May 12th, 2010 - Posted in General by Tom Johansmeyer
Most companies could be much more aggressive with their e-mail marketing initiatives. A new report from MarketingSherpa shows that customer retention is by far the top priority, with objectives around new opportunities not gaining nearly as much attention. Listen to this message from the market, and you’ll hear the whisper: “It’s time to make your move.”
When I saw the latest chart published by MarketingSherpa, I was shocked. Eighty-eight percent of respondents called “retain[ing] existing customers” a very important objective for e-mail marketing. Only 78 percent ascribed this level of importance to “generat[ing] new sales leads,” and “increase web traffic,” “build brand and educate market” and “drive offline sales” each was considered “very important” by only 56 percent of respondents.
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chart of the week,
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MarketingSherpa,
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April 13th, 2010 - Posted in Solution Provider Services by Tim Freestone
Are you getting the most out of your marketing budget? The only way to know for sure is to take a close look at how your marketing and sales teams are performing. Dig into the data in your CRM system, and you’ll find a wealth of information. Even if you’re satisfied with the fruits of your labor, you may learn that you’re actually leaving ROI on the table. Here are five ways to find out if your organization has more ROI just waiting to happen:
1. Low closure rate
If you are swamped in highly qualified leads but aren’t putting many of them in the “win” column, you’re probably not getting the return you should be on your marketing efforts. This is a red flag and should be followed with a hard look at why so many leads aren’t turning into sales. This can require some tough conversations, but the outcome will be worth it for all involved. Your sales team will enjoy better numbers, and company revenue as a whole will increase.
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Tags:
CRM,
demand generation,
demand management,
IT channel marketing,
IT marketing,
lead generation,
lead management,
leads,
marketing,
ROI,
sales cycle,
sales leads
January 26th, 2010 - Posted in Solution Provider Services by Tim Freestone
You can’t talk about marketing without talking about conversion. Reaching a broad audience that is interested in your company or solution is only the first step in turning contact into a sale, and every professional marketer knows that names fall off from one stage of the sales cycle to the next. Ultimately, the number that indicates your success is revenue – if you’re hitting your targets, you must be doing something right, the conventional wisdom holds. But, there are measures along the way that can help you refine your marketing and sales practices and lead to greater returns on your marketing investment.
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