Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/657319
APRIL 2016 20 THE JOURNAL The Four Essential Elements to Meeting Your Sales Goals BY SCOTT STROUD MARKETING CONSULTANT This is the digital age of communications, where just about everything about how we con- nect with people involves some kind of connected digital devise. Marketing and advertising has cy- cled through a changing array of digital formats – websites, email, social media, text (yes, we're now communicating with our thumbs!)… the list is endless and growing. We often think that Sales and Marketing them- selves have changed with the methods and means. But in essence, they haven't. Marketing is still about reaching the right people with the right mes- sage at the right time. Sales, as it always has been, is still the process of converting interest into action by developing trust and desire. The prob- lem is that we've let the methods of communicat- ing confuse the message, and allowed the tools to interfere with the relationship we need to build move the sale forward. For example, we're taught to think in terms of "driving traffic to our website". Then, we try measure success by how many 'hits' or 'visitors' we get to our site. I've never built rapport with a 'hit', and I'd much rather spend time with a buyer than a 'visitor'. Instead, we should be measuring how many qualified leads or prospects come through our website or other marketing sources. Nothing else really matters. Of course, that's a simplification. Those web- site visitors need to be able to find what they're looking for, nurtured, and continually receive rel- evant information specific to their interest. That's what builds rapport, relationship and trust. And only then will they feel motivated to take action so that the sales process moves forward. Therein lies the rub. Most marketing programs focus on delivering an initial message, but fail to capture even a marginal percentage of site traffic. Only about 1% of website visitors ever submit an inquiry form or pick up the phone to call you. If you can't see them, you can't sell to them and you're marketing has gained you nothing. And most sales teams readily admit that relevant, per- sonal follow-up is their Achilles Heal – 90% of the time it just doesn't get done the way it should. But, what if you could change all that? What if you could double or triple the amount of leads you converted from your current website traffic, from 1% to 3% or more? And what if every potential buyer received exactly the type of information they wanted at exactly the right time and in the way they wanted – and without your sales team slaving evening and weekends on the phones? And, what if you could somehow see every time a buyer opened one of your emails, or which pages on your website they were visiting? If you could pull that off, it would no doubt be a game-changer. It would put you in better con- trol of your marketing, your message, and how you build rapport with prospects and buyers. Well, you can with what we call marketing au- tomation, a process that takes the three stages of marketing – attract customers, convert interest, and motivate action – and automates the process in a super-efficient way that leads to greater con- versions, sales and customer satisfaction. Automated Marketing Step one is to attract buyers with advertising, usually driving prospects to your website through pay per click advertising, search engine optimiza- tion, or media ads, such as magazines, online di- rectories (MHVillage.com, etc.) or even Craig's List ads. You're probably already involved in some or all of the above. But, the process breaks down with a lack of follow through. Step two is to convert that traffic into personal engagements – online inquiries, phone calls or ul- timately onsite visits. Marketing automation ac- complishes this by capturing interest through online offers, such as special reports, white papers or plans series and then nurturing that interest through sequential messaging strategically designed to get the prospect excited and engaged enough to take the next step, come to see you in person. These 'drip marketing' campaigns can easily triple the amount of prospects that convert into high-interest leads. In fact, these campaigns let buyers qualify themselves before you or your sales team every become involved, letting you spend more of your time with more qualified buyers. Step three is to wow prospects and customers with great service and personal attention. This too can be automated with 'set it and forget it' cam- paigns that help salespeople provide better follow up while allowing them to remain in control of the process. Much of the communication during the construction and sales process, such as updates, reminders to make selections, and checklists, can be systematized, allowing for a more streamlined process and increasing customer trust and satisfac- tion. The fourth essential element, the one that makes the previous three work seamlessly as a sin- gle, fluid process is to automate everything with sales automation software that integrates your lead capture, contact management and sales flow into one manageable process. Marketing and sales au- tomation is the game-changer, allowing small sales teams to out-perform larger ones and giving sales teams the competitive edge of lightning-fast response time, personalized follow-up, and higher customer satisfaction and retention. You may already have a Contact Relationship Management system, but we're finding that only about 3% of salespeople will use one, even though those that do can double or triple their sales. Most CRMs are bulky and difficult to use, and most lack the features of a true marketing and sales automa- tion system. And that's the key; the more these tasks can be automated, the better they work – and the more they are used and relied on by sales- people. Finally, homebuyers expect instant response when they submit a form or question. Marketing automation satisfies that demand and builds trust more quickly. If you're not automating these processes, then you will soon find yourself at a dis- advantage as more and more builders, retailers and communities are automating their processes. So, don't wait, automate today and watch your sales surge. Scott Stroud is Business Development Manager for Power Marketing & Advertising, a full-service marketing firm work- ing exclusively with housing companies and communities. Scott hosts BuilderRadio.com and is an in-demand speaker on marketing and sales topics with over 30 years of excep- tional results in marketing factory built homes. He can be reached at scott@Power-marketing.com or at 240-420- 6343. T J