USAMfgHour Twitter Chat Recap for February 20, 2020
This week, Dan Bigger of CVT Plastics (@CVTPlastics) hosted a #USAMfgHour chat all about sales and relationship building.
After introductions by the participants that included what they do and what industries they primarily sell to, Dan started off the chat by asking what CRM, or customer relationship management systems, they use and what their recommended follow-up time frames are. Act! 365, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Streak were some of the ones mentioned by participants as helping to track their leads. All the participants had different follow-up procedures. Some reach out fairly consistently while others follow predetermined schedules such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly based on whether the lead is “hot” or “cold”. But @AxisNJ’s comment that, “…it is key to keep in touch continuously even if a project is set to move later on,” summed up the topic nicely.
Next, Dan asked participants to name their best lead sources. Word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals from their networks were, by far, the most popular lead generators. Others included inside and outside salespeople, trade shows, social media, email marketing, SEO, website contact forms, targeted direct mail, data-driven lists, and PPC advertising. @NJMEP stressed the importance of generating leads from various sources so as not to put all your eggs in one basket and @GraphicProducts mentioned it often generates leads by sharing product knowledge for free to new connections.
Dan followed that question by asking how participants develop their leads in hopes of turning them into customers. @GetProdio said, “We regularly improve our product based on customers insight, suggestions, ideas. We are for them, not just to make profit. We are in regular touch (chat, mails, phone calls, social media, visits in person). It’s for us more than just B2B, rather H2H (human to human).” Other participants stated calls, emails, in-person visits, and facility tours as ways to gain trust of potential customers when they’re looking to bid a project or buy a product. @Amatrol stated “Really, we want current and potential customers to see they’re getting the most robust service possible in our market,” so its development activities reflect that goal. Dan added that he developed a survey that enables customers to state when they want to be contacted and in what ways and allows the company to collect testimonials, referrals, and gain insights.
Dan closed the chat by asking the participants to share their 2020 sales goals. Not surprisingly, everyone stated their desire to add new clients to the roster this year. Other goals included expanding into new markets, increasing brand awareness, utilizing digital or traditional advertising, continuing existing marketing efforts and maintaining high levels of customer service to existing customers in order to encourage repeat or referral business.
On February 27, 2020, Joanna Johnston of Estes Group (@EstesGroup) will be leading a chat on ERP and manufacturing IT security. Will you be joining us? The #USAMfgHour chat is founded by @DCSCInc @BIllGarlandSpkr @CVTPlastics @witzshared and @SERVICECASTER. Be sure to follow the official account for chat highlights, recaps, and information at @USAMfgHourChat and visit us on other platforms to keep in touch between chats.
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Tags: @DCSCInc @BIllGarlandSpkr @witzshared @SERVICECASTER @AxisNJ @CVTPlastics @NJMEP @GraphicProducts @GetProdio @IndeeLiftInc @Amatrol @dpistulka @specialtaps @socialsmktg @WMPaintingInc_ @EstesGroup @LiftWisco @NesbitMarketing @envmfilter @SpaceGuard @ProTapes @Solution_System