Convenience services operator sales tips for a rebuilding year

Convenience Services Operator Sales Tips For a Rebuilding Year

Published on Vending Times Feb. 22, 2021

After a long and arduous year, 2021 brings a fresh start. Now is the perfect opportunity to revamp your company’s sales and marketing plan if you haven’t yet. All over the country, we have spoken to convenience services operators that have lost from 20% to 40% of their business due to a work-at-home environment that is a little more longer-lasting than we would have imagined. Those that have suffered the most have a better portion of their business in the white collar space. But – have hope – there are brighter days ahead, and there is something you can do about it.  (more…)

Sales, Vending, Coffee and Micro-Markets Comments Off on Convenience Services Operator Sales Tips For a Rebuilding Year
Adjust Your Value Proposition to Fit New Risks

Adjust Your Value Proposition to Fit New Risks

—Reprinted with permission from PIA Management Services Inc.— 

Amanda Puppo
CEO, MarketReach Inc. 

 This past year, new risks are emerging that are affecting insurance agencies. According to a recent report, “… while insurance as an industry may be slow to change, its risk environment is not.”1 Amid the developing risks in the digital realm, the physical environment and the mid-pandemic world, your agency is figuring out how to adapt its value proposition to meet customers’ needs. This article will discuss some areas to consider when re-evaluating your agency’s offerings. 

What is value proposition? 

 Your agency’s value proposition is arguably the most vital element of your overall marketing messaging. A value proposition explains how your product solves customers’ problems or improves their situations. Let’s face it, it’s not always easy for agencies to differentiate from one another. From our work helping insurance agencies get sales appointments with their prospects, differentiating (on paper) has proven to be the most challenging piece of the sales process—but it is the most important first step toward an effective sales strategy. In order to consistently provide value and remain competitive in the market, adapt your value proposition based on the world around you.  (more…)

Insurance Comments Off on Adjust Your Value Proposition to Fit New Risks
Prospect Qualification and Appointment Setting to Land More Meetings

Prospect Qualification and Appointment Setting to Land More Meetings

This article was published on December 21st, 2020 in Insurance Journal.

The objective of prospecting is to find quality opportunities to narrow the sales funnel, and then consistently target that focused group with marketing messages to get noticed. For insurance brokers, you have the luxury of finding third party list sources that start you off knowing key data about your prospect universe. Instead of chasing non-qualified prospects — or worse, not even knowing who your prospect universe even is — prospecting followed by properly executed appointment setting leaves no rock unturned.

Every prospect on your list is a new opportunity to qualify, disqualify, set a callback or land a sales meeting for a producer. Phone outreach is the best way to land more sales appointments and the only way to determine if, in fact, the opportunities in your local universe or target industry are sellable. Phone outreach is also one of the only ways to incite two-way communication between a buyer and a seller, which will then lead to more closed deals.

What Is Strategic Prospecting Through Appointment Setting?

Appointment setting, also known as telemarketing, is based on strategically conducting calls in order to schedule introductory sales meetings with decision-makers. For best results, the prospects are pre-qualified through a qualification process, based on specific parameters set by your agency. Typically, to get in the door with workers’ compensation or property/casualty insurance, the qualifier is either total premium, or at least, staff size. Chasing opportunities that equate to less than $1,500 in annual commission is not good use of time or marketing dollars. Instead, reserve those opportunities to close for inbound only… Read more

Appointment Setting, Insurance, Lead Qualification Process, MarketReach Blog, Prospect List Management Comments Off on Prospect Qualification and Appointment Setting to Land More Meetings
The Benefits of Crafting a Well-Written Prospecting Script

The Benefits of Crafting a Well-Written Prospecting Script

The most daunting part of making a sales call is preparing for the unknown. Will I reach decision-makers?  What kind of questions will the decision–maker ask? Am I prepared with the best responses? Enter the sales script! Think a script is only useful for newbie salespeople? Think again! With the new year comes an opportunity to dust off old material and think of our messaging in a new way. This also allows for an opportunity to showcase new technology, services or offerings you’ve recently added. Taking the time to craft a script that is timely and relevant can mean the difference between a closed deal (great intro, effective probing questions and a convincingly delivered Value Proposition) and a lost opportunity (due to a poor introduction and lack of engagement questions that lead to a summary dismissal). 

Consider these benefits of taking the time to craft a new prospecting script:     (more…)

Appointment Setting, Cold Calling, Telemarketing, Vending, Coffee and Micro-Markets Comments Off on The Benefits of Crafting a Well-Written Prospecting Script
The Benefits of Crafting a Well-Written Prospecting Script

The Benefits of Crafting a Well-Written Prospecting Script

The most daunting part of making a sales call is preparing for the unknown. Will I reach decision-makers?  What kind of questions will the decision–maker ask? Am I prepared with the best responses? Enter the sales script! Think a script is only useful for newbie salespeople? Think again! With the new year comes an opportunity to dust off old material and think of our messaging in a new way. Taking the time to craft a script that is timely and relevant can mean the difference between a closed deal (great intro, effective probing questions and a convincingly delivered Value Proposition) and a lost opportunity (due to a poor introduction and lack of engagement questions that lead to a summary dismissal). Consider these benefits of taking the time to craft a new prospecting script:     (more…)

MarketReach Blog Comments Off on The Benefits of Crafting a Well-Written Prospecting Script

Incorporate Holiday Cheer into an Online Environment

2020 has been a crazy year. With a global pandemic costing us our normalcy and far more, people are in a collective funk. While it is getting cold outside here in the North, businesses can create a warm company culture for employees. The upcoming holidays are the perfect time to incorporate festivities and fun into your company, even in a remote setting. Although the recent news has broke from Pfizer of a promising vaccine, it seems as though many of us will remain remote till further notice, so make the most of it!  (more…)

MarketReach Blog Comments Off on Incorporate Holiday Cheer into an Online Environment
Creative Ideas for Vending During the Holidays

Creative Ideas for Vending During the Holidays

The holidays will be here before we know it! The ongoing pandemic may put a damper on holiday cheer, but keeping the spirit alive is essential. The Vending Industry can help in that department in some unexpected ways. Creativity and innovation will keep us coming together, even while we may be celebrating apart. Here are some jolly suggestions:  

Donations 

Believe it or not, vending machines can make donations to charities simple. While it sounds optimistic, innovators have proved it is possible. The Light The World Campaign proved what one vending machine can accomplish. The Holiday Giving Vending Machine is like any other, except instead of buying a box of crackers, you can buy donations. With locations in London, Manila, New York City, Salt Lake City, and Denver, this machine is spreading glee globally. Within the past three years, it has made countless donations and raised 2.3 million dollars last year.   (more…)

Vending, Coffee and Micro-Markets Comments Off on Creative Ideas for Vending During the Holidays
The Power of Testimonials and Reviews in the Vending Industry

The Power of Testimonials and Reviews in the Vending Industry

It is safe to say that there are no better marketing tools than testimonials and reviews. People want to hear about the good and the bad and, truthfully, anything you see on a company’s website will always come with some bias. For vending and micro-markets, hearing from past customers is good way to decide whether the product or service will be the right fit. There are many benefits – for both your prospects and your company – that come with sharing testimonials and reviews. Some of these benefits include:   (more…)

Marketing, Vending, Coffee and Micro-Markets Comments Off on The Power of Testimonials and Reviews in the Vending Industry
Your Prospect Demographics Have Changed, So Re-Qualify!

Your Prospect Demographics Have Changed, So Re-Qualify!

Your prospect list should always be a living document, but right now, more than ever, it needs a check-up. The companies that are back at work must be re-qualified before prospecting can be performed successfully; this task can be performed by either your salesman or by MarketReach. There are three prime areas that require a re-qualification in the face of changes that COVID-19 brought on, and they are (1) the decision-maker’s name and title, (2) staff size if that is relevant and (3) how to get in contact with the decision-maker if they are working remote.  Salespeople will be frustrated and, may in fact, become demotivated to prospect if their whole world is turned upside down — who they thought their prospects WERE, are NOT targets anymore. A salesperson’s job has become monumentally harder.   (more…)

Lead Qualification Process, MarketReach Blog, Prospect List Management Comments Off on Your Prospect Demographics Have Changed, So Re-Qualify!
Reallocate Your Trade Show Marketing Dollars

Reallocate Your Trade Show Marketing Dollars

If you haven’t reviewed your company’s cost savings as a result of trade show cancelations, look now! Even though your total investment depends on the size of your booth and frequency of events, it’s safe to say you’ve saved thousands of dollars. If trade shows have traditionally been a positive investment for your organization, your sales pipeline might be missing some new prospects. Here are some budgeting tips for the end of 2020 now that we are knee–deep in budget season. 

Are you using this money to grow your pipeline? If so, how? 

The unfortunate cancelation of all in-person trade shows and conferences have none-the-less opened countless opportunities for other marketing tactics to be utilized. Now more than ever, marketing and sales are working hard to ramp up business development. How is your company supporting them? Is your company pursuing B2B phone outreach tactics, email marketing, direct mailers or other lead generation techniques? On the digital side, do you allocate funds to paid advertising, for example Google Ads, LinkedIn Sponsored Ads, or Facebook Ads? What accounts for your biggest marketing costs? From a ROI perspective, if you’ve tracked results, which are most successful?  (more…)

Marketing, MarketReach Blog, Tradeshow Comments Off on Reallocate Your Trade Show Marketing Dollars