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Facing problems with errors? Yes, that is pretty understood as you have been committing mistakes. Sorry, if that hurts you but this the truth. I am not saying that you don’t have great ideas and strategies, but the problem occurs when you don’t implement or execute it properly. Or targeting the audience is not up to the mark. How great plan and strategies you have doesn’t matter until and unless you are not aiming to your right prospective. So let’s see, what are the common mistakes, which need to fix as soon as possible? 1. Not engaging the sales force at the outset: Ultimately, your sales force will determine whether or not your work has been a success. Did your campaign increase sales opportunities? Were they the right kind of opportunities? Talk to your sales team before you start to ensure that you fully understand what's expected of you. A lot can get lost in translation. 2. Not listening hard enough: Remember in business, listening is more vital that the practice. Until and unless you don’t listen to your customers and prospective, how would you fix their problems and obey their demands? Remember, a small misunderstanding can result in a campaign going very wonky later. 3. Never reaching the real decision maker: This is one of the major problems for many B2B marketers. They simply target the wrong people, instead of targeting thousands prospects it better to reach hundred decision makers. The key to success is to thoroughly know and understand your own customer data. And to recognize that all direct marketing is about repetition and refinement. 4. Failing to follow-up on leads or nurture 'slow burners': Sometimes the sales team will commit to doing the follow-up on a campaign themselves. As they get busier, or as other leads turn into bids, they'll then become distracted. Follow-ups will get forgotten. Make sure you have a plan in place to address this eventuality. Also have a strategy for 'slow burners' – prospects who've expressed an interest but are not yet ready to move forward. How will the campaign keep them warm until they're ready to buy? 5. Not understanding your own product or service: New construction materials and processes are being developed every day. For us marketers it's hard enough keeping up to speed with marketing developments, never mind the latest building solutions. The best campaigns are a perfect mix of customer need and product understanding. Take time to read trade journals, visit factories and construction sites, and talk to customers. Never stop asking questions. 6. Measuring activity rather than outcomes: Marketers strive to measure the impact of their activity. And rightly so. Marketing needs to demonstrate its value to the business. But a lot of metrics used by marketers are fairly meaningless without the added benefit of knowing how much revenue they've generated. While it's easy to measure hits on a website, clicks from an email, number of mailers sent etc (and these should still be measured) unless we know the ultimate impact these activities had on business through the door, we can't measure return on investment. Resource: www.thomsondata.com http://www.diannahuff.com About the Author John Duff is a published author and senior marketing manager for Thomson Data, a data management company that has helped sell thousands of software products on a global scale. With over 11 years of experience in online marketing techniques, John has authored articles for several leading business journals, worldwide.
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