Entries from November 2006
A Few Things B2B Marketers Can Be Thankful For
Here’s a random assortment of products and services that make the job of a B2B marketer easier. For those in the United States, enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!
A good proofreading service
Even if the whole team goes through all your marketing collateral with a fine-toothed comb, an outsider’s eye can catch mistakes or at the very least, provide peace of mind. (One example service: ProofreadNOW.com)
Stock photo sites
The search capability of stock photo sites have come a long way. And the network of photographers has multiplied due to the Internet’s reach. Stock photo sites are also a way to find photographers you like to do custom work for your marketing campaign. iStockPhoto.com and Fotolia.com are two that I’ve enjoyed using.
A good quality headset
In this age of teleconferences, videoconferences, and webinars, the quality of your voice can make a difference when you’re not meeting face-to-face. I choose not to skimp in buying the right phone equipment, and I know sales people and marketers who buy their own equipment if they feel their company’s is sub-standard. I have had good experiences with Hello Direct because of fast shipping, extended product warranty and they replace faulty equipment when necessary.
Noise-cancelling headphones
Bose QuietComfort 3 Noise Canceling Headphones are great for when you’ve got to fly to the client or to an event. Both the sound quality and the noise cancellation works well. The headphones fold flat for easy packing, they’re comfortable, and they’re extremely effective at reducing the jet-turbine noise.
How about you? Add anything you’re thankful for in a comment; I’d be interested to hear.
Promote People Who Are Cooperative Team Members
There are big rewards when sales and marketing are effectively integrated–not least of which are improved operating performance and outstanding financial results.
Promote people who are cooperative team members
Some might say that sales and marketing “personalities” are two very different animals. They think differently and act differently and approach the same customers with very different points of view. Added to that is the unspoken habit they each have of “looking down” on one another.
One way to integrate these cultures is to have the marketing department and sales people both report to the same department head. Simply by spending time near people, with joint department meetings and problem solving teams, helps to break down barriers that no technology band-aid could achieve. And then promote those who are cooperative team members. It shows that cooperation is valued, and those values will become part of the new culture.
B2b Online Marketing Tip: Does Your Website Make it Immediately Clear What Your Company Does and Who it Serves?
Take a fresh look at your company’s website. Does your Web site make it immediately clear what your company does and who it serves?
Does it clearly spell out:
* The products or services your company sells?
* The most common applications for your products or services?
* The types of businesses or institutions you serve? business? education? government?
* The size of organizations your company serves? large? medium? small?
* The geographies you serve? local areas? states? countries? regions of the world?
And don’t fall into this trap: No matter how hard you try, you can’t have the perspective of an outsider. Come up with a few objectives for your ideal website visitor, have some real outsiders try to accomplish them, and listen to what they are going through. It can be quite revealing and the insight can be helpful to getting the results you want.
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug provides a useful, real-world approach to getting those outside opinions–and turning it into action items.
