Nearly 40 sales and marketing professionals attended two TMSA Connections events last month in Atlanta and Chicago. These events are intended to give executives an overview of key industry metrics as I report on the 2016 TMSA Sales & Marketing Metrics Study - and ultimately we then go into what we call "speed learning" discussion groups.
The insights, intelligence, and expertise from TMSA members and their marketing peers are amazing - as witnessed during these discussion groups. Here are just a few observations I heard on marketing trends and practices over the course of the last several months in the transportation and logistics industry:
- Participation in industry events continues to be a significant investment in time and resources for both sales and marketing initiatives. However, transportation companies are becoming more strategically focused on niche shows rather than broad supply chain events. If you have a booth, interactive activities and games at the booth are ways to engage attendees - and high-level executives and CEOs are spending more time in the booth meeting with attendees. And ensuring representatives from your company are "thought leaders" or speakers during the conference is a key element in amplifying your presence.
- Inside Sales contributes 43% of sales revenue when deployed, according to the 2016 TMSA Sales & Marketing Metrics Study. But the success of both inside and outside sales initiatives relies heavily on effective CRM strategy and technology - which helps to build structure into the sales process. Providing visibility into relationships, effectively managing the sales pipeline, and strengthening relationships with customers and prospects are tremendous benefits. An effective CRM approach also helps to create linkage and open dialogue between Sales and Marketing.
- Referral marketing and testimonials continue to be solid approaches to generating demand and qualified leads. And strategic alliances with partners (carriers, 3PLs, associations, consultants, academics, etc.) are excellent sources for additional leads.
More next week on What's Hot In Communications from these Connections events.