Karen Fischer

Have you ever wondered why the marketing that you have implemented in your business has not worked for you or why you are not getting the return on a marketing program your sales group talked you into in order to generate leads? You may have even decided that marketing just does not work for you.

The problem with marketing is that it needs to go hand in hand with your sales strategy and needs to be utilized for your industry, your sector, your specific market, and your geography.  If that has not been properly assessed, then there is a very good chance that you will never get a return if you just continue to try marketing mediums based on the thought that the same marketing works for any business.  It is true that all businesses should have a website, but the type of website and the features that it should possess can be quite different.  

Think about business in general and customers  A manufacturing company, a retail store, a financial services firm, a hi-technology company, a restaurant all have very different customers and products.  Their customers make buying decisions in many different ways.  If you know and believe that to be true, then why would you expect that you can market to them in the same way.  Take a website for example.  A website of a retail store or restaurant is a business to consumer sale.  The website needs to be aesthetic and draw customers in.  There may be specials or what is on sale on the first page to draw their interest, there may also be contests or the ability for the customer to rate their products online.  The website for an industrial manufacturing website and the type of customer is very different.  If you have pictures flashing or rotating for that type of customer – the chances of losing them is high as the customer’s needs are very different.  This customer is trying to determine if the products you manufacture will work in their business and it is more about the content, case studies of the product, and technical specifications.  It still needs to be pleasing to the eye, but a very different look and feel than from the consumer who is looking for a good Indian restaurant near them.  The same is true about other marketing pieces and programs that you implement.  If your marketing does not address the customer’s needs, the money you probably spent was wasted.  

You actually may be doing the right marketing for your company, but your sales force may not be following up on the leads you have received.  If you have run a lead generation campaign or have leads from events or the web and they are not followed up correctly as well as a timely manner, the lead and the money that you spent acquiring the lead may be lost.   It is not only important that you have the right marketing, but that your sales group is prepared to act on the leads and turn them into sales.  The reasons for this happening could vary.  It could be as easy as communicating what the expectations are, inexperience or lack of training of the rep, or it could even be you have the wrong type of sales rep for selling your products in your industry.

A marketing and sales assessment will take a look at your current marketing and sales activities, processes, and strategy and understand what has worked and what has not and why based on your specific business, as well as looking at your industry, sector, market, and geography and determining what else should be looked at in order to achieve the growth that you are looking for in your business.

Before you decide to spend money on new marketing and sales initiatives, it is important to understand if they will work for your business.  Even if they do, it is important to implement it properly based on your customers.  If you are an industrial business and someone convinced you to use social media and are wondering why you are not drawing traffic to your Facebook page, there is a very good reason – your customers are not using Facebook.  On the other hand, having YouTube Videos that show how your product works or your manufacturing process may be a very worthwhile social networking medium.  Understanding what works for your business will save you money and will help you achieve your goals for growth.