Amity International Business School

Direct Marketing
Session 10

Sandeep Bhasin
sbhasin@amity.edu
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Conversations, Not
Campaigns
Aim for relevant and ongoing dialogue.
Remember that your customer is thinking, How you sell
me is how you will serve me.
The first impression is a lasting impression.
Built-in flexibilities allow interaction on a wide range of
variables.
An industry insider posture that says we get it reinforces
credibility.
Look for long-term consistency, not the quick hit.
Effective sales and marketing communication is imperative.

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Sales and Marketing One Team

All Marketing and sales resources are synchronized and
collaborative.
A clearly documented sales process must focus on the
customers buying process.
Sales and marketing activities are measured and
coordinated with shared goals.
Create value for the prospective customer throughout the
process.
Map tools, skills, and performance metrics with the process.
Conduct regular feedback meetings for updating and
improvement.
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The Ideal Customer Profile

Determine common characteristics among current
customers.
Learn the size of the market and where the sweet spot is.
Identify decision makers and key influencers.
Know when to pursue a potential customer and when to
walk away.

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The Universal Lead

Definition

Inquiries are not leads.

Establish a clear-cut means of handling off leads to the
sales team.
Dont select leads at the price of quality.
Define the meaning of sales-ready lead.
Establish delineation of hot, warm, and future leads.
Provide only as many sales-ready leads as the salesperson
can effectively handle.
Identify key information for the salesperson to know and
use.

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The Database
Use your database as a valuable asset that lines up with strategy
and tactics.
Every inquiry is regarded and protected as vital.
Track and manage inquiries and leads in a single or logical
database.
All inquiries must be subject to database verification.
Distinguish between must-have and nice-to-have database fields
of information.
Assign maintenance responsibility and settle on process.
Keep database current with regular frequent updates from all
stakeholders.
Ensure visibility throughout the lead hand-off process.
Determine necessary dashboard reports.
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List Acquisition

Each entry reflects the ideal customer profile.

Determine and apply appropriate segmenting.
Prioritize according to perceived potential customer value.
Include SIC/NAICS codes, revenues, number of employees,
other descriptive data.

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Value Proposition
Relevance to targeted prospect must always be in sight.
Know why a company wants or needs your product or
service.
Messaging from value proposition must be consistent
across all points of contact.
Understand your potential customers buying process and
what stage it is currently at in that process.
Formalize a concise summation of the value proposition via
a message map.
Research applicable trigger events.
Systematize trigger events for most effective application
and timing.
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Multi-modal Tactics
Use a portfolio of appropriate lead generation tactics.
Assess the number and mix of tactics required.
Every touch with your customer should represent and
communicate value.
Take a flexible and iterative approach.
Integrate lead generation tactics together towards
achieving optimal ROI.

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Effective Lead Management

Implement and enforce standard universal lead scoring definitions.
Establish clear process for handling and distributing inquiries and
leads.
Deal with inquiries centrally to prequalify before sending to the
sales team as sales-ready leads.
Identify best opportunities based on application of a consistent
methodology.
Fulfill promised information in a timely manner.
Assign and define responsibility for lead tracking.
Track, measure, and report on progress of leads to program close.
Measure sales performance based on objective criteria.
Measure sales lead acceptance and follow-up by sales team.
Define mechanisms and incentives for sales team feedback and
updating.
Measure revenue contribution to drive a faster return on marketing
investment.
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Lead Nurturing
Cultivate inquiries to sales-ready leads.
Motivate salespeople for consistent contact with prospects
who may not yet be ready to buy.
Reprocess inactive leads turned back by the sales team for
further attention.
Pursue and capture future opportunities for nurturing into
viable leads.
Use content to position salespeople as trusted advisors.

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Tactics for the Complex

Sale

Synergies in Tactics: How many tactics do you have in

your Multimodal Lead Generation portfolio?
Branding:

Advertising
Sponsorships
Associations
Newsletter
Events

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Tactics for the Complex

Sale
Public Relations:

Editorials
Public Speaking
Press Release
Content
News Coverage
Article Placement

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Tactics for the Complex

Sale
Web site

Search engine optimization

Landing page
Blog
Podcast
RSS

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Events

Tactics for the Complex

Sale

Seminars
Work shops
Webinar
Teleseminar
Conferences
Tradeshows
Executive briefings

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Phone Calls

Tactics for the Complex

Sale

Identify and verify contacts

Develop relationships
Gain internal referrals
Uncover business needs
Opt-in for content notification
Identify sales ready leads
Invite to upcoming events
Re-engage past opportunities
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Tactics for the Complex

Sale
E-mail

One-to-one
One-to-many
E-newsletter
Online Marketing

Organic search
Paid search
Webinars
Newsletter sponsorships
Banners
Portals
Online directories
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Tactics for the Complex

Sale
Direct Mail

Self mailer
Postcards
Dimensional mail
Personal letters
Referrals

Vendors
Consultants
Customers
Partners
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Amity International Business School

Tactics for the Complex

Sale
Lead Generation Content

Case Study
Article(reprint)
White paper
Research report
3rd party article
How-to-guide
Book
Newsletter
Success story
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