what color combinations work best to make your designs pop.

Company Name: Grange Agents
Industry Category: Financial Institutions
Industry: Insurance Companies
Promotion Amount: $10 or More

Promotional Objective(s)

Encouraging Attendance/Involvement

Objective

To recruit independent insurance agents throughout the state of Pennsylvania by generation attendance at a recruiting session where they had the opportunity to become a Grange representative.

Strategy Execution

The most outstanding features of the program were the customization, size and turnaround for the program. The first mailing drew people in and got them thinking about Grange. With the catch phrase “the puck starts here” the recipients were eager to see what was coming next. Conducting a direct mailing of regulation sized hockey pucks and sticks proved to be an innovative and valuable strategy. Another noteworthy aspect of this project was the turnaround time. In just 12 working days, the items were priced out and the first mailing was sent.

Results

The promotional products program was the entire campaign. Therefore the positive results are directly attributed to the mailings. After the first mailing went out, Grange began receiving calls about the program. In fact, the items were so popular that the client chose to order 100 additional hockey sticks with personalized name plates and pucks for the management team. The number of attendees at the reception exceeded the goal by 36%

The number of conversions to Grange Agents exceeded the goal by 17%!

In the good old days,

continuous cold calling = optimum appointment potential = more potential new business = income and profits.

According to a recent article in the September issue of Advantages Magazine, it takes 100 cold calls, either face-to-face or over the phone, to get one new customer.

However, 87% of newly acquired business is achieved via referrals, with 37% obtained through cold calling, as stated in the 2010 Counselor State of the Industry report. While it appears that having satisfied customers who refer you to others may be the winning formula for today’s sales approach, there is still a lot to be said for a combination of cold calling methods, provided you have the right ingredients and an out-of-the-box selling approach.

Pursue a common interest. For months, one sales professional called his main contact at a music magazine publisher and never received a return call or email. One day, he contacted the receptionist and inquired as to whether the contact was still there and that he had not heard back from her. When he asked about her interests, the receptionist gave him some valuable insight – she was a huge Elvis fan - and it was the “ice breaker” that paved the way to an opening order for polo shirts. His winning approach: He left a voice mail message on the anniversary of Elvis’s death – August 16th – saying in an Elvis-like voice: “Hey Mama. This is Dave. I too am an Elvis fan and you not returning my calls has me ‘All Shook Up.’ In fact, I’m staying at the ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ until I hear back from you.” Within five minutes, he had a return call, and after a few laughs, an appointment was scheduled and the order was placed.

KISS wins the day. Another sales person had been calling on a lead from a trade show for over two years. Determined to just get her foot in the door, she sent a giant fortune cookie to her contact. The message inside the fortune cookie displayed “lucky numbers” that were actually her phone number. She followed up with a phone call and, as luck would have it, got the chance to meet for just a few minutes to simply show her products, with no strings attached. She was actually piggy-backing onto the tail end of the prospect’s meeting with their preferred vendor. Keeping it short and sweet (the well known KISS principal), she dazzled them with an array of only her key products and attached a brief outline on how her clients used her products. The prospect was so impressed with her time management and condensed offering, they placed an order on the spot and since that brief, initial meeting, she has become the client’s only source for premiums and gifts.

It’s all about the lists and having something compelling to say. Networking, social media, traditional trade show lists, and referrals are golden sources for sales leads. Cold calling adds incremental leads to your “golden” prospect lists and should focus on audiences that have a need to for what you are offering. It isn’t just a means of mass communication. It’s a highly targeted process that is original vs. generic in nature and conveys a compelling reason to spark each contact’s interest to find out more. Preparing for each call makes a huge difference vs. saying the same thing or leaving the same message to everyone you contact. Think strategically. target each message. Focus on the introduction. Introduce yourself - don’t focus on the sale. Give them a reason to call you back. And as Ogilvy always said, tell them, then tell them, then tell them again…leave your name, phone number and email address three times.

La “Push” For another sales exec, getting a return call required the creative “push.” The sales scenario went like this: The prospect liked the company; they were serious about doing business together; the problem was they couldn’t move the ball over the goal line and repeated phone calls produced voice mail messages that were never returned. So the sales exec got creative. He created a “While You Were Out” memo, blew it up to an 8.5 x 11 inch format, wrote the following and faxed it to the prospect: Please call John Doe. He’s having a hard time reaching you. You’ve been chasing each other. The prospect applauded the sales exec’s creativity and within an hour called to set up a meeting. The “push” strategy got the wheels back in motion and orders having been flowing ever since the sales exec took the risk. A craps shoot? Yes. Worth taking the risk? Better than giving up or letting the competition come around to capitalize on the ground work that had already been established.

Leverage Referrals Less than 30% of sales professionals ask for referrals. According to Joanne S. Black, an expert on referral selling, “with a referral you’re presold and have some trust and credibility.” She goes on to say that approximately 70% of prospects are converted to clients. Establish metrics for referrals. Be clear about what type of business you are looking for. Give your client a brief outline that can be forwarded on telling why they should do business with you and some the result companies have experienced since utilizing your products/services.

So the next time you think the cold calling process is nothing more than a craps shoot, with a little creativity, an inordinate amount of patience, and unwavering persistence, the craps shoots might just pay big dividends when you least expect it.

Source:

September 2010 Advantages Magazine

The old sales processes don't work in today's economic climate.  McDowell Incentives, Inc. has a proven methodology and cutting edge technology to enable your sales force to get face to face with key decision makers... and that's the point right?  Introducing "MSM" or Multi Stage Marketing - a targeted, tested sales methodology and strategy that truly works - and it's turnkey!

Multi Stage Marketing

Multi Stage Marketing - Presentation Transcript

1. MARKETING MISERY?
2. The old sales and marketing strategies don’t work anymore.
3. Given the recent shifts in the economy, are you looking for new ways to fill the pipeline with qualified prospects? Getting more “at bats?” Enabling your sales team to take much better “swings at the ball?”
4. How do you separate yourself from the “NOISE” in the marketplace?
5. By doing EXACTLY what the marketplace does?
6. No, you’ve got to be different. But how?
7. You have to leverage a methodology that will truly give your sales teams a repeatable formula for success… Only OUR company can guarantee that success!
8. We’ll turn your sales reps from “annoying pests” to “WELCOMED GUESTS!”
9. Our turnkey system offers you:
10. Proven promotion strategies to get you face to face with key decision makers!
11. Automated programs that run almost by themselves!
12. Real-time online tracking that you can access 24/7 from any computer!
13. Creative marketing communications individualized for your targets and your company!
14. Multi-step dimensional mailings that get opened and remembered - not “trashed!”
15. Quality prospect lists by name and title… with the lowest undeliverable rates anywhere!
16. Your choice of canned, adaptable, and fully custom promotions!
17. Turnkey programs that are easy to implement, manage, and adjust as… … turning a key!
18. Nothing to inventory – we handle it all for you – including warehousing and mailing!
19. In just 15 minutes, we can show you how to open doors and create opportunities for your sales force!
20. Call or email me today! Kurt McDowell 405.633.1417 Direct or 800.599.4669 www.McDowell-Incentives.com
21. Here’s how it works…
22. Step 1 Let us help you determine the right campaign or campaigns for you.
23. Step 2 Set timeline different media triggers should happen. Then use our sales template to write sales lettes, emails, and scripts. Or have our EXPERTS DO IT!
24. Step 3 Input your email, and letter templates into our system.
25. Step 4 Use your own database or choose a database you want - by Title, Industry, Total Sales Revenue, Number of Employees, etc. We’ll get it for you!
26. Step 5 Carefully select the people you want to target. From 1 person to 1000’s.
27. Step 6 Launch your campaign – by individual or by group!
28. It’s that easy!
29. Call or email me today! Kurt McDowell 405.633.1417 Direct or 800.599.4669  www.MIncent.com

    

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7 Trends Marketers Can Expect to See in 2010

To get the best kinds of results from a promotion using promotional products, it will help to follow these guidelines:

• Determine overall goals. Promotional products can be used for almost all types of motivation. Some questions you need to ask are: What kind of response am I looking for? At what point will the response justify the budget? What are all the product options?

• Target your audience and determine the scope of the promotion. For instance, you can give away neat items at a trade show, but will you reach the right prospects or are you just clogging your booth with premium vultures?

• Devise strategies to ensure that only your target audience gets involved with the promotion. Sometimes this goal can be achieved through product selection, such as when you motivate golfers with imprinted golf tees and balls. In other cases the means of qualifying to receive the premium can do the trick, such as sending in proofs-of-purchase or requiring that a sales prospect sit through a product demonstration and fill out a questionnaire.

• Make sure the items support your marketing story. With consumer promotions, this usually means tying the promotional product to the lifestyle and self-image of the target audience. One example is Philip Morris's Marlboro Miles incentive. Consumers are rewarded for repeat purchases of Marlboro cigarettes by choosing items from a catalog that includes imprinted items with a rugged cowboy theme.

• Look for items with "legs." Too many promotional products get thrown away as soon as they're opened. Look for useful items that offer repeat opportunities to reinforce your message. This doesn't mean "expensive," as evidenced by the success of refrigerator magnets, Post-it notepads, pens, and calendars.

• Use a comprehensive approach. Many successful promotions involve several stages that build to a crescendo. You may use an inexpensive premium in a mass promotion to get people involved, then follow up with other items and strategies. Example: A gasoline company gave away colorful antenna balls to customers who bought a certain amount of gas. Spotters then drove around the city, taking down the license numbers of cars sporting the balls. When a license number was called out at the end of a radio spot, the customer had 24 hours to call in and win a prize. Using this approach added excitement to the promotion, generated word-of-mouth, and ensured that the promotional item was displayed.

• Reinforce other promotions. A leading sporting goods manufacturer gave away imprinted ties to qualified prospects at a trade show. The prospects were invited to the company's suite party and told that if they wore the ties they'd get a door prize and be entered to win a trip to Hawaii. Not only was attendance high at the party, but the ties helped build a sense of community among the prospects.

• Make sure you can deliver. Nothing causes more grief than playing up an imprinted item in an ad campaign only to find that the premium is back ordered or otherwise delayed. Perhaps worse, when the item is defective or quality is inconsistent, you can irritate a lot of people. Such problems can cost you a fortune in rush charges, as you try to make up for lost time.

• Beware the pitfalls. Planning can help here. For instance, buying from an overseas supplier can save a bundle, but count on increased turnaround time. If you need something in a hurry, go for simple imprinting with an item that's readily available. Make sure there's an accountable party at all stages of the process, including fulfillment, and build in ample time for shipping and mailing.

• Consider all the costs. Sometimes an inexpensive item can make for an expensive promotion. For instance, shipping and mailing costs can turn a one-dollar calendar into a two-dollar calendar. A watch may fit your budget until you factor in the price of batteries. Use checklists and common sense, and get advice from your suppliers.