I wish I had written that…

I just read an ebook on the New Rules of Sales Enablement by Jeff Ernst. It is written from the perspective of a classically trained marketer who had the “ah ha” moment of what it really takes to sell. Well, this little book should be required reading for all product marketing management. I used to say, don’t confuse selling with installing. An adjunct to that is don’t confuse sales enablement with collateral or sales process.

Mr. Ernst outlines six critical elements a successful sales person manages and advocates marketing to understand them and get them incorporated into a repeatable sales playbook (not to be confused with a sales process).

1. Understand the customer’s marketplace and business issues
2. Help the buyer envision solving their problems using his or her products and services
3. Frame the buyer’s evaluation criteria so that the competitors are at a disadvantage
4. Help the “buyer champion” sell within his or her organization
5. Overcome objections raised by the buyer
6. Respond to the tough questions immediately and with credibility

What is the difference between a playbook and a sales process? A sales process is how you progress through the sale. The playbook is what is done within the context of the customer’s environment.

I liken this to how head coach Josh McDaniels is running the Denver Bronco’s team. He has all the positions covered (sales process), but each week the Broncos adjust their playbook and approach to exploit the weaknesses and protect against the strengths of the opposing team. How this is done is through heavy analysis and the coaches strategizing how to play this week’s game.

Translation to marketing: First identify a specific sales environment, the customer. Think industry, think decision maker and influencer, think company size and environment.

Know the customers has a lot of options to solve their problem, including doing nothing. Define the playbook with questions that probe for problems, pain and view to solve their world. You will have to talk to your top sales people to determine the questions and what they are looking for with those questions.

Teach the sales to set decision criteria and plan for landmines. This isn’t just listing unique requirements and capabilities. It is using questions, with the sales person’s knowledge of what is important to the buyer, to get your unique value as the baseline requirement(s). Nice to have doesn’t cut it. As far as landmines, if I know what the competition is up to I can discredit them before I get hit.

If you still don’t understand, call your local sales person and ask them what it means.
Happy selling.

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Recently I have been talking to folks about what has changed in the last 12 months with marketing and what is developing new opportunities. As we have seen effectiveness begin to drop off from seminars, tradeshows and webcasts. Exactly what is working?

There is a new category of marketing arising, Social Marketing. It is a combination of networking and information exchange precipitated by the vendor.

As we get more oriented to social media tools such as Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook, and faced with job insecurity, the desire to understand how to network has increased. At the same time, people are bombarded by communication vehicles and are showing less patience for vendors that do not demonstrate personal value. As a result, there is an increase of discrimination of who and when we want to socialize.

Some smart marketers have capitalized on this by developing venues that provide space for networking and information exchange. Take for example, I recently interviewed technology channel partners about successful marketing events. One company has been hosting CIO luncheon events for 3 years for the purpose of discussion top issues. They stay away from products (although you can be sure that comes up), opting for issues around Virtualization, IT projects, effective disaster recovery, etc. It is invitation only, so attendees know it is their peers. With such a long history of hosting, there is the natural feeling of ‘of course I will show up, if I am in town.’

Another approach is collaboration communities. Rally Software, a development tool has created a very successful Agile community. A new one for marketers has been started by Net-Results, spearheaded by Matt Filios who has started similar communities in the open source market. These companies have initiated and nurtured the collaboration, but once started left it to be driven by the community.

As companies dive into this new world, there are some basics to remember:

1. The community must come first. If the vendor’s message is the primary objective, the community is smart enough to sniff out a veiled sales call. It will not take on a life of its own.
2. Networking and communication between peers is always listed as the most valuable part of events. Facilitate this first, and the rest will follow. For instance kick off hot topic discussions with a model to critique. Open up a dinner with a 15 minute topical presentation and then begin the conversation with open ended questions.
3. Free is good, but not always the best. Exclusivity or a selection process can increase the real or perceived value. If the community is to be for a C-level, then make sure you deliver on the C. It is irritating for an executive to fine the small c (consultants), vendors or people not their peers at an event, when it has been marketed at a different level. It may require screening or entry fee to assure the quality.
4. Get feedback. Find out what else you can do to facilitate networking. Ask the members, both those that are active and those inactive. Draft a member(s) to help with the socialization or expansion.

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So here it is: “For Who, Does What, Unlike.” **…..  Now I will break down:

“For Who?“ The first step is to define who your primary is, and who is your secondary. For Web 2.0, this can be tough, as your customer tends to be the end user and the secondary is those people who give you money - someone who is advertising or wants to get to your audience. For all of these audiences you need to have a messaging and positioning statement, as their needs, pains, desires are different. Unless you talk directly to them, they will tune you out.

When you describe For Who, make it very, very descriptive and specific. In old messaging you drew the largest circle possible. In this world you have to have a rifle shot or you will be dismissed. For Instance, SMB (also known as Small-Medium Business) is not enough - you need to crawl into your targets brain and know what it means to be a 10 employee firm or a 200 or 1000 person firm. These are all considered “SMB,” but a 10 person firm is not a 500 person firm.  What the “For Who” looks like:

1. For researchers who have to analyze large data sets and solve visual problems.
2. For landscape architects who need an easy to use design tool.
3. For people who need to make sure their data is secure.

“Does What?”  Think in terms of PAIN and improvements. Can you quantify what you do? This is critical for business. Don’t just say improve ROI. One CEO told me if he invested in every ROI pitch, he would be broke. Ask yourself - is this enough for me to change what I do? There are always tradeoffs, and work arounds to make the old way ‘work.’  We like the familiar, despite its drawbacks. Take an honest look at your value and make sure it is enough. 

After you define the “Does What” you can tell me what you do. Do not make me dig. If you are a new concept, it has to be related to what I already understand. Humans categorize, that is how we remember. If you are breakthrough technology, you are responsible for helping me understand the breakthrough. And you only have 30 seconds to get my attention. So what Does What look like?

1. For researchers who have to analyze large data sets with visual problems. We enable you to develop predictable, repeatable math routines, with simple to use software.
2. For landscape architects who want an easy to use design tool because I don’t have time to invest in huge app like autocad. We are a highly intuitive tool that you can master in 15 minutes.
3. For people who need to make sure their data is secure. We are a simple and safe way to back up all the important stuff on your computer. A copy of your data is stored in a secure, remote location for safekeeping, so that in the event of disaster your data is always retrievable.

“Unlike”-Most companies forget the Unlike element. I don’t blame them. This is the hardest step. I call this Share of Stomach - if I am hungry, there are lots of options out there. While Whole Foods does not compete directly with Capitol Grill, once my stomach is full, game over. So make sure you look at not only your direct competitor, but what other options the customer has. For most, “do nothing” is a biggest obstacle and needs to be addressed in the Unlike statement. So how this all gets put together”

1. For researchers who have to analyze large data sets with visual problems. We enable you to develop predictable, repeatable math routines, with simple to use software and without extensive programming and complicated analysis.
2. For landscape architects who want an easier to use design tool because I don’t have time to invest in huge app like autocad. We are a highly intuitive tool that you can master in 15 minutes without knowledge of technology, without knowledge of technology.
3. For people who need to make sure their data is secure. We are a simple and safe way to back up all the important stuff on your computer. A copy of your data is stored in a secure, remote location for safekeeping, so that in the event of disaster your data is always retrievable. No software, no hardware, no tapes, just simple 3 steps to protection.

Now for the BIG TEST: Exchange your competitors name in your positioning statement. Does it hold on it own? Or are you saying the same thing? If it doesn’t - go back to the drawing board.

** Concept originated by Geoffrey Moore in Crossing the Chasm. Printed originally in 1991, but still very applicable in technology adoption, marketing and messaging.

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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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