The Key Ingredient of All Effective Sales and Marketing by Roxanne Emmerich with the Emmerich Group

The Key Ingredient of All Effective Sales and Marketing
Last month, the Associated Press announced some price comparison facts that were nothing short of astounding. What costs more?
* A spark plug or a share of General Motors?
* A Sunday New York Times or a share of the newspaper company?
* A General Electric 2 slice bagel toaster on clearance at Wal-Mart
or a share of GE?
* An out-of-network ATM fee or a share of Citigroup?
* A 12-pack of medium point Papermate Ballpoint Stick Pens or a
Share of Office Depot?
Okay, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots on this one-the shares of stock are lower than the products across the board.
Some experts are starting to theorize we may be moving from a recession to a depression. And in truth, there’s no solid, universally accepted, definition for either term. What I do know for a fact is the economic crunch is taking its toll and there isn’t a magic bullet or a quick fix in sight.
So it’s time to take action. How? By focusing on the things that matter. I mean REALLY matter. Like making your customer’s more profitable, financially secure and laying the groundwork for their retirement. It’s so crazy it just may work!
All it takes is a commitment to turning your sales and marketing approach on its ear. Cold calling, clever ads and “Do you want fries with that?” are out-relationship building, needs assessment and good old fashioned listening are in. It’s about seizing opportunities, implementing a system, measuring results and being wildly committed to each and every client’s financial success.
My studies, coupled with another twenty years of experience, led me to recognize that “relationship” marketing (as opposed to “throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-if-it-sticks” marketing) is the key to increased effectiveness and ROI. Yet it is the exact opposite of what is recommended by most marketing firms.
When your client’s succeed, you succeed. It really is that simple. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said is a thousand times: “People don’t do business with banks, people do business with people.”
Like many of the greatest ideas, this one is achingly simple. But the more you watch and learn what works and what doesn’t, the more you will recognize that it lies at the heart of all successful marketing.