COVID-19 has forced businesses to practice remote working and telecommuting. In many states, economies are reigniting, which means that some employees will be allowed to go back to the office for at least part-time work. However, many companies are maintaining work-from-home policies out of caution.



Remote working may be practical for some occupations, but for sales teams it is exceedingly difficult to be deprived of face-to-face interaction.

As the progression of COVID-19 slows down, more than 30 states are looking into reopening their economy progressively. However, reopening will create a unique set of challenges for businesses that need to keep employees safe and keep up with official guidelines and regulations that might change in the near future.



As such, cleaning is going to be a top priority. If you offer sanitizing services or provide sanitizing products, the U.S. manufacturing sector is an industry to focus on.

The coronavirus crisis has created a new status quo almost overnight. As a marketer, being reactive is more important now than ever, and there is a dire need to find a new communication style that suits your brand and audience as well as the current situation we're facing.



Email marketing is still a relevant and reliable way to connect with your audience, but you need to rethink your content strategy, find the right tone to discuss current events, connect with leads in meaningful ways and avoid cliches.

The COVID-19 outbreak is affecting every facet of life and business, forcing industries like manufacturing to upend their usual processes and adapt to this new dynamic. While some manufacturing sectors are increasing production, others are shutting down indefinitely. We're also seeing some manufacturers shifting production toward essential medical supplies.



Between shutdowns and drastic changes in demand, manufacturers are facing an uncertain situation.

If you're used to making your pitch on the shop floor and closing the deal with a firm handshake, social distancing may have you at a loss. You can still find effective ways to approach your prospects.



In fact, as a B2B rep, you could find yourself busier than ever.

Manufacturing in the age of COVID-19 means walking a tightrope. If a facility is deemed "non-essential," what happens to the workers? On the other hand, if a facility is deemed "essential," how can employers ensure the health and safety of their employees? How do they fill the critical staffing gaps between "business as usual" and "business at hyper speed"?



As a staffing agency, it's your job to provide the facts and potential solutions for both the essential and non-essential manufacturers to help stabilize operations. With the right information on their environment (challenges, needs and more), you can properly assist manufacturers and establish a partnership that is mutually beneficial.

As coronavirus continues to reshape the U.S. manufacturing sector at breakneck speed, sales and business development executives are left wondering which industries are most likely to need their goods and services. Multiple economic reports point to a contracting manufacturing sector, yet some industries are busier than ever.



This article will explore some of the potential growth industries as the nation's industrial sector transforms into a coronavirus-fighting machine, gleaning some key insights from the latest reports on manufacturing. These are the manufacturers that may potentially need services such as staffing, software, financial, transportation, janitorial/maintenance and more.

If your business is going to succeed in the manufacturing market, you need to have the right business development approaches in place.



Of course, tackling business development in the manufacturing market is easier said than done. There is a variety of factors that you have to pay attention to when appealing to this market.



Business development, sales, marketing ... what's the difference, anyway?



It's important to note that today, many roles that are technically sales or marketing roles are now "business development" positions, rebranded for a variety of reasons.

For B2B salespeople in the manufacturing market, experiencing rejection from a prospect is rough. A simple "sorry, we can't move forward with this offer" from a prospect can equate to week's worth of lost time and effort for the seller.



So, how should you handle rejection from a potential prospect? In the fifth and final part of our series Common Objections in B2B Sales & How to Overcome Them we're tackling the sticky issue of rejection.



Fortunately, there are several easy steps you can take to make handling rejection in sales a more straightforward process.

Ask any B2B salesperson or marketer what the hardest part of selling a product or service is, and there's a good chance they'll answer, "clients who don't want to pay for it." There are few more frustrating responses than "Well, I really appreciate your time and what you're trying to do, but I'm having trouble justifying the price."



Fortunately, there are several proven ways for salespeople and marketers to close deals - even with reluctant clients.



Read on to learn our favorite ways of overcoming objections from B2B clients when it comes to price.

As 2019 ends and 2020 begins, it's a busy time for salespeople and marketers targeting manufacturers. The October-December rush inspired by Manufacturing Day is winding down, and professionals are designing and improving new sales techniques for the next major sales cycle.



If you want to outpace the competition, you'll need to be on the cutting edge of the market. Here are five B2B sales strategies that can help you get more customers in 2020.

Twitter is a rich resource for those looking to connect and build relationships with U.S. manufacturing companies. Today, we're covering some top manufacturing Twitter accounts worth following for sales, marketing and business development professionals targeting prospects in manufacturing.

Welcome to Part Three of our "Perfect the Pitch" series, where we cover how to craft the perfect sales pitch from start to finish.



In our first two parts, we went over how to tell if a pitch isn't working and how to write a sales pitch that will convert prospects into clients.



Today, we'll be laying out our best tips and tricks for how you can close deals. This guide will cover five essential elements of any closing that you can use to secure lucrative contracts with high-profile manufacturers.

In the first part of our "Perfect the Pitch" series, we covered how salespeople and marketers in the manufacturing industry can identify when a pitch isn't working. We gave you some tips for understanding what manufacturers are looking for in a pitch and the best times to pitch to manufacturers.



Today, we're going to be taking this series one step further by covering how you can write a sales pitch that will convert prospects into clients.



We'll be covering six vital elements every successful sales pitch targeted towards manufacturers needs to account for.

For salespeople, the perfect sales pitch is the holy grail. It may not exist, but it's certainly worth searching for. The right pitch can drastically increase a salesperson's success rate.



However, developing a great sales pitch isn't always easy - particularly for salespeople in the manufacturing market.



In Part One of our "Perfecting the Pitch" series, we'll be covering how to know if your pitch isn't working - and the first steps you should take when going back to the drawing board.

In manufacturing, the clients most in need of an upgrade are often also the clients most resistant to change.



Resistant clients (particularly those with small or medium-sized operations) are a recurring barrier for sellers in the manufacturing industry.



The amount of capital required to purchase new manufacturing technologies and machines can be daunting for clients, particularly those with an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality.



Today, we'll be covering how you can identify potentially tricky clients and build their confidence in your services.

MNI will be at Fabtech this year in Chicago at McCormick Place Nov 11-14 booth A5974



Since I will be manning the MNI booth at FABTECH 2019, I thought I would write a little on the benefits of attending a trade show.



It's obvious that trade shows are the place for you to network with others in your field. Trade shows are also the best arena to gain more industry knowledge, discover new vendors, gather leads, and see the newest advances in technology.



Here are my top 5 reasons for attending a trade show.

For any B2B business leader, finding new clients consistently is a must. This article by IndustrySelect covers the ins and outs of B2B telemarketing and email marketing to help you know which to use.

Email campaigns that use current and well-researched data to prospect potential clients have an average ROI of 3,800% - that's $38 in return for every dollar spent on an email campaign. The takeaway here is that if you have a great email campaign tailored to your brand's voice and use good data to get it to the right prospects, you'll see positive results.



Email marketing metrics you should be paying attention to (and what to shoot for)



There are a variety of metrics you should be monitoring for your email marketing campaigns:

Following a 35-month winning streak, U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for the first time since 2016. The latest report from the ISM adds to a number of indicators that point to a manufacturing contraction and companies that do business with U.S. manufacturers are bound to be impacted.



Today we're going to take a look at the ISM's report and bring you some key takeaways about the slowdown, the challenges manufacturers are currently facing, and what the future might hold for those doing business with them.

Sales and marketing is a little bit like a job interview. Ideally in both situations, all involved parties get something valuable. But if you walk into a job interview without knowing anything about the company you are applying for, chances are it will be an uncomfortable experience.



The same holds true for sales and marketing professionals. Although it can be quite daunting to initiate a sales relationship with a new company, researching and understanding a prospective client's business before that first sales call is an essential process, especially in the manufacturing industry.

All marketers have experienced the frustration of having a great list of prospects they can't contact because of an email provider's opt-in requirements. In your quest for an Email Service Provider (ESP), you will quickly discover that most ESPs prohibit you from importing a 3rd party list. But there are a few services out there that will.

It's no secret that the business world can be cut-throat, seemingly more now than ever before. As the digital age revolutionized investing and startups, every industry became crowded by competitors, any one of whom would be more than happy to take the spot your business occupies on the totem pole.



Here's how breaking down your list of potential customers into certain categories can help your business stay ahead of the competition and accelerate profits, customer experience and efficiency for your organization. It's called segmentation.

For this three-part series on B2B email campaigns, we've gone through the steps of building a surefire email list and crafting a message that converts.



So now that you've got your campaign ready to go, how, exactly do you best execute it? In the third and final part of this series, we are going to show you how to do just that.

A well-crafted email should create more leads, increase conversion rates, increase the number of subscribers, and ultimately lead to more sales. In Part Two of this three-part series, we are going to show you how to craft a message that will do just this.

Email marketing has been around a long time, and social media has grabbed the eyes of the world. Many companies use the latter quite successfully to market their products and services to consumers.



But what about business-to-business marketing? When it comes to marketing to manufacturers, the older choice is also the more effective one.



This three-part series is designed to help you reach out to your business customers through a successful email marketing campaign.

Lead generation can be terrifying for newcomers and the experienced alike. We step out of our comfort zones and talk to people on a phone (gasp)! We don't hide behind chats, or texts, or spam emails. We pick up the phone and actively pursue business.



Some of us do this to sell a product or service, and some of us do this to secure an appointment for salespeople to secure business.



Whether you're in telemarketing or lead generation, I want to give you a few tips to help you succeed in building a highly successful sales funnel.

Those interested in selling to the metal stamping industry should be aware of the factors that are influencing purchase decisions at the moment. IndustrySelect collects comprehensive data on the U.S. manufacturing sector and today, we're taking a closer look at new developments in the metal stamping industry and the various challenges faced by their top decision-makers.



First, we'll provide a brief overview of what metal stamping is.

It's no secret that businesses today face more competition than ever, regardless of their niche. Competition is particularly fierce in the manufacturing market. Innovations in Industry 4.0, such as the internet of things inspire manufacturers to overhaul their business strategies and increase the fidelity of their products and services.





If your brand is to grow and outmaneuver the competition in the coming years, you'll have to generate B2B leads flawlessly. The good news is that there are solutions that other businesses and experts have come up with, beginning with getting leads to new customers.

If you're doing business with manufacturers, it helps to be in-the-know about the emerging innovations, needs and challenges faced by business owners and manufacturing decision-makers.



Speaking the language of manufacturing and understanding some basic principles will go a long way when you have an executive on the phone or reading your email.



Having a working knowledge of certain concepts is also a powerful avenue to explore new markets and get a handle on demand for your products or services.



In this article, we will look at some of the top trends in manufacturing that you should be aware of.