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Optimizing Your B2B Marketing n-Touch-With-Your-Customers&id=608336">7 Ways To Use A Simple Desktop Followup System To Keep In Touch With Your CustomersMarketing your products or services to other businesses offers many different challenges that marketing directly to consumers. Here are some steps to help you optimize your B2B marketing efforts.Understand your target market. Make sure you clearly identify your audience and customers. Find out who are the key decision makers. You can waste a lot of time and effort by trying to sell to those who do not have the power to make buying decisions. Maximize your resources by targeting the true decisions makers. If you are not talking directly to the decision maker ensure that all information and collateral stands on its own with a clear message. The decision makers may only see your summary so make sure it communicates your message clearly.Make sure your marketing plan is aligned with your strategic business plan. It sounds simple but in many organizations this does not happen. Marketing plans may get reorganized on a near daily basis due to reductions in budget, re-focusing of ideas, or changes in sales initiatives. By keeping in touch with your strategic business plan you will reduce your risk and also make better decisions. This will help you to deliver your marketing communications with maximum impact.Almost all B2B websites are not utilized to their maximum potential. Rather than thinking of it as an on-line catalog see it more as a strategic competitive weapon. It is usually the first view of your company that many people receive. What do they see when they first look at your site? One of the most frequent mistakes made by new businesses of all types is to think that people are only motivated by price in the buying decision. Consequently, a common initial approach is to find out what others in the same line of work are charging and undercut them. Please don't fall into this trap...Give the matter a bit more thought, after all, this is to be your livelihood and it's essential that you're paid a proper and decent amount for your time and expertise with the proviso that both you and your customers feel you are giving value for money.The following step-by-step method may not be the simplest in the world, but it is probably the most accurate. Use these guidelines to establish what your true worth is for the service you are offering.Step 1. What would an employer pay for your time? Firstly, research what you would earn if you were working for a local employer in a similar field. For example, if you're a freelance bookkeeper check out large companies with their own accounts departments, if you're a vehicle mechanic, check out local vehicle repair companies and if you're a private tutor, check out schools and colleges or adult education centers and training companies.Spend some time looking at job vacancies online and in the local newspapers and get a good idea for the average annual salary for your line of work in your area.I work as a Personal Computer Tutor for adults and in my local area the current annual earnings for full-time college tutors Slow Down Even when English is the common language in a cross cultural situation, this does not mean you should speak at normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation is intelligible. Separate Questions Try not to ask double questions such as, “Do you want to carry on or shall we stop here?” In a cross cultural situation only the first or second question may have been comprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time. Avoid Negative Questions Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer ‘yes’ if the answer is affirmative and ‘no’ if it is negative. In other cultures a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to “Are you not coming?” may be ‘yes’, meaning ‘Yes, I am not coming.’ Take Turns Cross cultural communication is enhanced through taking turns to talk, making a point and then listening to the response. Write it Down If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check. This can be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in the USA is 1,000,000,000,000 while in the UK it is 1,000,000,000. Be Supportive Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in you. Check Meanings When communicating across cultures never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarise what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has taken place. Avoid Slang Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms and sayings. The danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning missed.
In many cultures business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humour and jokes in the business context. When using humour think whether it will be understood in the other culture. For example, British sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad. Maintain Etiquette Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture.
For more information on cross cultural communication training please visit http://www.kwintessential.co.uk
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Be Supportive Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable. Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support and a trust in you. Check Meanings When communicating across cultures never assume the other party has understood. Be an active listener. Summarise what has been said in order to verify it. This is a very effective way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has taken place. Avoid Slang Even the most well educated foreigner will not have a complete knowledge of slang, idioms and sayings. The danger is that the words will be understood but the meaning missed.
In many cultures business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humour and jokes in the business context. When using humour think whether it will be understood in the other culture. For example, British sarcasm usually has a negative effect abroad. Maintain Etiquette Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture.
For more information on cross cultural communication training please visit http://www.kwintessential.co.uk
Other Recent EzineArticles from the Business:Top7-or-10-Tips Category:
For more information on cross cultural communication training please visit http://www.kwintessential.co.uk
Other Recent EzineArticles from the Business:Top7-or-10-Tips Category:
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