INDUSTRIAL MARKETING

The key to industrial marketing is understanding that you are selling a very complex product. Industrial products are complicated and require a lot of technical knowledge to sell – but as technical marketers, it’s our job to take the complicated, the complex and jargon heavy industry terms and make them easier to understand and communicate.

All technical salespeople must learn all technical aspects of the product to be able to sell it – however marketing people need to not only understand the technical but be able to translate it for less technical people who are potential customers.

Industrial business relationships succeed when all parties are equal.

HOW IMPORTANT IS BRAND FOR INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES?

Traditionally industrial based companies didn’t see marketing as a great benefit to them. Sure, trade shows, Yellow Pages and the company calendar to clients may have been important, but these companies placed more importance on having the most technological advanced solution rather than building their marketing.

That’s not to say that branding wasn’t always important for all companies, sure they had a company name and a logo, but many industrial companies seemed to grow and flourish without any real attention being paid to branding.

Branding will give you a competitive edge, create trust and emotional attachment and makes purchasing decisions easier. A strong brand can command a premium price, and most importantly a strong brand can make the actual product features or benefits of what you are selling insignificant.

The value of the brand is not in the features of the product but in the delivery of the benefits.

The huge growth of digital marketing means that any business can affordably reach even the smallest target and most niche market online, so suddenly your brand matters a great deal more than ever before.

Every business must think in terms of branding that reflects who they are as a company. Every aspect of your company communications, your newsletter, your website, social media and all online and offline marketing tactics – must communicate a strong and consistent brand.

OUR WORK

THE LONG SALES CYCLE OF INDUSTRIAL MARKETING

The Industrial sales cycle is much different to B2C. The sales cycle for B2C in a typical retail environment is short – people come into your store or your website wanting to buy for their own personal use.

However, in industrial businesses, you are still selling to a person – but they are buying on behalf of their company. This typically sees the length of the sales cycle stretch to weeks and sometimes months and even longer. But how do you ensure that when the prospect is finally ready to commit, you are at the top of their purchasing list?

Industrial marketing is all about building relationships. The person buying for their company has their job at stake every time they make a major purchase, so it’s your job to make them look good to their bosses.

Building a solid working relationship and rapport is one of the most important aspects of long-term customer relationships. You need to get to know your prospect and invest time in the relationship – don't just sell them products or services - sell them solutions to their problems.

CHASING GOVERNMENT TENDERS

The NSW Government alone spends at least $15 billion on procuring goods and services annually. Are you a company who can provide to the government but not sure how to develop winning tenders?

Industrial markets over the last few years have seen a move towards tendering out their business.

This is daunting because the natural reaction for most businesses is to drop the price of the product or service to win the tender. The nature of tenders is to remove any form of differentiation between suppliers, so the only distinguishable feature is the price. While the temptation is strong to drop the price, there is another way.

The tender process is not just about the numbers, the tender process is about differentiating your business from your competitors. It is the opportunity to highlight the similarities between your business and your potential client to re-assure them of the relationship and service being offered.

Experience has shown that a well-presented tender the clearly communicates outcomes and differentiates that intangibles of the product or service are far more successful than price cutting options.

Your tender must show how your solution will help the client, will service their needs and most importantly put them at the centre of the solution, not your technology or expertise. Use your tender to show how your solution will solve their problem - not just how great your solution is.

Focusing on the outcomes of the customer enables you to provide a tender that focuses on the benefits, not on the features or price.

Success in the tendering process comes from understanding the tendering process, careful preparation and differentiating yourself.

Set yourself apart and ahead of the pack and speak to the specialist business marketers at Icon Visual Marketing about creating specialised and unique multimedia presentations and documentations that have a proven track record.

INDUSTRIAL MARKETING

HOW IMPORTANT IS BRAND FOR INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES?

OUR WORK

THE LONG SALES CYCLE OF INDUSTRIAL MARKETING

CHASING GOVERNMENT TENDERS

LET'S GET STARTED