Since starting ActusMR, I have become a target for marketing efforts that I never faced before. As the President and founder, I am inundated with offers and introductions, which can be a positive. However, what I’ve noticed is that many of the solicitors, though not guilty of SPAM, are very lazy about their sales approach. In these cases, it is obvious that I’m just a name, number and email address on a list.

A great example of this just occurred, which prompted this posting. Normally, I just ignore or delete attempts where it is obvious no real thought was behind them. A simple Google search or a simple visit to our company website would tell anyone that I don’t sell marketing research. Yes, that was my background for several years, but today, I, along with my company, support marketing research firms and research professionals by providing business and sales strategy support and services. However, just a few minutes ago, I received a call from a well known market research service provider. The person calling was clearly going through a list and had a [pseudo] prepared pitch to try to win over potential clients.

I happen to know this firm believes in hiring young, inexperienced people and train them to become sales people. They claim to be a young minded firm, which they believe makes them appear progressive. Though these points aren’t necessarily negatives, the lack of experience of their sales staff makes me question the credibility of their approach. Yes, they’ve been around for a long time. Yes, their owner is a frequent conference attendee. Yes, they have some loyal clients. What I’m not certain about is whether they are really taking the right approach to open new doors. Did their sales person look at my website? Did he do a Google search? If so, why did he call me to sell me their services? Does he even understand the industry or what he’s attempting to sell? And, why is this the second time this same organization called me in short time frame?

How are your sales people prospecting? What impression are they leaving? Credibility comes from a lot of different areas of approach. Your reputation is very important and negative marks can be a setback, especially if others are seeing you as taking shortcuts or not being true to your business ideals. In this case, a lazy or poorly trained sales person put this firm in a different light for me. They aren’t the only example I’ve faced, but the fact that it happened more than once and they are a well recognized name, made it stand out. Also, I know some of the senior staff, so it caused me to even feel more strongly about how poorly it was handled, since my name should have never made the list in the first place.

If you have sales people making calls, or if you’re sending out e-marketing campaigns, are you taking shortcuts? Or are you really targeting people who can use your services? If not, you may be alienating people who would otherwise serve as a source of referrals or potential business in the future. Had the call been focused on a way they could serve as a resource for me or my clients, I would have been happy to open dialogue, since it would be relevant. If you’re calling clients and prospects, it should be ‘what can we do for you’ and not the other way around. Sure, you want sales. Sure, you want new clients. However, start by being a resource first and don’t take shortcuts. Calling through a huge list or industry directory without learning how you can serve them, leads to little or no value, even if they can use your services.

If your only goal is hitting a certain number of calls per day, are you really doing your company or your wallet a service? In a relationship driven business, perhaps measuring other metrics, such as the number of meetings, proposals, or even demonstrations is a much better way of looking at success. You can still set calling goals, but worry more about the results and less about the quantity. Otherwise, your credibility may become tarnished and you might be seen in a different light by people that matter.

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