five steps that will help increase revenue

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Five Steps That Will Help You Increase Revenue From NEW Customers Without Adding More Sales People

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Research has shown that on average 2 percent of leads are sales-ready. And as it turns out, the remaining 98 percent, that are not ready to buy today, will actually buy within the next 12 months. So how can you cultivate those leads to keep them active and moving towards sales ready in the most efficient manner? Cold sales calls? Telemarketing? Social media? Search marketing? Advertising?

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Five Steps That Will Help You Increase Revenue From NEW Customers

Without Adding

More Sales People

Page 2: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Contents

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.5564

Introduction 1

1. Help Buyers Discover What They Are Trying to Find

4

2. Help Buyers Get the Information They Are Seeking

12

3. Help Buyers See What Others Are Saying

14

4. Help Buyers Experience It BeforeThey Purchase

17

Summary 20

FREE Offer 21

About The ROM Group 22

Page 3: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Research has shown that on average 2 percent of leadsare sales-ready. And as it turns out, the remaining 98

percent, that are not ready to buy today, will actuallybuy within the next 12 months. So how can you cultivatethose leads to keep them active and moving towardssales ready in the most efficient manner? Cold salescalls? Telemarketing? Social media? Search marketing?Advertising?

The most sustainable and effective solution is to becomebuyer centric: giving the buyers what they are seeking--not pushing what you want to sell.

For business owners on a tight budget, looking toincrease the percent of new leads that close, this eBookwill present 5 actionable steps that will dramatically

increase:

• Sales from new customers by 20 percent• Web site visits and engagement by 100 percent+• The number of registered leads by 100 percent+

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.5564

The most sustainable

and effective

solution is to

become buyer

centric: giving the

buyers what they

are seeking-- not

pushing what you

want to sell.

1

INTRODUCTION: How to Capture

Revenue that Slips Through the Cracks

Page 4: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

To become buyer centric, business owners need to first

understand and accept how buyers choose a productor service. Every buyer, before deciding to buy, goesthrough a series of steps called the Purchase DecisionProcess. It consists of five stages:

1. Discovery: buyers realize they have a problem and begin

seeking someone or something to help them solve their problem.

2. Information: buyers are actively finding information that answers

their questions, solves their problems or shows them how to

accomplish a task.

3. Endorsement: buyers read and see what their peers are saying

about a product or service.

4. Proof/Demo: buyers want to make sure the solution

accomplishes what they need it to do.

5. Conversion: buyers want to purchase the product or service in a

way that is easy for them.

Buyers want to go through this process without beingforced to have a live interface with a sales person.

The following pages will describe how you can make iteasy for buyers to do that.

Your Path to Increased Sales

is Buyer Centric

Discovery

Information

Endorsement

Proof/ Demo

Conversion

© 2010 The ROM Group LLC www.theromgroup.com

Purchase Decision

Process

Buyers want to walk through this process without

being forced to have a live interface with a sales

person.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55642

Page 5: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Five Steps You Can

Implement to Ignite Sales

Follow these 5 steps and you will see dramatic improvement in sales revenue from new customers.

1. Help buyers discover what they are trying to find

2. Help buyers get the information they are seeking

3. Help buyers see what others are saying

4. Help buyers experience the solution before they purchase

5. Help buyers buy the way they want

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55643

Page 6: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

During the first step of the Purchase Decision Process,buyers are seeking a solution to their problem. In order to

be found, business owners must build a marketing planthat leverages these two mediums:

• The Web

• Buyer location

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55644

1. Help Buyers Discover What They Are

Trying to Find

Page 7: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

How to Optimize Your Web

VisibilityResearch reveals that more than 80 percent of buyerssearch online to research their purchase beforecontacting the seller. You increase your Web visibility by:

• Generating a library of deep, authentic content, published in a variety of formats

• Leveraging social media tools

• Using content sharing sites

• Keeping an updated blog

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55645

Generate a library of

deep, authentic

content, published

in a variety of

formats.

Page 8: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Today’s SEO is Driven by

Authentic ContentGenerate a Library of Deep, Authentic Content

While conducting a search on the same topic, you anda peer are more than likely to use very unique searchphrases. Your buyers are no different than you, but there

may be thousands of them, all with their own thousandsof individual search phrases-- making SEO virtuallyimpossible. These phrases are called longtail searchphrases. The only way to get found in the myriad ofsearch phrases is to publish relevant, granular content.

Google relies on Web site content for the most relevantmatch between the search phrase and your Web site'scontent. This is why sites like Wikipedia and YouTubeshow up frequently on the first page when buyers aresearching.

Google relies on

Web site content for

the most relevant

match between the

search phrase and

your Web site's

content.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55646

Page 9: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Social Media Gets the Most

Weight from GoogleLeverage Social Media Tools

Much has been said about leveraging social media tosell. But the real value of social media is its power to

increase Web visibility. According to Nielson Online,nearly 20 percent of people on social media use socialnetworks as their core navigation tool. They search forvaluable content within social networks, which directsthem to a Web site.

The chart to the right shows that the number of site

referrals from social networks is greater than the numberof referrals from search engines.

Both Google and Bing have recognized the trend. Theyhave incorporated social media feed content fromFacebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn into search results andalgorithms.

The number of site referrals from social networks

is greater than the number of referrals from

search engines.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55647

Page 10: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Share Your Content Across

the WebUse Content Sharing Sites

In addition to social media sites, content sharing sites arealso given a lot of weight by search engines. Sites suchas:

• YouTube, for videos• Flickr, for photos• Slide Share, for presentations

Do a quick search on how to weld, and a series of videos

are ranked high on the results page.

Keep an Updated Blog

Search engines pay more attention to a frequentlyupdated blog than to Web pages. While a Web site is avery important piece of content, using that content on

your blog will further drive your Web visibility.

Videos rank high on search engine results pages.

Search engines pay more attention to a frequently updated blog than to Web pages.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55648

Page 11: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

How to Leverage Location

VisibilityLocation visibility is all about being where the buyers are:where they spend time and where they go forinformation. Simple research on the front-end of amarketing plan will show you where your buyers

congregate. Use this information to allocate marketingdollars effectively.

Tradeshows

One of the best location visibility opportunities for B2Bcompanies are tradeshows. Tradeshows are an excellent

place to capture leads. In order to capture these leads,you need to promote several high-value content piecesthat will encourage visitors to register to receive them.

Capture leads at tradeshows.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.55649

Page 12: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Trade Associations Offer A

Critical Gateway to Buyers

Trade Associations

Trade associations are hungry to provide their memberseducational content. They are willing to work with

vendors who are committed to providing purely that--not promotional, sales content.

Trade Associations can open the door for you and yourcompany to thousands of buyers. Now be aware, manyof these organizations are hungry for revenue; they maywant you to pay for sponsorships or other promotions in

order to participate. You need to judge the value foryourself.

Trade associations can open the door for you and your company to thousands of buyers.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556410

Page 13: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Share Your Expertise,

Authority with EveryoneWebinars

Along with providing highly valuable content, not salesmaterial, gaining a highly visible partner is key to a

successful webinar. Many large companies strive topromote content, therefore you can access theircustomer base via a co-sponsored webinar.

Speaking Events

Where there is an audience of prospective buyers,

present high-value content and capture leads.

Gaining a highly visible partner is the key to a successful webinar.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556411

Page 14: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

The second phase buyers enter into during the PurchaseDecision Process is Information. As discussed earlier, in this

stage, buyers are seeking information about solutionsavailable. No matter how good your product or service isat solving a particular problem, if you don't have thecontent online to back it up, buyers will leave you andgo to someone who does have the information they areseeking.

As mentioned in step No.1, Help Buyers Discover WhatThey Are Trying to Find, you need to pack your Web sitewith deep, authentic content in multiple formats. But thiscontent should not contain promotional product-centricmessaging. Buyers are looking for content that helpsthem with one or more of three things:

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556412

1. Answers to their

questions

2. Solutions to their

problems

3. "How-to's" that show

them how to

accomplish a task

2. Help Buyers Get the Information

They Are Seeking

Page 15: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Use Multiple Content

Formats

Here are a few formats you can use to get your content

library started:

• eBooks

• Web casts

• Videos

• White papers

• Case studies

• Product Demonstrations

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556413

Page 16: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Step 3 represents the Endorsement stage of the PurchaseDecision Process. In this stage, buyers are seeking to seewhat their peers are saying about a product or service.

Prior to this stage, buyers will seek information until theyfeel comfortable they understand everything they needto know. They will then seek endorsement to gain theconfidence that others who have experienced aproduct or service have been satisfied.

To create content that provides this endorsement piece,

have a customer answer these two questions about yourproduct or service:

1. How did the product or service solve your problem?2. Was this company the best choice?

Buyers will seek

endorsement to gain

the confidence that

others who have

experienced a

product or service

have been satisfied.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556414

3. Help Buyers See What Others Are

Saying

Page 17: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Use Testimonials and Case

StudiesVideo Testimonials

One of the many ways to provide endorsement contentis through testimonials. And in the Web world, video is

king. So, video testimonials are very strong and highlyauthentic. Authenticity is key-- no actors, no glitzyproduction values.

Case Studies

Another tool to fulfill your buyers' endorsement needs are

case studies. Write case studies that describe how yousolved a customer's problem. The lesson here is details,details and more details. Buyers want the unvarnishedstory, not the dressed-up story. If there were problems,call them out. Buyers expect problems, and they want toknow how you handle them.

In the Web world, video is king.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556415

Page 18: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Use Review Forums and

Social MediaOpen Review Forums

Open review forums often scare sellers. Many will arguethat reviewers on these forums are the same type of

people who habitually write hate letters to the editor.There is no question that the Web world is filled with a lotof very scary people. But buyers are intelligent and willrecognize garbage when they see it. They will alsorecognize fluff when they see it.

In today's marketing world, you are naked, whether

you're willing to accept it or not. It's better to face thegood and the bad-- so you can work on the bad.

Social Media

Finally, social media is turning into a valuable resourcefor endorsement. Buyers trust these conversations to gain

insight into authentic experiences. As with open reviewforums, there will be people out there slamming a lot ofpeople and companies. These people don't retain manyfollowers and are mostly just making a lot of noise; buyerscan determine an authentic review from a slanted one.

In today’s marketing world, you are naked, whether you are willing to accept it or not.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556416

Page 19: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

In the fourth stage of the Purchase Decision Process,buyers want proof the product will actually do what theyneed it to do. You can do this by allowing buyers to

experience the product or service before they purchase.

Product Demonstrations

Again, video is huge. Show off the product from thebuyers point of view– not what you want to sell.

Free Trial or Low-Risk Offer

Free trials put the product or service directly into thebuyer’s hands– getting their feet wet. For professionalservice firms that can’t offer a tangible product, freetrials my be difficult to provide to buyers. Low-risk offerscan fill the gap. As an example, an architecture firm can

offer a free or lower-cost planning session.

Buyers want proof the product will actually do what they need it to do.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556417

4. Help Buyers Experience It Before

They Purchase

Page 20: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

5. Give Buyers Multiple Ways to Buy

Multiple Purchase Options

Buyers want multiple purchase options. John Deere's Web

site illustrates how to do this. Not too long ago, a majorbrand manufacturer, like John Deere, had a dealernetwork that they protected. Then they forced the buyerto buy from a specific dealer, whether the buyer liked thedealer or not. Today, that has changed.

Now a buyer can choose to buy online, from a dealer or

even from a big-box retailer like Home Depot or Lowe's.This approach is very buyer centric.

Buyers want multiple purchase options.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556418

Page 21: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

Give Buyers Access to

Subject Matter ExpertsSubject Matter Expert

Even in this stage, the buyer wants it their way and smartsellers will give it to them. Here, the buyer doesn't want to

talk to a sales person, because buyers think the role of asales person is to persuade them to buy something theydon't want or need.

Buyers want to talk to a product expert or subject matterexpert. They don't want to talk to the guy in shiny shoes;they want to talk to the guy that actually does the work.

The buyer may have some final questions that need tobe answered; the subject matter expert is the onlyperson who can provide them the direct answers theyneed.

Buyers don't want to

talk to the guy in

shiny shoes; they

want to talk to the

guy that actually

does the work.

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556419

Page 22: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

In this eBook, you learned why it is so difficult to

increase your revenue from new customers. When nearly 98 percent of new leads buy 12 months or more from the time they become a lead and shy away from talking to sales people, you need a

plan to stay in front of those buyers, to help guide them through the Purchase Decision Process. Here is how:

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556420

1. Help buyers discover

what they are looking to

find

2. Help buyers get the

information they are

seeking

3. Help buyers see what

others are saying

4. Help buyers

experience it before

they purchase

5. Help buyers buy the

way they want

SUMMARY: How to Become Buyer Centric

to Close More Sales From NEW Customers

Page 23: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

FREE Offer

Get something for FREE and discover what it’s like to work with The ROM Group.

Offers may include a FREE customer survey, eBook, white paper, testimonial video, and more.

Contact Richard M. Pedersen, Jr. to learn more.

[email protected]

www.theromgroup.com 920.964.556421

Page 24: Five Steps That Will Help Increase Revenue

When You Need Top-Line

Growth, The ROM Group

Delivers The ROM Group provides buyer centric lead generationand lead nurturing programs for B2B companies. ROM’s

approach delivers dramatic increases in top-linerevenue by integrating proprietary buyer research,online lead generation, lead-profiling phone calls, leadnurturing, and lead conversion services into a single,simple-to-use solution. At each stage in the life of a lead,ROM (return-on-marketing) measures the key metricsthat senior managers need to clearly understand the

effectiveness and ROI of their programs.

www.theromgroup.com

920-964-5564

22