Sage Partner Advantage Wednesday Webcast Series

Tom Hume - Channel Marketing

Conference Call Dial-in instructions

•Conference call 877 374-4822

•Conference code 267-778-7196#

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Critical areas of your business

March

Marketing

Madness!

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Wednesday Webcast Series• Space is limited!

• Miss a week…catch the recording– www.sagepartnerportal.com

• Sign-up for upcoming webcasts at:– www.sagepartnerportal.com

• Lines will be muted; please send in questions via Webex Q&A

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Next week’s webcast (March 18):Marketing in a down economy: Grand Slam Nurture

Marketing

• In this Webcast, you will learn how to make the most of every opportunity you have by tapping into the power of Nurture Marketing. Keep your customers, gain valuable referral business, and make the most of every lead.

• Wednesday March 18 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific

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Today’s webcast:Marketing in a Down Economy Series:

Promotional offers that drive the right leads

• Do you wonder why some marketing campaigns get the phone ringing and others fall flat? In this Webcast, marketing consultant and copywriter, Jennifer Osborne, will show you how to create the best free offers for your prospects and customers, and how to craft messages that grab their attention.

• Jennifer Osborne, Osborne Communications

Jennifer OsborneOsborne Communications, Inc.

Promotional Offers that Drive the Right Leads

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Agenda• What are offers? How important are they?• At what point(s) in the sales cycle do we use offers?• Examples of offers, and which offers work best in the

business-to-business software industry.• Tips for creating good offers for your audience.• How can we best communicate our offers to prospects

and how often should we make the offer?

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What is an offer?• An offer is an incentive designed to move your

prospect or customer from inertia to action• It answers the prospect’s question: “What’s in it for me

– what do I get?”• In marketing campaigns, the offer emulates the

interaction of a salesperson.

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How important is the offer?

Target Audience

50%

Offer30%

Creative20%

Source: MarketingProfs, “Crash Course #9: Direct Marketing & B2B Lead Generation,” Ruth P. Stevens

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When should we use an offer?• On every marketing

communication– The natural reaction of the

prospect is to do nothing. You must motivate them to take action.

• Put offers on your Website!– More than 85% of B2B buyers

visit your website before speaking to your sales team.

• Throughout the sales cycle– Offers are not just used to get

inquiries in the door. They can also be used to nurture prospects, further qualify leads, revive cold leads, and help close sales.

White paper, Checklist or Tips Sheet

Webcast, Demo, or Sales Meeting

ROI Calculator, Self-assessment

quiz, Success stories.

Inquiry

Qualified Prospect

Move to Close

New List or Web Visitor

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Matching offers with objectives

Offer theory: As responsequantity increases, lead

quality decreases.

• Soft, easy-to-request offers generate higher numbers of leads, but more will be unqualified

• Hard offers produce fewer leads, but more qualified• If you want more leads, make your offer more enticing

– but be pay careful attention to lead quality.• Consider including two offers.

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Characteristics of a Good Offer• High perceived value to

prospects• Low cost fulfillment.• Unique to your firm • Relates to the main benefits of

your products or services.• Urgency and/or limited

quantities• Specific benefits

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For even better response…• Include a guarantee in your offer.• Make clear there is no obligation.• AND the most powerful word in B2B marketing is:

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What Offers Work Best for Software?Different offers for different stages of the buying cycle:

– Attracting & educating new prospects: informational offers – Moving prospects through the sales pipeline: product offers– Up sell or cross sell existing customers: discounts, training,

free gifts or prize drawings

Here’s what IT buyers are utilizing regularly to evaluate solutions:– White papers 59%– Newsletters 52%– Free Trials 46%– Webcasts 38%– Customer Success Stories 26%

Source: TechTarget 2008 Media Consumption Benchmark Report

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25 Proven OffersInformation Offers• White Paper• Tip Sheet• Information Kit• Case Study• Research Report• Newsletter• Seminar / Webcast• Self-Assessment Tool• Calculators (ROI, savings)• Podcasts• Video Tutorials

Product Offers• Consultation / Sales Call• Live Demonstration• Recorded Product Tour• Free Trial• Brochure• Exclusive Web Community

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25 Proven Offers con’t.Pricing Offers• Discount• Special Financing / Terms• Money-back Guarantee• Satisfaction Guarantee• Discounted / Free Training

Premium Offers• Free Gift Card• Free Book• Tradeshow Pass• Prize Drawing• Free Lunch

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Free Consultation or Assessment

• This is the offer we see used most often by Sage partners – ‘call us for a free consultation’

• Can it work? Sometimes.• How can we make it work better?

– Avoid vagueness– Solve a problem– Create a sense of value

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Example• Not compelling

To learn more about our services and ERP solutions, call our sales team at xxx-xxx- xxxx for a free consultation.

• More compelling

Is it time to show your outdated accounting software the door? Find out with our FREE ERP Readiness Audit (a $150 value). This half-hour phone audit, with our ERP specialists, will help you determine if your current solution is too limited to grow with your company. To schedule your audit, call xxx- xxx-xxxx today. There’s absolutely no cost and no obligation.

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White Papers• The top dog of info offers - high perceived value• Most used by prospects early in the cycle• “Tell me – don’t sell me.”• 2007 survey of business & tech professionals:

– 71% read white papers– 57% of white paper readers pass them along to colleagues – Almost 82% prefer content that is specific to their industry– About 66% prefer content that is specific to their job titleSource: KnowledgeStorm with MarketingSherpa

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Offering the White Paper• Make it easy to

respond• Create a catchy

title that hooks into a biz challenge

• Give a taste of what they’ll learn

• FREE! and no obligation

• If possible, show photo of the paper

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Webcasts / Seminars• An informational offer that also allows you to interact

directly with the prospect.• Keep a clear distinction between educational

Webcasts and product demos –not the same.• Use educational Webcasts as a soft offer to establish

leadership and build your database.• Use demo-type Webcasts later as a hard offer to

move prospects through the sales cycle.• Record educational Webcasts – they can be included

in future “kit” offers.

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Webcast / Seminar Invitations• Same rules as white

paper offers.• Focus on driving

registration but consider a ‘sweetener’ for actual attendees.

• Send reminder e- mails 1-2 days before event and same day.

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Success Stories / Case Studies• Great as part of a kit, or stand-alone.• Easy and low-cost to fulfill.• Quotes from customers can be used in other

marketing materials, too.• High credibility with prospects.• Best success story campaigns match the prospects

with case studies about their specific industry and business challenges.

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Messaging: Call to Action• The call to action tells prospects EXACTLY what they

have to do to get the offer.• Give choices for response– phone, fax, Web, e-mail.• Urgency• Limited quantities• Construct registration pages carefully

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Messaging: Rule of 3s• Prospects must hear or read something three times to

really register that they have heard it. • Rule of three also applies to integrated marketing

campaigns (a letter, followed by e-mail, followed by a postcard will create better response than letter alone).

• Strongest campaign: 3 integrated communications - each stating the call to action 3 times – for a total of 9 exposures to your offer.

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Where to place offer and CTA• Repeat your call to action to

increase the probability that your prospect will act.– Outer envelope – E-mail subject line– Johnson box – Sidebar– Body copy– P.S.– Lift note– Buckslip or insert– Business Reply Card

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Summary• Every campaign needs an offer.• Offers should be high perceived value, unique, easy

to fulfill, low cost (if possible), and specific. • FREE will always increase response.• Different types of offers work better in different parts of

the marketing & sales cycle.• Informational, educational offers are very popular in

the business software community.• Prospects must see your offer at least three times

before they will really register it.

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Special Offers• Download our FREE white paper for 5 Time-Tested

Copywriting Tips!• AND get a 10% savings coupon inside the guide!

www.osbornecommunications.com/sageWP.pdf

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Contact InformationJennifer Osborne, Osborne CommunicationsPh: 402-796-2009E-mail: jennifer@osbornecommunications.comFax: 925-226-4992Web: www.osbornecommunications.com/Sage.html

Ask me questions during our upcoming office hours for Sage business partners!Date: Friday, April 3, 2009.Time: 9:00-Noon, Pacific