Nancy Manzano, Director in the Chief Tax Office of Vertex, Inc., recently discussed best practices for retailers doing business in states without a physical presence. And, the need to adapt tax collection, remittance, increased revenue and transaction documentation, additional state monthly tax returns and new processes.

During the Internet Retailer’s webinar on October 25, Manzano said the US Supreme Court ruling of June 21, 2018, redefines a virtual storefront as the same as a physical one. This ruling overturned the 1992 Quill Corporation v. North Dakota decision, which prevented states from requiring sales tax collection from businesses without a physical presence in the state. South Dakota versus Wayfair now allows states to continue to set economic thresholds for taxation of sales revenues from out-of-state retailers. Over 20 states currently require tax collection at various levels with various effective dates. South Dakota’s threshold, for instance, allows up to $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions. Many states started enforcing their requirements this Fall and some others will begin January 1, 2019.

What you should do

Recommendation: The Wayfair decision also impacts U.S. territories, such as the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, so the recommendation is to collect taxes to the lowest jurisdictional level.

Action: Keep up with the latest changes across states at https://www.vertexinc.com/south-dakota-v-wayfair-inc-knowledge-center.

Previously, a physical presence was required to establish tax reporting, but the rapid growth of ecommerce and the lack of federal legislation prompted the South Dakota suit.

Watch: In the meantime, many states have tax rules in effect that are related to cookies, click-through rates and affiliates. Expect those requirements to persist—as well as possible incentives and amnesty programs. Some states can’t enforce new rules due to pending litigation. Others will be proposing new bills.

How to stay in compliance with South Dakota versus Wayfair

Going forward, retailers must address calculation of aggregated sales, numbers of transactions, sales tax holidays and thresholds by state and other jurisdictions. Here are a few suggestions to help you with your compliance.

1. Consider possible product or customer exemptions.
2. Make sure to register in states with requirements.
3. File even if there are no sales until unregistration is complete.
4. Implement automation to accommodate registration and notifications.

For help with your e-commerce site implementation and marketing, Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc., can help! Get a free consultation.

Find more case studies and white papers at https://beasleydirect.com/resources/white-papers.

By Jan Carroza, VP of Business Development and Account Management, Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc.

The post South Dakota versus Wayfair – The Impact on Retailers by the US Supreme Court Decision appeared first on Beasley Direct and Online Marketing.

Meeting Maker Campaigns generate qualified leads that win awards for results!

We’ve had the pleasure to drive projects and achieve some spectacular results several times greater than the original goals, earning many DMA ECHO and other awards for results as well as creativity. We share highlights of our extensive experience with hundreds of campaigns for technology, financial, healthcare, business and high-end consumer goods and services in the Resources portion of this site.

4 Examples of Meeting Maker Campaign Strategies

Here’s a brief look at four remarkable examples that demonstrate our distinct strategic approach to capture more qualified leads, consequently speeding up sales closes with Meeting Maker Campaigns.

Choreographing intricate lead flow crushes goals by over 1000%!

To deliver qualified leads, this elaborate program started with a dimensional direct mail door opener that drove actions on a landing page to sign up for a demo. Emailings followed next, then outbound telemarketing and finally responders. The results and creative strategy of this campaign won an International ECHO Award. Click here to get lead generation ideas from this chronicle.

Face-to-face with “warmed-up,” qualified leads campaign hits 167% of goal

Understanding the target was critical to create the right appeal for Anritsu. Our multi-touch campaign used another dimensional direct mail package with a special offer, which led to a white paper download. Read the full details to see how we generated $2.8 million in sales in just three months.

Appointment-setting multi-touch, multichannel campaign yields $2.5 million

PPC advertising, trade shows and email weren’t hitting sales goals for an industrial glove corporation. Telemarketing lead prospecting and qualification coupled with list and offer testing made the difference. Click to see how we used best practices to solve the revenue problem with just 4.28 average touches, instead of the usual 7-13 communications.

Messaging, tele-prospecting and timed follow-up narrow lead-to-sales gap

When a wide-area network software optimization company came to BDOM for help with qualification and neglected potential leads, we began by looking at the difficulty to get the attention of their IT professional target. We also reviewed their current activities, which were already wide-ranging, but had no process for lead qualification.

Learn how BDOM diagnosed problems, tested lists and creative, spun on a dime to tweak and execute a campaign which cut down the competitor’s market share. We created a coordinated dance of messaging, telemarketing lead qualification and sales team follow-up with enticing content that continues successfully today.

If you’d like to explore creative opportunities to address your lead generation, sales conversion and quality issues, reach out. BDOM’s team enjoys a good challenge. Contact us to brainstorm multi-touch, multichannel methods, such as dimensional direct mail and lead generation and qualification through telemarketing, to hit your target goals.

Get started with a free marketing reverse sales lead funnel audit. Contact us for a free consultation!

Find more case studies and white papers at https://beasleydirect.com/resources/white-papers

By Jan Carroza, VP of Business Development and Account Management, Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc.

The post Four “Meeting Maker” Case Studies Detail Techniques to Snag More Demos and Sales Appointments appeared first on Beasley Direct and Online Marketing.

Encourage your product managers and sales personnel to brighten your lead-nurturing touch sequences with warm, personal notes that congratulate their LinkedIn connections on their accomplishments. Think what it means to your prospects, clients and colleagues when you reach out to acknowledge news stories. Warming up your engagement may help to shorten a sales cycle, open up a new world of possibilities and make someone’s day. Your product marketing and sales personnel can get notifications as soon as the news hit publications and be among the first to send a note. Here’s how:

LinkedIn provides a free service, Connections in the News, which collates and sends you links to articles about your connections. With a quick click, you can instantly react with an appropriate remark, either through the LinkedIn platform or not. It’s like Google Alerts for your LinkedIn network.

Jumpstart your company’s lead-nurturing messages

We all get tired of the constant parade of hard-sell emails. Find inspiration in the following five points to jumpstart your company’s personalized, lead-nurturing messages. Seize each opportunity to open a door a little wider. Refer to the new story that initiated the communication and then take it further with a call to action.

1. Send a simple, warm note and ask to catch up
2. Spot possible new needs and suggest a time to explore solutions
3. Identify a company’s readiness for a new purchase based on their new direction
4. Discover new opportunities when contacts move to a new company or become decision-makers
5. Recognize success and reconnect, perhaps kickstarting a partnership, a joint event or something else surprisingly neat and new

Find out about mergers, new acquisitions and initiatives, and new responsibilities that create new chances to open or rekindle discussions. Take the process further to cheer colleagues, recruit new team members or ask for introductions that could lead to meaningful relationships.

Example and how to sign up

The example below of a Connections in the News email I received the day after a press release published a story about a former coworker, Kim Carpenter, gave me the opportunity to send a note right away and praise her hard work. Note the Message Kim link that I could use to dash off a quick reaction right there and then.

Encourage your marketing and sales management staff to start adding more soft-sell, lead-nurturing messages as things happen. Follow these instructions to sign up for your LinkedIn Connections in the News and get started now. Keeping current is free and fast.

Want to learn more about lead nurturing? Schedule a call with our team to learn how we tackle multi-touch, multichannel programs–what we call “Meeting Maker” Campaigns. We’re glad to help you determine how many qualified leads you need to meet revenue with our free Reverse Sales and Lead Funnel calculation.

More resources

For more resources, peruse our Meeting Maker campaign case studies. Download our Why It Takes 7-13+ Touches to Deliver a Qualified B2B Sales Lead Today white paper.  Whatever you do, consistently keep the touches coming and certainly don’t give up after the first handful. You’ll be glad you did.

By Jan Carroza, VP of Business Development and Account Management, Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc.

The post 5 Ways LinkedIn “Connections in the News” Prompts Fresh, Welcome Lead-Nurturing appeared first on Beasley Direct and Online Marketing.