InTouch With Technology

In Touch With Technology

by Tracy Charuhas

IT'S A wired world out there. Are you already plugged in? If you're not in touch with the latest technological tools, you may see your sales becoming as intangible as the Net itself--in other words, you know its out there, but you can't quite grab onto it.

You may think you've got this whole "technology" thing down ... but think again. For example, you may be using e-mail--but are you using it to its fullest ability? Do you have the right kind of software for what you want your business to do? Have you equipped your salespeople with the tools they need to stay plugged in while on the road?

On the flip side, are you over using technology, perhaps becoming to dependent on it and therefore losing that "personal" touch that got you your clients in the first place?

"There's great technology, but if people become a slave to it and allow technology to interrupt them, then they're not using it right," explains L.R. Silver, founder of Silver Star Promotions in Bradenton, Fla. "Sometimes technology can get in your way and make you less efficient and sometimes it can make you more efficient if you know what to do with it."

Silver co-presented a seminar last year about how to use the latest technological advances to maximize sales time. He provided the audience with his own set of "instruction manuals" for these tools. Here are some examples:

Digital cameras. Digital cameras enable salespeople to e-mail a variety of product samples to clients rather than shipping the actual products. This allows salespeople to show their customers a wider variety of products. Silver says customers will often make faster decisions when photos are e-mailed to them.

Website. A company website can replace the product catalog by allowing customers to find promotional products online. Clients can search through the items and call their salesperson when they see something they want. Having this feature on a website can increase sales volume and bring in more repeat business, Silver says. The products featured on the website should be updated on a regular basis.

Software. The sales staff at Silver Star Promotions uses a software program that allows them to send and receive phone messages via computer throughout the office. Salespeople can retrieve their messages off the computer, eliminating paper messages that are easily lost. The program can also be used to make requests of staff, such as ordering a sample or changing a ship date. Other types of software allow salespeople to enter their own orders into the computer, reducing the chance of errors.

Internet. The Internet has forever changed the way salespeople research products for their customers, Silver says. "It used to take me hours to research for a presentation--going through hundreds of catalogs. (Using the Internet) compresses research time and allows you to find more products."

Headset. Equipping salespeople with telephone headsets is a simple and inexpensive way to allow them to take notes or type orders into the computer while talking on the phone. Headsets also prevent neck aches.

Ready response

In a time when new websites are popping up weekly by the thousands, companies that want to build an effective website need to distinguish themselves from the crowd.

Lenny Charnoff, the founder of netogether.com, says people need to realize the work doesn't end once a website is operational.

"There are a lot of people who believe in the Kevin Costner theory of the Internet--build it and they will come. With all the noise out there, that's just not the case," he says.

Charnoff advises that every website should have an auto responder that instantly replies to e-mails. For instance, a person can send an e-mail to netogether.com directly from its website. The person will receive instantaneous reply whether or not someone is in the office. The reply also lists all of the services Netogether provides.

"One of the most underused promotions is the auto responder," Charnoff says. "I do this on every website."

Some companies use a one-time auto responder while others choose a Slow Poke Auto Responder (SPAR). This responder can be set to send another e-mail in a few days asking if the person needs anything else. This is important, Charnoff believes, because few people make decisions the first time they learn of something new. They need to be reminded.

E-mail is a quick and inexpensive way for companies to send promotions to their existing customers. But before they click the send button, they need to make sure the e-mail is of value to the recipient. Charnoff says people need to think carefully about what they are sending.

"The biggest reason e-mail gets deleted is because there is no intrinsic value for the person. They didn't request it."

E-mail promotions

The best e-mail promotions, Charnoff explains, have all of the important promotion information right at the top of the page. The e-mail should also include the company's website and the auto responder. Using the auto responder helps companies track the effectiveness of the promotion, he adds.

The subject line should be simple and to the point. If you can't say it in five words or less, you should not be saying it, he says. "The reason why e-mail promotions work so well is because they forgive your mistakes. If I send something out and the subject line is wrong or the wording is wrong, what did it really cost me? I didn't pay for printing or mailing."

One of the most important things to remember about e-mail promotions is they should only be sent to people who have asked to receive the information. Companies also need to make it easy for people to unsubscribe.

E-newsletters are another way for companies to stay in touch with customers while providing them with a valuable service. For the last six years, Charnoff has been e-mailing a newsletter containing his weekend Web picks. More than 3,000 recipients signed up for the newsletter on his website. The newsletter is written in plain text so everyone can read it.

Promotional product distributor Bruce Felber, MAS, of Traymore Marketing in Twinsburg, Ohio, started an e-newsletter in December. The newsletter contains articles on a variety of topics written by staff and outside contributors.

"It's just passing along information that we feel can help our clients," Felber says. "Our policy is, if you help the clients, even if it's not something you're directly doing at the time, it comes back to you."

Response to the newsletter has been excellent, and customers say the newsletter has sparked dialogue in the industry.

Whether using a physical product, like a PDA or digital pager, or taking advantage of the latest e-tools like auto responders and e-newsletters, taking advantage of today's technological innovations can help boost your business by keeping you in touch with the people who matter most--your clients and your staff.