Actually, the title of this should be “marketing funnel, sales process and collateral… why you should care”. But that was too long.  Besides, the concept of a marketing funnel is foreign to most, and that is another blog. So here is why you care..

Collateral is a supporting structure for the process of identifying, developing and closing a deal. To do this right, (efficient, complete, etc.), a business needs to document how they sell as well as how the customer buys. When these processes are mapped out, then at each stage the collateral requirements can be identified based on the need of the customer to obtain knowledge and be convinced this is the right solution for their business.  The smarter a company becomes in understanding the process, the better they provide the right information at the right time.  This will also lead to using creative tools as you begin to think about how a customer will absorb the information.   Here are some examples:

DEALING WITH FUD: In the last 9 months there has been a good deal of FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) used by the big vendors when competing with startups.  I have heard numerous cases where the technical team has recommended a particular purchase only to have it undone by THE BIG GUY swooping in and convincing the executives this is the wrong choice.  If you KNOW the sale / buying cycle will require a high level executive sign off, the process needs the supporting materials to win. So what is needed?  Most likely, sales needs to prep the customer tech team early in the cycle.  Relationships need to be created higher up, again early in the cycle.  To support the sales process, they need convincing materials.  This could be executive to executive customer references, i.e a 3 minute video clip that addresses the issues of business value and why the company (see References-Online and click on the demo).  Or it may mean info on the company’s financial viability. Best bet, is to talk to the sales team and model how they will manage this phase of selling.

THE NEVER-NEVER LAND OF POCs: Proof of Concepts can take a sales cycle into the ditch or close the business.  It may be part of your sales cycle, or a requirement of the prospect.  Either way, 99% of POC’s need supporting marketing material that steps the prospect through the proof process, even if you are selling a simple SAAS solution.  It maybe an online ‘how to start,’ or a step my step document on how to demonstrate a test of disaster recovery replication. If the prospect has their own process, the supporting material can be used as a basis for that project. Without this, the POC can be an undefined project that has no beginning or end.

So how I do align the marketing and sales funnel with the collateral:

1. Identify the marketing and sales processes.  Clearly understand how the customer buying cycle. This means talking to sales, current customers and understanding lost deals.
2. Decide what questions are to be answered and resolved at each stage
3. Define how the information will be best presented (brochure, online, video, webinar).  (There will most likely be different vehicles of delivery, as people are different in how they absorb information).
4. Deliver and review again, as the market changes and processes change

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Yesterday was a 95 miler bike ride,  a training ride for the Triple Bypass. Given my pace, I had lots of time to think and relate life experiences to business. So what does the my bike have to do with marketing?  Read on roadies….  

Consistency - Nothing substitutes for repetition. This was my painful reminder yesterday as I crawled out of Estes Park.  Repitition in marketing we call it frequency. When biking it is called training. In past years this ride (Carter - Big Thompson -Estes - Lyons - Boulder), has been MUCH easier.  Why? Frequency.  I was on the bike hitting the pedals (aka message) with a regular, trained process. This year has found me inconsistent, so my customers (the legs) have no clue what is going on and what is expected.  My most successfull campaigns have been about hitting it hard and regular.  I think I need to get in touch with a trainer.

Hitting it hard - Yep, I have been out there spinning, but frankly taking it easy.  This year, I have forgone the intervals, latic acid training and all the other super duper training the elites in Boulder revel in. In marketing, there are times we have to go out with a storm.  Push hard and fast, to gain a market presence. There are times I have realized a prime competitor was vulnerable, and pushed for a program to capitalize. But to do this I needed the base consistency, the team to execute and willingness to make a splash with all at my disposal.  Hitting it hard, is not just pressing on the pedal, you have to have the engine behind that is prepped and ready to perform.

The Right Message - So when the headwind hit, and the road got steep there were certain messages flying. The wrong message and I would bail.  The right message and I found the power in the legs, heart and soul to say ‘!!*(&*.”  It is amazing the power of words and getting it right.  Aligning myself with the right words got me to the top. Spending the marketing training time for the right words that really say who you are, what you do and how you are different will get you over the top and winning.

So much for the road.. Just maybe I will be ready for July 11.

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I started a series on the channel which has been posted at  The Examiner on the B2B Marketing page.  Well received.  So here are the links to the 4 that have been posted.

Part I: So you want to get into the channel:  An approach to laying out a strategy and the questions you need to ask.

Part II: Is your company channel ready? This outlines what it means to be channel ready from product packaging, pricing, customer support, sales, etc.

Part III: We’ve signed a partner to sell, now what? Tips and techniques for getting the channel up and running fast

Part IV: The channel and sales compensation:  The strategies and pitfalls of compensation.  How to avoid conflict (or create it if that is what you want).

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This last week I received an email from a friend thanking me for overlooking sweatshirts and baseball caps to see the real person behind it all. Ironically, I never  saw those things.  Sure, the baseball cap was ever present, but what was overwhelming was her ability to listen.  In fact if I could bottle up her ability to listen, to put others at ease and acheive the agreements she gets from customers, I would duplicate it with every insides sales, field sales and executive I know.  Her brand to me is 10% baseball cap (it sets you at ease) and 90% an intutive engine that cares about those around her while communicating value.  That’s someone I want on my team.

This all made me think about brands, who we are and what we appear to be. I have led many company branding exercises. The ones that work are those that tap into the essence of the people are and what attracts the customers to their business.  There is a sense of being, an internal spirit that first is lead by the executive staff and leadership. This then spills out through the team and the image that is give to the greater community.  That is why so often we equate a company with its leader, e.g. Oracle is Larry Ellison or EMC is Joe Tucci.

Unfortunately, branding is often a marketing exercise or a graphics artist responsibility.  That’s when it becomes image de jour. Since it is not portraying the real company, the organization will struggle with conflicting communication and confusion. And basically feeling that the work was a waste of time and money.

When leadership does understand the importance of setting the company image, creating a brand becomes easier, but not easy. It cannot be platitudes and words that often are written in mission statements. It has to be real.  If the company is a geek company, then be a geek company.  Define the value that is attracting your customers and build on it.  If branding has the engagement of the business (executives, sales, customer support, engineering, etc.) then a company can begin to speak with one voice, albeit through the personalities of the company. 

There are times a company needs to re-invent itself, as the internal modes are no longer benefiting the company or their customers.  Or they may just need to shed bad habits.  To correct and change a brand,  a company needs to first take stock of who the company is today, what bad habits they want to shed and why.

So then what about first impressions? They are important, but when you open the conversation and the substance does not equate with the appearance, confusion arises. Or if you are all about impressions and there is little content behind the picture, then maybe you are just a scam artist.  Brand and who we are starts internally and extends to the appearance. Now, think about what that means to your next presentation, your Blog and even Twitter.

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The market is up, the market is down.  A company goes under.  Someone else gets funded.

Where there is panic and confusion, there is opportunity. Lawrence Gonzales, a writer and adventurer, wrote a book on Deep Survival and what the human body and brain does during times of   massive stress - even facing death. Though we may not be lost at sea or climbing down Mt. Everest with a broken leg, the revenue and challenges facing many of us make his lessons applicable.

He tells a story how people panic die within 2 days of being lost at sea.  Others, in a similar situation live for months and are rescued. It is the the equipment or the engineering that resulted in survival; rather the state of being that equated to life. 

That state of being is applicable to us in business.  Those that die become tunnel visioned, either failing to see the potential or are so focused on one strategy they fail to other possibilities. They fail to see what they have can be used in different ways. There is a failure to act or  they keep doing the same thing over and over again.

In contrast survivors find a place of purpose, serenity. They are able to get beyond the noise to set new strategies and plans. Mr. Gonzales lays out four traits of survivors: Gratitude, Humility…. Wonder, Imagination….and Cold Logical Determination.

Today, facing all that is difficult, what actions do you take? Here are some thoughts:

Gratitude and Humility - Take an honest appraisal of what you have and what you do not have. What are your true assets, where are you vulnerable?  Are you playing the other guy’s game? Is your product defensible in this market? If you were the economic buyer,  what scrutiny would you place on the vendor? Would you spend your money on the product? Do you really appreciate your customers? If so, how are you showing it?  Once you have the Honest Abe list you can now explore your options.

Wonder and Imagination- For survivors, this is exploring what could be. When times are tough, we have a tendency to pull in and stick to the knitting. But if status quo is what kills, then does sticking to the knitting mean death? All of us can cite companies who were once strong and failed to re-invent.  Wonder means finding new purposes for products,  For some it means investing in R&D , marketing  or sales channels. I am fascinated by Kodak’s new printer campaign.  They have taken on the status quo for printer strategies, which is to sell the printer and make money on the ink.   Another is AMD, which is investing in their brand to capsize Intel as the preferred chip maker at the same time increasing R&D. They are both taking advantage of the market’s willingness to re-evaluate and do things differently.  Where will your wonder take you?

Cold Logical Determination - Or execution with one vision. It is time for the team to rally cry around a single vision and take measured action.  Teams must be accountable to each other, and bear each other up as we falter.  It is not time for in-fighting. For instances, it is not enough for marketing to produce leads.  Marketing must  be as accountable as sales for turning leads in to revenue.  Sales must in turn be accountable to marketing in being responsible for the events. When rowing to shore, every stroke counts. It also means making some hard choices of what will not be done and facing the discipline of sacrifice.

It you haven’t revisitedyour plan, if you do not have measurable goals for that plan, if you are just pressing harder on the same strategy; then survival will be tough.  Time to start living.

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