interactive sales & marketing 101

Copyright Information:

© 2009 Quantum Software Solutions, a Division of Quantum Design, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

The reader of this book indemnifies Michael Garza and Quantum Design, Inc. and its directors, officers, employees and agents from and against all losses, claims, damages and liabilities which arise out of any use of this publication and/or any application of its content.

Contact Information:

This eBook is the first in a series meant to draw attention to the key role software applications will play in driving revenue for businesses. There are many opportunities for success in the digital world and knowing how to utilize the tools that are available can make or break your business.

Please feel free to contact me with questions, feedback or suggestions.

Michael Garza Quantum Software Solutions, a Division of Quantum Design, Inc. 8400 E. Riverside Blvd. Rockford, IL 61111 815.885.1300 [email protected]

About Quantum Software Solutions

Quantum Software Solutions, a division of Quantum Design, Inc., has been in business since 1986 and is a Microsoft Certified Partner. We provide software solutions, hosting and consulting services to help meet the demands of the Interactive Sales & Marketing Professional. Please feel free to visit our website at www.strategicsalestools.com to find out more information on how these tools can benefit you.

Interactive Sales & Marketing 101 A Fresh Perspective on How Businesses Can Profit in the Digital Age

2 © Copyright 2009 Quantum Software Solutions – A Division of Quantum Design, Inc.

Table of Contents

Introduction‐ The Need for Change and Adaptation ..................................................... 3

Chapter 2‐ The Dynamic Website ................................................................................. 6

Chapter 3‐ Show me the Money – eCommerce ............................................................ 8

Chapter 4‐ Interactive Guided Sales Tools .................................................................. 10

Chapter 5‐ Lead Management that Drives Sales ......................................................... 12

Chapter 6‐ Creating Relationships & Credibility through Partnerships ....................... 14

Chapter 7‐ Customer Communication – The Keys to Customer Loyalty ...................... 17

Chapter 8‐ Reporting & Metrics ................................................................................. 22

Chapter 9‐ Understanding Deployment Options ........................................................ 24

Chapter 10‐ Conclusion .............................................................................................. 26



Introduction n

The Need for Change and Adaptation

The business landscape is ever changing. While increasing

profits is always the main objective, businesses are being asked to do more for customers, employees, investors and owners with less time and less money. Maximizing profits and increasing revenue in today’s business climate has become a challenge that all businesses must face. Customer interactions are a top priority and knowing when a customer is willing to purchase as well as being ready to take that order is more important now than ever. One way to insure you’re always prepared for your clients is to have a web presence that allows for your business to capitalize on that moment when your customers are ready. To accomplish this more and more businesses are moving their traditional Marketing budgets to web based tools.

A recent study on consumer online behavior by IDC found that, “the Internet is the medium on which online users spend the most time (32.7 hours/week). This is equivalent to almost half of the total time spent each week using all media (70.6 hours), almost twice as much time as spent watching television (16.4 hours), and more than eight times as much time as spent reading newspapers and magazines (3.9 hours). “U.S. Consumer Online Behavior Survey Results 2007 – Part One: Wireline Usage‐ 2008” "The time spent using the Internet will continue to increase at the expense of television and, to a lesser extent, print media," said Karsten Weide, program director, Digital Media and Entertainment at IDC. "This suggests that advertising budgets will continue to be shifted out of television, newspapers, and magazines into Internet advertising."

Days of the “static” website are over. More advanced web applications have taken to the web to help drive company exposure and revenue. Dynamic Content Management System (CMS) websites with ever changing content; visually guided sales tools; customer, affiliate, dealer and sales representative networks; and Web 2.0 tools such as Blogs, RSS Feeds, Wikis and much more, have become the latest in an ever expanding toolset in the race to garner profits from the Internet. If managed properly, these new tools can drive a whole new sales and marketing channel for your business.



If your customers aren’t getting their

information from your resources then they’re

getting it from somewhere else, most likely a competitor!

Adaptation is critical. If your business is not utilizing these tools you can be assured that your competitors are. Having the online presence to capture, qualify and profit from leads has become essential. The decision making process has changed and your customers are relying less and less on the traditional model of selling and marketing. Your customers have become empowered, informed and well researched due to the readily available information on the Internet. It’s for this reason that

information, resources, communication and commerce online has become such a high priority for many organizations.

“U.S. marketers will spend $65 billion on their own Web sites this year, nearly as much as what they will spend on TV advertising”, according to the report, Annual Advertising and Marketing Study 2009 by Anthea Stratigos, co‐founder and CEO of Outsell.

What is the Interactive Sales & Marketing Channel?

The purpose of this book is to inform the sales and marketing professional, business owner, c‐level executive and student about the tools that are available through the interactive sales and marketing channel and how these tools can be implemented to drive revenue.

The interactive sales and marketing channel is a grouping of interactive software tools combined with a deployment model that allows for updated product and services information, lead generation, multiple touch point follow‐up, communication, resource management, eCommerce and data collection. These tools should be easy to use and manage, so that the average person can operate.

To better understand the concept behind the Interactive Sales & Marketing Channel I have segmented out 8 core modules. Each module represents a chapter and will be discussed in more detail.



The Interactive 8

Chapter 2 ‐ The Dynamic Website

Chapter 3 ‐ Show Me the Money‐ eCommerce

Chapter 4 ‐ Interactive Guided Sales Tools

Chapter 5 ‐ Lead Management That Drives Sales

Chapter 6 ‐ Creating Relationships and Credibility Through Partnerships

Chapter 7 ‐ Customer Communication‐ The Keys to Customer Loyalty Chapter 8 ‐ Reporting & Metrics

Chapter 9 ‐ Understanding Deployment Options



Chapter 2‐ The Dynamic Website n

What’s a Dynamic Website? A dynamic website is a hosted web application that lets website administrators create, edit, manage, search and publish web content conveniently without having to know HTML or other web programming techniques. The CMS driven website is perfect for small, medium and large organizations. This type of application allows the website to be continuously updated, always providing the most current information for users. Typically, there are two components that make a dynamic website; a Content Management System (CMS) and a Content Delivery System (CDS). Why the Need? During the early days of website development most businesses needed design agencies or qualified web developers on staff to manage website updates. Over time this became costly as businesses were incurring additional expenses anytime an update was needed for their website. In order to control costs, more developers began creating CMS driven websites. This allowed for non‐technical personnel to manage the website without incurring the cost of a web developer or design agency whenever changes needed to be made to the website. What is a CMS? A CMS is the back‐end portion of the site, where resources and page design can be controlled. CMS sites allow for ultimate flexibility in web page design, while adhering to corporate standards. Utilizing the CMS, users can create new pages, control page layouts and control design elements; create and manage multi‐level navigation relationships; add, remove, edit and delete items, item categories and associations; manage key words and meta data; and enforce rules for image sizes, control user rights and many other features unique to the website.

What’s the point of investing time,

energy, and money in a system that requires expensive resources

to manage?



What is a CDS? The CDS is the front end of the website, which end users interact with. Typically, the CDS includes all website page design elements, interfaces, forms, navigation, files for download and other features accessible via the front end of the website.

BENEFITS As companies make their move to interactive sales and marketing strategies, the question of how to best utilize the tools out there will inevitably come up. A powerful marketing tool for the sales and marketing professional is the Search Engine. A dynamic website can be a critical tool in achieving organic results from Search Engines. Search Engine technologies are constantly reviewing web pages for new and updated content, which is one of the primary benefits of having a CMS/CDS website. Having relative, informative and updated information as part of your website is one of the most effective ways of staying relevant in search engine rankings. Gone are the days of the static website. With a dynamic website companies can manage their web exposure more efficiently and effectively, so that content is always up‐to‐date. This will help ensure that users have the most current information about your company, products and services. When it comes to managing a dynamic website some training may be required, but for the most part these applications are meant to be used by non‐technical personnel. These sites don’t normally require IT staff or design agencies to update, thus eliminating the need for costly resource involvement.



Chapter 3‐ Show me the Money – eCommerce n

What is eCommerce? eCommerce or Electronic Commerce consists of the buying and selling of products and services over electronic systems such as the Internet. eCommerce transactions can also be used to apply discounts and rules to purchases, pay invoices, commissions and bonuses. In eCommerce transactions, funds are transferred from one account to another. Typically, these transactions are credit card, eCheck or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and use a payment gateway or an Automated Clearing House (ACH) to facilitate the transaction. ‐ Online retail sales, excluding travel, event tickets and digital downloads, totaled $132.4 billion in 2008 ‐ According to the U.S. Department of Commerce. ‐ eMarketer forecasts online spending to hit $163.9 billion by the end of 2011. ‐ “The e‐Commerce market is enjoying double‐digit growth, sustained by the ever‐growing number of Internet users, their increased familiarity with online shopping and by attractive offers”, according to the Ecommerce Market Report by Reportlinker.com, January 2009.

How can I use eCommerce to Drive Revenue? There are many ways to drive revenue by utilizing eCommerce features. Each depends on the type of business you’re in and the products or services you sell. Regardless, there are many ways the web can be used to exchange payments and easily track and reconcile those payments. Three ways to drive revenue through eCommerce are:

• Offer your products or services for sale online.

• Allow your dealers and sales reps the ability to purchase online.

• Allow your customers to pay their invoices online.



Offer your products or services for sale online The most basic type of transaction is a payment exchange for a digital item that can be downloaded such as software, music, research study, etc. Another type, very similar, is a payment exchange for an item which must physically be shipped such as consumer goods or industrial products. These types of transactions are typically credit card or eCheck transactions processed via an eCommerce Gateway. Most Internet users are familiar with these types of transactions. Allow your dealers and sales reps the ability to purchase online Some organizations have terms, some have lines of credit, some have discounts and some have direct pay options. So, what’s the point? There are many ways that dealers, sales reps and others can place orders and make payments in the physical world. Those same methods can be applied and enforced within the online world, making for a much easier way to manage payment options. Allow your customers to pay their invoices online A customer should be able to go to your website and enter an invoice number. Then, be allowed to see the details of that invoice such as; how much is due, payment due date, what’s being charged, additional charges, etc. That customer should then be able to submit an electronic payment that posts against that invoice. This process is meant to replace the manual check writing and check cashing paradigm. Items for Consideration The eCommerce transaction is a truly paperless exchange which is convenient, fast, reliable and secure. When considering any eCommerce strategy a business should have a defined strategy on how to market, drive leads and ultimately sales by understanding how the web can be maximized to generate those sales. A specific bank account should be set‐up for eCommerce transactions and you should have a website capable of supporting shopping cart and payment requests. CMS sites can be extremely useful tools in combination with eCommerce services. A CMS site allows for updating products, pricing, product descriptions, inventory tracking and transaction reporting. Integrate the eCommerce payment structure and shopping cart functionality and this union truly represents an interactive web presence capable of generating revenue.



Chapter 4‐ Interactive Guided Sales Tools n

People desire Interaction!

People want to touch, feel, smell and physically interact with products. Of course with the web this isn’t possible, but the interactive sales and marketing professional has a powerful tool in their arsenal. The visually interactive sales tool can provide the interaction that customers desire, but in a 2D/3D world.

EXAMPLE About 6 months ago I was looking for new rims and tires for my car. Of course the first place I went was online. I went to a few websites that sold rims and tires and at one site they had a visual configurator tool that I could use to view rims and tires on my car. The configurator first asked me the make, model and year of my car (all valuable information). Based on that information it presented me with tire, rim and accessory options. Once I selected a rim and tire it showed me a sample of the car I have with the rims and tires applied. Talk about awesome! I was then able to save a profile with the various sets of wheels I configured. When I was ready I went back to that site, opened my profile and purchased the rims and tires right from the website. WOW! That’s what I call interaction.

Guiding the Sale The interactive guided sales tool will help your users by guiding them through a process designed to configure products and services to meet their needs. Following a simple guided process, users should be able to configure products and apply eliminators that enforce product rules and specifications. Users should also be allowed to view product applications and even apply product samples to related images. In addition they should be able to generate quotes, save and edit configured projects, make eCommerce purchases and request more information or follow‐up.



Configurators for Sales People Like regular software applications the interactive guided sales tool should provide a specific set of features to the end user. The tool should provide all relevant information necessary to drive the sale. Sales professionals should have the option to use the application as a standalone piece of software that resides on their laptop. This can benefit the sales person because they will have access to the application while out on the road. Once completed with their day they can log onto the Internet and upload the data related to their sales calls from the application itself. This can provide the immediate feedback and data that sales and marketing managers like to have at their fingertips. The application can also download updated pricing, products, product descriptions and information specific to the application so the sales person always has updated information. Why the Interactive Guided Sales Tools? Interactive guided sales tools can be used as standalone or web driven applications; some are freely distributed, others require registration to use; some can generate Bills of Material (BOM), Bills of Lading (BOL), eCommerce shopping carts and PDF generated wish lists; and some integrate into other applications for reporting and data analysis. There are all kinds of uses for configurators but these tools should be used to either act as a guided sales tool or to allow users to interact with a unique business process. Whatever the use, if defined and developed strategically these tools should be easy to manage and update with little IT administration and support. Configurators can be tied to CMS sites for content and database updates allowing for the tool to always have the most current information. These tools can easily integrate private label options for dealers, sales reps or affiliates by allowing them to change skins, logos and other custom components to match their branding identities. These tools can also be used to promote down line sales opportunities, advertise new products and options and can be integrated for eCommerce and user tracking. This data can be crucial to understanding user behaviors and product preferences, while providing valuable feedback for the interactive marketer.



Chapter 5‐ Lead Management that Drives Sales n

Understanding Lead Behavior Once your interactive marketing strategy is in full swing leads will begin to filter in. What then? The next touch point can be the most critical of all subsequent ones and can make or break the relationship with your new lead. Therefore it is important to know everything about the lead. Where did the lead come from? What was the purpose of the contact? How did the user get to your site? This information is extremely valuable because some marketers employ landing pages, banner ads, text links, Internet press releases, email ads and more, and need to know the effectiveness of those touch points. Fortunately, this information can be accessible by utilizing cookies, pixel codes and tags that allow for the marketer to gather user data and the behaviors that drove their interactions. One thing to keep in mind is that having a website means your potential leads will have access to your information 24/7 and when they do decide to register or submit a form for feedback, they expect immediate feedback. For this reason auto emails can be a very handy tool. Auto generated emails acknowledge to the lead that you’re aware of their request and can buy the marketer valuable time to understand the user behaviors that drove the lead to your site in the first place. What do I do with the Leads I get? All leads need to be categorized, scored and nurtured with various touch points to implement best practices for lead management. Some leads might require direct contact, an auto emailed welcome message, a confirmation email or shipping details. Did your new lead sign up for a newsletter? Did they fill out a contact us form and have a question about product warranties? Maybe they have feedback about a demo. What if they used your website to enter a contest? The list of potential reasons why a lead may contact your company can go on and on. Each lead needs to be treated differently and may have a different touch point for follow‐up, depending on the reason and the intention of the contact.



The first priority is to identify the lead source. Once this is accomplished a lead can be categorized for priority and touch point follow‐up. Today marketers and sales professionals are utilizing lead scoring and lead nurturing programs to help prioritize leads. Lead scoring and lead nurturing systems help sales and marketing professionals identify touch points and lead follow‐up prioritization.

EXAMPLE In this next example we look at two specific leads and how they could be prioritized. You have two leads: One visited your site several times, downloaded a white paper and submitted a complete contact us form with detailed information. The other visited your site once and filled out the basic contact information for follow‐up. Both leads deserve immediate attention however the first lead would be given a much higher lead score and a higher priority for follow‐up, due to the user behaviors exhibited or their digital body language. The science is not perfect but the ability to determine buying signals in the digital world is just as important as it is in the physical world and these metrics can provide the necessary feedback for effective decision making.

Maximizing Lead Generation To maximize lead generation new leads can automatically be assigned to sales people, sales territories or dealers. If a hot lead comes in from a user that has requested a software demo in a specific sales territory or region that lead can automatically be forwarded to the appropriate sales person within that geographical area for follow‐up. A lead management system should at a minimum allow the sales person to view leads and information related to the lead; create and schedule tasks associated to the lead; assign other resources to the lead; record notes related to the touch point results; and ultimately view and track personal information known about the lead. Each touch point will generate a result, even if the result is nothing. Maybe the offer you created was a smashing success or maybe, not a single person responded. Regardless, the information should be tracked and considered when determining the next touch point. Offering a lead system that tracks and prioritizes web generated leads will mean your sales people are more efficient and ensure that leads are followed up with in an optimized and well thought out manner.



Chapter 6‐ Creating Relationships & Credibility through Partnerships

Understanding Interactive Relationship Building Customer and partner relationships are the lifeblood of any business. A bad reputation for product quality or poor customer service can quickly be the demise of any business. Today, customers can virally spread information like never before and this can be a boom or bust for the interactive marketer. In the digital world, relationship building is just as important as in the real world. The big difference is that most interactive users never actually visit a physical location or physically interact with a service rep. It’s for this reason that interactive relationship building must be considered a unique process in and of itself. So how does the interactive sales and marketing strategy create online credibility for a business? Of course there are those real world desires such as quality goods, timely delivery, easy return options and customer support that can make or break your customer relationship. But, online the way to build credibility is through; easy to use interfaces that guide the user through the sales process; auto emails that verify purchases, notify the user of shipping status and provide general information; easy to use and submit feedback options and opt in and out features for eNewsletters, discount clubs, etc; secure encrypted transactions and website privacy and usage policies; and timely feedback once feedback requests have been submitted. Having techniques in place that personify professionalism can take your business a long way in the digital world just as it does in the real world. Credibility through Partnerships Many of the sales strategies utilized in the real world can be applied to the digital world. Most businesses have sales personnel, dealer networks, distribution points, and independent sales representatives. Any and all should be considered when formulating your interactive strategy. The key to effective management of these resources will rely on how well thought out the strategy is for incorporating them. Businesses can also use their interactive presence to profit from dealers, distributors and sales reps that utilize their interactive tools. This can be a very effective, inexpensive way for those entities, within your sales groups, that may not have a web presence to get one.



Sales Teams & Dealer Networks As part of their interactive sales and marketing strategy, some businesses build web‐based sales rep and dealer networks that provide customized sales and marketing resources for their sales groups. These tools can be accessed and managed via an Interactive Portal System, a system that provides custom services to approved user types. These systems should allow the dealer or sales rep to utilize web tools such as a CMS website, private labeled interactive guided sales tools and other personalized marketing resources that increase brand awareness and lead generation, while maintaining their unique branding standards and business offerings. Depending on the additional functionality offered, businesses that provide these types of features typically charge a yearly fee to the entity utilizing the available tools, thus increasing the ROI for these types of initiatives. Sales personnel, sales reps, dealers and distributors should have access to a sales specific portion of your portal designed to maximize their web presence. Users should be able to log in and be granted access to; create and manage profiles; set‐up pay through systems; submit quotes, request pricing and check inventories; have access to leads and lead management features; provide and request feedback; and view reports on all transactions that are related to their activities. Affiliate Networks Affiliates can also be a powerful ally in the interactive marketer’s sales strategy. Affiliate programs can provide a much larger online footprint for your business, by placing your company’s text links, banner ads, press releases, white papers and other resources on their site or sites. When a user visits the affiliate site(s) they will have the option to click on a resource tied to your branding strategy and ultimately generate a new lead for your team to follow‐up with. Affiliates should have access to the portal as well, where they can; create and manage profiles; set‐up pay through systems; manage available resources; view reports that detail click rates per resource, leads created and commissions due; and the ability to provide and request feedback.

Online marketers will spend $2.1 billion this year on affiliate marketing fees, with the U.S. online affiliate marketing spending reaching $3.3 billion by 2012, according to Jupiter Research’s “U.S. Online Affiliate Marketing Forecast, 2007‐2012.”



According to the research firm, “affiliate marketing remains a highly attractive endeavor because it is performance‐based, presents low risk and requires low initial investment”.

How can these relationships impact your online presence? Expanding your web presence to include sales reps, dealer networks and affiliate programs will enhance your web credibility and presence, which will have an impact on organic search engine results. One of the organic ranking tips for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is credible linking. What does this mean? The primary service search engines offer is the relevant search results that are returned when a user requests information from a search. It’s for this reason that website credibility is the most important part of your interactive strategy and without that reputation you may as well forget about achieving organic search results. Incorporating your various sales groups into your Interactive strategy can exponentially increase your sales reach on the Internet, while providing the credible linking piece to your Search Engine Marketing (SEM) efforts.



Chapter 7‐ Customer Communication‐ The Keys to Customer Loyalty

The Need for Acceptance Some people frantically check their emails, blogs and social networking profiles by the minute for updates and “tweets”. Some people spend hours on the Internet communicating through websites or instant messaging with friends and family. The emotional urge to belong and to feel included is an important concept to keep in mind when strategizing your interactive goals. The human need for interaction and the desire to feel accepted as part of a community, is a very real emotional urge that carries over from the real world to the digital world. Managing that emotional urge with interactive tools can provide many opportunities for the interactive marketer. Extending the need for social involvement is natural in the virtual world. This is evident by the explosion in popularity of Social Networking sites and tools like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Keeping this interaction in mind, the interactive marketer needs to develop a strategy that fulfills this basic human desire, while providing an opportunity to drive sales. The balance between the two can be a slippery slope, which is why the customer must always be given an opportunity to take advantage of an offer or discount. In the digital world touch points that are strictly sales related will almost always fall on deaf ears, unless there are other factors that can sway a customer to purchase from you, such as a special offer. Communication Tools that Increase Customer Loyalty The key to customer loyalty is effective and timely communication. Your customers and leads may not be ready to purchase now, but staying in front of them ensures that when they’re ready you’ll be there to assist them. There are many tools the interactive marketer can use to drive customer loyalty. Let’s briefly review a few.

The time people in the U.S. spend on social

network sites is up 83% from a year ago, according to a recent report from

market researcher Nielsen Online.



Email The most basic system requires that a user sign‐up through a form on your website or landing page to receive email ads directly to their inbox. This would be an opt‐in subscriber because they signed up specifically to receive your information via email. There are many reasons why a user might sign‐up to receive emailed information from your company. They may expect to receive email ads that contain specials, discounts, company or industry related news or other information and this is exactly what you should provide them. The nature of the campaign will determine the most important message within the email to focus on. Typically these ads are either Rich HTML or straight text messages. A combination of both will ensure that most users will receive your email message. The interactive marketer should have the tools in place to effectively manage metrics and conversions.

NOTE: There are specific rules and regulations for email marketing so I recommend becoming familiar with these laws or hire a professional email marketing group that can manage campaigns for you.

eNewsletters Managed correctly the eNewsletter allows a company to toot their horn a bit and offer specials while providing industry related information. Typically eNewsletters are emailed or published in PDF form daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. Depending on the nature of your business, a monthly or quarterly newsletter release should be enough to keep your customers loyal and informed about your company’s doings. There are a few best practices rules that the interactive marketer should adhere to, but the most important‐ is make sure your newsletter contains factual information about your company and industry. Your newsletter readership will dwindle if the information being presented is straight sales material so, it’s important to strategically inform while subtly selling at the same time. Advertising related products and services through banner ads, text links, and classified ads is appropriate but must be limited to small portions of the overall newsletter.

These tools can create critical one‐to‐one marketing opportunities. Why is this important? According to Brian Kardon, CMO, Eloqua, “Because the most expensive part of the process is getting a new qualified lead, about $100 to $150 a piece for a b‐to‐b company.” And online method like email, he added, “cost just a fraction of a cent.”



Online Surveys People want to participate and be involved in meaningful actions that can benefit them. Online surveys, rating and voting tools that are easy to use give the user the feeling that they have contributed something meaningful to a larger cause, not their own. For a company the survey can; provide useful feedback on user opinions; insights into the buying habits of prospects and customers; be used to gauge the usefulness of products and services; provide feedback on industry related topics; and identify trends that might affect purchasing decisions. Aggregating and qualifying this information will ultimately improve the way you do business with your customers. Online Contests Everyone wants to win the lottery and become rich, right? I know I do! Well your company may not be able offer the winner of a contest 10 million dollars but what about a trip to Las Vegas or a $100.00 gas card? One way to generate loyalty is to offer prizes for user actions that drive sales. What do I mean?

EXAMPLE

Exemplify Professionalism We are all experts in our areas of Industry right? So write about it! Write a document that describes a process or informs the reader of a particular methodology, then make that file a PDF whitepaper. Purchase a $100.00 gift card and set‐up a web page that can be used to advertise the whitepaper and the gift card giveaway. The web page should allow for the registrants to download the whitepaper and register to win the gift card once the registration form is completely filled out. Advertise the whitepaper with the offer to win the $100 gas card. When users register for the free whitepaper they are also entering a contest to win something, which is a way to; get your information in front of a potential lead; allow you to capture the leads contact information from the form submission; understand the user’s website actions; and determine the potential for the prospect to make a purchase.



EXAMPLE

Drive Loyalty Interactive contests can also drive loyalty. As an example, a previous company I worked for needed new product use ideas for a commercial. We ran a contest, where registrants were able to upload a picture and a one page essay on how they used our products. They uploaded this information to a unique page within the company website. The prize for the winning entry was $500 and their story being the basis for the next commercial. It was amazing to see the results and feedback. Once they registered we knew all their contact information and we could accurately measure the effectiveness of our campaign. In some cases our products had been used in ways we had never thought of, which prompted us to consider other markets where we had no penetration.

Informational Communication Most buyers will visit several websites to understand what they are buying. In the digital world the first step a conscientious buyer will take is to embark on information gathering. That buyer will gather as much information as necessary to feel comfortable about understanding the nature of the product or services they are interested in purchasing. Podcasts, interactive product demos, whitepapers, RSS feeds, press releases, blogs and chat forums are all tools that can provide information to your prospect. Keep this in mind, if your prospect isn’t getting informative and relevant information about their desired products or services from you they will get it from your competitors. Having these tools at your disposal will put you in front of your prospect from a different perspective and enforce your marketing initiatives with information that speaks to your professionalism and experience. Communication Portal Communication should also extend to your employees, sales reps, dealers and affiliates. A method for communicating company information, discount opportunities, new program or product offerings and resource availability ensures that your sales groups always have the most current information. Simple portal services should allow users to download company resources, exchange email, chat messages and blog on inter‐company issues, product ideas and other related topics.



Integrating the Real World Some businesses use reward cards, direct print, mail ads and commercials to advertise specials and discounts to their customers. These same advertising schemes can be integrated with your interactive marketing strategy to increase branding awareness. Using traditional advertising methods to drive online traffic can reinforce your message, while providing a mechanism to track the effectiveness of particular campaigns. More and more the lines that divided cross communication between the physical world and the online world are disappearing. The interactive sales and marketing professional will optimize and streamline the sales process by creating campaigns that integrate the power and flexibility of the Internet with their offline campaigns. Managing Communication Convenient software tools, currently available, allow for users to create, manage, maintain and generate reports on all aspects of the communication initiatives driven by the interactive channel marketing strategy. Dynamic tools that allow the interactive marketer to; generate email ads, eNewsletters and surveys; track campaign resources; and track the effectiveness of those campaigns are becoming a must for the interactive marketer. The ability to manage these tools in house eliminates the need for expensive third party support, improves communication between decision makers, streamlines branding efforts and ultimately provides the flexibility for change that all companies need to survive in today’s marketplace.



Chapter 8‐ Reporting & Metrics n

Data for Change You have all the latest and greatest tools but without the metrics that drove user behavior your tools can become completely meaningless. This book, to this point, has focused on different ways the interactive sales and marketing professional can utilize interactive tools to drive sales, leads, customer loyalty and brand awareness. But, perhaps the real power of these tools comes from the data these tools generate. This data can be interpreted as, “Digital Body Language”. As an example, digital body language would be the actions users take while visiting your website, how they respond to an email ad, what information they download and what they registered for. Being able to collect and interpret the information gathered in order to implement best practices is the core to the foundation of any strategy. Integrating techniques for tracking metrics like site visits, whitepapers downloaded, links clicked, pages viewed, forms submitted and keywords used to find your site, etc., should all be accounted for and tracked regularly. These metrics will allow you to fine tune your strategy, create new opportunities for growth and drive revenue. Sales Data Interactive tools can also be used to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your sales teams. In particular, if you have a large multi‐national sales force, dealer networks or sales reps, being able to understand the market place they deal in every day can be a powerful tool. By integrating data driven stand alone applications and the Internet, your sales tools will have the ability to provide insight into the daily activities of the sales process. This data can say a lot about the sales person, productivity, interactions with customers and the overall impact the sales process has on your business. Sales contacts, product demos, video demos, visual configurator use and quotes can all be tracked remotely and integrated into the overall data analysis models utilized for your reports. Never before have the metrics of your advertisements and sales process been available in real time, which can truly put your company in touch with your customers and leads.



Data Availability Different people will want different things from the data collected. Therefore, it’s important that data analysis and reporting tools are available for those users that need it. As an example: Sales professionals will want lead, lead scoring, customer sales, quotes and information related to the sales process. Marketing professionals will want advertising metrics, target market effectiveness, site usage metrics and keyword information. IT managers will want metrics on hardware consumption, page views, hits, and data to help manage risk. Business managers will want overall information on the system, ROI analysis and system feedback for future development. Regardless of the use, this information should be easy to access, integrate and export into third party applications such as; accounting software, ERP/MRP systems and other data analysis tools. Keep the End Goal in Mind The most important step the interactive sales and marketing professional has to take is defining the end goal. It’s always better to know where you’re going, then plan on how you want to get there. Therefore, clearly defined objectives early on in this process will help you determine what metrics should be collected and analyzed. This could include a one, two and five year plan that details how, when and where you see your interactive strategy going, the tools you will implement and how they will be used to meet your goals. These tools are meant to drive revenue and knowing how to utilize them to do just that is more important than having the tools at all. Refine, refine and refine some more! Flexible tools that can adapt with changes in the marketplace are critical to the success of any strategy. Ultimately, the ability to meet your customer’s needs in the digital age has never been more challenging. More and more, Sales and Marketing professionals will be tasked to do more with less. It’s for this reason that understanding how to drive sales through the Internet and understanding the interactive marketing channel can have a dramatic effect on your overall business.



Chapter 9‐ Understanding Deployment Options n

Maximizing Your Options There are many tools available to the interactive sales and marketing professional and to effectively manage these tools, a balance must be struck between maximizing usage and minimizing development, maintenance and ongoing support costs. Some applications are best suited for web users, stand alone users, local area network users or mobile users. Up to this point, this book has focused on web‐based customer interactions but truly interactive applications can go way beyond the web to provide access, while collecting data specific to the deployment configuration. The interactive sales and marketing professional will develop a strategy that best suits the needs of the customer, while maximizing revenue. Having a system in place that can facilitate multiple touch points for interaction will increase the likelihood your customer will buy from you and means you’re operating a streamlined business process that is optimized for efficiency. Web Applications Web applications are systems that are typically accessed via the Internet and hosted by a hosting provider. Two examples of a web application are CMS websites or Software as a Service (SaaS) sites. These types of applications typically have a database, interfaces, navigation, export and import options, multi‐tenant and multi‐user features, user role log‐ins and reporting tools. Standalone Applications Stand alone applications typically reside on a laptop, PC or PDA. These applications have a database, interfaces, navigation, custom user tools, export and import options, reporting tools and internet connection capabilities for uploading information collected from the system and downloading code and database updates. LAN These applications reside within a corporate network or Local Area Network (LAN). They have a database, interfaces, navigation, export and import options, multi‐user features, user role log‐ins and reporting tools.



Mobile Mobile applications typically reside on mobile phones. These applications include a database, interfaces, navigation, custom user and reporting tools.

EXAMPLE The streamlined business process optimized for efficiency! I have a manufacturing plant and we make widgets. My company has a website and I sell my widgets online to my distributors and general customers. I have a mobile version of our website so that these same users can make purchases via their mobile phones, as well as a sales team that sells my widgets to corporate and government accounts. The sales team has a web‐enabled laptop with a standalone application that allows them to configure widgets and place orders while at customer locations. All this data is integrated to an application that is hosted within our local area network (LAN). The LAN application then integrates specific data points into my ERP system. The traditional business process! I have a manufacturing plant and we make widgets. I have a website but it is not eCommerce driven. Our website content is up to date but we pay an advertising agency to update it every quarter. We have not tested our website on any mobile devices. My sales team carries detailed quote sheets that they fill out with the client. Once completed my sales staff hands in their quote sheets to the quoting department which formally prepares a quote. My sales staff then presents the quote to the potential customer. If the customer agrees they have 30 day terms from the time the order is submitted. My sales staff then enters completed orders into our ERP system for routing. Sound familiar?

Team up for Success Determining the deployment of these applications and how they can best serve the process should be a task for all users that will interact with the system. The strategy for success includes planning, organizing and empowering teams that can; understand and implement your clearly defined goals; provide valuable feedback on system functionality and features; and track, analyze and adapt to the data these systems produce. This means getting your customers, employees, vendors and suppliers involved with your efforts. They can provide valuable insight into how to best use these tools, while ensuring their success.



Chapter 10‐ Conclusion n The Strategy for Success This book has focused on various tools and how those tools can be applied to generate branding awareness, customer loyalty and revenue. Knowing the tools that are available and how to integrate those tools into your business model will be the challenge for the interactive sales and marketing professional. Interactive marketing tools are continually evolving along with the hardware that supports these tools. Having a good understanding of deployment options will ensure that your strategy is maximizing resource potential at all times. Once you feel that you and your team have a good understanding of the basics it’s time to formulate a strategy. The goal is to sell, so determining how you will employ these tools and follow‐up with your leads should be the main focus of the strategy and if done right, the selling will take care of itself. The techniques used as part of this strategy are just as important as the message your sales and marketing efforts are looking to relay. Attention to customer needs and consistency in message should trump the desire for the hard sell. Discounts, offers, rebates, contests, information, surveys and feedback forms are all excellent ways to engage your customers and leads. Dynamic websites, interactive guided sales tools, eNewsletters, email ads, banner ads, whitepapers and product demos are the means that make it possible for these interactions. Metrics will provide the insight into how, who, what, when and where these tools are being used. Your job will be to determine why! Continuous review of features, options, usage, feedback and best practices will provide a useful roadmap for your strategy well into the future. There are of course many ways to approach formulating a strategy that meets your needs. Brainstorming with customers, employees and others can be extremely beneficial in understanding how different users would interact with your products and/or services online. This can also prove to be an effective way of flushing out ideas, understanding how a strategy might impact various company work centers and potential benefits that can be realized by streamlining real world processes.



Mobilizing your assets might be a requirement. Corporate processes typically performed in house can now be performed with more interactive mobile applications that can integrate into your back‐end computer systems. This, of course, limits the exposure and risk to large ERP/MRP and accounting applications to only those personnel who are trained to use and manage those systems. Each tool, in the interactive sales and marketing professional’s toolkit, should have a purpose for driving revenue either directly or indirectly. The power behind these tools is clearly the information that can be gathered, how it was gathered and how it can be used to drive revenue. Staying in front of a customer poised to fulfill their needs, when the need is there, is the main goal of any interactive strategy. Most sales and marketing professionals understand how to make money, but making money on the web with interactive tools requires a different strategy and must be driven from the customer’s perspective. There are many things to consider when formulating your strategy. Here are ten questions to keep in mind while implementing your strategy.

10 Key Questions for the Interactive Professional to Keep in Mind 1. Does my website always offer the most up to date information about my products and services? 2. Does my website collect money for me, so I don’t have to? 3. Can my customers actively engage my products and services through interactive guided sales tools? 4. Are my leads being managed? 5. Are my leads funneled through the appropriate follow‐up channels? 6. Am I maximizing my networks, partnerships and resources online? 7. Am I communicating effectively with my clients about information, offers, specials and discounts? 8. Do I have clearly defined objectives for determining metrics and data analysis? 9. Do my tools streamline my unique business process? 10. Are my tools flexible enough for the changes bound to occur in my industry?

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