For a great many small businesses, the first time they think about getting some marketing done is the day the phone stops ringing.
And then the business manager panics. In a state of anxiety, it's easy to make a bad decision or, like the client I was with a few days ago, fall victim to the sales pitch of advertising reps.
Now I've no problem with web advertising at any level, from banners through PPC to Facebook ads. It's all good... in its place. But when an ad rep is on the phone telling you that a website 'reaches' 450,000 health professionals and makes big claims for page impressions, you need to look beneath the claims. And before pitching in with any big spend, you need to be certain that you're already getting the basics right.
This particular client lashed out a tidy sum on the banner he was sold and received precisely no business from it. But then, this was before I arrived and discovered he was doing no low-level print advertising, he had no handouts younger than five years, he hadn't even looked at his website for a year and rarely checks his email.
We'll put all of that right in due course. In common with many small businesses, cash flow is an issue and I had to find some cost-effective routes to market for his B2B product. First, we worked up a simple A5 flyer which he can now sprinkle throughout the trade. Then we looked at telemarketing.
My logic was that, until the web presence is sorted out and he disciplines himself to use email, the telephone will be the chief sales tool. The spend was very small - £300 for a full day of my telemarketing agency, who would tell his product story and book appointments with buyers - or at least tee them up for further calls.
It was very productive, giving him one firm appointment, three great prospects and got his product into the heads of at least a dozen other companies. Two sales are all he'll need to cover his costs and, with the likelihood of repeat business from the 'hot' lead, that should be a breeze.
The telemarketing data which came back led to a personalised follow-up mailshot, and we're looking at using the agency for a second assault on his local market.
It's not spending money that gets you business - it's spending it in the right place.
