Marketing Articles About Buyers Search Results

1. Sony Announces PlayStation Move, Its Wii-Baiting Motion Controller.

   

   Sony gave a brief tech demo of its motion controller at the E3 show last year (and discussed it with us just a few weeks ago), but a lot of the particulars were left unknown. Today, they demonstrated the newly-dubbed PlayStation Move, and released details about accessories, price, and release date. Sony's hoping the Move will attract buyers tempted by the Wii's motion-sensing gaming--but they've got a lot of ground to make up.

   The basics are much like the Nintendo's motion controller, except instead of Wii's motion-sensing bar that sits on top of your TV, the PlayStation Move will use Sony's PlayStation Eye camera. Other than that, the Move is also a remote-control-like controller that can be attached to a side-controller for two-handed play. But whereas Nintendo's Wiimote had to be attached to its Nunchuck sub-controller, the Move connects wirelessly via a little lightbulb-shaped adapter (which, thankfully, looks more like a microphone than, well, something less savory). For some games, like a swordfighting game, you'll actually need two separate controllers--and everything, including the sub-controller, will almost certainly be sold individually.

   

   The use of the PS Eye is interesting; it's definitely an advantage over the Wii's sensor bar, since it can use augmented reality to add graphics to whatever you're doing, onscreen. Instead of just pretending you're holding a tennis racquet, you can see yourself onscreen holding one, which is pretty cool.

   

   But beyond augmented reality, it's not clear that Sony's doing much to dispel the notion that they're just releasing a Wiimote-like accessory. Compared to Microsoft's Project Natal for Xbox 360, which forgoes the controller entirely for a system that maps your body and can respond to individual limbs or even other objects, Sony's doing very little innovating here. Gizmodo tried out the Move and found that it's slightly more responsive than Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus, and of course the PS3 is a far more powerful console than the Wii, but that it was mostly underwhelming. We've seen this before--and a "me too" product may not be enough to drag Sony out of third place in the current-gen console wars.

   The Move will be sold in a few configurations, including a standalone controller; a package with a PS Eye, Move controller, and a game; and a package with an Eye, Move, game, and a PS3 console. The only price we have for now is that the Eye, Move, and game combination will fall under $100. Sony is aiming for a fall 2010 launch window.

   [youtube H9o9fRsK59c]

   [Sony]

   
   

   
   (03/11/10 09:00 AM)

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3. Infographic of the Day: Arms Sales Around the World.

   Business is booming!

   

   We're all dimly aware that America's defense contractors sell weapons around the world. But you'd probably be surprised at just how huge a business it is: The U.S. accounts for nearly 70% of weapons exports around the world, and the market comes to over $55 billion.

   All that information is laid out in a useful new infographic created for GOOD by Column Five Media. Here, for example, are the items that are the hottest sellers on the international market:

   

   But what might be most troubling is that our old BFF's Saudi Arabia--a petro-monarchy with deep ties to Washington, where domestic charities regularly fund terrorism--are the biggest arms buyers, having accrued nearly $37 billion in foreign arms between 2001-2008.

   Check out the entire chart at GOOD.

   
   

   
   (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

4. Porsche Confirms That It Plans to Build the 918 Plug-In Hybrid Spyder Supercar.

   

   Remember that sexy plug-in hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder supercar we drooled over last week? Apparently, we weren't the only ones with eyes for the car. Porsche received such a positive response to the Spyder concept at the Geneva Auto Show that the automaker now plans on mass producing it.

   Porsche CEO Michael Macht confirmed the news to Autocar UK:

   Porsche has yet to commit to producing the car - but speaking to Autocar, Macht admitted that the positive reaction to the 918 had already swayed opinion within the firm. "There is no one inside Porsche who doesn't want to build the 918," he said. "The response has been marvelous; we will ask buyers to sign letters of intent. "The 918 Spyder provides the answer to whether there can be high-performance cars in the future," he added. "Many have said they are finished. This car shows they are not."

   

   The Spyder boasts some impressive stats: 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, 78 miles per gallon, and 16 miles on pure electric charge. And of course, the carbon-fiber reinforced vehicle is really, really good-looking. Porsche hopes to have the Spyder on sale within five years, most likely at a price that few people can afford.

   [Via Autocar UK]

   
   

   
   (03/10/10 09:00 PM)

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7. Times to Launch Paywall in May. Some media buyers are saying News International’s the Times will launch its online paywall as early as May or June. The Times has told media buyers it cannot give guarantees to advertisers about... (03/04/10 09:00 PM)

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9. Five Ways to Create More Value in Your Presentations. During challenging economic times, buyers look for value. The more value you provide, the more likely you are to become the provider of choice. Presentations offer you excellent opportunities to provide that value at different stages of the sales cycle. Here are five ways to create more value in your ... (02/02/10 09:00 PM)

10. Plan B: Seven Back-to-Basics Questions to Ask About Your Buyers to Drive Growth. Plan A, which calls for pouring dollars into advertising, rarely increases profitability. Sometimes it doesn't even boost sales, and it certainly doesn't guarantee improvements in marketing effectiveness or ROI. Enter Plan B: taking a closer look at the basic marketing strategy fundamentals that drive tactical decisions. (01/26/10 09:00 PM)

11. Podcast: Why sellers don’t have the right tools to help buyers buy. A recent lead generation poll showed that converting leads to pipeline revenue (accelerating sales) was the biggest challenge for marketers. What are we doing as sellers that keeps us from closing sales? It’s a tough question, and it’s one that... (10/15/09 09:00 AM)

12. Lead Nurturing is Walking the Buying Path with Your Customers . A recent study of B-to-B buyers shows that sales people who become trusted advisors and understand the needs of economic buyers are 69% more likely to come away with a sale! That’s why forming a plan for lead nurturing is... (05/28/09 09:00 AM)

13. B2B Webinar on Integrating Online and Offline Strategies to Address Risk. Addressing risk has always been a factor in the B2B complex sale. But new research shows that buyer risk must be better understood and addressed by marketers and sellers. Why? It's a primary motivator in B2B purchase decisions and it... (05/07/09 09:00 PM)

14. Does being ethical pay?. I just ran across an article in WSJ that answered the question,"How much are consumers are willing to pay for ethically produced goods?" These statistics are only among coffee drinkers (cotton t-shirt buyers had a much narrower range of price... (02/04/09 09:00 PM)

15. Social Shopping and Getting Your Share of the $600 Stimulus Check.

    Personally, I'm a huge fan of social shopping sites. Several times per year our family, just like everyone else, is tasked with purchasing various gifts for relatives, Christmas, birthdays and other such moments. Like most guys out there, I rarely, if ever know what to buy!

    Enter social shopping sites. According to a recent AP article on MSNBC "Web surfers buying into social shopping sites":
    

    Social shopping sites with such names as Kaboodle, ThisNext, Wishpot and StyleHive combine two of the Web's most prominent activities: engaging in commerce and chatting with like-minded folks. The sites don't directly sell things, but encourage users to share links to good bargains, obscure finds, products that work and ones that don't.

    All of those sites are pretty sweet, if you ask me. While not a 'social shopping' site per se, I'm partial to using Gifts.com as well. I've gotten some solid ideas from there as well.

    With Valentine's Day just around the corner (hmm...what should I get this year???), now is a great time to test out all of the social shopping engines to see what kind of goodies they recommend.

    Personally, Kaboodle and Gifts.com had the most ideas for gifts I'd likely purchase. However, the others had some good ideas as well. Wishpot is actually powered by results from Shopping.com.

    Now, how does all of this have anything to do with the likely "stimulus package" that we're about to receive? (If you've not tuned in to the $150B economic stim pack banter, here's a square assessment from the WSJ[sub]). Well, if you believe that Americans will follow a similar behavior pattern following tax refund time (Tax-refund season helps kick off the spring shopping season. Last year, retail sales jumped 12% to 20% in March), there's going to be a portion of us, 12% to 28% of us, depending on who you ask, who will go out and immediately spend the money, it's a marketer's world and the smartest marketer will win when seeking their fair share of the potential 'windfall' check that consumers are likely to receive this late spring to early summer. Here's where really knowing your customers and their behavior can pay off. A few ideas:

    1. Go back to your customer or buyer profile and figure out who in your customer base will be getting the lion's share of the stimulus monies. For reference, families with <$110K in earnings and individuals with <$75K will be getting the most, while the lowest income and highest income segments of the population will be getting the least. Needless to say, this won't be the time to go after your high rollers who just got a check for $200...
    2. Run a contest or a survey or something to get inside the heads of your customers. If you're doing a regular email newsletter, throw in a survey question or two that takes a fun approach at getting after "what they're going to do with their checks". Segment out those that intend to 'spend it' for a separate marketing effort around the time that checks are distributed.
    3. Be mindful of all of the recession talk. People might not splurge on that big gas grill they've been lusting over, but they might be interested in securing a raft of gift cards or gift certificates to kick off their Christmas or birthday shopping. Now would be a great time to mention that yours have no expiration date and that they're a great way to stretch their dollars for themselves and their loved ones

    Whether or not you agree with the efficacy of the stimulus package, if you look at this from the perspective of 'customer behavior' and tap into the most 'likely to buy' segment of your customer base, you're setting yourself up to capture your fair share of the $150B that's likely to be doled out.
    

    
    (04/04/08 09:00 PM)

16. Private Bid Notification Services.
    In addition to the government's bid notification services from FedBizOpps and Grants.gov, there are many private firms that provide these types of services. You can find some of these firms by doing a Google search on phrases such as "find RFPs" and "bid notification."
    
    Although you have to pay for it, there are several advantages to using a private bid notification service:
    
    
    
    • Many of these services can also provide you with information on solicitations issued by state and local governments. While more and more state and local governments are putting their bid opportunities on the Internet, not all of them have geared up to do this.
      
      
    • Since FedBizOpps and Grants.gov may not cover all all bureaus and departments within each federal agency, you may be able to get access to these bureaus' bid opportunities via a private service rather than having to search for them by going to individual websites.
      
      
    • If you are interested in seeing bid opportunities at two or three levels -- federal, state and/or local -- you can may be able to receive these opportunities via daily e-mails or through online access. This can be a real time-saver.
      

    One of the private serices that has been around for a long time is Bidnet (see clip below), which offers customizable packages to meet your specific needs and interests. However, since Bidnet is only one of many private services, it will probably be worth your while to research and compare these services with respect to their prices and offerings.
    

    
    

    clipped from bidnet.com With BidNet, you will have access to Government Bids from thousands of Federal, State and Local agencies, and see bid opportunities you won't find anywhere else. Our diverse network of agencies will give you the competitive intelligence needed to compete effectively for the nation's largest buyer of goods and services - governments across the nation and right in your hometown.

    (04/02/08 09:02 AM)

17. How Much Do Business Brokers Charge?. Business brokers typically charge the seller approximately 10 percent of the final sale price. As a buyer, you are usually not responsible for any part of that commission. In some cases where the buye ...
    
    (08/25/06 09:02 AM)

18. Jargon Watch. Buyer's Guides. Payroll Software & Services - Jargon Watch ...
    
    (08/24/06 09:00 PM)

19. Recommended Payroll Capabilities. Buyer's Guides. Payroll Software & Services - Recommended Payroll Capabilities ...
    
    (08/22/06 09:00 PM)

20. Resources. Buyer's Guides. Payroll Software & Services - Resources ...
    
    (08/21/06 09:00 PM)

21. Guess what is the top B2B marketing tool?. Us poor B2B marketers...the top three things buyers look for in a product aren't under our direct control...price, service, quality. We can add sizzle to these, but ultimately, the buyer will discern the truth.
    
    So what is our #1 marketing tool? Amazingly it is something we've only had for ten years...our websites. Results of a user survey by ThomasNet were summed this way:
    
    

    "Of course, competitive pricing, good customer service and high quality are a given, but the next single most important thing buyers mentioned is a detailed, user-friendly Web site. "

    The article has lots of other handy tidbits from the survey:
    
    Comments by users like this:
    "Provide enough information within their Web site for me to make an educated decision-? comparative product details, listed prices, and list of distributors that I can purchase from if they don't sell direct."
    
    This factual gem:
    36% of the time users will seek out new suppliers for a new purchase.
    
    Look at the top two of '10 Things Buyers Look For In a New Supplier'
    1. Easy-to-navigate Web sites with accurate, detailed product and pricing information
    2. Companies that are easy to find and have a strong Web presence
    
    This shouldn't really be news to us B2B marketers...but after ten years, we may have grown complacent about our websites. From the details of this survey, I say our target audience has become even more discerning and faster to pass on poor (to them) websites. We can't become complacent!
    
    Read more: It's Not Who You Know. It's Who Knows You (07/29/06 02:28 PM)