Are you one to believe in conspiracy theories? One of my favorites is the one about the new world order. Looking at twitter these days, at least in the people I am following with few exceptions, we are all starting to sound alike, comment alike, pitch alike, sell and market alike, in other words we are turning into ZOMBIES. Even our websites are starting to look alike! Watch any zombie movie, they all act the same, like lame ducks inching to its prey. The point is, its not about the technology. Our new microsite is nothing fancy, the URL cost 6.95, Wordpress is open source, I do use Thesis and I abhor other peoples advertising so developed my own player. That is of course unless I need the perfect piece of and it belongs to someone else:
I think you can look alike to be a zombie marketer, but you better show up and have what people want. Does anyone care to dance?
Account-based marketing is a strategic approach to business marketing where messages and communications are targeted to individual accounts. We use the term “account” to signify personal service; sales are specifically driven toward each account, based on each account’s specific needs and the unique solution we provide for that account. This is not about a template-driven, “cookie cutter” approach to merely giving lip service to creativity, contents or the accounts themselves. Nor is it about merely “tweaking” a more traditional form of broadcast-marketing you may have had success with in recent years. This is about understanding what each account needs and giving it to them through content delivered specifically to, and for them.
I recently had a conversation with Chris Brogan, co-author of Trust Agents. Below is Chris’s thoughts on the future of sales and marketing:
Talk about how you see a direct sales force fitting in to the trust equation and how that directs sales force can leverage the trust equation that the marketing communication folks come up with..
Obviously Chris there is a lot of animosity between them so how do we get sales trusting marketing to sit down at the same table so that they can go out there in March to the same tune
CB this is a second golden age for sales I think . I believe the social tools gives sales a better set of tools than they ever had before for reaching out and being really connected with the people that really matter to them and sales people for ever known that it’s all based on relationships.
What waters this down a little bit is that we all have quotas, we all have a certain number to hit, so sometimes we get crazy, we get a little cutthroat and we want to get hit the sale and move on. This is now a world where there is a memory of this, a digital footprint that leads from that experience and people will remember that about you, so you do have to throttle back a little bit and understand that there is a lengthier relationship process.
Marketing has veered away a little from their golden experience, I mean Dave Ogilvie said a long time ago: “that this is all in the support of the sale, “ we moved away from this, marketing became, how do I shock you out of your boring day to get your attention and then I am going to do something with it. Well after awhile we got that you were screaming, we got that there were monkeys and balloons, but it was not in service of a sale but in was in service of screaming attention and then the salesperson would try to rush in and make something happen. There were lies on one side that a salesperson would have to deliver against, you know sell the dream implement the nightmare, on the other side salespeople with a forced quota were being told get the sale no matter what, and I think in both instances this is a moment of trust, this is an opportunity where marketing can say, “I can better equip you with a better story than you can tell and this is going to help you serve your brand, this is going to help you get better sales
Meanwhile please help me in representing this it in a way that we are talking about it. And I think there is a better chance for dialog now, where sales can connect back and forth. Three things to consider in this would be as a salesperson you are now forever in amber, you are trapped in amber like bugs in the ice age because everything you do online leaves a footprint and we see it , so if you are scummy, if you are using inappropriate methods, then it shows up and everyone has a voice now so we all talk amongst ourselves as customers. As a marketer you know have to trust that your sales people has the relationship like they always had and augment them and serve them. Marketing is no longer about winning an award, it is in the short term, if you think about it, but its not going to get you further because really, I am seeing more and more companies, very much on the larger scale companies saying “I don’t get this, it’s to frilly, I need sales, make sales happen,” so you need your salespeople more then you every have, and you need to go back to what is going to equip a sale versus what is going to get more awareness. It’s not an awareness game any more, it’s awareness that turns to attention that turns to reputation that becomes trust.
Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Brogan, about his upcoming book, Trust Agents.
Chris talked talked to me about three keys to establishing trust at the brand level:
Reliability
Consistency
Ability to grow with us or stay constant
Listen to this excerpt of the interview here. It’s less than two minutes long and will you give you insights and examples on brand level trust.
Stay tuned for future excepts from this interview, I think you’ll relate to and learn from them. I know I did.
Seamus: what are the three things you can do to invoke or earn trust?
At the brand level trust hinges on a few things, one it hinges on is some level of reliability. We trust LL.Beane as a brand because we know they are reliable and they have built the same set of products where in which they stand behind them the whole way, Reliability is always important, we trust with some level of consistency whether or not you are a fan of McDonald’s you know when you walk into a McDonalds anywhere in world, you will get relatively the same experience with a few variations. So reliability matters as well as consistency
The other thing we rely on with a brand is somewhat an amorphous thing it has to grow with us or stay classic, for example: soda pop has not changed a lot over a hundred years so it stays classic, cars have to grow with in that our desire for the Cadillac of today is a little different than what we wanted in a vehicle of the 197o’s. So to me, there is sort of a relationship aspect that is required and these thing bring on trust, and if you listen a little closer to what I said, it also sounds like a human relationship and to me the same things are true of a brand, with reliability, consistency and the ability to grow and be with us are three things that garner trust on the brand level.
Most traditional marketers use broadcast messages to get people to listen, often these messages are designed to make the company look smart, they think their “cause” can create an affect that stimulates the buyer to react to their messages. Sales takes those generic messages to the street, they are the talkers, they meet customers on their terms and they engage in conversations that tie “corporate speak” to their client’s needs. Good sales people ask questions that draw out their wants and needs. In other words they engage in conversations to create relationships.
There is nothing new here; people have been entering relationships for ions yet we have lost our way. Lets look at marriage, the legal union between two people, the ultimate relationship. Human relationships are built on courting, certainty and commitment and trust.
Courting: the fist date.
A good relationship is a two way street. When I met Jane, my wife, we spent getting time to know each other. Our discussions revolved around our wants, our needs, our dreams and our fears. We talked about our successes and failures. We had a two- way discussion about our beliefs.
Certainty: The engagement.
It was part of a process to understand that Jane was the one for me; we talked and talked and talked, we interacted with friends and family. It took time for us to discover the others dreams, wants and needs. When I knew Jane was the one for me- I popped the question, she said yes.
Commitment: The marriage ceremony.
Growing up Irish-Catholic, marriage was considered sacred. That said, Jane was just plain fun! She was smart and she was pretty. She knew my idiosyncrasies, my strengths and weaknesses. She accepted them. On May 30, 1986 we got married.
Bliss: Trust.
In early 2007, as my 3rd child was entering college, Jane and I had a discussion, I told her that I wanted to start a company. The risks were huge, 3 kids in college, my youngest still in high school. The economy had early indications of issues. I add this to talk about trust. Jane trusted me, she trusted my work ethic, and Jane trusted my abilities. There was no hesitation. She kissed me and said go!
Everybody knows this process, it’s natural, it’s simple. Don’t make it more difficult then it really is.
What did getting married teach you about sales, marketing and PR. Leave a comment below. The best answer will win a autographed copy of David Meerman Scott’s “New Rules of Marketing and PR”.
Today is Saturday, I was surprised to get a call from a client, she was fed up with Youtube™ throwing up competitive advertising on her videos. Shortly before, a well know social media expert sent out a Tweet with a link to a Slideshare™ presentation that included a virus, in response another content marketing thought leader chimed in, “the same thing happened to my Slideshare™ presentation yesterday.”
I respect and often rely on experts for their thought leadership. When dealing with people whom I trust, I tend to be forgiving, on the web things happen, and my point, they do not have control over the technology or what is served up (competitive ads and viruses?!). As marketers when does the risk outweigh the value of these free platforms?
It comes to a point when standard social networking tools like YouTube™ and Slideshare™ get in the way of your reputation, when does enough become enough?
The number of tech firms reporting profits in the down economy is surprising as IBM and Intel reported better then expected earnings. A recent headline read, “With sales down for the fourth quarter in a row, IBM makes the bottom line grow through tighter operations.” It seems making better use of technology and a balancing of the global workforce has attributed to positive earnings. During hard times, it seems that “aligning people, process and technology” is in vogue.
I have had the fortune of working for two companies that are subject matter experts on effectiveness (cost) and efficiently (people) across SG&A. At both companies there were inefficient processes, I spoke up, “there has to be a better way.” One company chased a technology solution, searching for a silver bullet to deliver a tighter ship, what they got was a reporting mechanism to identify the rouges. They automated an outdated business process without fixing the root cause; the other threw more people at it causing more silos and more inefficient process.
Today’s woes are causing us to look inward, yes, you may have a people issue, yes, you may lack technology that automates the mundane. But people or technology is not the proverbial silver bullet. Look at the process and the problem and solution will become clear. My mother often told me, “sweep the corners and the floor will sweep itself.”
With sales and marketing undergoing a sea change; understand that the most efficient and effective sales and marketing organizations is a balance between people process and technology. You must evaluate the interactions between the three to determine the optimal balance within your organization.
All good content marketing programs must include a way to articulate value to a buyer’s persona. I turned to Dave Winsow, CEO of Epik One and asked him to weigh in on the topic:
Guest Blogger: Katrina Gibson, SEO and content development expert based in Burlington, VT.
It was a packed house in Alumni Auditorium at Champlain College on Monday when various social media gurus spoke on the importance of integrating social media into a marketing plan at Burlington’s Social Media Breakfast. Basically the message was that we need to stop focusing on the tools and start engaging in the conversation.
It was a sold-out show, which leads me to believe that people are actually beginning to catch on that social media is an integral part in building a brand. But with the plethora of tools out there where does one start? Here are some of the take away points from yesterday’s presentation:
Make a plan – What are your goals with this space and how will you measure success? Think about where your audience is and “fish where the fish are.”
Don’t push, gather - New media is about building a relationship and listening to your customers. “It’s not push, it’s gather,” said C.C. Chapman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Advance Guard. Old media talks at you, new media talks with you.
Start with a good brand – Offer a quality product and give them something to talk about. You can’t control your message online. If people are already talking about your product, embrace it. And most importantly, listen to your customers.
Be found – “It’s all about findability,” said Todd Defren, principal at Shift Communications. “Our job is to make sure we are found,” he said, “through content: blogs, SEO, Flikr, YouTube, etc. If social media is a pot luck, content is what you’re bringing to the party.”
Act on user feedback – Social media is digital word of mouth, it’s your online reputation. Create compelling content and act on user feedback. Give the people what they want.
The most important thing to remember about social media is that it is all about building relationships with your customers. Be a part of the conversation people are having about your brand. Listen to your customers and give them what they want. This takes time, so be patient and remember to have fun.
B2B sales can be extremely complex as most solution providers have large portfolios with multiple marketing messages and value statements. This can lead to confusion because the prospect doesn’t see how the solution will fit or can’t connect the dots and recognize the unique differentiation of the provider.
In a buyers market, to get attention, it is imperative that you differentiate and articulate your unique business value. Sales and marketing must march lock step and provide valuable information addressing the individual targeted prospect or a key client business issues before presenting products or solutions. Account-based marketing can solve this issue by creating personalized messages and communications that are targeted to individual and key accounts. To be effective sales, marketing and solution experts team-up internally to develop separate marketing plans for key accounts. At the heart of each marketing plan is the development and coordination of content that addresses industry or role based, preferably both, business issues, this insures that your messages resonates with the prospect,
Because account-based marketing goes beyond generic marketing messages and product selling, those companies who focus on solving unique business issues and the relationship, are often positioned as a trusted advisor and thought leader. For many, account-based marketing is a new way of thinking about client relationships. It moves away from broad-brushed marketing messages and delivers content that will resonate with your prospects and draws them to your solution. To learn more about account-based marketing click here.
