We work with a Company that resells a well known CRM application.
There is a button that contains a link on their website that when clicked …..is a way for interested prospects to schedule a demonstration of the CRM app.
That link however takes these interested prospects to the CRM manufacture’s website where they fill out a form and request a demonstration.
My customer is suspicious that the CRM manufacturer is not actually telling them about leads that originate from their website that should in fact be their leads.
What our customer did through our recommendation is the following….they created a MergedAnalytics SmartLink for that Request a Demonstration Button.
Now when prospects click that button for a Demonstration….even though they are taken to the CRM manufacturer’s website….my customer receives intelligence when that button is clicked as well as…which organization had clicked that link.
They can then follow up with the CRM manufacturer to make sure that lead is sent their way.
They now can keep the CRM manufacturer a bit more honest.
Your prospect’s and customer’s experience on your website can mean the difference between them buying your products/services or not.
Many times they move so far as to almost register on your website but something happens that stops them from doing so ie. poor internet connection, got distracted or your SUBMIT button is not working. Could be anything.
Without a tool like MergedAnalytics…you do know what you do not know. There could be a company out there that really liked what you had to offer but did not move forward for a silly reason.
MergedAnalytics keeps you in the game. You can proactively reach out and make sure your prospects/customers got what they were looking for on your website.
In this segment of “Take a Breath” Thom and I discuss how many companies have no idea about the experience their customers and prospects are having on their website and how MergedAnalytics can help.
Marketing /Media companies are successfully rolling out “white labeled” versions of MergedAnalytics for their customers.
Aside from a new monthly revenue stream…..Find out why our resellers are choosing to brand MergedAnalytics as if it were their own product and why it so compelling for them to do so.
In this segment Thom and I discuss how MergedAnalytics actually works under the hood. We also answer the question….is the intelligence we deliver creepy?
In this segment of the “Take a Breath” podcast Thom Stallings the CRO of MergedAnalytics discusses two unique use cases from two companies in two different industries…
1. A Marketing Company we work with uses the intelligence received from MergedAnalytics to inject positive energy into their corporate culture by confirming their marketing efforts are indeed working! When highly sought after prospects spend time on their website….the CEO calls an “All hands on Deck” meeting with this news.
2. A Design Firm we work with uses the intelligence delivered by MergedAnalytics to carefully craft their prospect presentations to put themselves in a position to win business. This firm usually gets only ONE shot to present to their prospects. The intelligence received from MergedAnalytics is critical. They view MergedAnalytics as their secret competitive advantage.
For the past 20 years I begin my day having what usually turns into a deep conversation with my business partner Thom Stallings.
Our conversations cover everything from business ideas, trends , concerns , spirituality, meditation , what we do for leisure , motivation techniques, what is going on with our families and how we try to stay in the best physical as well as mental shape possible.
Our first episode of “Take a Breath with Thom and Joe” is centered around how the Covid-19 has affected our lives both at home and professionally.
What are some of the ways you have “taken a breath” during this time?
The sun will rise and MergedAnalytics will is ready for you
I understand that this NOT the time to sell anyone on how great a product/service is for your sales and marketing efforts.
If I was selling ventilators and masks…I would be donating them right now however that is not the business I am in. My contribution at the moment is keeping my family and myself home.
I would also argue that even in good times….your sales approach should never comprise of an in your face aggressive proposition. I dislike it when I am referred to as a “sales guy”. I also hate the feeling of being a victim of a “hard sell”no matter what it is…even if I need whatever was being sold to me.
To me when someone is referred to as a “sales guy” I automatically think of someone who I would never want to buy anything from whatever it is they sell.
The best sales people allow their customer to feel like you discovered for yourself that you need whatever it is they are selling. Forgive me for the cliche…but it needs to be a “win/win” for both parties. Everyone should feel they won.
If you are in sales and marketing as I am ….I understand we are in a stressful existential crisis. We are trying to push through this time any way possible and continue to do our jobs which is to still produce albeit from home.
PRE Crisis….if you were NOT yet understanding the Company Names and in some cases Email Addresses of the people who click the links you post to social media and place in your emails as well as the pages they clicked on your website…now really may be the time to think about setting this up.
Additionally…if you are getting that type of intelligence but you are paying thousands of dollars per month for it…now could be the time to explore less expensive but equally effective options.
I was proactively contacted by a resort yesterday who voluntarily shut their doors because of the corona virus. They are already looking into the future for when they reopen.
During this down time….they have begun to market their resort to businesses in hopes companies will become aware of their resort when they start to book conferences once again.
In taking the long term approach…I have provided consulting at no charge as well as an extension for our free trial version so they can use MergedAnalytics at no charge for the time being until they are back on their feet.
It is always darkest before the dawn. Even at the lowest of the low points….there is always hope and the sun will rise once again.
In 1918 the Spanish Flu was a devastating pandemic that also presented an existential crisis.
At some point the sun rose and gave birth to the roaring 20’s.
Use this time to prepare yourself so that when we do return to normalcy…you hit the ground running.
I would be happy to provide multiple free consultations about how you can make the most of your website and the urls you post to social media sites and place in your emails.
So you need to conduct web meetings using
something like Zoom or Gotomeeting.
I have been relying on using this type of screensharing technology for 20 years to run my business.
We use webmeetings for almost everything from sales presentations, training session to our internal management meetings. Everyone in my company works virtually so webmeeting software is essential to our existance.
I can honestly say I have made every mistake you can possibly make throughout the last 20 years with webmeetings.
Here are some things to consider before
conducting a screensharing webmeeting…
Dial in early – There will be always issues with your PC that you cannot plan for that happen often. Recommend all attendees dial in a minimum of 10 minutes earlier preferably 15 minutes.
Reboot your PC– For optimal performance it is best to reboot your PC before an important webmeeting. If things are slow on your PC….your audience could think it is your software slowing up the PC….do not let this happen.
Prepare your presentation materials ahead ….have your Powerpoint, Word, Excel, files, software tool and/or Website…. whatever it is you will be presenting…have it launched ahead of time. You do not want to launch a large file while you are in a webmeeting. The 10 seconds it takes to open may not seem long….but when you have 20 eyeballs staring at your screen…even 10 seconds can feel like an eternity.
Resist moving your mouse all over the screen – when you are nervous we tend to do things subconsciously. Moving your mouse and/or clicking a lot during a presentation can be distracting for your audience.
Software Demos – If you are demonstrating how software works….test the features ahead of time as well. Make sure what you want to present works as expected.
Talking over people – Be mindful of talking over people – Especially when there are many on a speaker phone and depending on what kind of phone is being used….it is very easy to innocently talk over people. Learn to talk slower, take small pauses to make sure someone is not trying to say something.
Have a plan and stick to it – If someone has a question…if you can not answer immediately without diverting from your plan …table it for later or a subsequent conversation.
Record you session – If possible it is a best practice to record your session . It is nice to be able to send the recorded session to the attendees of your meeting. You can point out specific times to listen etc. It is also useful in case it was a requirement gathering session.
BONUS – OIL YOUR CHAIR – you do not want everyone to hear your squeaky chair every time you adjust your seat.
