Savadra.net Articles

Like this is a suprise … The New York Times reports that a U.S. government study shows that roughly two-thirds of eighth-graders and three-fourths of high school seniors are not proficient writers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/education/03cnd-writing.html?ex=1207886400&en=f8d63bf9a998b0e8&ei=5070

Of course, anybody who’s read an interoffice memo lately can tell you how poorly most people write, even if they’re college graduates.

The study (http://nationsreportcard.gov/writing_2007/w0016.asp, http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008468) does show, at least, that students’ writing skills have not declined in the five years since their 2002 study.

(As an Alabama resident and Mississippi native, I’m going to refrain from the usual Alabama taunt of “Thank God for Mississippi,” the state which ended up last in the rankings.  Alabama probably didn’t fare much better, anyway.  But at least Alabama improved somewhat, at the eighth grade level.)

No, it’s not just you.

Other B2B marketing professionals are getting the same results.  Calls are going straight to voice mail.  Phone messages aren’t being returned.  Sales appointments are harder to come by - when you can actually get past that Rottweiler of a gatekeeper.

And that’s just your direct contact strategies.  But even your networking and advertising efforts seem to keep hitting some invisible barrier.

The “same old, same old” techniques for reaching prospects aren’t getting the same results they used to.

You and everybody else are asking the same question: What the heck happened?

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Advertising is risky and expensive.  Networking can be time-consuming and downright exhausting.  And Caller ID has all but killed cold calling.  What’s a small business to do?

Anyone who’s been in sales and marketing for long can tell you the game is changing, and in a lot of ways. 

Consider these factors:

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No question about it - spam filters are a good thing. At least when they’re protecting your inbox!

Often, though, legitimate email marketing messages can get caught in the net intended to screen out all of the junk.

While spam filter avoidance is becoming more complex every day, here are three tips to help your message get through:

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“Yeah, I know, he’s got a Yahoo.com address, but we won’t hold that against him.”

It was just a humorous comment from a graphic designer friend of mine. But it really got me thinking: What impression do your prospects get from something as innocuous as a “freebie” email address?

Not a very favorable one, it turns out.

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When new visitors hit your website’s home page, what impression do they get? Do they understand what you offer? Do they see something that interests them? Are they intrigued enough to contact you for more information?

If you want your website to pre-qualify sales prospects and encourage your ideal prospects to do business with you, your home page has to inform, engage, even delight. And it can’t do that if you don’t understand their expectations.

So, what do they expect? Here are the two questions new web visitors ask when they land on your home page:

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One Saturday morning, I was on my way to grab an oversized latte with a friend. I pulled up to the light just outside my neighborhood and saw some local high school students hawking boxed donuts to raise money. But even though I wasn’t interested in donuts (I was craving an espresso brownie instead), one of the students caught my eye - for all the wrong reasons.

She was holding her sign upside down.

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I came across your marketing materials a few days ago and was impressed enough to visit your website to get more information.

Wow. And I don’t necessarily mean that in a good way.

Don’t get me wrong. You’ve obviously put a lot into your startup - a lot of time, energy, thought, maybe even money. You’ve taken a big step into the often scary world of marketing your business on the Internet, and you are to be congratulated for your pluck and forward thinking. The absolute last thing I want to do is discourage you.

But while your website is very attractive aesthetically (the logo is particularly cool), I’m afraid it’s not doing you many favors from a marketing standpoint.

How can I say that? Well, consider these points:

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“Joe Blow is a great guy and a pleasure to do business with” may be a terrific compliment, but it’s a poor testimonial.

Good testimonials from your satisfied customers are a gift. They’re an invaluable sales tool … IF they’re worded right.

So, how do you get the perfect testimonial? Here’s how I structure testimonials I gather for clients from their customers to ensure they’re getting maximum impact:

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Imagine you’re at a networking event. You’re meeting new people, exchanging business cards, having a pretty good time (even if you are working). You greet an unfamiliar but friendly-looking person in a nice suit, and he/she begins the conversation:

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