Alyssa Dver, CPM & CPMM Author, “No Time Marketing” Doing Your Best Marketing in the Worse of Times

Ms. Marketing Author of: No Time Marketing: small business-sized steps in 30 minutes or less Software Product Management Essentials Chief Executive, Mint Green Marketing, www.mintgreenmktg.com Contributor to: Forbes, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, Promo, Readers Digest, Software Magazine, etc. 2007 BusinessWeek Female Entrepreneur to Watch

Author of:

No Time Marketing: small business-sized steps in 30 minutes or less

Software Product Management Essentials

Chief Executive, Mint Green Marketing, www.mintgreenmktg.com

Contributor to: Forbes, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, Promo, Readers Digest, Software Magazine, etc.

2007 BusinessWeek Female Entrepreneur to Watch

Agenda Why doing ‘good’ marketing is hard in any economic climate Clarification about what marketing is and what it should be doing for your business A step-by-step “no time” method to build a solid, defendable marketing plan Realistic checks and balances – both short and long term

Why doing ‘good’ marketing is hard in any economic climate

Clarification about what marketing is and what it should be doing for your business

A step-by-step “no time” method to build a solid, defendable marketing plan

Realistic checks and balances – both short and long term

Sound familiar? “ What has marketing done for me lately?” “ Marketing is a necessary evil.” “ We have no good leads.” “ Marketing is a cost center, not a revenue generator.” “ Anyone can do marketing. Its intuitive.” “ The Internet makes it so easy and affordable to do marketing.” “ Marketing is a luxury we can’t afford.”

“ What has marketing done for me lately?”

“ Marketing is a necessary evil.”

“ We have no good leads.”

“ Marketing is a cost center, not a revenue generator.”

“ Anyone can do marketing. Its intuitive.”

“ The Internet makes it so easy and affordable to do marketing.”

“ Marketing is a luxury we can’t afford.”

Modern Marketing 1 x 1 marketing LinkedIn Groups Second Life Affiliate Marketing Tipping Points Chasms Permission marketing Clickthroughs Mobile ads Flash demos Track backs SEO Twitter Facebook Blogs Opt in/Opt out Customer relationships Loyalty programs Virtual events Corporate responsibility Web video AdWords Landing pages Mavens YouTube

Misleading Marketing Measurements

Downmarket Doubts

Manic Marketing “ I should do marketing” I shouldn’t do marketing” “ I should do marketing” “ I should do marketing” I shouldn’t do marketing” I shouldn’t do marketing”

Maxed Out Marketing

Today’s goal: calm, confident marketing

Marketing Definition Marketing identifies, attracts, fosters and retains qualified sales leads. Marketing Objective: … profitably find prospects and then help them make efficient buying decisions.

Marketing identifies, attracts, fosters and retains qualified sales leads.

The No Time Cure Step 1: do a marketing inventory Step 2: fill in the missing blanks Step 3: develop powerful positioning and messaging Step 4: validate pricing Step 5: acquire new leads Step 6: foster leads Step 7: create a defendable marketing plan Step 8: refine plan over time

Step 1: do a marketing inventory

Step 2: fill in the missing blanks

Step 3: develop powerful positioning and messaging

Step 4: validate pricing

Step 5: acquire new leads

Step 6: foster leads

Step 7: create a defendable marketing plan

Step 8: refine plan over time

Step 1: 30 Magic Questions – Your Marketing Inventory

Section 1: Your Prospects & Customers 1a. B to B or B to C? Size: revenue, # of employees Type of companies: industry, public/private, domestic/international, franchised/wholly owned, for -profit or non-profit, etc. 1b. Who buys/approves? job title (including homemaker, student, unemployed), gender, age, income and education level, professional and personal interests 1c. Who uses? Same or different than buyer? job title, gender, age, professional and personal interests 1d. Who participates in the purchase decision? Are there multiple people or a committee? role each person plays 1e. What other types of people, companies, or industries would you like to sell to? Why

1a. B to B or B to C?

Size: revenue, # of employees

Type of companies: industry, public/private, domestic/international, franchised/wholly owned, for -profit or non-profit, etc.

1b. Who buys/approves?

job title (including homemaker, student, unemployed), gender, age, income and education level, professional and personal interests

1c. Who uses? Same or different than buyer?

job title, gender, age, professional and personal interests

1d. Who participates in the purchase decision? Are there multiple people or a committee?

role each person plays

1e. What other types of people, companies, or industries would you like to sell to?

Why

Section 2: The Buying Process 2a. Steps prospects go through evaluating Talk with people inside your company? Use your website or other marketing collateral? 2b. How long to a yes or no decision? 2c. Requests for proposals (RFPs) or other formal methods of evaluation? 2d. References or other purchasing input? When in the buying cycle is this required? 2e. Product demonstrations Run on their own or done by a company representative? 2f. Trial period or return policy? Warranty? 2g. Part of prospect’s budgeting process? 2h. How often win ? Why do you lose?

2a. Steps prospects go through evaluating

Talk with people inside your company?

Use your website or other marketing collateral?

2b. How long to a yes or no decision?

2c. Requests for proposals (RFPs) or other formal methods of evaluation?

2d. References or other purchasing input?

When in the buying cycle is this required?

2e. Product demonstrations

Run on their own or done by a company representative?

2f. Trial period or return policy? Warranty?

2g. Part of prospect’s budgeting process?

2h. How often win ? Why do you lose?

Section 3: Your Marketing Channels 3a. Media - magazines, websites, blogs, newsletters, TV, radio are prospects (users, influencers and buyers) reading or watching? 3b. Read/watch at work (during work time) or at home (on their own time)? 3c. Tradeshows? 3d. Associations? 3e. Industry analysts, other thought leaders?

3a. Media - magazines, websites, blogs, newsletters, TV, radio are prospects (users, influencers and buyers) reading or watching?

3b. Read/watch at work (during work time) or at home (on their own time)?

3c. Tradeshows?

3d. Associations?

3e. Industry analysts, other thought leaders?

Section 4: Your Competition 4a. Similar products or services? 4b. Other ways to accomplish the same thing? manually or using other tools? Why is it better to use a product or service like the one you offer? 4c. Replace existing solution or new budget money required? 4d. Why are you a better value to a prospect? 4e. Your company and product /service weaknesses 4f. What happens to prospects if they don’t use your’s? Risk liabilities? 4g. Priced competitively? Relative to competitors’? Relative to manual or substitute solutions? 4h. Admire any of your competitors’ products/services or their marketing techniques? Why?

4a. Similar products or services?

4b. Other ways to accomplish the same thing?

manually or using other tools?

Why is it better to use a product or service like the one you offer?

4c. Replace existing solution or new budget money required?

4d. Why are you a better value to a prospect?

4e. Your company and product /service weaknesses

4f. What happens to prospects if they don’t use your’s?

Risk liabilities?

4g. Priced competitively?

Relative to competitors’?

Relative to manual or substitute solutions?

4h. Admire any of your competitors’ products/services or their marketing techniques?

Why?

Section 5: Your Market 5a. Key trends in your market today 3-5 years? 5b. Market crowded? Must you educate? 5c. Short- and long-term market share goals? 5d. What does your company want to be known for?

5a. Key trends in your market today

3-5 years?

5b. Market crowded?

Must you educate?

5c. Short- and long-term market share goals?

5d. What does your company want to be known for?

Step 2: Obtaining the missing answers

Step 3 : D evelop powerful positioning and messaging For [describe target customers/businesses] [Your Company] provides [Describe product/service in layman terms] that [The benefit of using your product/service instead of alternative means to address the problem] . Unlike other solutions, our product [ compared to the competition, describe why your offering is uniquely valuable] . A positioning statement says what you provide, why is it the best, who it benefits and how.

For [describe target customers/businesses]

[Your Company] provides

[Describe product/service in layman terms]

that

[The benefit of using your product/service instead of alternative means to address the problem] .

Unlike other solutions, our product [ compared to the competition, describe why your offering is uniquely valuable] .

Messaging Exercises 1. List the words that you want people to use when describing your company: (e.g. innovative, inexpensive, quality, smart, organized, etc.) 2. If you could pick any celebrity (alive or dead, real or fictional, Hollywood, literary, political – essentially, someone well known to the public) to be your company spokesperson, who would it be and why? Describe the qualities that make them ideal to hypothetically represent your product or service. 3. What other companies (in any industry) do you feel have the same or similar attitude or look and feel as yours or that you would like to be more like? Why?

1. List the words that you want people to use when describing your company: (e.g. innovative, inexpensive, quality, smart, organized, etc.)

2. If you could pick any celebrity (alive or dead, real or fictional, Hollywood, literary, political – essentially, someone well known to the public) to be your company spokesperson, who would it be and why? Describe the qualities that make them ideal to hypothetically represent your product or service.

3. What other companies (in any industry) do you feel have the same or similar attitude or look and feel as yours or that you would like to be more like? Why?

Step 4: Validate pricing PriCCCCing Cost (margin) Competition (market position) Customers (elasticity) Change (maintenance)

PriCCCCing

Cost (margin)

Competition (market position)

Customers (elasticity)

Change (maintenance)

Step 5: Acquire new leads push marketing Advertising Direct mail * Internet Mail/newsletters * Media/PR Face-to-face seminars * Tradeshows, conferences, associations Webinars & teleseminars * Telemarketing * Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Frequent Buyer and Customer Loyalty Programs Referral Programs Etc….. * Require lead lists

Advertising

Direct mail *

Internet Mail/newsletters *

Media/PR

Face-to-face seminars *

Tradeshows, conferences, associations

Webinars & teleseminars *

Telemarketing *

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Frequent Buyer and Customer Loyalty Programs

Referral Programs

Etc…..

Step 6: Foster leads pull marketing Brochures Data/spec or information sheets Whitepapers and briefs Website(s) Blogs, online discussion groups Videos Customer Case studies Cost and ROI tools Demos Presentations Email and phone call follow-ups Etc…

Brochures

Data/spec or information sheets

Whitepapers and briefs

Website(s)

Blogs, online discussion groups

Videos

Customer Case studies

Cost and ROI tools

Demos

Presentations

Email and phone call follow-ups

Etc…

Tracking leads – relationship building & resource allocation Sources Next steps Elapsed time Escalation process Closed vs. dead leads Etc…

Sources

Next steps

Elapsed time

Escalation process

Closed vs. dead leads

Etc…

Step 7: Create a defendable marketing plan Present, don’t write!

Step 8: Refine plan over time Monitor what is working Maintain marketing intelligence Google alerts Media read time: Analysts distribution; newsletters Advisory board Selective conference and association attendance Set quota of customer/prospect interactions Do an annual marketing plan review

Monitor what is working

Maintain marketing intelligence

Google alerts

Media read time: Analysts distribution; newsletters

Advisory board

Selective conference and association attendance

Set quota of customer/prospect interactions

Do an annual marketing plan review

Final thoughts [email_address] 508.881.5664 Twitter @notimemarketing www.NoTimeMarketing.com Book, eBook, templates, teleclasses Downtown Women’s Club discount = 10% off Use order code: DWC consulting, custom training, event speaking, promotional use for new prospects and loyal customers