Using ESP Online to Market Your Business Be Proactive not Reactive We all know that ESP Online is the best research tool in the industry. After all, it has the most accurate, up-to-date product information available. You're probably also well aware of its virtual sample capabilities, online supplier catalogs, supplier ratings, and CenterStage presentations. These tools are incredible ways to respond to customer's requests and win business. Even better, the same tools can also be used to proactively market events, ideas, and your most commonly requested products to both current customers and prospects! Maximize CenterStage and Client Projects... The first step to proactively marketing your business with ESP Online is to make sure you fully understand how to use the CenterStage presentation tool and Client Projects. Specifically, once you know how to copy and paste products between folders, edit presentations, and add email addresses you're 90% of the way done! The tools are very intuitive and you can more-than-likely figure them out just by playing with them. But, if you would prefer a live tutorial with an ASI expert sign up for a free Webinar at www.asicentral.com/elearning. The Event Planner Right on the ESP Online home page is an incredible tool called the Event Planer. This amazing feature allows you to instantly create themed presentations around some of the most common end-buyer event requests. Events include: golf outings, tradeshows, safety programs, education/spirit weeks and more! The presentations for these events are completed with just a simple click and are offered at three different price points to meet the budget of every client. While this is a great way to impress a client with an almost instantaneous response to their request, the key to the event planner is to use it as a proactive marketing tool. For example, add a folder of every local school district in the region to your Client Projects. Next call and find out the names of the people in charge of spirit week events and add their email addresses into the client database. Then in September create a general spirit week presentation, email it, and save it in a school's folder. That same presentation can be edited, saved, and sent to every contact in every district in just SECONDS! Follow-up in a couple of days with a phone call to introduce yourself and review some of your ideas. Take the same concept and apply it to the business world. Find a dozen local companies of a decent size and send a golf outing presentation to the Marketing and sales managers. Know of manufacturing companies in the area? Send them all a safety program! The opportunities are only limited by your efforts and can help create great warm leads. This is a fantastic way for folks that really dislike 'cold calling' to introduce themselves and their expertise to new customers. Rinse and Repeat... The same concept of copying and pasting products and presentations between folders and emailing them to prospects or relevant customers can be duplicated in many ways in ESP Online. For example: Target specific businesses using the idea field In ESP Online's advanced screen you will find a feature called 'ideas'. ASI's 70 person product data team not only ensures that the information in ESP Online is up-to-date, they also group products by themes or ideas. For example, do a search in the idea field for 'real estate.' You'll find lots of great items to use in your CenterStage presentation. Next, target your top performing local realtors (a simple drive through your neighborhood will tell you who they are) with a CenterStage email campaign. Spend just 5 minutes using this field and I guarantee you'll be full of marketing ideas. Target Unions Use the ESP Online advanced search screen to
find made-in-the-USA products, create a 12 product presentation and
send it out to all of the unions in your area. Include a variety of wearables, bumper stickers, and other elements typically
used by union workers. Stress your patriotism in your cover letter and
the fact that all of the products in your presentation are Made in the Create a sales flyer... While you don't want to get into the business of being the 'low cost' provider of promotional products, it never hurts to periodically run a "sale." Creating a sales flyer will make your customers feel that not only do you provide them with excellent service, sound advice, and a great ROI but you are looking out for their bottom line as well. Once a month create a 12 product one page sales flyer that you email to every customer and prospect you have in your database. In the body of your email tell them you have received special pricing on the items in the flyer (indicate what exactly the discount is) and wanted to pass along the savings to them. So what do you include in your flyer? Items that traditionally have a large markup and/or 'hot' items that you would typically bundle with other products at your regular margins to add to the sale. Another suggestion would be to contact one of your favorite suppliers and tell them that you would like to feature their products in the email campaign. In exchange you would like them to offer you EQP or NQP so that you can offer this sale. Let them know you are talking to 2 or 3 of their competitors (you should be) but wanted to give them first refusal to participate. Market Yourself with a CenterStage Presentation Now! The key to all of these programs is to take the short 15 minutes that are needed out of your day to become a proactive marketer instead of a reactive order taker. No excuses, no putting it off until tomorrow. Like Nike says, "Just Do It." |
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