Don't let this happen to you!

After months of effort, you have finally identified the right person at your prospect company and have an appointment to make a sales presentation. Finally, the big day comes. You think it went well, but afterward when you follow up, your contact person tells you they are not ready to do scent marketing right now. What went wrong?

1. Your presentation and pitch were too general – Tailor your presentation to each specific company, by industry and target market, using research to back up your claims about what scent marketing can do for them. You can find scores of studies and articles relating to hospitality, retail, health, packaging, and many other industries and application in the SMI Knowledge Base.

2. One or more decision makers are prejudiced against scenting – There will always be “haters” out there who are opposed to ambient scenting because they think that scent is dangerous or unpleasant. When one of these people is a decision maker at your prospect, you need the full force and credibility of the Scent Marketing Institute and our arsenal of facts to overcome these objections.

3. Most of your prospective customers are unfamiliar with the benefits of scent marketing, or even that there is such a thing – Although scent marketing has been around for a while, much of it has been under the radar. This suits many end users of scent marketing  just fine because scent is just as effective when people are not consciously aware of it, but it can cause trouble when you are looking for new customers. When you join the Scent Marketing Institute, we can give you tips, information and tools to educate your prospects.

4. Your prospect is intrigued by the idea of scent marketing, but needs it to fit within their existing marketing implementation and you aren’t sure how to do that – Most companies’ marketing plans are in place when they meet you, so you need to be flexible in your approach and the solution you pitch. What you really need is to be familiar with all of the different technology available, not only in equipment but also in paper, plastic, promotional items, point of purchase displays and even textiles. You can learn about the latest innovations, trends and technology at the ScentWorld Expo happening December 7-9 in Miami Beach, Florida.

5. You have a small company and do not have a budget for marketing, so few prospects know who you are or what you offer – Marketing and public relations set the stage for your sales efforts, so when you contact a prospect for the first time, they say, “Yes, I’ve heard of you.” Unfortunately, marketing and PR efforts are expensive and time consuming and may be difficult for smaller companies. If you are an SMI member, we handle a lot of this for you. We disseminate articles and information to actual and potential  buyers of scent as well as to the media. In our communication, we promote scent marketing in general, but we also give our members some coverage and visibility.

6. Your contact at the prospect liked the idea of scent marketing, but it was shot down by their ad agency – Many companies, especially larger ones, rely on an outside marketing or advertising company to advise them on their branding and marketing efforts. Yet many of these agency people are unaware of the applications and effectiveness of using scent in marketing and branding. The Scent Marketing Institute proactively reaches out to marketing, advertising and branding agencies to educate them on the possibilities. So at the next sales presentation you make, you may be surprised to see that the marketing agency is your biggest cheerleader, thanks to SMI. We also expect a large turnout of these agencies at ScentWorld Expo, so be there, or be left out.

Sales doesn’t have to be hard! Get the Scent Marketing Institute in your corner to support your sales and marketing efforts and you will see the difference in your bottom line. Join today!