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.

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.

Energy Saving Tips for Telecommuters

Approximately 45 million Americans telecommute at least one day a week. If you’re one of them, you may find that your electric bill has increased since you began using your home office. Fortunately, there are some excellent energy saving tips for telecommuters that can slash utility costs while having a beneficial impact on the environment.

Look for ENERGY STAR home electronics. Electronics with the ENERGY STAR certification offer a dramatic reduction in power consumption over traditional electronics. For example, computers labeled with this designation reduce energy use by 30%-65%.

Select Multi-Functional Devices. Rather than having a separate fax machine, copier, and printer, consider an all-in-one device to lower your electric bill. If you are printing in house flyers or direct mail postcards having a multi function all in one can save you a ton of money. s

Use Power Management Settings. Your laptop or desktop has power settings that can be changed to reduce your energy consumption. Rather than using your screen saver—which doesn’t affect energy usage—opt to set your computer to automatically use sleep mode when it’s been inactive for a certain period of time.

Invest in Power Strips. If all of your electronics are plugged into a power strip, they can all be easily turned off with the flick of a switch. Or, for even more energy savings, consider a smart power strip. These eliminate the use of standby power which accounts for 5% of electricity usage in the United States.

Purchase Energy-Saving Light Bulbs. It’s estimated that an Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) saves $30 over its lifetime and pays for itself in 6 months. It also uses 75% less energy and lasts approximately 10 times longer than an incandescent light bulb.

Choose a Laptop. If possible, use a laptop rather than a desktop computer. Laptops use about one-third less power than desktops. Also, it’s estimated that a laptop will reduce your electric bill by $19 annually, compared to a desktop.

Use Fans and Space Heaters. Rather than keeping the entire house heated or cooled throughout the day with expensive air conditioning or home heating, keep a fan and a space heater in your home office. The savings on your heating and cooling bill will be substantial.

Caulk Windows. With air often leaking through older windows, caulking will reduce drafts, making your home office less expensive to heat.
By applying these simple energy saving tips, you might find that your utility bills are even less expensive than before you began telecommuting.

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.

The Value of Consistency: Direct Mail Marketing

With any marketing initiative, there is value in being consistent—meaning not only trying to drum up business when times are tough, but also remaining in touch with your business contacts and potential leads during times of economic upswings. A consistent approach—one that is dedicated, focused, and determined—will serve your marketing efforts well. Additionally, once you’ve found an effective marketing message, you want to consistently promote that message across all of your media channels.

Marketing definitely portrays similarities to exercising. As with exercise, marketing needs to be done on a regular basis, shouldn’t be abandoned once you’ve started to see results, and isn’t a quick fix. In both endeavors, consistency is key.
Strong branding—that is repeated over time—is highly effective with consumers. To achieve the goal of direct mail marketing consistency, try these tips:

Don’t vary from your main brand message. After determining the message that you will use to appeal to your market, continue to use it in all of your promotional materials.

Use consistent color schemes and fonts in all of your marketing pieces.

Establish a voice and keep with it. Once you’ve written your marketing materials in a certain tone, continue to use it in all of your communications.
Communicate with your contacts on a regular basis. Whether you use a monthly newsletter or an email campaign, it’s important to maintain ongoing contact.
If you use a monthly newsletter—which is a great way of reaching potential leads—make sure that it is professional and distributed at the same time each month.
Keep with it. It isn’t enough to make a big marketing push just once and then rest on your laurels. Instead, strive to engage in continuous marketing efforts throughout the year.

Consistent experiences lead to a more positive interaction for your potential clients. Furthermore, consistency builds trusts, often resulting in new and repeat 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.

The Three Foundations of Mortgage Marketing: Part 1: Market

The critical components of successful mortgage marketing are identified in this 3-part series. First, there is the Market, a reference to your target audience. Your market consists of those people who are in your sphere of influence—for instance, friends, family members, colleagues, past associates, etc.

As you know, most new business comes from referrals. Therefore, to effectively engage in mortgage marketing, you need to actively manage your contacts if you want to succeed in generating more referrals. To do so, we recommend that you follow these important steps:

Invest in Contact Management Software. There is a wealth of software out there for managing contacts, and some of it is geared specifically toward the mortgage industry. It can’t be stated how critical it is to have all of your contacts’ information listed in one central database.

Keep Your Database Up-To-Date. Your database is your primary marketing tool. Make sure that it is kept current and includes all potential leads, whether they are friends, family members, colleagues, or past clients. Anyone who you come into semi-regular contact with should be included in your contacts database.

Regularly Generate New Leads. There are a number of ways to generate new leads and increase your market. For instance, you can approach real estate agents or look through real estate listings to find agents with lots of listings. Also, you can consider approaching home owners who are selling their homes without the aid of a realtor. And don’t forget to attend open houses or trade shows. For example, at a home improvement trade show, you might want to advertise home equity lines; this is a great way to attract homeowners looking to invest in home improvement projects.

Once you’ve clearly identified your market—and you have a system in place for managing it—the next important pillar of mortgage marketing is the message. In part 2 of our series, we’ll identify what the message is and how it’s a critical feature of your overall marketing strategy.

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.