By Elaine Ball
Sales follow-up, your friend or foe?
With the dawn of Intergeo here and the hustle & bustle of the exhibitors getting ready for another year of excitement, a more serious note is on the horizon for the dozens of geoinformation companies wishing to entice new customers to grow their sales.
“Sales follow-up”
Turning warm leads into sales
Sales follow-up is a very important one for the companies wishing to build their brand awareness and grow their sales. An important topic indeed and unfortunately, one that gets ignored very often after the excitement of Intergeo has died down.
Its true…. your sales people will fall into the trap of being overwhelmed and dare I say it…. lazy!
So, make ‘Follow-up’ into a competition and lets grow those sales.
Here is something to consider;
The point of this short sharp blog on ‘follow-up’ is to get you thinking about the expense you have invested at such a highly prestigious show. Don’t waste all that great effort your team has worked so hard on. Remember, the leads generated at the exhibition are ‘warm leads’ because the people came to you.
So don’t waste all that hard work. Make ‘follow-up’ part of your sales cycle and measure the results.
Challenge your sales team with sales follow-up
Harrogate, UK, October 9th – Elaine Ball Technical Marketing (EBTM) Ltd is heading over the waters to attend the MAPPS Conference being held on November 13 & 14th in Alexandria, VA, USA.
For those who are not aware of MAPPS, it is an association of photogrammetry, mapping and geospatial firms. This year’s conference is dedicated to geospatial and engeineering companies looking at exporting out of the States. MAPPS will be welcoming international industry experts and companies who have already jumped the waters and are doing business successfully outside of America.
EBTM has been invited to partake in the one-on-one sessions with conference delegates. Sharing valuable international marketing and business development experience to companies intrigued at testing out new waters.
“Its all about understanding the different cultures and building strong relationships” comments Elaine Ball, CEO and founder of EBTM. “There is no right or wrong way at doing business overseas, I’ve done the research and I’ve jumped in head first. The latter is just more expensive!”
Elaine and her colleagues are dedicated at advising companies within the engineering sector, with particular emphasis on geospecial, surveying, mining, transportation and oil & gas industries. The company was formed in May 2013 to assist companies in growth, with particular interest in strategy development and aiding planning and implementation. The company is dedicated to providing one on one mentoring and group sessions to already existing teams. Helping to build and sustain confidence.
EBTM also provide full service including PR, Branding, Design and Web development with sourced and credible experts.
For further information on MAPPS Conference please visit www.geointernational.org and www.elaineball.co.uk for details on Elaine and her team of international marketing experts.
By Elaine Ball
Learning the sales game. You either have it or you don’t? This was the topic of conversation at last weeks training session given by sales gurus Huthwaite International at the Radisson near London’s Heathrow T5.
Being in the world of Geomatics and selling technical type products or services to other technical type people is always challenging to say the least. The industry of surveying is an interesting one with key players in the market who ‘seem’ to have a knack of selling. How?
I decided to check it out and understand the sales game myself! My focus, to understand how I can become a better sales guru?
So, did Huthwaite International give me the new tools I was hoping for to be an amazing sales women? Funny enough, I already had them. The process is simple; its all in the language and you all have it! Its about uncovering it and using a process.
In a nutshell and without giving away too much juicy information (you need to do the course) (I’m not on commission! 😉 here are some key tips:
Sales Game Top Tips:
Sales is not just for those that ‘have it’, its in every one of you and its up to you to unravel it! Ok, I’ve made Huthwaites SPIN course sound simple… it is but well worth the recommendation I am giving it for others! Try it yourself and become an amazing sales person!
By Elaine Ball
Would like to export, but don’t know where to begin? As a business owner, director or marketer, its sometimes very daunting the thought of exporting your beloved product. However it doesn’t have to be. Here are 6 key things to check out!
1). Join a group on LinkedIn
Yes its that’s easy! Find a group dedicated to exporting. You can ask questions and find out from others already exporting the pros and cons. Groups such as Innovative Exporting, owned by Christelle Damiens or International Export Import owned by Vivek Sahoo.
Groups such as these can give you a wealth of knowledge and prepare you to export.
2). Check out UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) or CBi
UKTI hold seminars and conferences around the UK. Check out their website for a full list. The CBi is the voice for businesspeople and their businesses on a national and international level. They hold dedicated conferences on the subject and you can download full reports.
Where do I begin exporting my product to different countries?
Follow via Twitter
Follow some of the experts via Twitter and use tools like TweetDeck to organise your tweets, in order to keep the latest export information in front of you.
Some experts to follow:
Research
Use institutions such as The Institute of Directors who have a great business services department and they can research certain countries for you. Why? This provides you with some facts and reduces your risk as an exporter.
2 Key things to note:
Culture – a big stopper for lots of companies. Find out what the norm is within that country. Marketers must be careful here and make sure they customise their message, in order not to offend or send the wrong message.
Business etiquette – every country and lots of regions have different business etiquette so make sure you find out what works and what doesn’t. Ask!
Link up
Link up with other companies who you know are exporting. Find them on LinkedIn and communicate. People love to share stories.
Test the water
Test the water and visit an exhibition within the country you plan to export to. Do some networking and join in. This is one of the best ways to find out what the country is like.
by Elaine Ball
The old PC will be non-existent by 2020 as more and more technical savvy kids adopt the mobile way. Just think about this: the next ‘generation social natives’ don’t know a world without the Internet! They don’t know a world without a mobile phone! “think about it”
Google have announced that mobile is on the up. Countries such as Japan and India are bypassing communications infrastructure and going straight to mobile and tablets.
B2B companies, who want to raise their profile and gain more clients, need to switch strategies now.
How to sell to the next generation of business leaders
Kids today will be the leaders of tomorrow and will only know a world with mobile
1). Make your site accessible
Make it mobile friendly! Clear out what you have and find yourself a savvy web developer such as My Cloud Media who specialises in developing sites to be mobile friendly. It should not cost the earth! Budget around £2k GBP basic site with blog.
WHY? If Google is telling us that countries, who are far behind the western world in infrastructure, are jumping ahead of already existing technology, you need to do the same! If your markets are in the BRIC countries then you need to take note!
2). Focus on social
WHY? The world is changing at an astonishing rate. The next generation of business leaders will only know a world with social and mobile.
Make your products easy to reach through FOCUSED marketing
Attach key words that your customers look for in search engines. If you don’t know, ask!
Give it time. People expect instant results but it takes time to build up your profile and your brand.
3). Reach out to your clients through mediums they use
Find out which social media platforms your clients are using and build your presence on these platforms. i.e. Twitter, Linkedin, google+ etc
WHY? Over 500million people are using twitter. Just imagine how many people will be using twitter in 2020. Just imagine how people will be buying and sourcing YOUR product!
For you to stay ahead of the competition and take advantage of the next generation, your company must adopt and change its way to become FASTER and more accessible.
Elaine Ball Technical Marketing (EBTM) Ltd has set up a dedicated blog area focused on talking and challenging the latest marketing think. The blog is also dedicated to industry, so readers understand and can relate to the information provided.
One of the key ingredients for a successful social media strategy is integration and you will find this with EBTM’s content.
Check it out now and see for yourself by clicking on the blog button above.
By Elaine Ball
The survey industry is transforming yet again with the hype about drones or should I say UAVs. Michael Maes of @Trimble Survey (a survey company) commented, “drones are a dirty word”. He prefers the term UAS (unmanned aerial system).
So, what’s the connection with “I am a survey company, why do I need Facebook?” and Michael? The connection is Twitter, a social media platform. @POBMag tweeted about it.
Survey companies using social media to be in front of the competition
Is the survey industry paying attention to social media? I used Facebook in the title as I get some very funny looks when I mention it to survey companies and I wanted you to be intrigued.
What survey companies are saying
I had a great debate this morning with Abi Pears of @Opticalsurvey. I am interested to find out about ‘different’ social media platforms, survey companies are using and trying out. One of Optical-Survey’s (a survey company based in UK) unique selling points is ‘personality’ and Facebook and Twitter are used to promote this. Optical survey use Facebook as a photo gallery to show off what they are doing, interacting with their customers on a PERSONAL level.
@terralinksgroup (a survey company in Australia) is also using the platform to reach out to their customers posting articles, pictures and what their teams are doing. It may not get you sales but it is EXPOSING you as a company in the market. You are seen to be doing things! You are also showing off your personality!
@Opticalsurvey noted that twitter is better but not enough people are using it in the survey community. Therefore missing out on great things. The marketing industry is changing rapidly. We are seeing this with the change in the Internet. The survey community is also changing. Competition is plenty and survey marketers will need the support of training, marketing peers, consultants and mentors in order to stay ahead of the ever-changing social media platforms, if they are to be the best in their field.
Survey marketers will need to get savvy and jump onto the fast pace of change, in order to keep up.
A survey company must prove social media works
The other major issue for survey marketers is ‘proving’ to the boss that social media is worth investing in! Therefore marketers must monitor it!
For example:
If survey marketers wish to receive a bigger budget they will need to prove to themselves that this medium works. The majority of social media is free but it’s the time taken to invest in it and invest in it well.
Thoughts and comments welcome!
Surveying from the air by remote control vs marketing in a different light
By Elaine Ball, CEO of Elaine Ball Technical Marketing (EBTM) Ltd
The latest buz around the surveying industry is drones (UAV or Unmanned aerial vehicles). What does that mean? Well, flying machines, which scan the ground from the sky by remote control. Now, why am I talking about this, and what is the connection between surveying and marketing in a different light?
Surveying vs marketing – why B2B marketers need to be different
Articles are written about certain things happening within a market but, unfortunately, technology type companies (B2B) really emphasise on the ‘features’ and don’t actually get across the core benefits and why a company should adopt such technology or why they are different to the other guy!
Drones have been around for a while but its only lately they are starting to gain traction due to cost reduction of building these things. Snazzy features are also being implemented to control the drone from the sky and land without crashing! Which is costly!
Frank Willis’s latest article in @POBMag is very interesting and highlights strongly the features not the benefits. I have scanned the market and so far have estimated approx. 20 companies that are promoting drones (ranging from camera companies to laser scanning). That’s a lot of competition within a tight-nit market sector. My point to Frank is these companies need to differentiate why their drone is better than anyone else’s? What are the Unique Selling Points (USPs) and why should I buy over the competition?
Marketing your product in a different light
What I’m trying to get across here is Technical Marketers (in technical companies – B2B) need to address the marketing in a different light in order to promote their product. Yes we know about all the regulatory stuff and great features but why is one product better than the rest?
Don’t be the same as everyone else, promote what is great about your product, be it a drone. Emphases the key benefits and do your research on why you are stronger than the competition!” Doing this and shouting about it will increase your sales over your competition! Don’t get drowned by the noise of everyone. Be different!
**NEWS** By Elaine Ball
Need specific, to the point information on HOW to improve your marketing? Need advice on international markets? Need support in implementing a marketing and Sales strategy? Check out www.elaineball.co.uk, we have gone LIVE!!
Elaine Ball Technical Marketing (EBTM) Ltd is a full-service B2B marketing consultancy with international experience providing expert knowledge in marketing your business. With over 15 years international marketing and sales experience in exporting around the globe, owner and CEO, Elaine Ball decided to set up a dedicated marketing consultancy who would give ‘A’ grade marketing to organisations with global goals.
EBTM’s website is designed by My Cloud Media in Huddersfield, who are savvy web developers with a twist, providing you with a simple but very effective layout and easy to modify ability.
“I wanted simple and to the point in the website” says Elaine Ball, CEO of Elaine Ball Technical Marketing (EBTM) Ltd. The website is part of the firsts steps in promoting this unique B2B Marketing Consultancy.
Part of the website is the blog. Blogging is a great tool for B2B technical companies as it can be specific and to the point, plus it can be measured! EBTM has been using the wordpress blog, which highlights EBTM’s specific scenarios and gives marketing departments ‘golden-nuggets’ of marketing and sales knowledge. The wordpress blog will now be transferred over to EBTM’s main site.
Keep your eyes peeled people!
Yours
Elaine Ball
Need specific, to the point information on HOW to improve your marketing? Need advice on international markets? Need support in implementing a marketing and Sales strategy? Check out www.elaineball.co.uk, we have gone LIVE!!
Elaine Ball Technical Marketing (EBTM) Ltd is a full-service B2B marketing consultancy with international experience providing expert knowledge in marketing your business. With over 15 years international marketing and sales experience in exporting around the globe, owner and CEO, Elaine Ball decided to set up a dedicated marketing consultancy who would give ‘A’ grade marketing to organisations with global goals.
EBTM’s website is designed by My Cloud Media in Huddersfield, who are savvy web developers with a twist, providing you with a simple but very effective layout and easy to modify ability.
“I wanted simple and to the point in the website” says Elaine Ball, CEO of Elaine Ball Technical Marketing (EBTM) Ltd. The website is part of the firsts steps in promoting this unique B2B Marketing Consultancy.
Part of the website is the blog. Blogging is a great tool for B2B technical companies as it can be specific and to the point, plus it can be measured! EBTM has been using the wordpress blog, which highlights EBTM’s specific scenarios and gives marketing departments ‘golden-nuggets’ of marketing and sales knowledge. The wordpress blog will now be transferred over to EBTM’s main site.
Keep your eyes peeled people!
Yours
Elaine Ball