of your company in the eyes of the world.
Do not underestimate the power of connections whether it is neglecting their value or overusing it.
Generating sales leads can be easily understood as making connections. You are getting in touch with people within your market, hoping to establish strong relationships that go beyond the sale. And if that is not your goal, you risk periods of dryness and low productivity. There is also the chance that you will suffer poorer and poorer marketing performance because you do not see the power behind connections. You simply sell software, rarely consider feedback, and you have no clue as how to be more of a service.
But on the other hand, people who think they do (and even understand the reasoning) still fail to comprehend that such great power can also be abused. This should not mean that making connections is discouraged. Rather, it should only call you to value them more and use them appropriately. Avoid using them in mistakes like:
- Using connections to defame competitors - As much as it is tempting to criticize competitors, do not depend too much on your market influencers to constantly lay siege on their integrity. Such strategies can damage that influencer's credibility. It also indicates a glaring agenda on your part. Be mature. Be professional.
- Compromising your connections with bad behavior - If you have a feeling that your software company is persisting in something illegal, do not take further risks. Look into it as soon as possible before it could blow up into a PR disaster. When your public image has been compromised, you compromise your prospect's image, and further consequences will compromise their use of your software.
- Substituting connections for substance - Your connections are based on the quality of your products, not the other way around. There is only so much that marketing and market influencers can do to keep you competitive. Start improving on your product. Expand the needs that you can fulfill and they will have something that can attract more potential clients.
- Referring connections when they are irrelevant - For example, you are highlighting the testimonies of satisfied CRM clients but you are targeting CEOs for BI sales leads. Do you really think your previous connections will always matter to every decision maker you meet? That is not always the case so be ready with something else to grab their attention.
- Using connections to tie-down customers - There is a clear difference between a fruitful business relationship and one-sided slavery. When people agree to do business with you, they should not feel like they are making a deal with the devil. Otherwise, expect their advocates to start banging on your door and accusing you of denying basic customer freedom.
Neglecting the opportunities you will get from your connections is bad but abusing them will also not end things well for your business either. The greater influence you wield over your customers, the more responsibility you have towards their ties with you. That comes with many implications for everything from future lead generation strategies to the overall image
Carol Pollack works as a marketing communications program manager. She is inviting you to visit http://www.erpsoftwareleads.com to learn more about lead generation and appointment setting for the software industry.
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