Now is the Time to Reach Out for New Business

Fiscal calendars aside, most businesses are preparing to enter the fourth quarter. Here in the U.S., this quarter is filled with holidays, fall temperatures, and budget meetings. This is the time most companies decide how they will spend their money next year.

While most of these budgets will go through all kinds of changes over the next 12 months, they can open the doors for purchases, investments, and new vendor relationships in the short term.

When managers go in search of products or services, will they be thinking of you?

By now, you know I’m talking about B2B. B2C is facing a similar situation, but their tactics for getting the attention of prospective buyers differ. Winning their prospect’s trust isn’t as much of an issue on the B2C side. It probably should be, but it doesn’t often work that way.

If you run a business and want to do more business with other companies, now is the time to review the content you’ve written this year. Do a search like a potential buyer would and find out what they will find. Is it enough to make a buy decision?

People think content marketing is writing content that will convert into sales. That can be true but often isn’t. Only a very small percentage of your future customers will be in the buy zone when they first see your content.

When they don’t make sales off the first two pieces of content, some companies abandon content marketing. In truth, this type of marketing is a super weapon that can act like an invisible salesperson by answering all of the questions a prospect asks before they even call you.

Make a list of all of the questions your prospects must have answers to and be sure that you have content out in the wild that speaks to them.

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Doing Well at a Conference You Don’t Attend

Conferences and other business meetings are great places to win new business. They allow you to get face-to-face with prospects and deepen relationships with existing clients. We often counsel clients to be visible and marketing before, during and after these events to maximize their impact.

But what about when your industry is experiencing a downturn and the powers that be have decided not to send anyone from your company to an upcoming show? Is it still possible to make an impact at a show you cannot attend?

Here are three things you can do to get some attention from your office.

1. Mirror the show’s agenda for the benefit of those who can’t attend. Can you put together a webinar that mirrors any of the conference descriptions from the show. If you can, you can provide some valuable information to those who don’t go -- and even those who do when they return. Just be sure your information adds a lot of value.
2. If you can’t get to the show yourself, see if you have an integration partner who will be on hand at the show you can partner with. They might hand out your materials, speak on your behalf, or mention your business in conversations. Even more valuable, they may email a join offer to their attendee list.
3. Just because you can’t get there in person doesn’t mean you can’t support the show. Many trade shows offer virtual sponsorship options where companies can display their brand online, sponsor live streams, or advertise in event programs or emails. It’s also possible that you could ship items like swag bags, brochures, or branded digital materials that can be offered to attendees at registration.

When budgets get tight, marketing executives must think outside of the box and come up with non-traditional ways to stay visible.

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​ End-of-Year Press Release Ideas ​ Readers of this newsletter know that I’m always recommending a consistent program of press releases. The problem many marketing directors face is finding news in the company to write about. I believe there are stories everywhere. Here are some ideas you can pursue that are likely to turn into great fourth-quarter press releases. Growth. Given what you know about the upcoming quarter, how will this year compare to last for your business? Giving. If you can make a gift to a worthy non-profit or loan them some executives, write a release urging others to join you. Prediction. What are your executives saying about the year ahead? Are there some predictions you can make now that could come true? People. Did you add some people this year? How much has the company grown during the calendar year? Party. Is the company hosting any kind of end-of-year party that you can invite the public to? If not, is there anything you can do at that party to benefit a charity? Press release ideas are hiding all over your company. Put someone in charge of finding them and then release news on a regular basis. It will provide a boost to your business. ​ ​

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We want to give a shoutout to some good friends who have released news during the past month, in case you missed it.

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Focusing on the Final Sales Step

Sales is a horizontal discipline. The strategies and tactics that work well in one industry will often translate into others. The answers prospects need in order to reach a buy decision will differ, but one thing is the same for any line of business: if you can’t close, you won’t succeed.

The close is that final step in the first transaction. If the operations side of the house can make good on the promises the sales person made to get the business, it will be the beginning of a longer and potentially more lucrative business relationship.

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For more information on perfecting your close, check out this article on Addicted2Success.com.

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