Permission vs Interruption

Most traditional forms of marketing are based on interruption. Traditional marketing such as: magazine and newspaper ads, billboards, TV and radio commercials and for sure, telemarketing, all require consumers to stop what they are doing and pay attention to the message; this is how most marketing has been done for ages, however, it’s effectiveness is dwindling.

Sales Reps today are responsible for a certain amount of their own marketing and personal branding particularly if they intend to engage qualified prospects affordably and consistently. Even if the company provides an inside sales development team to set appointments; follow-up and trust building still fall to the rep and require a well formed personal brand, one that can be found on-line. Why, because most prospects check online to see what is being said about a company and its reps.

This is where permission marketing (opt-in marketing) becomes important. Permission marketing encourages customers to give you permission to send them information and communicate with them on an ongoing basis. Just in case I haven’t made my point, every day, thousands of potential prospects start their search online; by creating an interactive and engaging website, you can capture these prospects and start building your opt-in list; the first step in the permission marketing process. This list will eventually become your most important asset.

Once you have permission, you can qualify this customer and send targeted messages via technology designed to improve your effectiveness. With frequency, customers will become familiar with you, and you begin to build trusting relationships; over time, trust turns website visitors into prospects and prospects into customers.