ForumsAdvertising, Sales and Marketing

Hi dcmarik,

I'd reccommend a couple of things; you mentioned referrals but not if you have a program in place to maximize referrals and one of the best books that I've read on going from cold contact to the sale is "You Can't Learn to Ride a Bike at a Sales Seminar" by Sandler.

Best of Luck

Dear Diva,

Thanks for your insights last year. The new year begins exactly where the old one left off. Another "failure to communicate". I tried advertising on Facebook targeted at individuals profiled as business travelers, corporate travel, etc. Got almost 400,000 impressions, 28 click throughs and zero new clients.

Allow me to role play with you for a minute. Perhaps the answers will reveal some insight as to why our marketing message is not getting through to our potential client base.

Let me ask you this: You say that you travel extensively on business. Have you reviewed our web site yet? http://www.myinhousetravel.com If you have, and if you travel on business, what reason do you have (as a business traveler) for not being interested in contacting us to learn more about our service? Why would you not find the prospect of reducing your business travel costs by up to 40% appealing?
Maybe if I understand why our messge is not resonating with you, I will understand why it is falling flat with others.

thanks,
Don

Derek,

Now we are getting somewhere. I have been aware for some time that this is the problem but as yet have not found a way to correct it. The difficulty lies is breaking through the stereotyped concept of a business travel agent; once you mention business travel the listener (or reader) automatically assumes that they know everything there is to know already and that we must fall into a pre-existing category, most likely a travel agent. At that point their mind is closed to learning or hearing what we really can do for them.

Your experience is typical. Once you read the first three headlines of our web page you assumed you knew what we could offer and that we were no different than American Express Travel for instance. If you read the first three paragraphs with an open mind however, I think that the differences are made clear.

As I have said before, in face to face meetings we have an extremely high close rate. Given five minutes to explain what we do in person (and how radically different it is from say, American Express) we almost invariably sign on a new client. AMEX may offer some nice services (for a nice fee) but low cost fares and hotel/car rates are not among them.

The exceptions to this rule are when their travel agent is somehow related to someone at the company or if one person's job depends upon doing the travel and they don't want to let her or him go.

What I am seeking is probably as simple (and difficult) as a way to convey what we do at the onset of our communication (be it a web site, e mail or telemarketing pitch). How can we hold the reader's interest past the first mention of the "T" word? Once they hear "travel" they shut down their receptors.

Last week we presented our concept to 15 medium size companies at a corporate networking meeting in the midwest. Of the 15 companies eight traveled on business and to date we have signed up five of them already.

Thanks for your input and let me know when you travel again so I can show you how very different we are from other travel companies.

Don

Don,

No, you don't correctly understand me. A headline is part of the solution to engaging visitors and getting them to stay on your site, so are arresting visuals, compelling copy and a professional design. This is about getting the message out as easily and as effectively as possible. Nothing else.

There are more factors that influence your response rate - the use of the internet to conference, phone technology, the economy, competition and people's aversion to switch from one provider to another, and most importantly awareness of your site and your services. The last one is huge. How do I know about your site? Where else are you talking to me at? I'm mainly on advertising industry sites when I leave the forum, so how do you reach me and the other advertising professionals who do still travel? What about when I am offline, how am I exposed to your message?

I think your response rate improves when you find a way to better reach them when they are not on your site. Your site can handle the heavy lifting if you have convinced people to come to the site.

Check your email from your site. Look at the difference I am talking about.