Biggest Lessons Learned at the Whizard Summit

Even though I organize the Whizard Summit, it’s not a one man show. I share a lot of information, but I also learn a lot from my guest speakers and attendees.

Here are three things I learned about building materials sales at the latest Summit.

1. Printed Materials Aren’t Dead Yet

I’m usually the first one to tell sales and marketing people that print is dead. Even if you like to read an actual newspaper on Sunday morning, it doesn’t mean paper is an effective marketing tool.

Bob Schindler of Lightbox Strategy made a convincing case that I might be wrong about this.

According to Bob, the problem with printed materials isn’t that they’re it’s that they’re being used to wrong way. Printed materials can be effective, but you have to completely rethink how you use them and how they fit your sales process.

2. The Sales Funnel Is the Wrong Model

Everyone in sales knows about the funnel and has a strategy for taking prospects through it.

But what if that’s the wrong way to think about it?

The problem with sales funnels is that they’re focused on a single transaction, like gaining a new customer.

We need a model or metaphor that doesn’t encourage us to make that first sale. We need one that acts as a system for continuing sales.

3. Making Your Customer Successful Is the Key to Their Loyalty

When you make your customers successful, you make yourself indispensable. They won’t want to embark on a new project without having you in their corner.

That’s the kind of loyalty you can’t buy with lower prices.

This is just a small sample of what we learned. Check out my full blog post for the 12 lessons from the latest Summit.

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#sales #buildingmaterials