When Marketing Data Is Absent, You Need to Go by Instinct By Peter Lyle DeHaan Though the source of the old advertising quip is in dispute, its wisdom isn’t. The adage laments, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Tracking Traditional Marketing When it comes […]
Indirectly Promote Your Company and Products by Providing Valuable Industry Information By Peter Lyle DeHaan I’ve talked about content marketing. Now we’ll delve into it more fully as a practical marketing tactic. Having written nearly five thousand content marketing pieces over the past couple of decades, it’s a subject I know quite well. The goal […]
Don’t Overlook the Basics for Your Marketing Initiatives By Peter Lyle DeHaan As a periodical publisher, I’ve run ads for my customers. As a marketer, I’ve created and run ads for myself in various publications and on websites. And as a buyer, I’ve reacted to ads. These experiences provide me with a 360-degree view, able […]
If We Determine When Prospects Aren’t Open to Buy, Our Experience Will Confirm It By Peter Lyle DeHaan Tyler, it seemed, was content to earn his base pay. He showed little incentive to close sales or earn any commission. Because he had one job to do—sell accounts—I expected his close rate would far exceed the […]
Price Matters, but Not in the Way You Think By Peter Lyle DeHaan A common complaint I’ve heard over the years from my sales teams is that the prices for our products or services is too high. Yet in lowering rates to match the competition, it becomes a race to the bottom. I’ve seen this […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan Marketing drives sales. You can’t hope to have the latter without the former. Over the years I’ve tapped many marketing channels. Some were successful and others not so much. At the call center where we specialized in telephone answering service, I made extensive use of Yellow Pages ads. Remember them? It […]
Capitalize on Naturally Occurring Motivators, but Don’t Manufacture a False Sense of Urgency By Peter Lyle DeHaan In the past, I mentioned a variation of the either/or close. I call it the special incentive close. Here’s how I use it when selling advertising for my publications. In essence it’s buy now and receive a special […]
Ask Your Prospect to Choose Between Two Options, Both of Which Meet Your Objective By Peter Lyle DeHaan Remember when I went on the sales call with Mitchell? In a few minutes I closed the sale he’d been working on for a couple of months. The “secret” sales technique I used is no secret at […]
Interact with Sales Staff in the Field to Determine Their Strengths and Weaknesses By Peter Lyle DeHaan Mitchell came to us in need of a second chance. With a lifetime of experience in the business world and history of sales success he seemed overqualified to work for our company. But he assured me this was […]
When the Execution of Your Plan Falls Short, It Might Be Time for a New Plan By Peter Lyle DeHaan In the book-publishing community, it’s no secret that most authors would rather write than promote their work. In this regard, I am like most authors. Yes, some writers are extroverts and love the activities around […]