If there is one thing that sets OnTarget apart from our competitors, it is our ability to reach and communicate with the executive level.

Executive level telemarketing, or C-level telemarketing as some people may call it, is not easy, but can be very effective.

Many people are reluctant to call on the higher level executives in an organization.  They fear their directness, and may be intimidated by them.

OnTarget prides itself on our ability to reach these executives — CEO, CFO, CIO, President, Division Manager, etc.  They are the true strategic drivers in the business, and because OnTarget typically supports the sales and marketing efforts of solutions providers, these are the decision-makers and buyers of our clients products and services.

So, if you are in the market for executive or c-level telemarketing, you have found the right resource — OnTarget Partners.

Ed Trachier, CEO

Researching prospective clients can have many names.  Some companies call it “account research”.  Some companies call it “account mapping”.  Even others call it “account discovery”.

Whatever it is called, I call it IMPORTANT!

Knowing who you are targeting at a contact level is as important as which companies you are targeting.  The decision-makers, influencers and champions of your solution(s) need to be known in order to develop and express the most powerful value proposition possible. 

Connections that exist, trigger events that have happened, and historical decisioning may all be available with a little research.

So, you have to have the time for these processes in order to maximize success.  If you don’t have this time, call OnTarget.  We can help.

-Ed Trachier

Ed Trachier is Founder and CEO of OnTarget Partners.  He can be reached at 214-618-4960, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com.

Ed Trachier, CEO

When it comes to new business prospecting, one important qualifier stands out above all others.

I discuss the primary qualifiers of a prospect with my clients frequently.  They are:

• Need
• Budget
• Time-Frame
• Decision-Making Authority

What may seem somewhat counter-intuitive, is that the decision-maker is always the most important qualification criteria. 

Sometimes, we as salespeople overlook the fact that there is a reason a VITO (Very Important Top Officer) is taking the time to meet with us.  We may not have all the facts.  We may not know the true intent of the decision-makers action of accepting our offer to meet.

One thing is clear, though — Take the meeting!

If you are sitting across from, or on the phone with, the decision-maker, you always have a great opportunity to close business.  Good Luck!

-Ed Trachier

Ed Trachier is Founder and CEO of OnTarget Partners.  He can be reached at 469-200-4901, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com.

Ed Trachier, CEO

It is legitamitely hard to create demand in the big-ticket, solution sales world of B2B.

I counsel my clients frequently not to cast a wide net with loose value propositions and generic advertisements.  The “buy now or you may lose out” selling style simply does not work in the markets in which OnTarget operates.  No one buys large solutions on impulse; there is a lot of complex, analytical thought and plenty of budget considerations too.

This is what I call the demand discovery vs demand creation paradox.

OnTarget is in the business of demand discovery, not demand creation.

We look for qualified buyers for our client’s solutions.  We grade these buyers based on several important characteristics:

• They have a real business problem that is solved by the client’s solution(s)
• They are willing to take the time to explore the client’s solution(s)
• They have a discussed budget
• They have a defined time-frame
• They have knowledge of the decision-making process, and share that with us

When all of these characteristics line up, we have discovered demand for our client.

Discovering demand for our clients may be difficult to accomplish, but it is not near as difficult as creating the demand.

-Ed Trachier

Ed Trachier is Founder and CEO of OnTarget Partners, LLC.  He can be reached at 469-200-4901, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com.

Ed Trachier, CEO

What do marketer’s need in this troubled economic time?

How can OnTarget continue to perform well in a struggling environment?

The answer to these questions is the same, and the reason we are in business.

OnTarget, without the space, is all about putting you, the marketer, On Target.

Finding the right prospect, at the right company, in the right vertical or geographic marketplace, is tough.  Qualifying that prospect for need, budget and time-frame for buy is even more difficult.

OnTarget’s responsibility to our clients is to put them On Target.  We use demand generation services and lead generation activities to help your sales team qualify prospects better.  Our successes come when we put you on the right prospect at the right time and you CLOSE BUSINESS.

Find out more by requesting a free consultation here.

-Ed Trachier

Ed is Founder and CEO of OnTarget Partners.  He can be reached at 214-618-4960, or via email at trachier@ontargetpartners.com.

I read a lot of blogs these days, especially those pertaining to B2B Marketing.  Jeffrey L. Cohen, the managing editor of SocialMediaB2B.com, is one of my personal favorites.  His writing is clear-cut, to-the-point, and easy to understand.  He also puts lists together – and I truly adore lists.

I recently came across a blog he posted on December 13, 2010, called “11 Predictions for B2B Social Media in 2011.”  We are quickly closing in on the final quarter of 2011 so I thought it might be interesting to see how his predictions are holding up.  Granted, there are still 3 months left — but it will be 2012 before we know it.  By then there will be new predictions, I’m sure.

Just to let you know — I am neither an expert nor a guru.  I have worked in the world of B2B since the early 90’s and I consider myself to be a social media student – and I am currently very enamored with blogs, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  In the meantime, here are Jeffrey’s 2011 predictions: (http://socialmediab2b.com/2010/12/b2b-social-media-predictions-2011/), along with my commentary (not necessarily the opinions of OnTarget Partners or any other B2B company):

1. Mobile, Mobile, Mobile

“With 4.6 billion cell phones in use around the world, this prediction is not too hard to make.”

• Think about QR (Quick Response) codes – they seem to have gone viral this year.  You can find them all over the place – from shampoo bottles to airline boarding passes.  And Smart Phone applications?  There seems to be one for anything imaginable.   Yes, there’s an app for that.

2. Open APIs Support Information Portability

“Information will become more portable and the importance of open APIs will become clear to many B2B companies.”

• 2011 has shown increased usage of websites with Open APIs like HootSuite and TweetDeck by companies offering B2B solutions.  These sites combine major social networks (Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, for example) into a single, uniform interface, making it easier to track and respond to posts from their clients.  The website sharing is seamless and easy to use.

3. Collect, Analyze and Visualize Data

“Once APIs are in place (see above), companies will start doing a better job collecting and analyzing data from their social platforms.”

• HootSuite and TweetDeck also make it extremely easy to pull data and analytics so you can instantly see who is engaging and how often.  This should be more appealing to B2B social media managers who may have only limited knowledge of APIs and the technology behind them.

4. Share Compelling Stories

“2011 will see storytelling come into its own. As more companies adopt social media as a way to connect with customers, they will begin developing compelling stories to share that message.”

• There are still far fewer social media success stories in the B2B realm than B2C.  That being said, there has been more focus on social media by B2B companies so the success stories have been more prevalent in 2011 than in previous years.  I expect this trend will continue due to the diligence and persistence of B2B bloggers.

5. Continued Growth of Social Search

“The importance of search engines, primarily Google and Bing, is already huge for B2B decision makers, and it’s hard to imagine the expansion of that, but in 2011 search and social will come closer together.”

• Slowly but surely this is becoming reality.  Once again, B2B bloggers are making this happen with their use of pertinent long-tail keywords and an increased mastery of the content.

6. Expanded Forums of Social Communications

“While the big three platforms of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn will continue to reign supreme for most B2B companies, niche industry sites and forums will become more important this year.”

• Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn still continue to reign supreme in 2011.

7. The Year of Conversions

“If 2010 was the year of social media interest and adoption for many B2B companies, 2011 will be the year that companies refine their approach to social media, provide clear calls to action on their messaging and drive leads and sales as a measure of success.”

• We may see this more in 2012 since B2B companies are still warming up to social media in 2011.

8. Customer Service is More Social Than Marketing

“More than even, customer service reps are the front lines of a company and they need to be socially savvy. Reps will understand that every response can be broadcast to a wider audience.”

• Absolutely this has become increasingly important.  B2B clients have Twitter and Facebook accounts, both personal and otherwise – and they are not afraid to use them.  As the focus on measuring client engagement has increased in the B2B world, so has the focus on communicating with their clients via social media.  And understanding that once a post is made – positive or negative – it’s really out there for the world to see.

9. Daily Deals and Group Buying Change Pricing Models

“While 2010 saw the beginnings of daily deals and group buying benefits in the B2B space, the changes this will cause in 2011 are deeper than many realize.”

• Although even more of these sites have appeared in 2011 – and Groupon has even flirted with an IPO – I haven’t seen that this increase has applied at all to B2B.

10. Social Media will be More Accepted in the Enterprise

“Large enterprise companies represent the biggest dichotomy in social media. Many tech companies are leading the way with social media initiatives and have really incorporated it into many aspects of the business.”

• This has certainly been the case so far in 2011 and does not appear to be falling off.

11. Companies with Limited Results Pull Back from Social Media

“And finally, since it can’t all be positive, there will be B2B companies that prematurely discontinue social media efforts because they are not realizing enough value from them.”

• Unfortunately this may be true.  Luckily, most companies are realizing that results aren’t instant – just like the B2B companies themselves, their social media will require time, patience, and understanding.

So what trends do you see continuing into the final quarter of 2011 and into 2012?

OnTarget Partners invites you to share your predictions with us; comment below if you would like.

We also invite you to visit us on the web at www.ontargetpartners.com, Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ontargetpartners, and Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ontargetpartner.

-Jennifer Hanford

Jennifer is Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget Partners.  She can be reached at jhanford@ontargetpartners.com

You can find pros everywhere – in sports, at the gym, in the arts, and even in your office.  Sales and marketing pros are those who have achieved success in the industry by creating sales opportunities and ultimately closing their deals.  One way they do this is by mastering the art of the “cold call.”  Such calls are at the core of the universe for those of us in sales and marketing.  Like it or not, we are daily faced with making them.  Instead of feeling fear (which is often transmitted to the prospect on the other end of the phone), we should dive in with the confidence these calls deserve.  Many of the opportunity developers in our office are athletes, sports fans, and weekend warriors.  These are some of their suggestions to convert cold calls into “wins” every time:

Mental Preparation – The Warm-up

• Make “failure is NOT an option” your mantra.
• Keep the end in mind as your goal.  The call is only a step in the right direction towards a nice commission check, a huge bonus, or a fancy dinner with your spouse.
• Be prepared to get a YES!  All successful sales cold callers have a positive expectancy of their efforts.

Practice, Drill & Rehearse – Get Your Game On

• Role-play the conversations and common objections with your boss and/or co-workers prior to the campaign.  That way you are ready when you get your prospect on the phone.
• Have your introduction (value statement) prepared and rehearsed in advance so you can avoid those “ah’s,” “um’s,” stops and pauses.

Game Time – Put Your Game Face On

• Dial with confidence. If you are timid or unsure this will likely be communicated to the caller through your voice.
• Introduce yourself to the prospect politely and confidently.  Request his or her permission for 30 to 50 seconds of their time.  You don’t have much time to make a 1^st impression.
• Speak clearly and distinctly.  Try to match your tone to that of the prospect on the other line.
• Remember to LISTEN. We have heard some pros on the phone that interrupt a prospect while he or she is speaking. It is said you can’t learn much while you are talking.  2 ears, 1 mouth.

Embrace the “No” – The Cool-Down

• Don’t let the “No’s” get you down.  Keep in mind that “No’s” are necessary, too.  If everyone said “yes”, there wouldn’t be much use for “salesmen/saleswomen.”  Also, the commissions would hardly be motivating.
• Every “No” leads you that much closer to a “Yes” in the funneling process.  When you hear a “no” rejoice and say NEXT!  A “YES” is coming.

We hope these tips will be helpful for you as well.  OnTarget Partners’ team of seasoned sales pros and veterans successfully run outsourced marketing campaigns for our clients on a daily basis.  Give us a call if you would like to find out more.

-Jennifer

Jennifer Hanford is Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget Partners.

I have been fascinated by business news for many years, even before it became a part of my day-to-day job.  For example, I would always tune in (and still do) upon hearing things such as the following:  ABC Company is planning to buy XYZ Company, for an “undisclosed amount”; Massive layoffs are taking place at 123 Company;  BIG Company is filing for Chapter 11;  SMALL Company is filing an IPO.  To me it’s what makes business…well, business!

A few weeks ago, I had a few ideas of my own for company mergers that will probably never happen — even though it might be fun to see the results.  Here are 5 ideas,some received from members of the LinkedIn Group OnTarget Partners Community:

1)     The WWE (Leaders in wrestling TV shows) and CEC Entertainment (Owner of restaurants that are safe & wholesome, except for a large rodent):  Of course it won’t happen, but just think of all the action we’d finally see at the restaurants.  And the chance to punch the large rodent.

2)     Zales (Diamond jewelry in all shapes & sizes) and Hasbro Toys (Several brands of toys & games, also in all shapes & sizes).  Just imagine the gifts your baby can receive for its birthday – diamond-studded action figures perhaps?

3)     The Container Store (Provides products for storage & organization) and Whole Foods Markets (Provides healthy, natural, organic foods):  Your groceries would be much easier to carry and store in the fridge!

4)     Jenny Craig (Products & programs for weight loss) and Yum! Brands (Operates & licenses some well-known (and loved) fast food restaurants):  The foods would certainly taste a lot different, but the end results may not be what the consumer is seeking.

5)     PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.  A group of proponents for animal rights) and the NRA (The National Rifle Association.  A group of proponents for the protection of Second Amendment rights).  I won’t even go there.

I agree that these mergers will not be in the headlines.  Not even close.  Luckily there are dozens of valid trigger events occurring all over the world every day.  At OnTarget Partners we’re keeping an eye on these daily activities with our proprietary system of Trigger Event Monitoring.  We’ll help your company by keeping track of the trigger events that matter most to your industry and your solutions offerings.  From personnel changes to M&A’s – if it’s a sales trigger event that is important to you, we’re going to be keeping up with it, too.

Check out our page at trigger event monitoring to learn more about how this can work for you!

-Jennifer Hanford is a Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget Partners.

“What do you do?”…I work for a marketing firm…“Oh so like advertising right?” No, that is not right; but it is a common misconception and conversation I have come across.

Advertising does not exist without marketing. Marketing can exist without advertising, as a human being can exist sans an index finger. Advertising is an important component of Marketing, but Marketing is much more complex and, I believe, critical to today’s business.

When Darren Stevens worked for McMahon & Tate, he was an advertising man. He came up with slogans, drawings, storyboards and wooed the Presidents of the show’s fictitious companies with bewitched dinners and small talk. In a half –hour’s time, multi-million dollar accounts were signed, sealed and delivered. Wouldn’t it be fun if that were all there was to success in business? One catchy slogan or mascot and hocus pocus- your company was launched into unfathomable success. No confidence building, relationship nurturing or proving value required.

We know this is a fantasy show, the simplicity portrayed done so to tie a mortal, semi conservative theme to a then controversial concept via a relatively short lived television series. Marketing can encompass these concepts in actuality, but what are the true key differences between the two ideas?   In simplicity; Advertising is the announcement and Marketing is the strategic placement of that announcement; the choosing of whom that announcement should be announced to and the manipulation of that announcement while recording and measuring that announcement’s success.

Marketing takes it a little further than even that; it also covers the matching of business activities and contacts to ensure maximization of message and revenue. Analytics, contact information, sales, demographics, and the compilation of business plans to affect an efficient use of the advertising or sale of the product or service. OnTarget Partners is a full service Marketing Firm. Check our website out at www.OnTargetPartners.com to see what services we cover for your marketing needs.

-Debra Bertolino-Waring is a Social Media Coordinator for OnTarget Partners.