Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007 - (Page 11)

> SMART MARKETING 3 QUESTIONS SCOTT HORNSTEIN PRINCIPAL HORNSTEIN ASSOCIATES, A CONNECTICUT-BASED DIRECT MARKETING STRATEGIC CONSULTANCY THE BIG PICTURE THE BIG Q. What can marketing execs do to better understand and support the sales effort? A. That marketing and sales Delivering Customer Value Anywhere, Any Time BY DON PEPPERS AND MARTHA ROGERS, PH.D. exist in separate silos and spend a good deal of time with slings and arrows is the stuff of legend. One of the major disconnects is the notion of “leads.” Marketing generates a lead and throws it over the wall. Sales, if they pay attention, declares the lead a student, a competitor or a cadaver. One of the root causes here is the definition of a lead. Everyone gets a vote on what information constitutes a lead, but really, the only vote that counts comes from sales. Let sales drive this definition; let marketing live by it. Q. What can sales execs do to sensitize marketing and get better results? A. Sales may cringe at this, but I’d suggest getting the marketing pukes out of the office. Take them on a day of sales calls. Encourage marketing to talk to the customers and ask them about the programs and collateral. Let them find out firsthand the definition of value. The field is where the rubber hits the road, versus where the rubber hits the sky. Q. What can corporations do to bridge the abyss between marketing and sales? A. Let’s face it: Lasting change does not happen from the bottom up; it only happens from the top down. Meaningful change must be anchored in measurement and reward. The relationship is fractured because one department is measured and rewarded by production of leads, the other by unit sales. Everyone has to be measured by leads, conversion and revenue. If you don’t have skin in the game, there isn’t a compelling reason to play. [THE PULSE] of consumer marketers are tracking mobile search campaigns as a potential tactic. SOURCE: MARKETINGSHERPA SURVEY 49.2% Is mobile marketing finally ready for prime time? Several compelling indicators point in this direction. Even in North America, where most things mobile lag behind Europe and Asia, companies from Proctor & Gamble to Disney are launching initiatives designed to engage customers via this “anywhere, any time”medium. Mobile communications have become a fixture of our everyday lives—not just for voice communications but also messaging, entertainment and information gathering.And with companies like PayPal and Visa moving into the mobile payments arena, it’s only a matter of time before your cell phone truly becomes your wireless wallet. According to Forrester, 76% of U.S. households now own at least one cell phone and 44% of U.S. mobile phone owners use some form of data service (including text messaging). It comes as no surprise,then,that Nielsen Wireless is launching a new service in July, Mobile Vector,to track the media consumption habits of the mobile consumer—a sure indicator that mobile is coming into its own. But the very idea of mobile marketing annoys 79% of consumers, and only 3% of consumers with cell phones say that they trust text ads on mobile phones (Forrester, December 2006). While mobile marketing may hold the promise of the ultimate one-to-one communications—highly personal, location-independent, in real time— mobile campaigns can just as quickly alienate customers if they are perceived as intrusive, irrelevant, of little value and in some instances (like fax-spam), actually incur an unwelcome cost. Here are a few tips on how to optimize your mobile marketing campaigns: >Let Your Customers Opt-In. Trust is the foundation of any solid customer relationship. To establish trust with your mobile customers, let them opt-in and—just as easily—opt-out of receiving your mobile marketing communications.This is the Mobile Marketing Association’s number one rule in its code of conduct.Repeat this process from time to time.Research shows customers actually forget they gave permission, so give them a chance now and then to turn off the switch. If they don’t, you can be more confident they want to hear from you. >Reward Your Customers. Set up a one-to-one exchange whereby your customers are rewarded for receiving your marketing messages.For example, Virgin Mobile rewards customers with free airtime through its Sugar Mama program, in return for providing feedback to online spots or products and brands. >Safeguard Your Customers’ Privacy. This goes well beyond refraining from selling or sharing customer data with third parties. A company that respects its customers’ privacy will regard customer information as a competitive asset, using it to build mutual value. Don Peppers and Martha Rogers are founding partners of Peppers & Rogers Group, a division of Carlson Marketing, in Norwalk, Conn. Write them at edit@salesandmarketing.com. OCTOBER 2007 SALES&MARKETING MANAGEMENT www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com 11 http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007

Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007 Contents Editor’s Letter Management Strategies Why Prospecting Gets No Respect Sales Strategy: Spotlight your Services Marketing: A Social Intelligence Primer Management: Steer your Team to Success Motivation/Incentives: The No-Pain Way to Gain Training: Looking for Yesterday’s Learning or Tomorrow’s? Technology: Get Trade Show Satisfaction with the Video Massage Focusing on SMB Solutions The Best Sales Force The Hottest Job Industries Overseas Aggravation Gadgets & Gear: Pen and Ink as an Art Form Books that Improve Strategic Thinking, People Skills and Sales One Foot Out the Door Work/Life: Calling in the Fitness Cavalry. Take-Aways: Bite-size Strategies to Help You Sell More, Market Smarter and Manage Better

Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007

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