Colleges are "Missing the Basket" during March Madness

Some colleges are “missing the basket” this season during March Madness.

With all the upsets during this year’s March Madness, a great opportunity has developed to gain some valuable advertising for their respective school through the use of social media.  This is a perfect example of where a properly managed social media program can impact enrollment.

Last year we had Butler University.  This year we have Creighton, Belmont, and St Mary’s.  While their alumni and friends know where these schools are located, the average fan or more importantly, the average high school junior or senior doesn’t.   The use of a well-run Twitter or Facebook campaign could realize immeasurable returns on enrollment.  At $33k+ for Creighton,  $19k+ for Belmont, and $38k+ for St. Mary’s, successfully recruiting even a few students by taking advantage of the publicity options available by participating in the NCAA Tournament can be invaluable.  After all, who wouldn’t want to go to a college or university whose athletic programs offer the student body the opportunities to participate in big time college athletics? 

If anyone can think of a better time to enhance your school’s reputation and public awareness, I’d love to hear it.  With all the options available today for companies to take advantage of social media outlets, it’s surprising I’m not seeing these schools “trending” on Twitter. 

There are many companies who provide outsourced social media programs for those companies who don’t possess the computer skills or staff to manage it themselves.  The extent to which a company jumps in to social media can also be dictated, for far less overhead cost than it would take to hire a full time staff to manage it.

To find out more information on the available social media options for your business or brand, please contact me @davehanron and I’d be happy to help.

SuperBowl XLVI Ads & Effect on Social Media Sites

It’s that time of year again…..SuperBowl XLVI.

I can’t wait to see how advertising and social media takes off during THE GAME this year.  Whether it’s Wes Welker talking about Tom Brady’s toilet, Gronk’s ankle sprain, Bill Belichick talking about retirement, or just the old fashion TV and radio commercials, all of these things will potentially be leading world-wide “trends” on Twitter and leading the way with “likes” on Facebook.  It will be interesting to follow the effect the ads and discussions have on the various social sites.

Let’s list a few to follow……there are lots so I’ll list a few randomly (Stats as of 2-3-2012 7:00pm est)

Toyota is planning to highlight its newest Camry by showing a plant and some of its workers in Kentucky.  Showing US production of its car may be just the kicker needed to boost its sales.  Toyota’s Facebook page (Toyota) currently has 40,897 likes and their Twitter account (@Toyota) has 74,974 followers.

Pepsi is planning on using Regis Philbin in a convenience store skit, giving a customer a year’s supply of Pepsi.  Should be funny!  Pepsi has 7,338,977 “likes” on Facebook and 632,785 followers on Twitter (@Pepsi).

Here’s a new one for us.  The job opening company, Career Builder is planning on showcasing why you should be looking for a new job.  In these tough economic times, this could be a good fit.  The question will be are chimpanzees the right actors to deliver the message.  We’ll see.  They have 147,601 “likes” on Facebook and 64,773 followers on Twitter.

Then we have Doritos.  Looks like no matter how attractive a woman may be to men, it can only get better when you cover yourself in Doritos!  Wonder how this one will work?  Doritos has 10,416 followers on Twitter (@DoritosUSA) and 2,728,151 “likes” on its USA Facebook page.

There are many more to follow but you get the idea.  It will be interesting to follow up on this after the Superbowl to see which ad campaign actually returns the best results on social media.  Could this type of measurement be the future in calculating the costs of advertsing?

Let me know what you think?  If you have a favorite commercial coming up and know the statistics from Facebook and Twitter, please post in the comments for everyone to read and follow.

Enjoy the game and GO PATS!

Sale vs. Process.....What's More Important?

I had to bring this to my readers’ attention this week. As a seasoned sales professional, I witnessed a disturbing scene this past week.


I was having my car serviced at the dealer and I was walking around on the sales floor looking at the 2012 models when I saw a gentleman walk in to the dealership, immediately go to a car and open the door. Sensing a potential customer, the salesman approached the prospective buyer. The man looking at the car immediately informed the salesman he had decided to purchase the particular vehicle he was sitting in.

Sounds like an easy sale, right? Take the order and move on to the next one. Not in this case. Here’s how it played out…….

The salesman congratulated the customer on his decision and immediately began to discuss features, colors, warranties, financing, test drives, and trade ins, among other things. I was speechless! This sales person just made the most fatal mistake in sales: Talking himself out of a sale. One of the first lessons you need to master to be successful in sales is don’t talk after gaining acceptance on the sale. I’m sure the salesman’s intentions were honorable and he was trying to help, but the customer told him he wanted THAT car! Please just take the order, and send the customer in to the finance manager. This deal is done.

In this case, the buyer explained to the salesman he had done his research through Consumer Reports and other internet sources and this was the car he wanted. He was convinced the price on the floor model was the best in the area and he was sold.

The problem that was illustrated here is that there is so much emphasis put into training employees to “follow the company line” that basic common sense sometimes falls to the curb. There are many times when using the old “Assumptive Close” technique is the perfect solution. Managers and trainers need to be prudent when training new hires in their process so that they don’t brainwasher a sales professional to the point where they either aren’t able to or are afraid of the repercussions of going outside the proverbial “Box” and simply doing what they are there for….Selling the deal!

So next time you’re sitting through (or maybe you are the one giving the training) sales training, try and remember that what you are hearing should only be a guideline on the sales process. Sales is a skill not everyone has, and sometimes it's difficult for those who aren't in sales roles to understand it isn’t always necessary to follow a rigid checklist of steps in the process to succeed. Many times it’s best to trust your instincts and proceed along the process you think will give you the best chance of securing the order.

If you follow this simple advice, at the end of the day, everyone will be happy…..the Customer will be happy with their decision, your company will have a new order, and you’ll have your commissions.

what do you think of the "Sale" vs. The "Process"?  Which one takes precedent?