Getting the attention of would-be clients is harder than ever. It seems there’s an inverse relationship between the growing number of touch points and the decreasing odds of getting someone’s attention (and a callback). It almost makes one yearn for the days of simply writing letters or making phone calls.
With more messages bouncing around in the ether than ever before, competing with countless other vendors certainly can be frustrating. It’s increasingly more difficult to stand out, but this is where creativity, a sense of humor, a little patience and a lot of ingenuity can pay dividends. It requires multiple touch points across various traditional and modern marketing channels.
As we kick off this month’s State of the Industry report on securing net-new business, we asked our dealer panel which channels or tactics have proven most effective for engaging cold prospects. Simply adding to the digital saturation/exhaustion of emails and voicemail messages/texts isn’t the only answer.
For a dealer like U.S. Business Systems, marketing to the ideal targets requires a variety of channel touches to increase the odds of success. Some of the more mature vehicles such as radio programs still resonate in many parts of the country, and for the Elkhart, Indiana-based dealer, it’s an opportunity to flex its knowledge on cybersecurity or cost reduction in print, for example. President and CEO Ron Hulett also leverages such programming to extol the benefits of working with a trusted, local provider.
U.S. Business Systems also relies on third-party marketers that perform targeted calling for new and existing clients to keep the dealer on their radars. In the end, Hulett sees his people as being the most impactful differentiation point.
“The products have become so similar, it’s almost like they are all coming out of the same building, just a different door with a different badge on the box,” he noted. “True separation from the pack comes from good people, living out the core values of the company and delivering on our promise. That has been the case for a long time, and we continue to drive that message.
“Today’s buyer is more informed than ever; they have done a lot of research and have almost made up their mind before you even get to talk with them,” he added. “That means our marketing has got to have the right content, the right message, and the right timing to make it work. That is no simple task. It takes working with folks who understand all of those things and develop the programs based on the latest tech available to make your marketing dollars deliver the results you want.”
Unfortunately, there isn’t a silver bullet that is universally effective in engaging cold prospects. At Systel Business Equipment in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a balanced approach that entails digital outreach, in-person meetings, community presence and events typically yields the best results, notes Michelle Shepard, vice president of sales.
“Strategic content plays an important role in building credibility and trust before the first conversation even happens, knowing that most customers are doing their own research long before meeting with us,” Shepard said. “This mix helps us stay visible, relevant, and prepared to engage prospects at the right time.”
Marketing has long played a critical role in driving new customer activity for Gordon Flesch Company of Madison, Wisconsin. President and CEO Patrick Flesch is a huge proponent of hosted events and their effectiveness in generating strong lead lists, but the time and energy required across multiple departments to ensure the event realizes its potential is considerable.
“We also have a few tactics that we use to foster relationship building where it makes sense,” Flesch noted. “These are unique experiences aimed to provide an environment conducive to relationship development. Trust plays a big role in landing new customers so we put a large focus on this area.”
In San Antonio, Texas, where DOCUmation is based, cold calling and in-person meetings continue to be the primary path to garnering prospective clients. Co-CEO Hunter Woolfolk feels it’s important to supplement these efforts via digital touchpoints. Content is, and always will be, king.
“Having a strong, professional online presence shows prospects we’re a legitimate partner and gives them a sense of what it’s like to work with us,” Woolfolk said. “Content like blogs, use cases and customer videos help warm up leads before sales ever makes contact. Community engagement also goes a long way in building trust.”
Erik Carlsen, chief sales officer for Impact Networking of Lake Forest, Illinois, notes that brand familiarity precedes prospect engagement. The dealer’s marketing team drives this through strategic branding plays, from sports sponsorships and community events to the design aesthetics of its offices and customer learning centers.
“When prospects see the Impact brand, they associate us with bold innovation, trust, and market leadership, making email outreach, ABM campaigns, and field events far more effective and fun,” Carlsen said. “Content marketing also plays a critical role, seeding thought leadership before sales ever makes first contact.”
There’s no outlet more time tested than pounding the pavement and opening doors, augmented by follow-up phone blitzes, notes Brad Kikendall, regional vice president for Kelly Office Solutions of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Inbound marketing is critical. The dealer uses data points connecting HubSpot with its CRM to send informational emails and catch prospects earlier in their buyer journey.
“I think for us the most effective thing is the marketing tools that we’re using, such as candy and pop rocks, bingo blitzes and other attention-grabbing leave-behinds,” Kikendall said. “We’re just trying to have as much fun as possible while we’re doing what we’re doing. I think that really is what’s making us stand out from the competitors.”
Perhaps the easiest path to securing an appointment with a prospect is being referred to it by a mutual partner, notes Dean Swenson, president of The Swenson Group in Livermore, California. Absent the warm referral, it generally requires multiple touchpoints to gain the desired traction with prospects, he added.
“We use filtered data from ZoomInfo to feed our sequential marketing engine, HubSpot,” Swenson noted. “We then use velocity tools like Connect and Sell to call the prospects. We target our messaging based on the persona or vertical we are going after. We focus on identifying: one, the right time; two, the right person; and three, having the right messaging.”
