It generally takes thirty seconds for the decision maker to get an impression of you, so finding out their need and quickly aligning it with USP’s is one useful way to get them on board. Take a look at this video to find out alternative ways Team Air get the decision maker on board.
Tag: Exeter
Sales and Business Tips – How to Navigate Gate Keepers
We’ve been shortlisted for the BESMA Awards 2018
The British Excellence in Sales Management (BESMA) Awards are an annual event held by the Institute of Sales Management. With the purpose to recognise and reward the most successful companies and individuals in the sales industry.
We’re delighted to be shortlisted amongst some of the industry’s biggest players …
This time last week #TeamAir took to the bright lights of London to present in front of the BESMA panel. We demonstrated the success we’ve achieved over the past 2 years and how this has been made possible due to the hard work, commitment and passion our team continue to exhibit.
We’ve been shortlisted for the four following categories:
Best Telesales Team
Best Sales Employer
Best Rising Star – Marco Alfano-Rogers
Best Key Account Manager – Shaun Weston
We were excited to share the presenting stage with some of the biggest names in the country, companies which include:
Yell, Gamma Telecom, McAfee, PwC, Indeed and SSE Electricity Limited.
Reflecting on our growth …
Writing the BESMA Awards have truly allowed us to reflect on how much we’ve all achieved, not only in the last year but since our inception.
Having started with a modest fund of £25,000 in 2016, we first operated out of a boardroom within someone’s office with a total of 1 employee!
Now recognised as the fastest growing companies in Exeter, in the last 12 months’ #TeamAir have grown from 11 to over 50 employees and continue to acquire an increasing number of clients, and household brand names. We are currently operating out of two offices in Exeter’s city center and are soon to be moving into a new office with 100pax capacity.
We are extremely proud of our own growth and the growth we continue to achieve for our clients’. Our success is measured by the fact our team implements telemarketing campaigns that perform at twice the industry average. This allows our clients to achieve an average return of £18 for every £1 they spend with us.
What’s next …
With a strong team driving us forward we are confident that we will continue to evolve our company and elevate business for our clients.
Our office move comes with exciting new internal structures, new areas of expertise and even more possibilities for our clients.
BESMA’s well-deserved winners will be announced on 26th October 2018. Overwhelmed by the recognition our team has already received, winning the BESMA Awards would give solidarity to our team’s loyalty and hard work. It’s safe to say #TeamAir have every finger crossed.
If you would like to find out more about Air Marketing Group and how we can help you achieve your business goals visit our website: air-marketing.co.uk or call us on: 03332505686
Do you prioritise your customer journey?
How easy do you make it for your customer to purchase from you?
This may sound like a trick question, but it’s not! All businesses exist to attract customers, generate revenue, grow and make profit. Those are the basics to business survival and thriving.
But are you making the customer journey easy and enjoyable? Would you purchase from your company, if you were in your customers shoes?
So, if you are considering your customer journey, where do you start?
Identify gaps and pain points
To develop a successful customer journey map with coherent touchpoints you must first identify the gap between the current journey people would experience, and the journey that the customer would find most beneficial. Understanding how your customers currently feel about their relationship with you and the level of service you’re providing will allow you to identify the pain points in your customer journey.
Key pain points could include:
* Unclear or inconsistent messaging throughout the buying process and touchpoints
* The lack of personalised and relevant content
* The way your sales team approach building relationships and sales with your customers
Involve customer-facing employees in the journey
It’s important to keep in mind that every employee who interacts with your prospects and customers will have a direct impact on your customer journey. For this reason, it’s necessary to collaborate with all employees from all your customer-facing departments when mapping your customer journey and discussing relevant touchpoints. Making employees aware of their impact and giving them the voice to create positive touchpoints will motivate and allow your business to give recognition for outstanding customer service.
Clarify the touchpoints your business should be implementing
When starting your customer journey begin with clarifying touchpoints which everyone in your business can agree upon. Touchpoints include your collateral, brochures, website, social media channels, email nurturing, telemarketing, customer service, appointment setting, customer communications, contact process and telesales. Once your touchpoints
are outlined it’s time to refine the voice you want to convey across every point of customer interaction. This voice should create a coherent, integrated and professional feel throughout your customer journey.
So, is your customer journey good enough?
If you’re struggling to answer this question, then it’s likely that your customer journey could be improved. There are very few companies that have got their customer journey down to a T but giving it the attention and resource it deserves, will see return on that investment.
So how does Air come in?
At Air, we are able to offer outsourced expertise to generate leads, set appointments, and even use our qualified sales team to convert these leads into paying clients. The Air process for partnering with clients opens the conversation around your customer journey and touchpoints. Our aim is to get under the skin of your company so that when we speak to your leads or clients, the experience they receive is aligned to the rest of your customer journey adding to their experience.
Sound interesting? Want to find out more?
Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can help you achieve your goals. Find out more here www.air-marketing.co.uk or call us on 0333 270 6616.
England Captain Keryn Seal announces his retirement from International Blind Football
2 Paralympic Games, 3 World Cups, and 7 European Championships later – Keryn Seal has decided to hang up his boots after a memorable 14-year career representing his country.
After losing his sight in 2002, Keryn discovered Blind Football as a Paralympic Sport in 2005. Within 3 months of attending training camps, Keryn was playing at the European Championships.
Fully integrated in the blind football culture, alongside being England’s Captain for 4 years between 2012 and 2016, Keryn helped Avoy MU Brno, in a player-coach role, to the Central European Blind League title this season. Added to that, he was also part of The West Bromwich Albion blind team that brought home the national league and cup titles this season. Keryn has played in the national blind competitions which are supported by the Football Association for the past 11 seasons. Amassing 7 league titles and 6 national cup winners medals.
Having amassed 4 Silver and 3 Bronze World and European Medals throughout his career, Keryn made history when he became the first Captain to take over the England squad in the professional era. Competing in both the Beijing and London Paralympic Games, Keryn’s finishing his career on 127 international appearances in which he’s represented England and Great Britain.
“Keryn’s influence on English blind football cannot be underestimated, and will last long into the future. Not only was he a passionate and highly-skilled player on the pitch, he also worked hard to find new players and to assist with their development. Keryn played a large role in introducing at least half of the players who have represented England in the last decade, including myself and Dan James.
Keryn has always trained with the same passion he demonstrates on the pitch, and has without doubt driven up the training standards of the England squad as a collective. It is a mark of his professionalism that he feels the time is now right to stop, as he can no longer commit to training with the same volume and intensity as he has in the past. When starting out, Keryn was instrumental in demonstrating the level of commitment required to develop in to a top international player, and led by example both on and off the pitch. Keryn’s 127 caps and excellent injury record are testimony to the work he has put in. While a major international championship has ultimately proven elusive, Keryn should be proud of a collection of silver and bronze medals, as well as the admiration of rival international players” – Robin Williams, Current England Captainn.
Now retiring from International Football, Keryn’s focus is on his family and continuing with his career within Air Marketing Group in Exeter. Having joined Air Marketing in March 2017, Keryn has received continued support from Air allowing him to manage his time supporting both his sports and sales career. An extremely valued member of #TeamAir; much like within his football career Keryn progressed up the ladder quickly. As an Account Manager he continues to prove his track record when growing business for large client accounts – showing strong management skills that nurture and motivate people.
‘’Keryn never fails to impress me, having worked with him since his early days with Air; his commitment, enthusiasm and desire to succeed is admirable. Keryn’s motivation, passion and competitiveness is unique and his ability to motivate and lead a team is exceptional. Not only is he highly skilled at what he does on a daily basis, he has a calm, collective and thorough mentor when it comes to training junior members of the team. With a wicked sense of humour, a hunger to be the best and a naturally gifted skillet, Keryn is an asset to our organisation and it excites me to think where he could be in the next few years’’ – Marco Alfano-Rogers, Account Director, Air Marketing Group.
“Keryn has been a great addition to the Air Team. He is competitive by nature, which makes him a great fit for our sales environment. We’re proud to have a double Paralympian and an England Captain in our ranks” – Owen Richards, Managing Director, Air Marketing Group.
Heading into extra time
With more time on his hands, having previously given talks around sport and business’s relationship with team sport, Keryn hopes to continue being a familiar voice within the community that shaped him. So, if you are looking for someone to inspire, motivate and talk around a wide subject with plenty of experience, give Keryn a shout.
To find out more about Air Marketing Group and the opportunities that are available through working with them, get in touch on 0345 241 3038.
Where does your telemarketing campaign fit into the bigger picture?
We are often contacted by companies who reach out to us because they have (rightly) heard that direct telemarketing delivers very tangible ROI or they see us advertising that our average client receives £18 for every £1 invested.
But often telemarketing is viewed in isolation, companies engage with the pilot campaign to test the water and see how it delivers without taking into account the opportunity that lies in the bigger picture.
We know that telemarketing is an extremely effective channel for many companies, but we also know that combining telemarketing activity with other forms of marketing or looking at the campaign as a longer-term investment such as a 6 month or year long tactic to support other business objectives, can deliver even better results.
The set up of a telemarketing campaign can bring up a lot of questions such as:
- Have you researched your product/service? Do you know how well it will be received by the market? Do you know your competitors? Will it deliver what we say it will?
- How are we supporting this telemarketing campaign? Do we have a branded email that can be sent afterwards? Do you have a website that echoes the message we are giving? Have you created anything such as a brochure or flyers we can share with prospects?
- Have you considered your own sales pitch? Is your sales pitch and our telemarketing pitch aligned? Are we both on brand? Will your sales pitch see conversions?
- Is your data right for use? Do you need to purchase new data? What else can that data be used for?
As a Business Development Partner, it is not our ethos to deliver merely a ‘project’ within constraints that are agreed. Instead, we want to help you look at the bigger picture, understand what the strategy for your telemarketing or marketing in general is, consider all the angles that could be taken to best engage with your target market and really help you generate the right leads for your business.
The visibility and involvement that is available when working with Air, allows you to ensure that telemarketing is firmly set in the bigger picture. Feedback on data allows you to update your CRM systems and instigate actions if needed. Being able to come in and train the team allows you to shape what the tone of voice for your business, the sales techniques and known objections. And being able to monitor calls in live time means you are always on top of what is happening, planning for appointments, understanding objections and client feedback etc.
So, if you’re looking for a partner to work alongside you, guide you and deliver for you, speak to the team here at Air for more information on how we can help improve your business development. Call us on 0345 241 3038 or email us at contact@air-marketing.co.uk.
Roots to Market have launched!
We are delighted to launch Roots to Market, a new sister company to Air Marketing Group.
Air has seen exponential growth in the 2 years since their launch in 2016 and their ever-growing client base were often looking for other marketing services that could be provided to them within the group. Sensing a fantastic opportunity to help their clients with the full marketing and sales demand creation process, Roots to Market was born.
Verity Wootton, joined the Air team in January to head up the launch of this new company. Verity is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and has worked in both agency and in-house marketing teams for recognisable brands. Verity strives on developing commercially savvy marketing strategies and campaigns and seeing the impact that they make on a business.
Roots to Market is a full service marketing partner, giving their clients access to a whole range of marketing services under one roof. Whether clients are looking for assistance and guidance from scratch or require help executing activity against a strategy – Roots to Market can help clients achieve their aims.
The Roots to Market team are focused on delivering scientifically devised marketing carried out creatively. As an outsourced marketing partner, they are able to offer client’s scalable flexibility, the ability to test new ideas, dive into data and really understand what works for customers, and much more.
“We are delighted to see Roots to Market officially launch. A number of our Air clients have already started working with Verity and her team and have been delighted that we are now able to offer these services all within one group. I am extremely excited about being able to offer full marketing and sales demand creation to our clients.” Owen Richards, MD of Air Marketing Group.
To find out more about Roots to Market take a look at our website or get in touch to find out how we could help you on 01392 796702.
Welcoming Roots to Market to the Air Marketing Group
Air Marketing Group are delighted to launch their new sister company, Roots to Market.
Air has seen exponential growth in the 2 years since their launch in 2016 and their ever-growing client base were often looking for other marketing services that could be provided to them within the group. Sensing a fantastic opportunity to help their clients with the full marketing and sales demand creation process, Roots to Market was created.
Verity Wootton, joined the team in January to head up the launch of this new company. Verity is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and has worked in both agency and in-house marketing teams for recognisable brands. Verity strives on developing commercially savvy marketing strategies and campaigns and seeing the impact that they make on a business.
Roots to Market is a full service marketing partner, giving their clients access to a whole range of marketing services under one roof. Whether clients are looking for assistance and guidance from scratch or require help executing activity against a strategy – Roots to Market can help clients achieve their aims.
The Roots to Market team are focused on delivering scientifically devised marketing carried out creatively. As an outsourced marketing partner, they are able to offer client’s scalable flexibility, the ability to test new ideas, dive into data and really understand what works for customers, and much more.
“We are delighted to see Roots to Market officially launch. A number of our Air clients have already started working with Verity and her team and have been delighted that we are now able to offer these services all within one group. I am extremely excited about being able to offer full marketing and sales demand creation to our clients.” Owen Richards, MD of Air Marketing Group.
To find out more about Roots to Market take a look at their website or get in touch to find out how we could help you on 01392 796702.
What makes you think you’re so special?
I’m a great admirer of Jeremy Waite’s Ten Words. If you don’t know what this is, it is a book written by Jeremy that pledges to communicate ‘big ideas’ in ‘small words and short sentences’. We cannot escape it, we hear more and more about how people’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter – meaning we need to be more concise, clear and sharp if we want to grab someone’s attention.
The reason I start with this, is because I often think about this when I am working with clients on their telemarketing strategies.
We know that attention spans on the telephone during a cold call are even shorter than the average. We’ve all been there, you are right in the middle of something, the phone rings and it’s a cold caller wanting to engage with you. Now they could be calling to offer you a service or a product that is exactly what you are looking for, but your attention span is already short because you know it is a cold call and you have been disrupted.
This is why a strategy for me is the most important part of the process. We have to understand what makes you special? What is your real value to a prospect? How does it solve the pain that the prospect will be feeling? How does it go above and beyond what else is available on the market?
There are so many questions that we cover and so many answers that we discuss – but then it is up to me to create that small magic opening that is going to win your prospect’s attention span and allow me to divulge a little more information than when they first picked up the phone.
I think it’s a great exercise for anyone to try, the idea of 10 words to describe your role? Your business? Your personal goals? Your career goals? What makes you special?
Sure, we may not get it right the very first time, but if we have all the information from the strategy and we test the opening, we are going to be able to sense how this is landing with your prospects giving us opportunities to tweak and sharpen the message as we learn and test.
I’m Richard, I open up your target market to generate you leads. What do you do?
Opinion piece by Richard Street, Account Manager, Air Marketing Group
Where to start with direct marketing?
So, let’s start at the beginning, what is direct marketing?
Direct marketing is the opposite of inbound marketing. You may generate inbound interest and enquiries from having a website or publishing an advert, but you are not necessarily in control of who sees this and then enquires. Whereas direct marketing is exactly that – direct.
Direct marketing is aimed at a list of prospects who you wish to engage with and then you actively reach out to them either by phone, email or post. These prospects may be the business you really wish to work with, a focus on a certain industry sector, or a geographical area.
Why use direct marketing?
Direct marketing is a great method to use when targeting a specific prospect base. Allowing you to completely tailor your message and method of contact to what would suit those prospects. In a world with so much ‘noise’ and messages being shown to you every day, it’s proven that tailored relevant messaging is much more successful for converting than blanket messaging.
Direct marketing can also be a great medium to test campaigns to smaller amounts of recipients, allowing you to test and analyse this before rolling them out business wide.
What activity is classed as direct marketing?
As with most sales and marketing techniques, in order to be effective it’s advisable to come at it from a number of angles. Therefore, use a mixture of methods to reach your prospects. Warming your prospects using intelligent targeted email marketing or direct mail can be followed by picking up the phone to talk in more depth, answer questions and guide the prospect through the funnel.
Telemarketing is a very personable method of direct marketing. Not only does this open up the opportunity for you to convey your product/service benefits and measure their reaction, this method also allows the prospect to ask any questions there and then meaning you are adding value whilst giving your sales pitch. The other benefit of this method is the ability to spot when the lead is warm enough to convert – allowing you to complete the sales cycle.
Other methods which work well alongside telemarketing or by themselves include email and direct mail. Email is a very cost effective method of reaching out to your prospects and warming them to your brand and service/products. Direct mail had become unfavourable as it was seen as ‘junk’ coming through the letterbox. However, this wave is now changing and we now receive more emails than letters, so to stand out direct mail is becoming more popular – it’s now a novelty for something to come through the letterbox at work.
We work with business across the UK helping them shape their marketing activity to see return on investment alongside building their sales pipeline and customer base. To find out more contact us on 01392 796702 or email us contact@roots2market.co.uk.
