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Nolan's Notes: Boost Your Sales

Everyone is talking about how to implement artificial intelligence into their business model, but this month in SMT007 Magazine, we look at perhaps the most human of all the functions in our business: marketing and sales. Amongst all the digitization and electronic communication that is changing our world, it has yet to replace the process of building relationships, which is where most sales take place. 

To tackle this topic, we conducted a roundtable discussion with a panel of experts on marketing and selling in electronics manufacturing. Our panel includes a former Fortune 200 vice president, an expert industry consultant, an industry-leading expert on content marketing, and experienced marketing professionals. With a virtual room full of folks passionate about marketing and sales, the conversation was, as would be expected, lively and informative.

With so much to share on the topic, we then asked our experts to take a deeper dive into their topics for separate articles. To that end, Barry Matties discusses what marketing should be, along with methods and channels to accomplish your marketing goals. Dan Beaulieu tackles the discipline of account planning, while Dan Feinberg builds upon the relationship factor. I also contributed an article on what it means to qualify a customer, building off the successful Miller Heiman strategic selling methodology. 

We get bonus feature content from our regular columnist Mike Konrad, vice president of communications for SMTA, who loves to talk about marketing; in his column, he considers the emergence of “conscious marketing.”

Finally, Ron Lasky wraps up his two-year journey with “Maggie Benson.” Ron has shown admirable creativity in exploring manufacturing process analysis by creating a series of melding facts and experiences with situations pulled from his real-world experience, all held together by an ongoing storyline. Ron, we thank you for your unique approach to moving the conversation forward in the industry.

Speaking of moving the conversation forward, we always welcome reader input. We can often be found at industry shows and conferences; we learn a great deal from the conversations we have with you, our readers, when we meet at events. That said, don’t wait for a show to let us know what you’re thinking. Drop us a line any time, you’re guaranteed to get a reply.

This column originally appears in the February 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine.