Two hundred dollars of marketing stuff

An e-mail invitation arrived to attend a webinar, snappily entitled "What's Working NOW In B-to-B Marketing To Drive Leads & Sales." It was sent by an American of my acquaintance who modestly describes himself as a sales lead expert and was introduced by one of our clients. The invite was intriguing on two counts. First the concept of a webinar as a revenue generating business model explicit in the discount offered – ‘And, as a way of thanking you for your past support, I've arranged for you to get exclusive "Friends" pricing. Registration is just $59 if you act by the end of the week. And the program is backed up by a money-back guarantee.’ Secondly the concept of putting a dollar value on marketing tools – ‘plus, when you register and attend you'll receive a bonus package of B-to-B marketing tools valued at well over $200.00. Best of all, this package includes - customized to your exact specifications and free of charge - a 500-record prospecting database.’ The idea of marketing tools worth $200 is of itself intriguing – what exactly would $200 buy in terms of marketing time or collateral? What does $200 of marketing stuff look like? How useful is it? I could go on. Becoming a marketing expert in a 90 minute webinar, empowered to drive previously unobtainable shed loads of sales leads suggests a simple secret formula that can be revealed for a mere $£59 investment, an enlightenment, a pivotal moment when the scales fall from the eyes and the path to a successful future lies bright and shiny in front of you. Is it a similar empowerment offered by desk top publishing to make everyone a talented designer, or the ability to produce web sites for a few dollars? Experience suggests otherwise. A clearly thought out marketing plan designed to implement a strategy to deliver business objectives through carefully executed campaigns and a long term view of investing in an integrated marketing programme exemplified by on-going business relationships might prove more sustainable. To find out more, take a look at our approach to marketing consultancy at Technical Marketing .