Building Sales Relationships: The Media Dilemma

Years ago, when product and service was king, effectively communicating the value of products and services was a function of terrific copywriting that highlighted benefits, attributes and features. The copy was then imbedded in compelling promotional design and manifested in point-of-purchase displays, print ads, direct mail and even broadcast advertising.

The introduction of new communications channels and database technology that allows us to target customers and prospects more effectively than ever before has irrevocably changed marketing. Yet enterprise-level marketing organizations focused on the small business market are still spending most of their time, money and resources on product development, promotion and traditional mass marketing.

It's not about the product
For example,how many spins on free checking can there possibly be? As a small business marketer, do you really believe that it resonates with a business owner as a product of real or unique value? Not anymore. But still it seems there's a new spin on free checking for small business owners coming out every month that is at best, far from memorable.

In reality, there are precious few unique products and services in the marketplace today. For marketers in highly competitive segments, where products and services are increasingly commoditized, there only two choices when it comes to competing for a customer relationship: be the lowest price provider or add value.

In a value-added competitive model, the customer relationship must be king. Providing value in the form of "superior"products and services is a given. But in the current environment, marketers need to move beyond that realm to differentiate their brand and spark relationships that influence buying behavior.

So how do we use the communication tools available to us to clearly communicate our value-added proposition? How do we differentiate our brands and build the sales relationships that will provide a return on our marketing investment?

Why "time-honored" doesn't work
In the established B2B model, a sales force is deployed to build relationships over time, adding value as the salesperson gains an understanding of the prospect's needs. But in the small business market, deploying a sales force to develop the relationship is cost-prohibitive.

Traditional advertising, important in terms of building brand awareness, does little to initiate any real sales relationship. In addition, conventional advertising is ineffective when it comes to communicating the value of multiple products and services.

Typical approaches to direct mail for acquisition and cross-selling may reinforce product awareness, but direct mail drives transactional relationships where price becomes the ruling factor in a customer's buying behavior.

Building on strengths
While there are weaknesses in the tools available to us, there are also strengths. Current technology makes targeted, one-to-one custom media among the more effective methods of creating an ongoing dialog in a value-added model. It serves to efficiently leverage the power and discipline of educational branding, consultative selling, direct marketing and standard custom publishing.

Most importantly, custom media builds the customer relationships that we all know are so critical in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Returning real value to your organization requires a focus on building the right kind of relationships and an effective method of delivering your value proposition.