ABC: Action Based Collateral

Put this test to all your collateral: web pages, data sheets, demos, sales aids. What action do you want the prospect to take when she is finished with the collateral? Here are some possible answers:

• Phone
• Place an order
• Go to a web site
• Click on a link
• Read the next page
• Subscribe to your newsletter
• Give you a name and address

Each page in a web site has a specific purpose; maybe it's only to get the user to read the next page. Ditto for white papers and data sheets. What good is a data sheet if they only read the first paragraph? So the goal of the first paragraph has to be to create enough interest to get your prospect to read the second paragraph. And the goal of the first sentence is to get them to read the second sentence…

You get the idea.

Check your collateral, check your campaigns. Are they moving your prospects forward to the next step?

A Thousand Here, A Thousand There: Pretty Soon It All Adds Up

Spending wrong is just as fruitless as not spending at all. Throwing all your money at product development, without reserving budget for demand generation, PR, administration, etc, won't get you to success. Bits by themselves aren't a product. Likewise, wasting scarce resources on luxurious offices, fancy furniture, and Herman Miller Air Chairs if your office isn't used to greet customers isn't smart.

I knew one company that always had the most expensive coffee on the planet in their offices, even when they couldn't afford to pay their rent. Even Bill Gates makes his employees pay if they want Starbucks instead of Farmer Bros.

Think about it.

Act Tactically: Building a strong message.

Powerful messages go directly to important benefits for your customer. Top two? Either you're going to save them money or increase their sales. For example, server optimization software saves money; CRM and sales force automation (SFA) tools theoretically increase sales.

It's always better to be on the revenue side than the cost side. Telling someone you can increase their revenue is a stronger argument than telling them you will help them cut costs.

Your message should speak clearly to one of these key benefits, but it also needs to speak to whatever is foremost on your prospect's mind. The airline industry today may be worried about rising fuel costs, but mostly they're worried about staying out of Chapter 11. Customer satisfaction comes way down the list (have you actually sat in row 31 for four hours lately?).

Two local companies are trying to sell airlines in-flight broadband connectivity. Which message do you think will sell better:

1. This broadband connectivity will provide extra revenue as an added service you can sell to business travelers who need to be productive while inflight.
2. Offering this service will attract more business customers to your airline, giving you a competitive advantage.
   

The answer is clear: selling a $600 seat to Chicago is a lot more important to United than getting an extra $20 out of someone in the seat.

When crafting your message, think carefully about your customers' world. What are their pressing priorities? What trends are happening in their industry that they need to respond to? What are their customers doing?

If your message doesn't get people to lean forward and ask, “How do you do that?” then chances are it's not the right message.