We've been invited to give a motivational sales presentation at a client’s annual sales meeting, when an important new product is being launched. Cool gig! It's part of an integrated PR, digital publishing and business development campaign we'll be conducting for them over the fall. We know our work will bring the company a 10X return from the media coverage and leads that will be generated, and the sales momentum created by their motivated sales force.  

Here's the plan--you might consider something similar for your next meeting!

First, we'll create a blog for the company posting a base of information including a business case, an online media kit, interviews and multiple blog entries on the company and its products. We'll also optimize the blog to make sure there are great Google rankings. We'll interview the CEO and product manager heading up the product launch, first customers and early customers already using the product and key sales reps who have identified themselves as product champions. We'll also do audio interviews and mount them as podcasts.

Second, at the event itself, we'll do the keynote and officially launch the blog with some fanfare, talking about the great things customers have said about the product, the great team that brought it to market, the digital publishing tools and other marketing techniques the company has invested in to ensure its success. We'll also give a sales training session on how each sales person can use the blog in his or her territory. That presentation should be a lot of fun--"Blog to Build Your Territory".  We'll also be “blogging the event”, interviewing senior managers and sales people, getting their opinion on the product and the market to capture in writing and audio the energy of the event.

Third, to follow up--following up is always the most important point of a meeting--and to get measurable results, we'll run an integrated PR campaign leading up to a big trade show that takes place three months after the sales meeting. A press release will be issued on the product launch itself. A media list has been built. The release and a pitch letter will be sent to attract coverage from the trade and business press. We already have commitments from two trade journals to do a new product announcement and in-depth article. We anticipate three subsequent releases to be issued before the show announcing a new alliance and product sales. The blog will have up to three blog entries per week. A contest on the blog will attract hits and leads.  Most importantly, we'll be working with interested sales people to have them add their own entries onto the blog. They'll be able to send e-mails to their contacts via the blog’s micro-publishing system to advance sales cycles and energize prospects and customers. From our experience, e-mails from blogs get a 40 per cent response as compared to standard marketing e-mails, which get only a few percentage points.

Fourth, at the end we'll sit down with management and measure the results.

Don't miss your opportunity to put these exciting new marketing tools to work for your company! Contact Howard Oliver at 416-638-8582 or holiver@whatifwhatnext.com before your next sales meeting or product launch.