channelcentral Blog

Working primarily in the IT Sector has benefits as the technology changes so frequently. However, it is often not very exciting subject matter – compelling yes, exciting not so. I’d noticed that a number of good web sites for Marketing Agencies focused heavily on projects for clients. Back on our case study/customer reference theme.

Servo's New Web Site

channelcentral.net has been doing some work for Servo on incentive but also copywriting. We were also involved in the new web site: defining templates for service descriptions, proof reading and general input. One of the suggestions was to focus on customers on the Home Page: it provides variety and customer proximity.

Check it out: http://www.servo.co.uk.

Why does your Company exist? This came up in a book that I purchased called something like ‘Mavericks at Work – why the most original minds in business win’. One of the businesses under review (design/architecture arena) encouraged its customers and prospects to ask competitors this question.

This is such a brilliant question as the natural response is to say “make money” – not great. Clearly it is easier to answer if you make garden sheds compared to services such as Marketing. Maybe even the garden shed is better answered along the lines of “make people’s outdoor life more pleasurable” or “blend practicality with aesthetic quality”.

How would you answer this question?

I read on the Web that people are becoming “Sales Hardened” so Direct Mails or Telemarketing activities where the Call to Action was to speak to Sales where becoming less effective. It made me wonder what would be a strong Call to Action to replace it….speak to Marketing (who’ll put you through to Sales) or speak to a Consultant/Technical person (would appear to be a stronger one). Events (even Webinars) are a bit hit and miss due to bandwidth out there. Visit this web site or download this….OK but ultimately we do these activities to sell more – and that’s what Sales are there to do.

Interesting as often people get so pre-occupied with the graphics, layout and message that the Call to Action is an after-thought.

I bumped into a former ‘work colleague’ in a customer’s reception – hadn’t seen him for a decade! We had a “what do you do now?” conversation. He was at PlateSpin and I was doing what it is that I do. A couple of months later channelcentral.net was putting the final touches to a channel sales incentive that spanned USA, Canada and Northern Europe.

It was a tidy project for us in that it expanded our capabilities: in development terms as it had hierarchical authorisation but also in financial terms as it was multi-currency. He seemed happy with the service and has volunteered the project for a customer reference (Case Study – see previous Blog entries).

We won that on the back of a chance meeting. Of course you have to put yourself in the position to have chance meetings – not that you should start hanging about in receptions just in case…was it Gary Player that said: ‘people say I’m lucky – the more I practice the luckier I get’ or similar? Not sure how relevant that is but I am always pleased that I can remember a quotation.