As printers and manufacturers struggle to replace lost profitability in an increasingly competitive economy, they discover that classic sales strategies like cold calling and direct prospecting are no longer effective at generating leads--or converting leads into sales.

But a company specializing in interactive sales technology believes it has the answer:  MMI Automated Marketing Solutions, the first cost-effective, fully- automated, two-way "drip" communications program that "recognizes" and scores prospect behavior, nurtures the customer relationship, and distributes each lead to the appropriate sales professional.  

"Most B2B marketing does not address the process needed to identify the right prospects, and inspire a response in today's pressured business world," says Steven Amiel of Marketing Mentors, Inc. (MMI)  the company that developed the system. "Our solution gets the right message to the right prospect at the right time-in exactly the right way to nurture a lead into a sale."

What makes MMI's solutions so unique is the intelligence of the automated drip technology. Once it recognizes a likely prospect, it automatically contours content to engage the prospect's attention-for instance, white papers and industry news bulletins relevant to his or her industry. In doing so, our automated marketing solutions keeps prospects "emotionally subscribed", while building credibility as an expert in the prospect's industry-a vital advantage in today's commoditized market.

When a prospect interacts and reaches a base threshold, the system automatically alerts the right stakeholder through our Sales Campaign Portal.  This dashboard puts the sales rep in the drivers seat with talking points, response templates and calendar alerts programmed to support the sales rep through the sales cycle.

For all its operational complexity, MMI's Automated Marketing Solution is an easy-to-use use, complete system affordable enough for even small companies.

One print company taking advantage of automated technology and a stronger buyer-centric focus is Watt Printers, one of Cleveland, Ohio's oldest and most valued printing firms. "MMI has not only helped upgrade our sales staff's understanding of our total position in the marketplace, it has also helped our clients understand what's available through us to help them market themselves and grow their business," says Jim Ponstingle, list director at Watt Printers.

"We're giving printers and manufacturers of all sizes access to the same best-practice sales techniques that big companies have," says MMI Managing Partner Mike Ciaramella, a former VP of Sales at Kodak's Graphics Communications Group. "Now a company with a small sales team can have a bigger presence in the market."

MMI Automated Marketing Solutions comes in two versions:

- The Sales Optimization Service, programmed to identify, nurture new prospects.

- The Virtual Account Manager, programmed to extend a company's customer experience into accounts that represent an important revenue stream, but may not justify onsite direct sales interaction on a regular basis.