Stop the Madness - Part 2

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
- Albert Einstein

An Omniture and InsideSales.com study showed that just 55% of Internet leads forwarded exclusively by email got a response.

A study from the real estate industry showed that more than half of the leads forwarded to agents by email went ignored.

This spring, we submitted leads to nearly 800 dealerships through 40+ manufacturer Web sites in the marine, RV, power sports, billiards, and automotive industries. 53% of our leads were ignored and only 21% actually called us in response to our request.



So with as many as 81% of customers today conducting on-line research prior to visiting a dealership, why do we continue to distribute leads exclusively by email?

We as an industry have adopted a flawed process as our default for routing Web-generated leads. In challenging economic times like these, we must re-evaluate the way we do everything.



There can be no sacred cows here!

Pro Lead Management has created the eXpress BDC program to change the way Web-generated leads are sent to dealers. Imagine the results if 100% of your leads got a timely and professional response, no matter what system your individual dealers are using to handle their leads. With little to no setup investment and a cost per lead that is less than a cup of coffee, exponential ROI is all but guaranteed.

Steal market share today with the eXpress BDC program. Learn more by calling 704.992.1674 or email us at info@proleadmanagement.com.

Stop Lead Neglect Now!

In 2001, I assumed the e-business responsibilities for the second-largest boat dealership worldwide. The very first email inquiry I opened read,

“Why even have a Web site if you aren’t going to respond to your f***ing email?”

After a brief investigation, I learned very quickly that we had not responded to this prospective customer’s repeated email inquiries for a long list of reasons. But the bottom-line was simple, our on-line customer experience was not only failing to capitalize on our sales potential, but it was actually a liability to the perception of our brand and organization as a whole!

In the spring of 2009, Pro Lead Management took the most comprehensive look at how the durable goods industries are using the Internet to garner in-store sales. We requested information from 771 dealers in the marine, RV, and power sports industries through 42 manufacturer Web sites. Included with each request was a phone number and email address. What we found has been shocking.

- Only 45% of retailers responded to our request

- The average response time for those who did respond was 31 hours

- 55% of those who responded did so by email only

- Most email responses were so poorly written that they actually detracted from the customer’s perception of the retailer and the brands they represent

Too often today, manufacturers rely on their retailers to fulfill email inquiries and deliver their brand experience. With the types of results we experienced, this strategy has to be seriously reconsidered.

We have studied the results and identified why the majority of inquiries being submitted to retailers get neglected. We have also discovered why the email responses are typically so poor. Further, we have developed proprietary new methods for lead generation, lead capture, and lead response to overcome these challenges and position our clients for exponential growth – especially in a down market!

Let us help you grow your business in a down market by calling 704.992.1674 or email us at info@proleadmanagement.com.

Focus

I’ve read several articles lately with topics like: getting the most out of your media plan; how to create a marketing plan (complete with a company culture review - THAT'S helpful!), and of course a call to NOT give up on your marketing. All of these articles make some great and valid points, but realistically, we need to sell product NOW without investing a lot of cash. So how do we do THAT?

A few weeks ago we talked about ‘taking dead aim;’ identifying a very specific target and with a very specific focus, attacking that target. But what should our target be?

Years ago when I was a Sales Manager, I would ask my consultants every morning, "Who is most likely to buy from us today?"

How about: an existing customer; someone who has had a great experience with you in the past; someone who, statistically speaking, should be ready to trade-in/trade-up? Our ability to persuade this prospective customer to buy from us should be easier; we’ve already earned their trust; they like our product/service; and we know where to reach them (without spending money I might add!).

So now that we’ve narrowed down a target, figuring out how to reach them and what to present becomes simpler doesn’t it?

We already have their contact info because they are an existing customer. Do we call them? Email them? Send them a postcard? All of the above? That’s up to you and your budget.

But, what do we say?

Well, what would it take to get someone to trade-in/trade-up in today’s market? A great price on a new boat with a reasonable offer for their existing boat? By running some initial numbers, you might discover that they may have enough equity in their boat to act as a sufficient down payment leaving their monthly payment close to what they have now; eliminating a major barrier to buying a brand new boat. The message could be simple. “Why do that next service, which you of course you’re going to do as a responsible boat owner, when you can be in a brand new boat that’s under warranty; and you’ve got no out of pocket cash and your monthly payment stays virtually the same?” Gee, new boat, no money down and I keep my same payment? Sounds easy to me.

The narrower you make your target, the more precise your offer can be. The more precise your offer, the more relevant and personalized your message can be. The more personal and relevant the message, the more likely the customer will be to act.

Voila, we just sold a boat, or two, and we didn’t spend a penny on media, creative, or ad production. Narrow your focus, define some immediate next steps, and watch how “easy” it is to sell a few boats.

Pro Lead Management has been creating effective marketing plans yielding exponential growth in both market share and profit for more than a decade. Find out how we can help you grow your business in 2009; call 888.836.8567 or contact us by clicking here for a FREE consultation.

Take Dead Aim - Part 1

CAUTION: TAKING DEAD AIM WILL GROW YOUR BUSINESS WHILE ALSO LOWERING YOUR GOLF SCORE.

When I taught golf lessons as a PGA Professional, I adopted a phrase from legendary instructor Harvey Penick; “Take Dead Aim.” You see, the mind will actually direct the muscles to hit the ball towards the target automatically, even if you have a less than perfect swing. However, in order for this to work, your focus must be totally concentrated on the target; interject thoughts about swing mechanics, your score, or the hot dog you plan to order at the turn and you’re doomed.

I have also applied the “Take Dead Aim” approach in creating strategic marketing plans that have repeatedly and aggressively grown sales and market share while cutting marketing budgets by as much as 30%. So how does that work you ask? I have boiled the process down into 3 manageable steps and will elaborate on each in coming weeks.

Defining the Target
The “Take Dead Aim” approach only works if you have a very specific target. In golf, simply identifying the green as your target is insufficient. When visualizing my target from the fairway, I don’t use the flagstick as a target; I focus on the nut that holds the flag to the top of the flagstick.

In the marketing world, defining a specific target is equally as important. If you’re trying to sell a boat, you have to identify who is most likely to buy a boat from you today? Getting specific, your target could be “an existing owner who has had a positive ownership experience and bought their boat 2-4 years ago.” As we dig deeper into “Defining Your Target” in the weeks ahead, we’ll talk about how to evaluate and prioritize multiple targets.

Targeting the Target
How you reach your target is going to be unique to each target. Effectively persuading an existing customer who has had a positive ownership experience will be very different from persuading a likely boater who has never heard of you before. As we dissect “Targeting Your Target,” we’ll take a closer look at how we communicate with each target; what we communicate with each target; and what tone and style we should take with each target.

Capturing the Target
Ah, making the cash registers ring, my favorite part! Leading prospects through a series of defined processes is the secret to making more and better owners of your products and services. We’ll break down the specific steps a customer navigates in making a buying decision and address how we can strategically position ourselves in the right place at the right time to more effectively win their business.

Once we have defined, targeted, and captured our targets, we’ll sew it all together to form a strategic marketing plan, which when executed effectively, will yield powerful results.

I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you. Hey, if not for anything else, by taking dead aim at a very specific target you’ll at least improve your golf scores.

Happy New Year!

Pro Lead Management has been creating effective marketing plans yielding exponential growth in both market share and profit for more than a decade. Find out how we can help you grow your business in 2009; call 888.836.8567 or contact us by clicking here for a FREE consultation.