The Little Things - Basic B2B Marketing

Everyone knows about the usual ways of finding B2B customers --  local advertising and industry promotion.  You run a Yellow Pages ad or two, join the Chamber of Commerce and other business associations and try to get some press in the area newspapers.  You join your state trade association, run an ad in the industry magazine, buy a mailing list and start your sales team on opening those doors.  These are all proven methods and, if well executed, very successful in bringing in new business.  But what about the little things that help you find your next customer?

Start With Knowledge:  Know Your Existing Customers

The key ingredient to positioning your company's products and services is to know why (and how) your customers use them.  Ask your clients how well your company serviced them and what problems you were able to solve.   Find out what makes you different from your competition - from your customers' viewpoint.  Then summarize this information into your promotional material, your advertising messages and your sales calls.

Be Prepared To Network, They Are Everywhere!

Depending on the service you offer, prospective customers are all around you - especially small business customers.  If you are traveling, the person standing in line, or waiting for the train or sitting next to you on the plane, are all possible customers…or know someone who is.  All of us know someone who found his company's next customer at a high school sports event, at the  health club, or some civic or religious meeting.

So how do you prepare yourself for meeting all these casual prospects?  Two simple ways:  have a good command of your company's products and customers and arm yourself with a business card - ALWAYS!  TIP: Remember to take a relaxed approach to these conversations.  After all, you are not there for business, you are all watching the soccer game!

Listen Up, Marketing Is Not Selling

When engaged in conversation with prospects, take the time to listen to peoples' responses, not to prepare the next phase of your sales pitch.  The first step to solving their problem is to know what it is.  You will find out what is really important to them.  Then you can establish a dialogue about doing business together.

Expose Yourself (To The Market)

Get your company's name out in the marketplace every chance you can.  Schedule regular meetings with clients, go on sales calls, attend industry conferences and conventions.  You need to stay in touch with what is happening in your market and you need your market to know that you are thriving.  Also consider speaking at local or industry functions or even colleges or universities as a guest lecturer.  Finally, consider writing articles for your favorite small business (we have some suggestions) or industry web site.  You can be sure that the editors will be interested in your input.  TIP: If you are speaking at an event, don't forget to invite your current customers or your regional newspaper or trade newsletter representatives.  It is all about positive exposure.

Your Newsletter

Don't forget to reach out to your prospective and current customers with a monthly newsletter.  Email makes it simple and inexpensive to keep your name, knowledge and new products in front of your customer base.  You can literally reach tens of thousands of customers or prospects for hundreds of dollars per month.  TIP:  Include at least one article about an experience you have shared with a customer.  Sometimes case studies and real life examples strike a deeper chord than any other message you can send.

Do all the usual - right - things when it comes to B2B marketing.  Then add the little things that will help you stand out from the crowd.