Persona Marketing - Key Account Sales Strategies
Recently I downloaded a report from The Bridge Group, Inc. "2009 Lead Generation Metrics & Compensation Report for Technology Companies." The topic was of interest to me for a number of reasons. First, we are growing our sales force and thinking about structure and process best suited for our clients. Secondly, we have a large percentage of technology clients who use our services at Imaginar Gifts.
The Bridge Group surveyed over 125 technology companies on inside sales implementations and assembled some very interesting findings in their report which I believe will still be relevant in 2010.
A few key Marketing Takeaways from The Bridge Group report:
1. On average 45% of outbound calls placed by the sales staff are in response to a marketing lead.
2. On average 17% of leads convert to qualified opportunities.
3. On average it takes seven touches from sales and marketing to convert a "suspect" to a prospective client.
"Vanilla/one -size- fits all marketing is dead. Marketing to buyer personas is the wave of the future."
Personally, I believe that future is here now and what we will see more of in 2010 is organizations becoming more sophisticated in persona marketing. A great example of persona marketing success is Amazon.com in the business to consumer market. They frequently recommend books I might like and expect soon they will be recommending books I might like for others I purchase for.
If you are developing or refining your marketing messaging to become more personal for your prospective buyers you might enjoy reading our "Key Account Kit Marketing Guide". This paper speaks to developing a content strategy using drip marketing and kits for client education that is customized to your campaign. This is not B2C marketing to the masses, but rather B2B marketing to the select and invited.
Target decision makers on large key accounts are bombarded with cold calls and emails and have become skilled at tuning them out. They are more interested in thought leadership messaging that helps them achieve better results for their own organizations. If your organization is hunting whales the same way you netted fish you are working too hard. The hand-shake between marketing and sales departments is becoming vital to not only success but survival.
We confess we are not like most marketing agencies or promotional product suppliers. Our services at Imaginar Gifts are often the bridge between marketing and sales. We look to assist you with important relationships and campaign fulfillment services that enhance your reach and offer personal messaging to the selected and invited key accounts on your list.
For a complimentary consultation on enhancing your marketing message and brand with Imaginar Gifts fulfillment services email us at contactus@imaginargifts.com
We source over 700,000 products for logo branding but can show you a new twist on persona marketing fulfillment. We save you time and enhance campaigns for effectiveness when personal messaging is important.