Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008 - (Page 32)

TRAINING TECHNOLOGY INCENTIVES TRAVEL/MEETINGS blurring the lines A look at sales and marketing’s automated evolution R emember when buying a list of names was the pinnacle of “lead generation,” and seeing how many coupons were actually returned defined “metrics”? Thankfully, the evolution of the Internet has made the process a bit more sophisticated. The decisions that you used to have to make based on gut feelings and cobbled-together campaign comparisons have, thanks to technology, evolved into both an art and a science. Google, Yahoo! and other pay-per-click (PPC) advertising providers have created a whole new avenue for both reaching and following up with clients and prospective customers. In addition, automated lead management tools, e-mail marketing tools and Web the realm of sales. Simultaneously, sales is extending its depth to more effectively nurture and serve existing and potential customer relationships. And technology is serving as both the catalyst and the medium. Marketing Extends Its Breadth It used to be that as soon as the lead’s contact information came in from the promotion or campaign, it was immediately handed off to sales. But with the Internet, the way that customers are interacting with businesses is changing. Customers enjoy the sense of anonymity afforded them as they compare products and services online. Whereas before they may have had to call into an 800 number to find the details of a particular promotion, now the process is as simple as clicking a link in an e-mail. Because of this shift in technology, marketing’s role has also shifted. And with today’s technology that can automate a large portion of the marketing/sales process, it’s now possible for marketing to not only generate the lead, but also to nurture that lead until it requires direct attention from sales. What does “nurture the lead” mean? Well, everything from creating a white paper available for download, to collecting signups for a Webinar, to announcing a special offer via an e-mail campaign. All are additional customer touch points that marketing can now deliver in a one-to-many fashion. This affords them the benefit of reaching many potential customers in a personalized way, without having to spend tedious time in the personalization process. The software does it for them. Sales Extends Its Depth At the same time that the marketing team is extending its reach—from generating the lead to nurturing and potentially qualifying the lead—the sales team can focus its attention on creating stronger relationships with potential and existing customers. Because sales knows that marketing is essentially serving as a sales incubator for those leads that just aren’t ready yet, they can dedicate their time, energy and resources toward going above and beyond for the customers who are ready to buy now. Think about it like this: Say Joe in sales used to have to dedicate a portion of his day to combing through www.salesandmarketing.com www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com analytics solutions have changed the sales and marketing processes for small and large businesses alike. When it comes down to it, PPC advertising is leading to an evolution of marketing and sales, blurring the lines between the roles to create one larger team in the broader online ecosystem. Marketing is extending its reach to include more functions that used to fall under JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 32 SALES &MARKETING MANAGEMENT istock photo http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008

Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008
Contents
Editor's Letter
Brian Tracy University
Sales
Marketing
Management
Cover Story: Everything Happens in Vegas
Boosting Your Brain
Loyalty Goes Global
Swell Your Sales
Training
Technology
Incentives/Motivation
Travel/Meetings
Excerpt
The Way I See It

Sales & Marketing Management - January/February 2008

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