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Unlike virtually any other marketing tool, cold calling lets companies change courses at almost any time.

In today’s ever-changing business environment, this flexibility is critical.

Companies new to cold calling must watch early results closely.

Testing, assessing, and refining the program from the onset are critical first steps. These actions can result in a long term program that produces a predictable stream of sales opportunities.

Veteran cold callers also must work. Constant attention is needed to keep the program sharp. Here’s a recommendation: continue with the program that works, but apply a portion of your tele-prospecting investment towards testing new approaches that may surpass your existing model. When you find one that is more effective, replace your existing program, but continue to test new approaches.

It’s easy to test and change cold calling campaigns. Unlike print ads, radio spots, billboards, or most other marketing vehicles, cold calling programs make testing and applying those results to the program easy.

Here are some of the items that every program should assess:

1) The offer. Do you want to set a sales appointment? Do you want to invite people to a webinar? Do you simply want to collect email addresses for a campaign? Are you offering a free assessment, or a free trial? Do you need an incentive to enhance your “call to action?”

2) The list. Are the decision makers and the companies on your list the best prospects?

3) Talking points. Do your callers have the conversation points to highlight the key aspects of your program? Is there something compelling that needs to be added? Are the talking points too complicated or long?

4) Your calling team. How well do they represent you? How effective are they in talking to decision makers? Can they ask for the appointment?

5) Your ability to close the leads. This is the part that comes after a cold calling lead is identified. Can you cost effectively convert that lead into a sale? Do you have the people and processes in place? Are you getting qualified leads?

Case Studies

Here are short examples of savvy VSA clients who tested, assessed and refined their programs.

1) A software company implemented a program which successfully produced leads. However, the company was unprepared to convert the leads to sales. Now, this company plans a product-specific website, marketing materials and the right expertise to make sales calls. A second cold calling initiative is scheduled.

2) An online marketing company completed a program that produced poor results. The company has changed its offer to simplify steps prospective companies must take to enroll. A second campaign has been launched.

3) A commercial roofing company implemented a program and generated desired results. Later, the company realized the prospective clients were not a good fit. The company has implemented a second campaign targeting a different prospect list.

If you are planning a cold calling program, please call us to talk about the factors that can make or break your campaign. We’d like to know what marketing tools have worked for you in the past and show you how we can add to that success. We are happy to help.

Companies from many different industries use DVD duplication equipment daily. They can use it for their own marketing promo material or if they are one of the many small duplication shops, they use it to produce duplicated media for their clients.

Most people think of a DVD burner as the drive that sits in your desktop PC. DVD duplication has advanced far beyond the single drive. Today’s industrial grade automated duplicators use robotic arms to pick up and place CDs or DVDs into a rows of burners that will mass produce duplicated discs. Production grade manual duplicators consists of tower configurations with up to 12 drives that require an operator to manually place and remove the discs from the burner trays as they open and close.

Businesses that need to duplicate larger quantities of DVD media prefer to use the automated systems. Automated duplicators will do all the labor by loading and unloading the burner trays and even removing bad discs to a reject spindle. This saves from having to have an employee sit and babysit the system.

Manual Duplicator systems are much more labor intensive. An operator needs be at the systems side at all times so that they can remove and load the media as it is duplicated.

Mediatechnics manufactures the highly popular Fusion automated DVD duplicator. Having been in the duplication industry since 1988, they have been able to incorporate customer feedback into their new systems as technology progressed. Today, they now manufacture DVD duplicators that will also mass produce blu-ray DVDs.

If you are one of the hundreds of businesses looking to gain national exposure for your company, products or services then you are probably facing the difficult decision of finding the right PR firm. What can make this decision difficult is that there are so many different kinds of public relations firms out there. Some are local, some national. Some retainer based, some project based. So how do you know which public relations firm will be the best fit for your business goals ? Here Marsha Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of EMSI, a national and local public relations firm, will share her first 5 tips on how to choose the RIGHT PR firm to get your message the media attention that you desire

1. Find a PR firm that specializes in your industry. “For example,” says Friedman ,” if you have a technical B2B business then you should find a national PR firm that specializes in Business to Business . If the PR firm regularly works with companies that are in your industry, they will be familiar with how to write and pitch your message to the media.” Another great thing is that they will be able to get started immediately . “If you choose a national PR firm who is unaccustomed to your industry, be prepared for them to spend some time researching your industry in order to get a full handle on your topic” adds Friedman . And guess who will be paying for the PR firm’s research time: you! “Most firms charge a costly monthly retainer, so the longer it takes for them to get started the more money that will be coming out of your public relations budget . Just to give you an idea the minimum is around $3,000 per month, the industry average is approximately $5,000 per month and the large PR firms can charge anywhere from $20,000-30,000 per month.”

2. Choose a PR firm that specializes in your medium of choice. If you are ready to hire a PR firm, then chances are that you have given a bit of thought as to what medium you want to use. “By the time you get to the point where you are looking for a PR firm, you should know if you want to use tv, radio or print to gain attention for your company. It is useful to know that not all PR firms work with all types of media,” says Friedman . “A whopping 95% of firms specialize exclusively in newspaper and magazine exposure .” So if you are interested in doing radio or television you need to find a firm that specializes in these mediums. “The best way to find out,” says Friedman, “is to ask the PR firm if their specialty is radio, TV or print !simple as that!”

3. Make sure you request sample campaigns. “Before choosing a public relations firm, request to see some sample promotional campaigns that the firm executed for their clients,” says Friedman. “Here you can find out how much media they have obtained for their clients and what quality the media is.” Make sure to ask what the duration of the campaign was. “For example, if they show you a PR campaign that has one huge newspaper placement (such as USA Today or The New York Times) and the duration of the campaign was 2 years - be cautious . “If it took 2 years to get one major magazine , based on the minimum retainer level, you would have paid a massive $72,000 for that one newspaper hit.” Sample PR campaigns are a great indicator of the effectiveness, especially the cost effectiveness, of a PR firm’s work.

4. Find a pay-for-performance PR firm! The costly monthly retainer can really hit your budget where it hurts , so it is good to know that there are other options out there. Friedman says, “There are a handful of PR firms out there that get paid based on their the media attention the they actually obtain for their clients . My PR firm is one of these and it really works for our clients . The reason is that they only pay for the media exposure that my PR firm actually obtains for them. So instead of paying a monthly fee, they pay for the results that my PR firm obtains for them.” By choosing a per project or pay-for-performance firm you are truly making your PR firm put their money where their mouth is!

5. Speak to the PR firm’s clients. When you are choosing a national PR firm it is very important to ask to speak to some of their clients, past or present. When you get them on the phone, ask the PR firm’s clients what sort of radio, TV and print exposure they received and how long it took for the PR firm to obtain it for them. Friedman adds, “Great questions to ask are; How well did the PR firm’s staff interact with them? Attentive to your needs as a client? How creative were the pitches and press releases? These answers will give you valuable insight as to how the PR firm will handle your campaign.”

There you go ! The first five tips on how to choose the right PR firm for you! Make sure to look out for Part 2 when Marsha Friedman will share her final five tips . If you would like to learn more about gaining national or local media attention for your company, product or service, without the financial burden of monthly retainers, Friedman is available to be of service . Feel free to contact her directly at mfriedman@emsincorporated.com or visit her firm online at http://www.emsincorporated.com. As a PR expert Friedman has the ability to get the media attention that you desire without costly monthly retainers .

Marsha Friedman has been a leading authority on public relations for nearly two decades as CEO of Event Management Services, Inc (EMSI). If you would like to receive her free Ebook “How to Be a Great Talk Radio Guest” visit http://www.emsincorporated.com.

- Marsha Friedman