In my last discussion I very briefly discussed how the digital age is changing the face of sales and how this is critical to your companies strategy to increase sales performance and the importance of the "online image" of your company.

Over the next few weeks i will go into in more detail with proven statistics on how critical it is for sales and marketing to both work together in delivering your message to your customers. I will additionally touch on the importance of CRM's and project management software's, Join Our Mailing List (fill out the form at the bottom of this page) or subscribe to our RSS Feed!

In this blog I will be discussing how your company can leverage your marketing dollars in various mediums, but more importantly priorities which will help you smash your sales targets and goals.

Every company needs to strategies and consider how to best market themselves. In today's environment you can give your company the best start or a new/fresh and more professional image by developing the first touch point for your customers YOUR WEBSITE. This is where they will make their own decisions in their own time whether to buy your product and or service from you. In the old days your customer would traditionally have called you and it would have been a priority to have a great representative take the call and sell your product. I am not saying this is still not a crucial component to sales today, but people now have many choices that are only a click away. Leverage your marketing dollars and priorities to smash your sales targets and goals!Potential new clients typically research your company online first and they make decisions based not only on price but also on professionalism and knowing that your website and information correctly portrays the professional branding that you and your client are looking for. This is why your website and the information on your web site is so important to your business. An old website with information which is not current and up to date is what we call in the sales industry a 'road block' and displays a big neon sign telling your potential new clients that your competition is a better choice. I have seen some backyarders that only have 2 staff members, but their website portrayed them in a better way than multi million dollar companies.

So when it comes to marketing your business, the first component to concentrate on is your website and the information presented on it. It needs to be accessible, easy to navigate, and written in a professional way that is easy to understand and interpret. You must do this better than your competitors. The best way to achieve this is to research and look at what they are doing better than you can ask yourself, how can I do it better.

After you have the face of your company (first touch point) professionally developed, you will need to become an "KNOWN ENTITY". By doing this, your potential customers will call you or email you without you having to do the hard work of cold calling. Your website should now be in the position where it is now generating you leads via getting your name out there. This is not as simple as it sounds. SEO is a term that is widely used but it is rarely done properly, so make sure you use someone with lots of experience. The days of cold calling are over my friends! Yes, you will still need to make some cold calls, but with the technology that is available today, you should never be making a phone call where the person on the other end of the line does not already know who you are. Please take a moment to think about how powerful this last statement was and image if your business didn't have to ever cold call again!

Now that you have developed your website you need to look at other ways to get your name out there. This is where more traditional forms of marketing spend in cross media platforms will drive your brand. But again you need to ask yourself, "What will bring you the highest ROI (return on investment)?" You need to understand your customer base and constantly deliver your message and brand. One great way to increase this is via email marketing. This will drive your business message and any new product launches, special offerings, and most importantly brand every week to your potential and current customers. Recent statistics show that you are 6 times more likely to make a sales from an existing client than you are from a new client. It is then also important to consider other forms of marketing expenditure such as radio, tv, print, and outdoor advertising (OOH). Without backing up your marketing strategy with a cross media campaign, you will not get the rewards and success that your hard work will create if you only choose one form of message deliverance. Always remember, DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!