Sales Start Before Your Salesman Calls

Gary Beach, publisher emeritus for CIO Magazine, recently brought a many-years-past McGraw-Hill Companies advertisement to my attention:

I remember the ad – I wish I didn’t, but I do.  Even after all these years, the moral of the ad – “Sales start before your salesman calls” – still rings true.

A lot has changed since the McGraw-Hill ran this ad. People in all positions of life do not rely solely on print or broadcast media to get their information. More than 90 percent of all people with access to broadband rely on the power of the Internet to get the information they are looking for either by search or setting up an RSS feed.

What has not changed over the years is the information people want:

1. To know who you are.
2. To know your company.
3. To know your company’s products.
4. To know what your company stands for.
5. To know your company’s customers.
6. To know what others say about your company.
7. To know your company’s record.
8. To know your company’s reputation.

Digital media and the power of the Internet present a vast array of opportunities – for the companies that know how to use them. Digital media tools have spread widely among consumers during the past five years. Encompassing a wide range of technologies, the term “digital media” covers blogs, wikis, podcasts, information tagging, prediction markets and social networking Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace, which attract more than 100 million visitors a month. You can now engage with the consumer in the manner in which they like to receive information.

Acceptance of digital media technologies is growing. Although there are new approaches in communicating to various audiences, the information they are looking for has not changed. In good and bad times, a company needs to communicate its brand. Engaging in digital media will start the communications process before your salesman makes the call.

How do you respond when a potential customer asks, “What is it you want to sell me?”

Tags: advertising, branding, digital media, mcgraw-hill