Sales Enablement: How Marketing and Sales Can Align to Create Synergy

More and more, people are talking about sales enablement. But what is it? While definitions on the web vary, we define sales enablement as those functions and processes that make it easier for sales teams to achieve their objectives. In this post, we’ll explore how to align your marketing and sales departments to improve communication and promote sales enablement, ultimately creating synergy.

One of the most important things that an organization can do for sales enablement is to encourage collaboration between sales and marketing. Say, for example, that several clients mention to a sales representative that product XYZ could be improved in a certain way. If this information goes no farther than the sales rep, valuable insight on how the product could be enhanced is lost. This feedback is very important to the marketing team, but without regular collaboration, oftentimes it doesn’t occur.

Additionally, your sales representatives will find that another benefit of collaboration is preparation. If the marketing team has a major promotion coming down the pipeline, the sales team needs to know about it so reps can be prepared to address customer questions and adjust for the influx in business. Without having a good understanding of the key initiatives that the marketing team is planning, there’s the risk that salespeople will drop the ball. Unfortunately, this means that there’s a good likelihood that the initiatives will be less profitable than anticipated.

By working together, sales and marketing can develop realistic growth objectives, identify their target consumers, share ideas, and discuss strategies for lead generation. To accomplish this, set up meetings on a monthly basis. Develop an agenda that highlights the topics for discussion. Allow members from both teams to discuss their ideas for improving the sales process. The increased engagement between both groups will ultimately be very beneficial to your sales enhancement objectives.

Celebrating 15 years in Business!

Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

Just Say Yes to Yesware for Direct Email

We’ve all had that experience of sending out a carefully crafted email and then waiting and waiting to hear back from the recipient. If you’re in sales, you know how frustrating it can be to not know if your prospect has read your email yet. Fortunately, now there’s a Google plug-in called Yes-ware that allows you to track that information. It’s a great tool for salespeople who want to know exactly what’s happening with their outgoing direct emails after they hit the “Send” button.

The best thing about Yesware is that it notifies you when your email has been read by a recipient. Wondering whether you should follow up with a prospect? By receiving an email notification that he’s read your email, you’ll have a better idea if a follow up phone call is appropriate. No more wondering if you’re being overly aggressive.

Also, and this is a really cool feature—you can find out if your prospects are clicking on the links that you include or opening the attachments that you send. By finding out if they visited your website or read the information that you provided, you have a strong indicator of how likely they are to be interested in your services. As such, you can manage your time better by focusing on those potential clients who display stronger interest.

Tired of recreating emails from scratch? With Yesware, you can create and store a list of templates to address each aspect of the sales experience, from prospecting to following up with past clients. This convenient feature allows you to spend less time developing your marketing communications and more time interacting with your clients in person.

If you’re still not sure if Yesware is for you, we encourage you to give this plug-in a try by clicking HYPERLINK “http://www.yesware.com/”here–it’s free and we’re happy to report that it’s compatible with today’s most popular email client, Gmail. This highly-rated tool will improve your email productivity and help you to manage your prospect communications—a must for salespeople.

Celebrating 15 years in Business!

Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

5 Sales Blogs You Should Be Reading: Lead Generation

If you want to hone your skills, it’s always a good idea to continue learning in your field. That’s where sales-related blogs come in. By checking them out on a semi-regular basis, you can get ideas for how to improve your sales while bettering your sales techniques. Better yet, you can often find the inspiration you need when your motivation is fading. To get you started, we’ve identified some of the top sales blogs that we’ve come across:

ViewPoint | The Truth About Lead Generation
This blog explores issues related to B2B sales, marketing, and lead generation. Using a number of different bloggers, it’s rife with information about how you can improve your sales, acquire more leads, and develop a winning strategy for marketing your business.

The Funnelholic
Written by Craig Rosenberg, the co-founder of consulting firm TOPO Inc., TheFunnelholic offers lots of great content on building revenue through sales. It highlights useful sales-related software and discusses how you can take advantage of the latest technology to improve the management of your business.

The Sales Leader Blog
Updated often, The Sales Leader Blog contains interesting sales-related posts that are inspirational and straightforward in nature. It also often posts useful videos that feature Colleen Francis, the blog creator and a Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencer of 2013, according to Top Sales World.

Sales Pro Insider
Motivational in tone, this blog offers tips on productivity, goal setting, and success. It highlights the latest in sales research, useful resources, and industry thought leaders. As with the previous blog, blog founder Nancy Bleeke is also a Top Sales & Marketing Influencer of 2013.

Practical Eloquence
If developing more confidence is your goal, this is a great blog for you to peruse regularly. Written by Jack Malcolm, author and public speaker, the blog provides regular content on how you can improve your persuasive communications skills while appearing more confident. It also offers reviews on business-related books and lots of tips for skillfully presenting.

Just Say Yes to Yesware
We’ve all had that experience of sending out a carefully crafted email and then waiting and waiting to hear back from the recipient. If you’re in sales, you know how frustrating it can be to not know if your prospect has read your email yet. Fortunately, now there’s a Google plug-in called Yesware that allows you to track that information. It’s a great tool for salespeople who want to know exactly what’s happening with their outgoing emails after they hit the “Send” button.
The best thing about Yesware is that it notifies you when your email has been read by a recipient. Wondering whether you should follow up with a prospect? By receiving an email notification that he’s read your email, you’ll have a better idea if a follow up phone call is appropriate. No more wondering if you’re being overly aggressive.

Also, and this is a really cool feature—you can find out if your prospects are clicking on the links that you include or opening the attachments that you send. By finding out if they visited your website or read the information that you provided, you have a strong indicator of how likely they are to be interested in your services. As such, you can manage your time better by focusing on those potential clients who display stronger interest.

Tired of recreating emails from scratch? With Yesware, you can create and store a list of templates to address each aspect of the sales experience, from prospecting to following up with past clients. This convenient feature allows you to spend less time developing your marketing communications and more time interacting with your clients in person.

If you’re still not sure if Yesware is for you, we encourage you to give this plug-in a try by clicking here–it’s free and we’re happy to report that it’s compatible with today’s most popular email client, Gmail. This highly-rated tool will improve your email productivity and help you to manage your prospect communications—a must for salespeople.

Celebrating 15 years in Business!

Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

 

Mortgage Marketers: Using Recording Calls for Increased Sales Success

In a sales environment, it’s easy to pinpoint the least successful salespeople by examining which ones are failing to meet their quotas on a regular basis. But oftentimes, managers find it more difficult to determine how to help these under performers reach their objectives. Fortunately, by recording sales calls, you can learn how to help your troubled team members become better salespeople including mortgage marketers.

First, take a look at some of the shorter calls your sales team has engaged in. Frequently, these short calls are ones where the salespeople have been rejected by potential customers. By listening to these calls, you’ll have the opportunity to identify how your sales team could have handled them better. Another useful technique is to listen to some of the longer calls; lengthy calls are a possible indicator that your salespeople have gone off message and are not directing the flow of the calls appropriately.

Also, you’ll want to look at successful calls made by your lead salespeople. Listen to them and make note of what you think worked well with the customer. Was it their enthusiasm? Did customers initially offer up objections that they were successfully able to turn around? What percentage of time did they listen to customers and what percentage did they spend talking? Once you have identified the reasons a call was successful, play it for your sales team while highlighting the important points.

By analyzing sales calls, you can use them to coach your team to greater success. This type of mentoring can improve not just under performers’ sales, but it can also help your best salespeople to become even better. However, make sure that you don’t just use call recordings to point out negatives. It’s also beneficial—and improves the morale of your sales force—if successful calls are acknowledged and celebrated.

Sales call coaching ultimately improves performance, generates additional revenue, and helps team members experience greater professional success. As such, it’s a win-win for mentoring your team to surpass its sales quotas.

Celebrating 15 years in Business!

Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

6 Tips for Closing a Deal

While it helps to have a propensity for sales when closing deals, there are steps you can take that will increase the likelihood that you’ll close successfully. Check out some of our top recommendations for becoming a better closer:

Act Confidently. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Fake it ‘til you make it?” This popular saying means that if you behave confidently, you’ll see results. For those times when you’re feeling less confident, act as-if. Your positive demeanor will better your chances of making that sale. This also comes across when you are printing direct mail inserts or advertising.  A positive message is more likely to succeed!

Listen Well. Being a successful closer is more than about having the gift of gab. You also need to be a good listener. For instance, if a potential client has objections to the deal on the table, listening—and then addressing them—will help you close that deal.

Smile. Studies show that smiles boost sales. Make an effort to smile more often, even when you’re negotiating or responding to a lead’s objections. An uplifted mood is contagious and the better your prospects feel, the more receptive they’ll be to your sales pitch. Mirror body language.

Create a Bond. Simply put, people do business with those they like. If you can bond on a topic—like exercise or parenting—it will help strengthen your connection. Look for common ground with your sales prospect.

Be Professional. Think about the impression your actions leave with potential clients. If you promise to get information for them, do you follow through? When you have a meeting, do you arrive on time? In short, do you do what you say that you’re going to do? Your actions communicate your professionalism, your degree of follow-through, and how much value you place on assisting your clients. Make sure that the message that you’re communicating is the one that you intended.

Improve Your Communication Skills. Strong closer’s know that having great communication skills is an important attribute in sales. How are your communication skills? If this is an area that you could improve in, consider joining a local Toastmasters group or taking a class in public speaking; the feedback that you receive can be an important step toward honing your sales skills.

Celebrating 15 years in Business! Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

Direct Mail Marketing Basics Part 2 of 5: Preparing for your Campaign

In part 1 of our 5-part series, we discussed the benefits of using direct mail to reach your target audience. Now, we’ll delve deeper and get into things you might want to consider when you’re preparing to launch a direct mail campaign. Contrary to what you may believe, it doesn’t need to be daunting. All it requires is a little preparation. Read on below to find out how you can get started:

Budget. Do your homework and determine the costs of creating a direct mail campaign. If you choose to hire a writer or graphic designer, you’ll want to allot for that. Other things to consider are the price of your mailing list, postage costs, and printing expenses. Obtain quotes from a few different printers so you can get a ballpark figure. Once you have a good idea of the costs involved, determine how much money you’re willing to allocate to the campaign and then stick with it.

Determine Your Audience. Is your goal to target previous customers? Or would you rather send your mailing to individuals who reside within a certain zip code? Have you considered obtaining a mailing list of individuals who have certain demographic characteristics such as high income or current homeowners? Once you have decided who your market is, you can target your message more effectively to address its needs.

Create Your Campaign. Think about the message that you would like to convey to your target audience. For instance, do you want to mention your great rates or your exceptional customer service? Once you have determined your message, choose the format you would like to use for your campaign. Do you want to mail postcards, newsletters, or brochures? After making your selection, create your materials, and then print them.

Run the Campaign. Now that your direct mail pieces are complete, send them out to your target audience. To avoid being inundated with leads, you may want to try sending portions of your mailings out over time. For example, you could send 25% of your mailing out the first month, 25% out the second month, etc.

Evaluate. Determine how successful your campaign was. How many leads did you receive as a result of your campaign? If you sent your campaign out to a wide geographic area, analyze whether there was a specific zip code that resulted in greater responses. Of the leads that you do get, ask clients what prompted them to contact you about your services. With this information in hand, you’ll be better equipped to modify the campaign as needed for future mailings.

This covers the basics of how you can easily create your own direct mail campaign. In part 3 of this series, we’ll delve into formatting your direct mail piece.

Celebrating 15 years in Business! Titan List is a  Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

Direct Mail Marketing Basics Part 5 of 5: Designing Your Message

In the final part of our 5-part series, we’ll discuss design elements. Essentially, this post highlights how you can create an aesthetically-pleasing direct mail piece. This doesn’t need to be difficult if you pay attention to basic design considerations.

Design Principles: As a general rule, the layout of your direct mail piece should be clean and simple. Don’t go overboard with too many graphics or fonts. Instead, pick only one element—for example, a catchy headline or an attractive visual—to be the focus of the page. When selecting a font, choose one that’s easy to read and use it consistently throughout your direct mail marketing piece. Don’t forget to use bullets when appropriate—these help your prospect to quickly locate and read key information. Additionally, your call-to-action (CTA) needs to be easily noticeable. And finally, make sure your contact information is clearly displayed—it’s surprising how many people forget this.

Using Photography
Photographs are an excellent way to make your mailing more visually appealing. Use your digital camera to capture snapshots to put in your piece or visit stock photography websites for images. You can buy photos or you can often find attractive royalty-free pictures online.

Printing
When you’re ready to print your direct mail piece, you have a few different options. You can choose to print it with your own equipment, use an online service, or visit a local print shop. Having the piece professionally printed will result in a high-quality mailer but it will cost a little more so keep your budget in mind. Finally, there are a few other considerations to keep in mind before designing and printing your piece:

Standard-format direct mail pieces are cheaper to print and mail than irregularly formatted pieces (i.e. those that are atypically sized).
The more colors you use, the more expensive your printing costs will run. Consider using just a few colors combined with black and white.
It’s recommended that you have someone proofread your mailing before printing; mistakes can be costly.

Last minute jobs will increase your printing costs. Make sure you give the printer at least 2 weeks to process the work.

Celebrating 15 years in Business!

Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

Direct Mail Marketing Basics Part 4 of 5: Creating Your Sales Message

Oftentimes, creating a sales message is something that business professionals struggle with the most. Fortunately, it can be easier than you think. In part 4 of our 5-part series, we’ll highlight things that you want to take into consideration when creating your sales copy. While you can hire a professional writer, you might find that with these points in mind, this is something that you can successfully tackle yourself.

The first thing you want to ask before creating your sales copy is, “What benefit can I provide this customer?” Think about your prospect and what his needs are. Rather than focusing on yourself, the message should be centered on how you can provide value to the recipient. Also, you want to consider how your service is unique from your competitors—this is something you’ll want to highlight in your direct mail piece.

Your direct mail should also have a call-to-action (CTA). What do you want recipients to do when they receive it? Do you want them to call you, visit your website, or return a reply card? Be explicit about what action you would like the recipients to take after reading your sales pitch. Time-sensitive CTAs are useful in getting your prospects to act quickly. Offering an incentive—like a free credit report or attendance to a seminar—is a great way to capture your prospects’ attention and to get them to act on your CTA.

Additionally, well-written direct mail is clear and concise. Good copywriters know that short paragraphs are preferred to longer ones, which tend to be skimmed. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to use bullet points to communicate key ideas in an easy-to-read format. If you use graphics, make sure they’re appealing and don’t distract from the text.

Finally, if you choose to send a letter to your prospects, remember that it’s important to write in the same way that you would make your appeal verbally. This is how you can use the letter’s more personalized nature to your advantage. Read it out loud to make sure that you’ve succeeded in adopting the correct tone.
With these considerations in mind, you’re ready to write your sales message. But before you do, check out part 5 of our series where we’ll discuss design guidelines to follow when you’re creating your marketing piece.

Celebrating 15 years in Business! Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.

Direct Mail Marketing Basics Part 3 of 5: Formatting Your Message

In part 3 of our 5-part series, we’ll take a look at the different methods that you can use to format your direct mail message. Each option has pros and cons that we’ll be discussing to help you make the best decision for your business.

Postcards – Marketing Postcards can make for an attractive option and have the highest direct mail read rate. Their small size means they’re great for attracting attention, as they tend to stand out from the rest of the mail. While they don’t offer much room for text, they can be a cost-effective way to deliver a brief message to a lead or to thank a previous client.

Letters – Letters are great when you want to tell a story, offer testimonials, or personalize your sales message. Their larger size means that you can offer a longer sales pitch which can help you sell your service more effectively. Additionally, the letter format allows you to include other elements in your direct mail piece. For example, you can offer magnets or calendars that help people remember your business long after the letter has been discarded. Also, a letter gives you the opportunity to use a reply envelope so people can obtain more information about your services.

Brochures and Booklets – These make for the most visually appealing mailings but are also the most expensive. As such, you should make sure that if you use a brochure or a booklet, you’ve done your homework first. Pick your target market carefully—an affluent zip code, for example—and have the printer create a small number of brochures. Then, test it on just a portion of your potential customers before committing to large printing costs. If you find that brochures merit the expense, they’re a great way to share information in a visual way with your mailing list.

Flyers – The larger format of a flyer makes it a good choice when you want to communicate a lengthier sales pitch but unlike a letter, they do not lend a personalized feel. As such, they tend to work better for general announcements. If you do decide to use them, they provide a lot of choice: they have many folding options, you can print on the front and the back, and you can even coat them for extra protection from the elements.

Once you’ve decided on the formatting you’d like to use, the next step is to craft your message. In part 4 of this series, we’ll discuss how to write effective sales copy for your direct mail piece.

Celebrating 15 years in Business! Titan List is a full service Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.