Against the Grain: Manufacturing

Are you willing to give up a customer? Successful manufacturers are. They understand the art of sacrifice - focusing specifically on those customers who can return long-term value.

To gain a customer, you have to be willing to give up a customer. The same is true for leads.

Don't waste your sales staff's time by filling the sales funnel with unqualified leads. Whether it's email or direct mail, cold calls or trade show marketing, fine tune your lead generation activities to reach those prospects who offer you the greatest return on investment. Current research and technology tools can be invaluable in directing your efforts at the right customers and positioning you as the manufacturer that's right for them.

Trilix is a full-service advertising agency headquartered in the Midwest with expertise in helping businesses market effectively and drive sales success. Learn more at www.trilixgroup.com or email Todd Senne at tsenne@trilixgroup.com.

The rules of the game have changed. With online access to information, your customer can call the shots — comparing specifications, investigating various solutions, seeking recommendations from their peers.

In other words, your customers are in control of the sales process. Not you.

Although you may never be in control again, designing an online experience to help guide customers through the sales process is a way you can actively participate in it. Interactive calculators, video demonstrations, compelling testimonials and informative blogs are just some of the ways in which manufacturers are addressing customer needs at various stages of the sales process.

Trilix is a full-service advertising agency headquartered in the Midwest with expertise in helping businesses market effectively and drive sales success. Learn more at www.trilixgroup.com or email Todd Senne at tsenne@trilixgroup.com.

For more than a decade, the trade media has been forecasting the death of the traditional sales force. "Everything will be bought and sold online," they said. "If you're in a sales job, prepare to be replaced by a browser and a database."

But it hasn't happened. And it never will.

Because people do business with people. Most B-to-B sales are consultative, not transactional. Yes, businesses will order printer refills online. But a new health insurance provider or a contractor for new construction project? No way. There are too many variables and too much to be gained by working with an expert. Customers want that personal assurance they can only get from a handshake.

Trilix is a full-service advertising agency headquartered in the Midwest with expertise in helping businesses market effectively and drive sales success. Learn more at www.trilixgroup.com or email Todd Senne at tsenne@trilixgroup.com.

Your day is a constant scramble from one project to the next. Trying like crazy to keep dozens of balls in the air. Cranking out requests from sales, the CEO and dealers. An ad here, trade show there and maybe a postcard or two. You're a writer, photographer, salesperson, print production expert and web programmer. Often in the same morning.

But the one thing conspicuously absent is "marketer."

Bringing in some outside help can not only offload work, it can also bring some valuable third-party perspective. You'll get real experts in those roles, leaving you free to focus energy on maintaining overall marketing strategy and direction — which is your real expertise.

Trilix is a full-service advertising agency headquartered in the Midwest with expertise in helping manufacturers market effectively and drive sales success. Learn more at www.trilixgroup.com or email Todd Senne at tsenne@trilixgroup.com.

At the core of every marketing message is a promise. Prospects are being told that little (or big) problem they're having is solvable.

But how is a marketer to know if they're solving the right problem.

Ask the sales team. And the service department. Even ask the customers themselves. Formal focus groups can get to the heart of the issue, but sometimes all it takes is a quick phone call to a couple of customers. They'll reveal where it hurts. With that knowledge, finding the cure is easy.

Trilix is a full-service advertising agency headquartered in the Midwest with expertise in helping manufacturers market effectively and drive sales success. Learn more at www.trilixgroup.com or email Todd Senne at tsenne@trilixgroup.com.