In the first Marketing Makeover column, we began to share ideas, strategies and samples from success stories around the country that provided thought-provoking questions and exercises management teams could use to breathe new life into their sales and marketing programs. We’ll continue this interactive approach as we move into evaluating the sales process. The first step for any marketing program is determining need and following through. What does that mean? It means, do you need leads? And if you get them, what are you going to do with them? That may seem strange, since it should be obvious that all businesses need sales leads. But an example from a roofing contractor in California who thought all would be fixed if he could just get leads proves it doesn’t always work that way.
Joe’s residential roofing business had been stagnant. Although Joe had great relationships in his community and within the roofing industry, the business wasn’t growing. He met with a number of friends and industry experts, and, following their advice, he sat with his leadership team to evaluate his overall sales and marketing process.