Two Roads to Market - Print+Promo

By Maggie Dewitt

Sales Lead Success Checklist

In today’s economy, it is even more important to be a smart seller. M.H. “Mac” McIntosh, a leading business-to-business sales and marketing consultant, has some sound advice to help distributors get started. Be sure to have answers prepared for the following questions:

• Are you prepared to send requested information immediately?

• Are you prepared to capture all inquiries in a database for ongoing nurturing and qualification efforts?

• Do you have a program in place to “qualify” sales leads before sending them to your staff?

• Do you have a process in place for distributing qualified leads to sales contacts as they are identified?

• Do you have a program in place to nurture or cultivate your not-yet-qualifed leads?

• Do you have a program in place to measure and track the results of your various sales-lead generation, cultivation and sales follow-up programs?

M.H. “Mac” McIntosh is president of Mac McIntosh Incorporated, a sales and marketing consulting firm specializing in helping companies get more high-quality sales leads and turn them into sales. For more information or to request a free subscription to his newsletter, Sales Lead Report, please visit www.sales-lead-experts.com.

It was a classic, unassuming whiteboard with erasable markers that helped Indianapolis-based Integrity Document Solutions blaze new trails. Meanwhile, at InnerWorkings in Chicago, sophisticated software and highly specialized databases forged the way to a unique business model. Representatives from both companies discussed journeying through uncharted territory to find their unique paths to profitability. Think Outside the Industry

To say Carol Schwachenwald is resourceful and solution-oriented is a bit of an understatement. The former home economics teacher is now the president of Integrity, and a nominee for Woman Business Owner of the Year for the Indianapolis chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)—just one of her many accolades. Observing the unique relationships Integrity has within the printing industry, as well as with professionals in related fields, such as television production and marketing, she instinctively set about bringing the experience and talent together to see what could happen.

“Two years ago, we started what I call the Whiteboard Group,” explained Schwachenwald. “We literally used a whiteboard during our meetings to discuss ways we could partner with one another to target key accounts in various industries. The group is made up of accomplished professionals in a variety of industries. One person in the group is an entrepreneur who invents different [products]. We help him take them to market and do the branding and cross-selling. Another person is involved in a warehousing, distribution and fulfillment business that receives a tremendous amount of print into its warehouse,” she continued. “Additionally, there are professionals in marketing, design and radio. We explored ways to procure the print for the clients utilizing that warehouse service, and established an alliance, if you will. Over time, we have developed and nurtured these relationships. Now, we are really striking out and are starting to see some real revenue streams coming in as a result.”

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