By Don Eger, Sales Representative
Everyone is looking for the “silver bullet” these days; the one factor that separates a “win” from a “loss”. Management in every business segment is asking themselves, “What can we possibly do to close the sale faster? We have the best technology, resource integration, great people and a proven track record.”
Like it or not, there is no single factor that makes any company really stand out in the crowd these days. Technology has become the great equalizer… and without it you’re doomed. While having it, there is the constant struggle of staying in the forefront every single day. Rating the competition on the proverbial 1-10 scale only reinforces the harsh reality that there is a great deal of parity in these challenging economic times.
So what is the key differentiating factor? What causes a company to choose one prospect over another? Quality? Price? Performance? Sure, they all impact the final decision, but ultimately, the real deciding factor is CHEMISTRY. That’s right; the reality of it all is that people like to do business with people they like, people they can identify with. You certainly wouldn’t want to do business with someone you didn’t think you could get along with, regardless of the strengths of their respective organization.
It’s not always easy to quantify, but chemistry is a key determining factor in who gets the business. And it is an even more important factor in retaining the business once it is landed. The customer/client must be able to identify with the team that has been assembled to service the account. Trust, proactive behavior, problem-solving abilities, dependability and a sense of urgency are the attributes that are so difficult to identify in the courting phase, but are key components in developing and maintaining the best of relationships.
So, when your next prospect is in the decision-making process, never discount the impact of good chemistry. More often than not, it IS the deciding factor.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
QR (Quick Response) Codes - Connecting consumers to real time offers in an easy-to-use "mobile" environment
By Joe Leist, Sales Director
Have you seen the new QR Codes lately? If not, fasten your seat belt, as more and more companies are seeking ways to reach out to their customers and prospects like never before. The main benefit for marketers using direct mail is that QR codes can turn a printed direct mail piece into an interactive mobile call-to-action, allowing static messages to become a quick-scan hyperlink to just about anything online.
For those new to QR Codes, a QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URLs, web links, or other data. The QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the acronym for Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.
I recently downloaded my free QR scanner application titled LifeScan from the Blackberry App Store for my Storm II and it works perfectly as advertised! My first QR Code test was for a "Win A Free Camera" contest that was presented on the cover of the Printing Industry Association of the South's (PIAS) monthly newsletter / magazine. The QR Code image on the front cover was simply scanned by my Storm II. Approximately 5 seconds after the scan, the app took me to an online survey whereby PIAS asked me questions about my membership, the technology we use here at FCi to support our clients marketing efforts, a few sales-related questions, and of course they requested my email address prior to submittion, which I am certain they will use for various emails campaigns in the future. Interestingly enough, I still haven't logged on to to my computer at work...hence the "mobile" power of the QR Code!
QR codes mass acceptance is soon to follow as smartphones are quickly becoming the phone of choice for all consumers, including adults. According to a Forrester Research report conducted in October and November 2009, 17 percent of US adults used smartphones, up from 11 percent in 2008 and 7 percent in 2007 and that smartphones are one of the hottest growth sectors in the economy right now. Usage continues to grow, even after significant growth over the past two years. Forrester notes that nearly one in every three US adult mobile phone subscribers now has either a smartphone or a quick message device (QMD), up from one in five less than a year earlier. In another report, according to comScore's MobiLens, 234 million Americans 13 and older used mobile devices between March and May 2010, with smartphone usage increasing 8.1% during the three month period.
Additionally, faster mobile web connectivity is growing, and mobile web search is becoming one of the most common uses for these devices. Imagine receiving a direct mailer with a QR code. Embedded within the code is a Personalized URL that takes you to a website offering a 25% off coupon for the exact pizza you ordered the last three times at your favorite restaurant. Later that week, you drive to the restaurant, show the waitress your coupon on your smartphone, and proceed to order your pizza along with the cheesesticks since you just saved 25% off of your favorite pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom pie. For marketers, the possibilities are endless. Just as important, this technology is measurable, which has been lacking in the industry longer than any CMO wants to admit.
As Smartphones explode as the mainstream media / communication device, it stands to reason that QR Codes will be one of the hottest applications in the marketing world. They are easy to track and provide an immediate response mechanism that catches consumers at the very moment of interest - when the consumers are intrigued. QR codes will help them take the next step and will make the new generation of direct mail more powerful than ever. For all you marketers using direct mail today, QR code technology is one that you cannot ignore.
Have you seen the new QR Codes lately? If not, fasten your seat belt, as more and more companies are seeking ways to reach out to their customers and prospects like never before. The main benefit for marketers using direct mail is that QR codes can turn a printed direct mail piece into an interactive mobile call-to-action, allowing static messages to become a quick-scan hyperlink to just about anything online.
For those new to QR Codes, a QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URLs, web links, or other data. The QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the acronym for Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.
I recently downloaded my free QR scanner application titled LifeScan from the Blackberry App Store for my Storm II and it works perfectly as advertised! My first QR Code test was for a "Win A Free Camera" contest that was presented on the cover of the Printing Industry Association of the South's (PIAS) monthly newsletter / magazine. The QR Code image on the front cover was simply scanned by my Storm II. Approximately 5 seconds after the scan, the app took me to an online survey whereby PIAS asked me questions about my membership, the technology we use here at FCi to support our clients marketing efforts, a few sales-related questions, and of course they requested my email address prior to submittion, which I am certain they will use for various emails campaigns in the future. Interestingly enough, I still haven't logged on to to my computer at work...hence the "mobile" power of the QR Code!
QR codes mass acceptance is soon to follow as smartphones are quickly becoming the phone of choice for all consumers, including adults. According to a Forrester Research report conducted in October and November 2009, 17 percent of US adults used smartphones, up from 11 percent in 2008 and 7 percent in 2007 and that smartphones are one of the hottest growth sectors in the economy right now. Usage continues to grow, even after significant growth over the past two years. Forrester notes that nearly one in every three US adult mobile phone subscribers now has either a smartphone or a quick message device (QMD), up from one in five less than a year earlier. In another report, according to comScore's MobiLens, 234 million Americans 13 and older used mobile devices between March and May 2010, with smartphone usage increasing 8.1% during the three month period.
Additionally, faster mobile web connectivity is growing, and mobile web search is becoming one of the most common uses for these devices. Imagine receiving a direct mailer with a QR code. Embedded within the code is a Personalized URL that takes you to a website offering a 25% off coupon for the exact pizza you ordered the last three times at your favorite restaurant. Later that week, you drive to the restaurant, show the waitress your coupon on your smartphone, and proceed to order your pizza along with the cheesesticks since you just saved 25% off of your favorite pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom pie. For marketers, the possibilities are endless. Just as important, this technology is measurable, which has been lacking in the industry longer than any CMO wants to admit.
As Smartphones explode as the mainstream media / communication device, it stands to reason that QR Codes will be one of the hottest applications in the marketing world. They are easy to track and provide an immediate response mechanism that catches consumers at the very moment of interest - when the consumers are intrigued. QR codes will help them take the next step and will make the new generation of direct mail more powerful than ever. For all you marketers using direct mail today, QR code technology is one that you cannot ignore.
Monday, October 18, 2010
...But I don't like SPAM!
By Bryan Robison, Senior Data Specialist
Email is one of the most effective & cost-efficient ways to market your company’s products & services. It’s also a great way to reach out to new customers and to stay in contact with current ones. However, before hitting the “send” button on your next email marketing campaign, you need to ensure that it won’t be flagged as spam and that it complies with the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act.
What exactly is ‘spam’? According to Spamhaus.com, an electronic message is "spam" if (A) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (B) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent. In other words, it’s all about consent and not content.
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 was enacted to help control the proliferation of unsolicited bulk email; to give recipients a way to opt out of receiving unsolicited messages; and to lay out penalties for violations. Some of the major requirements of this law include:
1) Use accurate headers, such as your “From,” “To,” & “Reply-To” names
2) Subject line must correlate to the content of email message
3) The message must include a valid physical postal address
4) Plainly give your recipients the choice to opt-out of receiving any future emails
5) Handle any & all opt-out requests promptly
And, CAN-SPAM is enforced. Just ask Kodak & ICE.com. Kodak Imaging Network sent over 2 million messages that didn't have an unsubscribe link or a physical address included in their emails. They were fined $26,000; not a pretty picture. ICE.com sent an email marketing campaign to 6,000 recipients who had previously unsubscribed. Their penalty: $6,500 in cold, hard cash.
Designing beautiful, catchy, interesting and/or whimsical email messages is the easy part; the hard part is ensuring that your recipients have opted-in and that you are CAN-SPAM compliant. Because your email messages are all about consent, not necessarily content.
Email is one of the most effective & cost-efficient ways to market your company’s products & services. It’s also a great way to reach out to new customers and to stay in contact with current ones. However, before hitting the “send” button on your next email marketing campaign, you need to ensure that it won’t be flagged as spam and that it complies with the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act.
What exactly is ‘spam’? According to Spamhaus.com, an electronic message is "spam" if (A) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (B) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent. In other words, it’s all about consent and not content.
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 was enacted to help control the proliferation of unsolicited bulk email; to give recipients a way to opt out of receiving unsolicited messages; and to lay out penalties for violations. Some of the major requirements of this law include:
1) Use accurate headers, such as your “From,” “To,” & “Reply-To” names
2) Subject line must correlate to the content of email message
3) The message must include a valid physical postal address
4) Plainly give your recipients the choice to opt-out of receiving any future emails
5) Handle any & all opt-out requests promptly
And, CAN-SPAM is enforced. Just ask Kodak & ICE.com. Kodak Imaging Network sent over 2 million messages that didn't have an unsubscribe link or a physical address included in their emails. They were fined $26,000; not a pretty picture. ICE.com sent an email marketing campaign to 6,000 recipients who had previously unsubscribed. Their penalty: $6,500 in cold, hard cash.
Designing beautiful, catchy, interesting and/or whimsical email messages is the easy part; the hard part is ensuring that your recipients have opted-in and that you are CAN-SPAM compliant. Because your email messages are all about consent, not necessarily content.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Social Media and Blogs
By Jeff Komlos, Information Technology Project Manager
I thought I would have a little fun with the irony of this week’s topic. My blog topic this week is all about Social Media, picking a blog topic and writing a valuable article. I was having trouble becoming motivated to select a topic to discuss, so I referred back to some information I had passed along to our internal team about writing blogs. At that point, I decided that there was a lot of value in the information provided, and it would be worthwhile to share. If you search the web, there are a lot of great sources that provide advice on blog authoring. I have collected what I believe to be a strong list of guidelines for writing posts. These guidelines won’t be an exact fit for everyone, but seem to work very well for us at FCi. The first question to ask is: What can Social Media do for you?
Social Media will:
• Provide a “Call to Action” for your customers.
• Push information to your client base, both current clients and potential clients.
• Give your potential customers a chance to “get to know you” before they actually get to know you.
• Provide a platform that allows your current customers to “sell” for you. Most of these tools will empower your customer base to provide information for you, taking some of the burden off of you. They will become content contributors.
• Show that you are cutting edge and willing to make the effort to include the younger generation in your direct marketing efforts.
Now, what about a blog? A blog is a great tool for showing expertise in a field or industry. As mentioned above, it allows your current and potential customer base to “get to know you”. Here are several tips you may want to consider when writing a blog post.
• Keep your content fresh. Stale, old content not only hurts search rankings, but it doesn't give your audience a reason to come back. Try to, at the very least, post new blogs once a week, more if you can.
• Websites are a reflection of your business and blogs are no different. Keep your blog informal, but don't cross the line of professionalism. Keep content high quality with correct grammar, no misspelled words or politically incorrect content.
• Feel free to also include small articles from guests you invite to participate, or create a post that is just a link to another site with some comments prepared by your group. Blogs can also feature guest writers that may have useful information to share with your customers. Such guests would be other professionals related to your industry or type of product you sell.
• Your blog should read more like a journal entry and less like an advertisement. Too much advertising can turn readers off from reading your blog, so make sure to be somewhat subtle.
I thought I would have a little fun with the irony of this week’s topic. My blog topic this week is all about Social Media, picking a blog topic and writing a valuable article. I was having trouble becoming motivated to select a topic to discuss, so I referred back to some information I had passed along to our internal team about writing blogs. At that point, I decided that there was a lot of value in the information provided, and it would be worthwhile to share. If you search the web, there are a lot of great sources that provide advice on blog authoring. I have collected what I believe to be a strong list of guidelines for writing posts. These guidelines won’t be an exact fit for everyone, but seem to work very well for us at FCi. The first question to ask is: What can Social Media do for you?
Social Media will:
• Provide a “Call to Action” for your customers.
• Push information to your client base, both current clients and potential clients.
• Give your potential customers a chance to “get to know you” before they actually get to know you.
• Provide a platform that allows your current customers to “sell” for you. Most of these tools will empower your customer base to provide information for you, taking some of the burden off of you. They will become content contributors.
• Show that you are cutting edge and willing to make the effort to include the younger generation in your direct marketing efforts.
Now, what about a blog? A blog is a great tool for showing expertise in a field or industry. As mentioned above, it allows your current and potential customer base to “get to know you”. Here are several tips you may want to consider when writing a blog post.
• Keep your content fresh. Stale, old content not only hurts search rankings, but it doesn't give your audience a reason to come back. Try to, at the very least, post new blogs once a week, more if you can.
• Websites are a reflection of your business and blogs are no different. Keep your blog informal, but don't cross the line of professionalism. Keep content high quality with correct grammar, no misspelled words or politically incorrect content.
• Feel free to also include small articles from guests you invite to participate, or create a post that is just a link to another site with some comments prepared by your group. Blogs can also feature guest writers that may have useful information to share with your customers. Such guests would be other professionals related to your industry or type of product you sell.
• Your blog should read more like a journal entry and less like an advertisement. Too much advertising can turn readers off from reading your blog, so make sure to be somewhat subtle.
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