A recent staff meeting turned into an “us” vs. “them” event. Voices were raised, positions were firm and feelings a bit fierce.

It all had to do with reading books, magazines and newspapers, but particularly books on a Kindle, iPad or other tablet-type devices. The battle lines were drawn and defended with the younger staffers on one side and the older set squarely on the other.

One side just couldn’t part with the feel and heft of a “real” book or the personal enjoyment that comes from turning the pages of a newspaper. On the other side, the tablet-type technology was viewed as so much more convenient.

You probably guessed that the young staffers were the technology advocates and the older ones couldn’t part with the printed word. Well, guess again.

It was a great staff meeting. And a lesson in not making assumptions.

Unequivocally, marketing has been in near total disarray for at least the five years, exacerbated, of course, by an unrelenting recession. Trying to find the most effective ways to reach customers and prospects since the coming of age of the Internet a few years ago, one by one the old faithful strategies have been displaced.

The gurus of yesteryear have been superseded by a growing cadre of solution solicitors who are reminiscent of the hordes of website wizards who came bearing answers to questions we had never asked. Because they had all the right jargon (that we didn’t understand at the time), we moved blindly into the new world of the Web. Later, we were able to sort it out and came to see those “experts” for what they were, the dispensers of the latest problem-solving tonic.

If you haven’t become more than a little bored with the 140 word messages about where someone went last night, what they’re doing this weekend or what they had for breakfast this morning, that would be a bit surprising. Having 6,569 “followers” is somewhat useless, if you’re not going anywhere.

Even so, the opportunities to communicate are becoming more exciting by the day, along with the technology for delivering them. But it’s easy to be dazzled by all this and to want to try it all out–just as we did with websites.

What we are experiencing might be akin to what we might call “marketing mayhem,” the relentless–and seemingly never ending–assault of electronic communication techniques.

Even if one wanted to jump on a bandwagon, the chances are that the choice would not take us where we want to go, something we might find out quickly, but too late.

The task of marketing today is a matter of acquitting ourselves proud at a convention cocktail party.

In a word or two, marketing isn’t about how to reach customers; it’s all about how they want to be reached.

John Graham, president of Graham Communications was recently interviewed by Central Valley Business Times on how sales people can turn the tide in their favor by following a few strategies to reinforce current customer relationships and garner the attention of new prospects.

Listen to the full interview: How to turn the sales tide in your favor

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower,” states Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Crisp, clear and on target. Chris Kristian of The Westport Group deserves a round of applause for finding this one. By the way, Chris and his business partner, Gary Terry, are innovators in the executive benefits market.

About four years ago, we recommended that Mosinee Insurance Agency in central Wisconsin use a mini-website for its Comp-Save Solutions program that is a standalone mini-website, but is also linked to the agency’s website.

We use the same strategy for Anton’s Cleaners, a 44-store drycleaning chain, and its major community relations programs, Coats for Kids and Belle of the Ball.

When Invensure Insurance in Irvine, CA developed a winery program, we created the name WineryCare™ and a mini-website. Graham Communications has a special website for those in the insurance industry.

The concept is to demonstrate special expertise for specific customer segments. The same company could have as many as necessary.

According to a recent report in Customer Relationship Management, both Dell and Office Depot are using this website strategy. Office Depot opened officedepotsavesmallbusiness.com with a focus on an important segment for the office supply retailer.

Dell, however, didn’t fare so well with its target audience–women. As many women quickly pointed out, “We are not a niche.” They were right, since they make up more than half of the population. Dell could have easily created several mini-websites for specific niches.

Every salesperson has tried, one way or another, to find the best approach to winning business. Sooner or later, each one seems to fail. Perhaps the most popular selling tactic is “find the pain.” Explore, probe and ask questions until you find the customer’s “pain.” In effect, the successful salesperson is a “pain reliever,” one who captures the sale by making the customer feel better.

While such a strategy may have worked even quite effectively in the past, that was then. And this is today.

The recession has given most every decision maker more than enough pain. Anyone who comes along probing for more pain will not be welcome, particularly when there’s a price tag on it.

Selling “pain relievers” has run its course.

What lights a customer’s fire is pleasure, not pain. Instead of scheduling the patient for surgery (to eliminate pain), a more effective approach is implementing a wellness regimen (that creates health). This is quite different from making prospects squirm and then selling them a possible remedy. Most buyers have had more than their fill of pain.

Much more effective today is “Rewards-based Selling.” The sales task is that of serving as a counselor, one who is committed to helping make sure the business is healthier tomorrow.

To do your job right, you need information, which is why this approach to sales begins with discovery, actually assessing a client’s business operation so you understand it and to uncover issues and identify areas that may need attention.

The objective of “Rewards-Based Selling” is to create the conditions so the client sees value in your recommendations. If your ideas and suggestions resonate with the decision maker, you’ve made the sale.

We call it “Rewards-Based Selling” because salespeople reap the rewards (getting the account) after demonstrating their value, something the competition doesn’t understand and will never figure out.

Here are benefits of “Rewards-Based Selling”–
1. It disarms prospects by changing the process from a sales pitch to a conversation, from “sign here” to “let’s check it out.”

2. It allows salespeople to demonstrate their skills and knowledge, instead of depending on the latest sales gimmick to make the sale.

3. It gives salespeople an opportunity to see the entire business and to get acquainted with key personnel, both of which are critical for making the sale.

4. It demonstrates that the salesperson is interested in the business, not just getting an order.

5. It fosters long-term relationships that are based on the entire business, not just what you are selling at the moment.

6. It creates genuine value for the customer, not just “perceived” value.

Clients want to see performance before rewarding you with their business and that’s what “Reward-Based Selling” delivers.