Is there a disconnect between manufacturing and marketing, and if so, what can bridge this gap?
For manufacturers, sometimes marketers might as well be on a different planet. They may see marketers as unrealistically focused on unaffordable or unreachable goals, while they are concerned with operational costs and the bottom line.
For their part, marketers may find manufacturers too obsessed with the nuts and bolts of their business and unwilling to stretch their horizons.
Different Measures of Success
“One key difference between the two is how each measures success,” observes Paula Bates, Managing Director of Toucan Telemarketing. “For the manufacturer, it might be more about output and running a smooth operation while keeping costs low. For the marketer, success is expressed through sales growth.”
It can therefore become a cost versus sales divergence of opinions.
“Marketers feel the impetus to bring about change, but manufacturers may favour a more cautious approach. This contrast can be made more acute by certain cultural differences”
Contemporary digital marketing methods can seem far removed from the factory floor and the warehouse.
“While many manufacturers embrace technological change in their operations, they remain sceptical about digital communications and how this kind of marketing activity will relate to what they produce,” Paula suggests.
Telemarketing Solutions
“While the pace of technological change has accelerated, the goal is still the same: to nurture loyal and lasting customer relationships,” suggests Paula.
It is a classic marketing adage that you sell the benefits, not the features. A human interface can do this succinctly and successfully.
“There is a misconception that telemarketing is only for the services sector, when in fact it has clear benefits for manufacturers”
“Customers increasingly demand a better and more personalised service that feels relevant to them,” Paula points out, “and this extends to B2B marketing.”
“Elements of digital marketing are embracing this,” says Paula, “particularly when it comes to content, but many manufacturers remain sceptical. They struggle with social media in particular.”
“B2B telemarketing offers a solution for manufacturers here because it feels more real, while providing an excellent means to make personal contact to communicate key benefits of products to prospects,” says Paula.
Telemarketing allows agents to:
- Qualify your leads with real telephone conversations
- Develop dialogues that provide greater insight
- Gain a greater understanding about individual prospects and how to meet their expectations
“For the marketing-sceptical manufacturer, this insight offers real, demonstrable value,” concludes Paula. “It can feel more grounded, and provide tangible results.”
To discover how outsourced telemarketing enables your business to communicate its key product or service benefits to prospects, please call Toucan Telemarketing on 01260 294444 or visit toucantelemarketing.co.uk.
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