You Dont Have to Go Broke to Have

Premise for Today’s Call § To provide insights that will help you spend less on marketing while… o Increasing the value of current investments o Filling pipeline with strong, actionable leads o Protecting and gaining market share 2

Content § § Who is Clear. Edge Marketing? Marketing’s Recession Value: A History The Lesson, the Reality Five Proven Recession Marketing Tactics ü Outline of each topic ü Real-world examples: Marketing in Action § Q&A 3

Who is Clear. Edge Marketing? § Outsourced marketing services provider offering extensive specialization in IT services and solutions § Clients include… 4

Marketing’s Recession Value: A History 5

Marketing’s Recession Value § American Business Press study— 1974 -75 recession § Companies that did not cut marketing… o Doubled sales numbers by 1977 o Tripled profits by 1977 § Companies that did cut marketing… o Sales recovered to 50 percent by 1977 o Doubled profits by 1977 6

Marketing’s Recession Value § Mc. Graw Hill Study— 1981 -82 recession ü Increased marketing spending resulted in… o Higher sales during the recession o Higher sales in the three years after the recession § 2002 Mc. Kinsey Study ü 1, 000 businesses from 1982 -1999 ü Top performing companies increased marketing spend during 1990 -91 recession o Outspent competitors o Recession budgets exceeded non-recession budgets 7

The Lesson, the Reality § The Lesson ü Not Marketing is Not an Option ü If you don’t market you will. . . o Lose competitive ground o Delay your company’s recovery o Put opportunities on hold § The Reality ü Marketing budgets, like everything need to shrink ü Your option… o Smarter marketing, less investment, greater return 8

Five Tactics for Recession Marketing Sucess 9

Tactic #1: List Development & Cold Calling 10

List Development & Cold Calling § Focus: A well-defined list of prospects grounds your efforts § Clarity: There is little guessing about who you are going after § Results: An accurate list quadruples the effectiveness of a cold calling campaign § Appointments: You won’t have an opportunity to get a meeting if you don’t call and ask for one 11

List Creation & Management § Define your ideal client ü Size ü Location ü Industry ü Job function/title § Create a list to match your ideal client ü Purchase a list ü Build a list in house § Keep the list updated and growing 12

Cold Calling Best Practices § Create voicemail/phone scripts ü Go for warm calls, leverage social networking sites and reference a possible mutual acquaintance ü Point to a newsworthy article ü Highlight a blog or press release on their Web site § Prepare for objections or concerns § Rehearse to build confidence and enthusiasm § Offer sales staff cold calling incentives (contest, blitz) § Involve everyone—junior and senior sales professionals § Keep calling. . . 13

Cold Calling Best Practices MAKE THE 5 th CALL. . . § Make at least 5 total call attempts to each prospect § § § 44% of salespeople will stop calling after the first call Another 22% stop calling after the second call 14% more will stop calling after the third call An additional 12% will stop after the fourth call This means 92% of salespeople quit after the fourth call 70% of the population needs at least 5 contacts before they'll trust you enough to grant you an appointment If you want to beat 92% of your competition, make that fifth call! 14

Required for Success § Your sales staff ü Focus, motivate and measure their cold calling efforts § Inactive clients ü Refresh contact details and hit the phones § Your value proposition ü Highlight your uniqueness § Your industry knowledge ü Use your insights from networking events and client appointments to build rapport and credibility 15

Tactic #2: E-mail Marketing 16

E-mail Marketing § Consequences ü Decrease in industry-wide response metrics (open/click-through rates) ü Decline in subscriber tolerance ü Improved results for quality e-mail programs § Plan of attack ü Convey clear value proposition ü Vow to stop sending bad e -mail ü Invest in e-mail marketing technology 17

The Value of E-mail Marketing § Cost-effective: ü Requires a minimal investment to create and manage § Simplicity: ü Whether you manage it in house or use a third party, the tools are very easy to use and measure § Accessibility: ü Nearly everyone has an e-mail address and can be reached via this medium § Frequency: ü With some discipline, it allows you to regularly stay in front of your clients 18

E-mail Marketing § Provide thoughtful, valuable business content by e-mail ü E-newsletter ü Keep-in-touch program ü E-cards ü More… § Invest in a generic, but branded template that can be recycled § Create and manage the campaign in-house ü Discipline and consistency are key § Consider a third-party service, such as Vertical Response or Constant Contact 19

Required for Success § “Home grown” thought leadership ü Articles, case studies, white papers, blogs § Your list! ü Use your refreshed list as targets for your e-mail campaign § Your Web site ü Post your articles, case studies and white papers ü Link to the materials on your site to increase traffic ü Post your e-mail newsletter to your site “By simply reducing untargeted, low-impact e-mails, you can actually fund the development of new programs that drive significant ROI and help you stand out in the inbox. ” -2009 Trends Almanac, Exact Target 20

Tactic #3: Referrals & Testimonials 21

Referrals & Testimonials ü Trust: This is a peer-to-peer ü ü conversation Authenticity: “Sales” feel completely eliminated Honesty: Unbarred, unedited, unmonitored conversation. They can ask whatever they like Track Record: First-hand proof of business success, results and client satisfaction The Results: What do you do when you have a reference or two from a trusted source? 22

Referrals & Testimonials § Make requesting a reference part of sales best practices ü Why sales? o Accountability o Direct beneficiaries o They KNOW people—who would be a good reference ü The approach: o Check in 2 -3 months after the service/solution has been implemented o Confirm project/consultant is succeeding o Ask if they would be willing to be a reference o Offer options… 23

Examples § Peer-to-peer reference ü Willing to be on a call list for potential clients with similar roles/positions? o Be sure to emphasize that the client’s name will be used sparingly so as not to send a flood of work and phone calls to a busy, valued client § Attend an event ü Open house/in-house event for your company where a case study of your solution is discussed ü Industry roundtable event/panel 24

Examples § Testimonials ü A statement written by the client about your service/solutions § Case study ü A summary of the service/solution written by your marketing team and including a quote/statement from the client § Unpublished client list ü Shown during presentations § Published client list ü On Web site and sales literature 25

Required for Success § Your sales staff ü They KNOW who would be a good reference ü They are direct beneficiaries of solid referrals and testimonials § Written and verbal feedback ü Ask a client for permission to use their comments § Satisfaction surveys ü An “additional comments” box can reveal some insights that can be shared with a client’s permission o Marketing in Action to Come! 26

Tactic #4: Events 27

The Value of Events § Many legs ü Provides multiple avenues for building brand recognition, gives you a reason to contact a client, you can be creative! § Demonstrates thought leadership ü Gives you clout as an expert in a particular area § Direct contact ü Allows you to get in front of prospects § Insight ü Lets you learn more about a prospect’s pain points or business needs 28

Event Examples § What are your event options? ü Host a Webinar ü Attend meetings or events hosted by your local trade and industry associations ü Participate in community-based events (arts, charities, sports etc. ) ü Partner with an association to host or sponsor a local event and roundtable ü Job fair ü Be creative: Dinner groups, social networking 29

Required for Success § Association memberships ü Take advantage of the investment you’ve already made § Your teleconferencing provider ü Many offer Webcasting capabilities as part of their services and as an established customer you may be able to negotiate very reasonable pricing § Your community ü Establish a reciprocating relationship with organizations that can benefit from your career-based expertise 30

Marketing in Action The Company: Hollstadt & Associates ü An award-winning management consulting firm ü Headquartered in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN The Objective: ü To involve staff, consultants and clients in philanthropic efforts 31

Hollstadt & Associates The Program: Hollstadt’s Big Give ü Two non-profit organizations chosen to receive $2, 500 each ü Private appreciation event to announce winners 32

Hollstadt & Associates Program Results: § § § Nearly 20 charity nominations by clients and consultants More than 100 attendees at the appreciation event Opportunity to communicate on a more personal level Boosted relationship building and retention efforts Created anticipation for next year’s nomination process 33

Tactic #5: Public Relations 34

The Value of Public Relations § Validation: A third party is using you as the expert § Visibility: Provides another avenue to establish brand recognition 35

Public Relations § Provide business updates and introduce experts ü Buzz that will get noticed by potential and existing clients § Build relationships with media § Identify publication targets ü Local newspapers ü Trade/industry newspapers and magazines § Be on the lookout for newsworthy information ü Community involvement ü New hires/promotions/acquisitions/mergers ü New business ü New services ü Events ü Awards 36

Required for Success § In-house experts ü Use your own expertise or that of your staff to become a reliable resource for the media § Awards ü Good PR topics that can be added to brochures, company profiles and Web site to bring distinction and credibility ü Places to look: o Industry associations o Clients and vendors o Local media outlets 37

Marketing in Action The Company: The Armada Group ü A premier Silicon Valley-based IT consulting firm The Objective: ü Increase brand recognition in the community ü Build upon reputation of “quality provider of IT services” 38

Case Study: The Armada Group The Program: Armada’s Client and Consultant Satisfaction Surveys ü Measure clients’ and consultants’ satisfaction ü Gather quantifiable data regarding brand ü Results press release distributed to targeted media, posted on Web site and Facebook page, e-mailed to clients and candidates, included in monthly enewsletter The Results: ü Article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel ü Feature Article in SI Review ü Provided the validation needed to win the SI Review Excellence Award, which allowed for additional PR efforts 39

In Summary… § Five fundamental marketing programs provide plenty of opportunity with little to no cost using resources you already have § Take an inventory of what you do have ü Highly satisfied customers ü Local associations you belong to ü Existing thought leadership ü Knowledgeable professionals on your staff § Make the investment in marketing today in preparation for the market turnaround 40

Your Turn Questions? 41

Thank You! Leslie Vickrey President & Founder Clear. Edge Marketing 312. 731. 3149 * lvickrey@clearedgemarketing. com www. clearedgemarketing. com 42