I am always disappointed when companies take the easy way out.
Recently I downloaded some white papers about public relations from a company called Vocus. A couple days later I got a package at my office. it was a coffee mug with some cookies arranged in it to look like a flower arrangement. I also got a voice mail from a salesperson telling me about the cookies and asking me to call back if I wanted a demo. It wasn't totally clear to me what the demo would show me, or what the product really does, or how it would help my startup business. I left the cookies out in the office to share with the team. I did not call the salesperson back.
What kind of follow-up are you doing with your leads? Do you send cheesy bribes that get people to talk to you for the wrong reason? Or do you continue to engage in a conversation that provides useful information?
At HubSpot, we ran a webinar this week about blogging. Of course, our sales people are following up on the leads from the webinar. But we're not sending cookies. And their first question isn't "Do you want to see a demo?" Our salespeople call up and ask "Did you enjoy the webinar? What can we do to make the next one more useful? Did you get a link to the recording and slides? Are you thinking about blogging? How is it going? Is your blog driving a lot of traffic and leads? Do you know there are a few steps you can take to optimize your blog to get more search engine traffic?"
Through the course of a conversation like this, you actually make the prospect feel valued (in fact they are - the feedback on the webinars does affect the future webinars) and we offer value to them since we are very careful to make sure all our salespeople are well versed in Internet marketing and can offer useful free advice. I would much rather have talked to a salesperson who had advice for me on how to make my press releases more effective than one who wanted to cram a demo down my throat right after some cookies.
How do you follow-up with leads? Do you send cookies? Or engage them in a valuable conversation?
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Jack Napoli 2:24 PM on December 06, 2007
Hi Mike,
Excellent comments.
I do need your advice though.
Do you seperate "Lead follow up" from "Holiday / Thank You for your Business" this year activity?
I was just sitting down to make my List of who gets what when I read your article.
Now am I bribing "My Best" customers if I send them a Bottle of Wine or some Great Olive Oil?
Or should I think about sending something that creates "Business Value" such as a Link to Hub Spot, Paul Gillian's Web Cast, or a del.icio.us link?
As I type this maybe it's both.
Let's see what you and others think.
By the way I'm a bit late in doing my shopping so I hope I get some good direction Quick.
Any recommendations on Good Sites would also be appreciated!!!
Thanks for the Content and the conversation.
Jack
Tracey 2:36 PM on December 06, 2007
Hi Mike,
I'm new to your blog... great post.
In response to Jack's question, I use holiday gifts as a "thank you" for the business relationship. In my opinion, trying to leverage that as lead gen is kind of tacky. It would feel disingenous to me.
In my opinion, if your objective is sales follow-up, do as Jack says, engage the prospect in a conversation and find out their needs. If your objective is to make a client feel valued, then don't ask them to click on a website, etc. when you're saying thank you.
Jack Napoli 3:06 PM on December 06, 2007
Hi Tracy,
Awesome reply and confirmed my original instincts.
Saying Thank You is one of the Activities that I hope always applies in the New Rules World we are working in.
It makes us feel good and hopefully the customer feels even better.
Thanks Tracey.
Anonymous 4:45 PM on December 06, 2007
Jack - I agree with Tracey. I think it is fine to thank people, but I would separate that from lead follow-up. I think as much as possible with holiday gifts, you want to make them relevant to the business you are in. While food and gift baskets are the norm, they don't help set your company apart. How about a book relevant to your customers' job? Or another tool that is relevant to your customer and their interaction wiht you?
Jack Napoli 4:56 PM on December 06, 2007
Hi Mike,
Interesting idea on the Book.
The best one I have read lately that fits the bill might be The New Rules for Marketing and PR.
They get a Gift, it conditions them to think like we are. That way when I present an idea or concept from the book it isn't Foreign to them.
If they seem confused or want clarification I can point them back to the Book.
Also long after the Wine and the Hangover are Gone they may be more inclined to remember who sent them the Book.
I know I can recall getting a can of Nuts last year I couldn't tell you who they were from!!!
I also like the fact that I can drop ship it from an online provider.
On a seperate topic:
What would it take to get a "Spel Cheker" in this little Blog Box you have going here?
I am the worst spella on the planit.
NoahArk 1:12 AM on December 07, 2007
nice articles In my opinion, thats a good way to say thanks at least they send you cookies not spams-ware (we never know). its give and take.
Brett 3:15 PM on December 07, 2007
I am a salesperson who uses not only my ability to hold an engaging conversation with a prospect, but also my researching skills to find and effectively target certain companies for marketing materials. Perhaps if you spent less time blogging, and calling the rep who had spent time trying to find the point of contact back who was trying to reach out to you - you may find value in the service. Truth be told, as an inside sales rep whitepapers are sometimes general and not always geared directly towards a company's product - but more to industry practices, etc. Therefore, getting a whitepaper lead and then sending marketing materials (such as cookies or gift cards) is a way to introduce OUR company in a thoughtful and "clever" way. How many times have you actually returned a voicemail of any kind? It seems to me that everyone is a genius - but there are many, many companies out there to receive this marketing and completely respect the generosity and eagerness to introduce an product - instead of cold calling which hardly ever works. Next time you decide not to call a company back because you are fickle with your "standards" on how YOU want to be approached, try and remember the guy on the other end of the phone is working towards a quota, and is simply trying to make their company stand out. Oh, and by the way - if you chose not to go with Vocus, you are simply choosing a lesser product or process. Best of luck upholding those "standards".
Anonymous 3:15 PM on December 08, 2007
I have a lot of sympathy for inside sales reps. I sit right next to all of ours. It’s a really hard job. A lot harder than mine. I’ll be honest that I am probably not a great prospect for Vocus. I guess I’m just saying that for ME, I would have been more likely to call back if the voicemail mentioned something specific about my company that I didn’t know - maybe something that maybe you found out using your software. The cookies are certainly a unique and clever way of approaching prospects. I also have a lot of respect for Vocus, it is a very successful B2B Saas company.