by Fronetics | Sep 18, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
I start most of my days like you. I hit the snooze button on my alarm and lay semi-awake thinking about all the things I should be doing. Then, 20 minutes later (where did the time go?!), I autopilot my way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. While I sip my caffeine, I scan the news to see what I’ve missed overnight. I recently discovered a new perspective on the inordinate amount of time I spend reading the news each morning.
Most news stories innately hold a sales lesson. In short, reading the news can increase sales.
Here are three news stories and an accompanying sales takeaway.
When the Brooklyn Museum of Art discovered that a third of items in their Egyptian sculpture collection were fake, they found a way to create value for their patrons by putting them on display. In sales, it’s essential to create and articulate value for your leads and prospects.
Daniel Pink, author of several bestselling books on the changing world of work, wrote in a post for the Harvard Business Review:
… the transactional aspects of sales are disappearing. When routine functions can be automated, and when customers and prospects often have as much data as the saleswoman herself, the skills that matter most are heuristic: Curating and interpreting information instead of merely dispensing it. Identifying new problems along with solving established ones. Selling insights rather than items.
What value are you providing to your potential customers? Is it unique enough to cut through the noise?
As Buzzfeed explains, “when you type a Facebook status, suggestions are made to auto-tag other users. When you start typing “grandma”, it often suggests tagging the seminal hip-hop artist Grandmaster Flash.” The result looks something like this:
Happy Birthday, Abby! Have a wonderful day sweetheart. – Love, Grandmaster Flash
Take a moment to think about why this is happening. It’s because some Facebook users are signing their names to a post – just like they would in a letter.
We sometimes need to make assumptions in sales about the tools and processes of our leads and prospects, but it’s important to ensure we share the same understanding of how they are being used. Taking action, like segmenting our buyers, allows us to predict the behaviors and characteristics of buyers with some degree of certainty. Understanding both the proficiencies and limitations of each buyer segments enables us to more meaningfully connect with leads and prospects.
It took thirteen years for this woman to find the owner of the photo. Thirteen years. Her dogged persistence resulted in an exceptionally gratifying ending – the woman not only found the photo’s owner, but also received confirmation that all six people in the photograph were alive.
Spend some time reviewing each of your successful closes and you’ll probably notice that many of them have one thing in common: persistence. Conversely, can any past missed opportunities be contributed to a lack of perseverance? Note how you navigated both successes and disappointing outcomes and whether or not you maintained momentum throughout the sales process. Identify what went right and how you influenced that. Understanding how and why you were successful increases the likelihood of repeating that success.
There’s a lot of news out there, but it’s worth taking the time to appreciate the implications of a few each day. Doing so can help you draw noteworthy conclusions about human behavior and inform your efforts to successfully engage with prospects. So, tomorrow morning give yourself a few extra minutes with that cup of coffee while you read the news.
by Fronetics | Sep 16, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
I work with companies from the supply chain and logistics industries to identify and execute strategies that will grow their business. Too often I see companies who have invested time and money into developing a B2B inbound marketing strategy and have fallen flat. Here are six reasons why inbound marketing strategies tend to fail:
The ideal customer is not being targeted
A successful inbound marketing strategy will attract and engage the “right people” – ideal customers. It is therefore essential that time is taken to understand who the ideal customer is, the needs of the customer, and the customer’s pain points. Your company’s website, social media presence, and email communications, should speak to your ideal customer.
Content is not published consistently
A common pitfall is establishing a blog, but only publishing content on a sporadic basis. To establish your company as an industry leader and gain leads, you need to publish content on a consistent basis. For example, your company needs to commit to publishing blog content every Tuesday.
Content is not quality content
All content is not equal. If you want your inbound marketing efforts to succeed, your content needs to be quality content. Your content should be well-researched, sourced, and edited. Grammatical errors and misspellings are inexcusable.
More isn’t always better
It is easy to sign up for a social media account. I’ve seen many companies who have decided to jump into social media feet first and have established many social media accounts, only to become overwhelmed. If you want your inbound marketing strategy to succeed, it is more important to be active on one social network than inactive on five.
Lack of strategy and commitment
A 2014 study of B2B marketers found that companies that have a strategy in place are more likely to consider their efforts effective than companies that do not have a stated strategy in place. Companies that do not have a strategy in place, and who do not have someone in charge of the strategy tend to fail.
A focus on sales
Content that informs and educates attracts and engages. Content that is “salesy” not only fails to attract and engage, it turns customers away.
Is your inbound marketing strategy falling flat? Assess your strategy – honestly. Has your company fallen prey to these common pitfalls?
by Fronetics | Sep 9, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Many companies within the supply chain industry do not participate in social media because “they can’t get past the word ‘social’ and the perception it creates.” Companies with this mindset are at a disadvantage.
The supply chain industry is, by nature, an industry that is built on relationships, partnerships, cooperation, networks, and on communication. Being social is vital to the success of companies with the supply chain industry. Social media is a platform that is well poised to meet the needs and demands of the supply chain industry – and to help companies within the industry grow their business.
Social media is a tool that can be used be the supply chain industry for: risk management, business intelligence, recruitment, lead generation, engaging with current and prospective customers, attracting new customers, improving productivity, problem solving, and establishing your company as an industry leader. Moreover, social media can be used as the foundation for a new business model.
Clara Shih, CEO and Founder of Hearsay Social, and Lisa Shalett, Managing Director and Head of Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy at Goldman Sachs, write:
Social media is perhaps best thought of as a set of new and innovative ways for businesses and customers to do what they have always done: build relationships, exchange information, read and write reviews, and leverage trusted networks of friends and experts.
Similarly, Tony Martins, President of Tony Martins & Associates, notes that:
Supply chain executives should look at the social model of collaboration that can be enabled through social media as the most significant strategic weapon in supply chain optimization today. It liberates them from the rigid framework of functional structures and client-supplier relationships. It is the best way I’ve seen to keep the supply chain moving quickly, in spite of the many problems that will always occur.
Still skeptical? Look at companies who have successfully leveraged social media. Or, as Shih and Shalett suggest: “As you contemplate the risks and rewards of social media, we would suggest that the key ingredient for evaluation is simply to experience it for yourself.”
Interested in learning more about social media and the supply chain industry? Download our white paper: “Social Media and the Logistics and Supply Chain Industries: Why Not Participating is a Risk You Can’t Afford to Take.”
by Fronetics | Aug 14, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
We want to hear from you! 
We want to know what questions you have about:
- Demand generation
- Establishing and growing an online presence
- Social media
- Content
These categories are intentionally broad because we want to you to think about any (and all) questions and pain points you might have related to these topics.
Remember the adage – there is no stupid question.
Why do we want to hear from you?
We have an upcoming series of blog posts that are focused on answering questions that companies within the supply chain industry have regarding demand generation, an online presence, social media, and content. We want to give you the opportunity to ask your questions and state your challenges so that your questions and challenges can be addressed.
How can you be heard?
Fill out the form below or content with us via Twitter or LinkedIn.
by Fronetics | Aug 13, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
Leads are essential to the growth of your business. Social media is an effective way to find new leads.
Social media allows you to find new leads by doing something called social prospecting. Social prospecting is the art of searching the social web, identifying potential prospects for your business, and engaging them in a manner that draws them to your company’s website and through your funnel.
Social prospecting
At the core, social prospecting is about listening. It is about listening to social media conversations in order to generate leads for your business. It’s beyond monitoring keywords. It’s about engaging people that may or may not know what your business can do for them.
Workbook
We’ve identified the quickest way to find potential prospects on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+ and compiled them in a workbook. Every worksheet includes: a short preparatory work to make the actual prospecting easy; visual instructions on how and where to find prospects; pro tips that will help you get the best results; prescriptions (Marketing Rx) for success; and take-home exercises for follow-up prospecting
Get started
Want to get started? Simply download the workbook.
by Fronetics | Aug 12, 2014 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
Connectivity, mobility and accessibility are game changers for business. Companies that recognize this and adapt accordingly will succeed, companies that don’t will not.
Unnovation
Olaf Swantee, CEO of EE, calls this refusal to innovate “unnovation” and defines it as the following:
If unnovation ever made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, I believe the description would be something along the lines of “unnovation (noun) … the refusal to identify, create, embrace or adopt new ideas, leading to the unnecessary and un-timely end to a business, which is ultimately overtaken by external progress.
What are companies who have fallen prey to unnovation? Yell (Google), Borders (Amazon), and Blockbuster Video (Netflix) are just three examples.
Companies within the supply chain, and the supply chain industry in general, are at risk of falling prey to unnovation despite being in a prime position to innovate.
Unnovation and the supply chain
KPMG’s 2013 Global Manufacturing Outlook reported that the US manufacturing sector “seems primed for an era of ‘hyper-innovation,’ in which companies develop not only new products, but also entirely new ways to build them.” Unfortunately, companies within the manufacturing sector are not primed for innovation. KPMG found that 44 percent of survey respondents reported that they still use “old” technologies such as email, fax, and “snail” mail to manage their supply chains.
Similarly, the supply chain industry has been slow to participate in social media and to invest in creating a strong online presence. The primary reason: a lack of understanding of the business case or value.
Participating in social media and investing in creating a strong online presence are fundamentally different from the traditional strategies which companies within the supply chain industry have employed to attract new customers, foster relationships with current customers, communicate with partners, and grow their bottom line. Because of the stark contrast between “old” and “new,” companies do not recognize how these strategies can positively impact their bottom line and therefore decide to steer clear – they feel engaging is too risky. The reality is that not participating is risky; not participating is unnovation.
These companies embrace change
Keychain Logistics
Companies that choose to unnovate will be eclipsed by companies who embrace the world of mobility, connectivity and accessibility. Keychain Logistics is one company that has decided to embrace change.
Bryan Beshore, Keychain’s founder, recognized the changes taking place and decided not just to embrace them, but to also capitalize on them. Keychain leveraged the ideas of mobility, connectivity and accessibility and created a new way for the freight transportation industry to conduct business. Keychain is a marketplace that connects drivers directly with shippers – and is available via mobile app.
Keychain has also become an active participant on social media. This participation has enabled the company to shape their offering with a solid understanding of what people want from a transportation provider. Furthermore, Beshore notes that social media has helped grow their business: “From phone calls to interviews, crowdfunded campaign partnerships, and beyond, social media has certainly helped us grow our business.”
Cerasis
Another company that has been successful – Cerasis. For 15 years the freight logistics company used traditional sales and marketing strategies. This strategy worked; however, the company recognized that if it were going to remain competitive and grow it needed to adapt. The company launched a digital, social media, and content marketing strategy. The strategy lead to an increase in website traffic of close to 670 percent, an increase in search visits by close to 2,190 percent and, most importantly, the company acquired 35 new customers – a significant number for the industry.
Swantee believes that if companies choose unnovation, “Ultimately, it could lead to disastrous consequences for their businesses, their staff and their future.” I agree. If a company wants to remain relevant and competitive, and if a company wants to grow – it needs to recognize that connectivity, mobility and accessibility are game changers for business.
