Most sales management tries to fix the pipeline instead of fixing their sales process.
Sales managers are rarely let go for not meeting their sales goals- they are let go because they did not forecast correctly. Just like a ball player who looks at his glove after the ball goes through his legs, the knee jerk reaction is to blame sales inability to close deals. The fact is for most businesses, the bull’s eye of your customer profile has changed. If your sales process has not changed and you have not addressed the new skills needed to identify and close deals, your sales team will let you down.
How accurate is your pipeline?
Marketing Mentors was founded in 2006 by Steven Amiel. Steve spent over 25 years in the printing industry and has deep experience in all facets of the business, including manufacturing and sales, all while successfully building and later selling three printing companies. Steve was at the forefront when the industry changed and was quick to embrace new technologies such as digital printing, web to press solutions and the internet.
Today Marketing Mentors advises companies large and small in their quest to differentiate themselves from their competitors, improve lead generation and teach the sales skills needed to effectively sell higher value products and services. Technology has changed the playing field and the value of the printed page has been reduced to a commodity product. At the same time, technology now provides printers the ability to offer complimentary products and services from data management and the internet to fulfillment. The current generation of successful salespersons do not have the skills needed to identify, sell and manage this process.
Marketing Mentors helps printing companies create the marketing strategies that track success by using smart cross marketing tactics, lead scoring and data tracking. We can act as your in-house marketing department in providing a variety of services that you may have wanted to pursue but lacked the expertise in areas such as corporate branding, collateral creation, and logo design. Additionally, we act as your back office to provide these same services to your customers.
Marketing Mentors provides top notch sales training that has generated phenomenal results for our clients.
We help our customer improve their sales and marketing results through:
A thorough business analysis of your products and unique value propositions in your market
Solid data base techniques to identify the prospects that place a high value on your products and services
Integrated marketing approach to qualify leads and nurture to closure
Creative and tactical program support that is tested and measured
Sales training to ensure your reps develop the skills to sell to your bulls eye
Sales Training Services:
To be successful selling value in today’s commodity based marketplace requires the following skill sets:
Ability to present to groups
Writing skills for meeting summaries, proposals and project management
Knowledge of your prospect’s industry to identify how to improve the way they sell and market
Think of the best sales professionals you’ve ever encountered. Their confidence and product knowledge not only made you feel comfortable buying from them, but convinced you they were experts in their fields. With our customized training program, your account managers will be able to fully articulate the benefits of your products and of doing business with you. They’ll understand your competition better and how to position your company effectively against them. When you work with Marketing Mentors, the goal we set for our clients is to help you establish credibility and a sales process to help you close deals with your prospects and customers. In doing so, you’ll attract more sophisticated buyers, build stronger customer relationships and realize sustainable income.
Lead Generation and Nurturing:
Regardless of the size of your business, you will only get the results you’re hoping for if you identify your most profitable potential clients and market to them when their need and interest levels are at their highest. We use the most effective integrated marketing methods and lead generation techniques to help your sales people cultivate your best prospects, and importantly, not waste time on poor prospects. We will give your team the keys to developing prospects from well-qualified, well-timed leads into satisfied long-term customers.
Cross-media Marketing Services:
We understand that no two companies are alike; our skill is in finding ways to leverage the qualities and success stories that make your business unique and which will best resonate with prospects. Using variable data printing, personal URLs and other techniques, we’ll help you boost your market visibility, set your company apart from the crowd and, most importantly, provide that one-on-one, personal feel that your clients are craving.
Steven Amiel, founder and CEO.
Steven built and sold three successful printing companies during 25 of the most volatile years in the industry.
When digital technology exploded on the scene, he quickly adapted and transformed his business from a conventional printing operation to the more profitable world of solutions-based selling. He is now passionately committed to helping other companies make that same, crucial transition—harnessing the power of technology to expand the value proposition and open up new markets.
Steven not only has the experience and vision to guide companies effectively, but the compassion and insight that come from years in the trenches.
Michael Ciaramella, Managing Partner
Michael Ciaramella is a senior level Sales Executive with over 28 years of experience driving profitable revenue growth and leading high tech organizations through strategic change. Prior to joining Marketing Mentors Michael held the position of Vice Present of Sales at Eastman Kodak where he led Kodak’s entry into the U.S. and Canadian graphic communications industry and led a sales organization generating over $1 billion in annual revenue. Michael was a key architect for the integration of the companies acquired by Eastman Kodak to form the Graphic Communications Group. Under his leadership, Kodak successfully integrated a $3.2 billion rollup of high technology companies and combined sales and support teams from four different companies into one cohesive team focused on bringing a broad range of solutions to the Commercial Printing sector. His leadership was a catalyst for change, enabling Kodak to elevate their sales and marketing teams from merely servicing existing demand to a level of creating new demand for Kodak’s solutions. Prior to joining Eastman Kodak Michael held the positions of Corporate Director of Sales Development and Vice President of Sales for Creo Inc., the leading manufacturer of advanced imaging products, software and systems for the Graphic Communications Industry. Michael is recognized as a strategic thinker, a visionary and a results oriented leader. He is considered an expert in sales development and demand creation selling. Based on proven successes, many of his initiatives have been adopted as best practices across the companies he served. He is now dedicated to leveraging his experience transforming national sales and leadership teams to help organizations exceed their revenue and growth targets.
The case studies below are great examples of how our work has improved the businesses of our customers.
Kodak Roadshow Case Study: How KODAK Uses Cross Media Marketing to Promote and Measure Roadshow Success.
A Rapid Change in Messaging and Tactics Saves a Leadership Seminar This case study focuses on a planned corporate event that received a poor initial response. A multi-channel integrated marketing campaign was launched on short notice to increase registration and subsequently attendance at the event.
Sales and Marketing Work Together to Create a Successful Open House This case study drives home why sales and marketing must work together to achieve optimal results. We focus on the integrated marketing and sales techniques used to generate attendance to the event. In addition, we explore the follow-up and analysis tactics that made the event a worthwhile method of lead generation and nurturing.
“Thank you for your superb sales leadership this year.
My team has been retrained, their confidence level is way up, and we are looking at some exciting projects in 2009.”
Gary H Smith
President
Prime Digital Printing
Dayton, OH
“The webinar was very good. I had the whole sales team there and I think we all got a lot out of it. It was good to have the team listen to an industry expert, instead of just management saying the same old things.
Do you have plans for another subject soon? Please let me know.”
Carmine Iannacchino
LandmarkPrint
Stamford, CT
“As always, your involvement was invaluable. We have furthered (3) great prospects as a result of your participation. Moreso, the follow-up summary letter that you attached is very comprehensive and provides us a guideline for further action steps...This will be valuable as we'll be able to point to this meeting as we move forward to further emphasize our value proposition.”
Larry Evans
District Sales Manager
Southwest Region
Kodak Graphic Communications
“This is great stuff and testament to the work that's gone into building the Connect the Dots events. Big thanks to you and the entire team that have invested time and effort to grow this effort. Additionally, it's clear that the local team did a fantastic job driving attendance and partnering to support the event and maximize the value.
It's evident that we have a very solid formula brewing here.”
Don Whaley
Director Marketing Center
US&C Region & Vice President Graphic Communications Group
Eastman Kodak Company
Norwalk, CT
“On a plane to Norwalk reading the playbook in detail. It is REALLY, REALLY good. There is stuff in here that even a veteran can use, and I love the approach. I can't wait to see the iGen one!”
John Vannucci
Solution Sales Manager, Digital Printing
Eastman Kodak Company
Rocky River, OH
"I've bought and sold capital equipment most of my business career, and I've never seen a company that had the marketing savvy to provide their clients with any more than technical training and, of course, service programs.
Steve Amiel has not only helped upgrade our sales staff's understanding of our total position in the market place, but in addition, he has also helped our clients understand what's available through us to help them market themselves and grow their business.”
Jim Ponstingle
Watt Printers/Mail Marketing
Cleveland, Ohio
Steven Amiel, president of Marketing Mentors Inc., shares his insights in this weeks REFLECTIONS.
Advice for 2010 from my Father
"My father was the consummate print salesman. Uniquely successful for over 50 years, he retired last year at age 85. He never cared about recessions and did extremely well through the economic downturn that seems to occur once a decade. His was a simple sales process: he focused on one person only, the print buyer. That was his bull's eye. He never stopped hunting, building relationships by taking an interest in their lives and helping them get jobs and, lastly, providing the best service and quality printing...."
To read more from Steven Amiel, please Click here.
Steven Amiel interviewed in Kodak "K-Zone at Print '09
Steven Amiel speaks at the Brooklyn Business Summit
The Brooklyn Business Summit provides existing small business owners in New York with the opportunity to learn how to improve their businesses through incorporating principles of sustainability, shoring up their balance sheets, and attaining additional financing.
Marketing Mentors Engages with MIller's Professional Photography to Develop Cross-Media Marketing Campaigns
Marketing mentors has been retained by Miller's Professional Photography, the country's largest printing service for professional photographers to assist in their marketing efforts. Miller's has over $100 million in annual sales.
Canvas Magazine - Making integrated marketing work for you and your customers.
In an article for Canvas Magazine, Steven Amiel, CEO of Marketing Mentors, Inc., offers up constructive insight for print companies. Read more...
Kodak Graphic Communications Group
Integrated Marketing Campaigns, Sales Training and Business Development
Pitney Bowes
Integrated Marketing Campaign
Canon
Reseller Business Development Program
Hain Celestial Food Group
Integrated Marketing Campaign and ECRM Strategy
Unimac Graphics
Sales Training, Branding and Business Development
Kennickell Print and Global Marketing
Sales Training, Branding and Integrated Marketing
Servigraphics
Sales Training, Branding and Integrated Marketing
Prime Digital
Sales Training, Branding and Integrated Marketing
Indros Group
Marketing and Sales Mentoring and Business Development Program
Watt Printers
Sales Training and Business Development
In our experience, looking to find the magic “sales rep” that understands solution selling, has a book of business and can impact your bottom line from day one is unrealistic. As a matter of fact, without addressing all of the factors that affect selling in today’s marketplace, management makes it that much harder to be successful.
Making the transition with your sales force from a conventional print environment to include digital/multi-touch services requires the same time, patience and commitment to change as converting to a digital work flow. Besides the tactical knowledge they need to learn about physical products, services and applications, solution selling requires new soft selling skills and qualities:
Learning the sales and marketing nuances of prospects’ industries -- and where your company provides greatest value.
Better time management. Today, salespeople must manage more prospects at a time, nurturing a lead until the right moment to close the sale.
Presenting to groups and multiple departments.
The ability to write good meeting summaries, proposals, and other communications to keep your ideas on your prospects radar. (No meeting summary generally means no action. Prospects simply forget, and move on.)
Project Management. Unless a sales rep can support their customer with strategic thinking and tactical help, your solutions might appear to bigger headaches than the problems you are trying to solve.
These aren’t skills they can learn at a convention or a two-day seminar. They require individualized, on-going support to learn a variety of new sales skills and adopt new sales habits- until working smarter and faster becomes second nature.
This support must come from print owners and management and be aligned with every other department of the business to ensure the company’s profitability, sustainability, and success.
With that said, there will be only a percentage of your sales force that will have the willingness, motivation, and energy to successfully make the transition.
Part of your job in management will be providing an environment to help all of your sales reps succeed.
The other part of good sales management is looking at new, innovative ways of team selling and compensation that acknowledges the limited capability of most sales people.
Specific Deliverables
Two days a month for six months: on site continuing education, and sales and marketing.
Corporate
Audit and updating of customer and prospect data base
Review of current equipment, products and services
Determine unique selling propositions and most profitable applications and solutions
Determine industries, corporations and prospect profile
Provide Lead Nurturing Spreadsheet
Monthly meeting with management- review and align benchmarks and results
Marketing
Audit of current brand and marketing efforts
Develop 6 month marketing plan, including:
Any creative necessary- PPT, Brochure, DM, Web site etc.
Lead generation campaigns and process
Telemarketing/voice mail scripts
Nurturing process and touch points
Individual Goal Assessment
The new customer: what they buy and how they buy
Overcoming the fear of selling something new
Developing greater levels of productivity to build a bigger, fatter pipeline
How to create and grow your business by understanding your customer’s business
Improve critically important prospecting, qualifying and presentation skills
Teach the skills and process to develop and manage a deep pipeline of profitable opportunities and prospects
Nailing the sale. What it takes to get the prospect to sign on the dotted line
Vertical market education modules
Integrated marketing education modules
Customer appointments
6 hours per month- 12 months
Review all meeting summaries and proposals
Support in the development of Powerpoints and presentations
Available for conference calls and presentations with customers.
Sales follow up support with reps- compliance with their commitment
For an immediate consultation,
contact Steven Amiel, President and CEO.
Marketing Mentors, Inc.
1 Pier Pointe Street
Yonkers, NY 10701
(914) 502-0064 steve@marketingmentors.com
Should you be tracking the pipeline or the criteria of the people that populate it?
How much time is spent by your reps working on your pipeline?
How long does it take for a lead to get to a sales person?
How up to date is your pipeline?
Who is responsible for making sure that what is put into the pipeline is accurate?
Does your pipeline reflect the changes in the length of sales cycles and the different ways that prospects are buying today?
Are you trying to fill it with leads based on how prospects bought a year ago?
Sales managers are rarely let go for not meeting their sales goals- they are let go because they did not forecast correctly. Just like a ball player who looks at his glove after the ball goes through his legs, the knee jerk reaction is to blame sales inability to close deals. The fact is for most businesses, the bull’s eye of your customer profile has changed. If your sales process has not changed and you have not addressed the new skills needed to identify and close deals, your sales team will let you down.
