Posted by Lori Siragusa on Wed, Aug 04, 2010
I’m sure this will strike a nerve, but there are far too many companies out there still using one of these empty platitudes to position their organization in the marketplace:
• “We provide superior customer service”
• “We are true partners with our clients”
• “We delight customers”
• “Our people make the difference”
AGHH!!! (Just give me a minute here…OK, I'm calmer now)....
So what’s the problem with this, you say? The problem is...good customer service is completely and utterly....expected! And when customers plunk down thousands, even millions for your solutions, they expect you to take care of them when the need arises. These are weak positioning statements that will do nothing for your organization’s growth and credibility.
So why do so many companies (especially technology providers) go down this path?
Well, there are many reasons. For one, some firms believe that they do have the best people, the best products and the best service (sometimes we call this “drinking the Kool-Aid"). 
This may be true, but remember that your competitors think they have the best solutions too. And it's not about what you think; it's about how your customers perceive you. If you are using these fluffy, meaningless statements, it's going to be nearly impossible for prospects to differentiate you from XYZ company.
Another reason? It's easier. Let’s face it. Developing your positioning strategy and defining what makes your company/product/service different from everyone else is among the most difficult marketing tasks. Just go around a table of executives in a marketing planning session and ask them to define what the company does and what is unique about it. You'll get as many different responses as there are titles at the table. That’s why some companies just default to “we offer great customer service” and move on, really making no commitment. Again, this does nothing to drive the business forward.
In "Why Johnny Can't Brand" by Bill Schley, the author says the primary reason why companies find this process so challenging is fear. As Schley states, it takes guts to put a stake in the ground."
“Branding and positioning require decisive commitment to a single path, and that means risk. The positioning paradox is that the power of your message is directly proportional to how simple you can make it and how few words and images you can use to say it. Amateurs are petrified not to list every possible feature and benefit in every communication, afraid they’ll leave something on the table and miss some fraction of the market. But by saying everything, they heave themselves upon the clutter and end up saying nothing—too afraid to do the one thing that they must do: choose.”
If your company offers a product or service that may be perceived by prospects as a commodity such as banking, IT services, ERP solutions, etc., then defining and explaining how you are positioned and why you are different becomes that much more important. You must lift yourself out of the commodity sandbox in order to attract inbound leads to your organization.
The bottomline is this: you have to answer the prospect's one burning question: “Why the heck should I care about your solutions?” If you can answer this, you are well on your way to standing out in your market.
Posted by Lori Siragusa on Mon, Jul 12, 2010
I have found through the years that although smaller entrepreneurial high-tech companies (particularly software developers) deliver very sophisticated solutions and services, their marketing efforts often are not in sync with their offerings. It's not just that their branding needs work, although that is often the case. It goes beyond that. It's that there is a disconnect between how they present their technology offerings to the marketplace, and what they actually do.
For example, I met with a company recently that was touting web development services to small businesses as one of their key offerings. Ok, fine. There are 7 bazillion other companies that do the same thing. However, after some initial research of this firm, I suspected that there was more to the company than met the eye. Sure enough, when I met with their CEO, it didn't take long to realize that they were doing some amazingly sophisticated and complex technology engagements such as mainframe decommissions and other mission-critical IT projects with NASA and other organizations that clearly required advanced knowledge and experience far beyond what they were saying on their website and in their marketing materials.
So why in the world would they talk about web development services for mom-and-pop businesses? Why the disconnect?
I believe there are a few key reasons, but one that is very prevalent among entrepreneurial firms is what I call the "fear of specialization syndrome."
Many small companies believe they can't afford to pass up an engagement, even if it's on the periphery of their core competency, for fear of "leaving money on the table." So instead of focusing on what they do extraordinarily well, carving out a specific target in need of those unique services and marketing to that audience, they showcase every possible service they could remotely perform, unwittingly watering down their entire offering, commoditizing their services and in some cases, making it impossible for prospects to even discern what they actually do.
When you delve deeper into this kind of thinking, it's really about the fear of sacrifice. Specialization requires sacrifice. And giving up a line of business, an engagement or a superfluous product can be downright scary for small companies.
Small companies must zero in on their sharpest core competencies---their reason for existence in the first place----and then hone in on the precise target market(s) they can serve most effectively. If not, these organizations run the risk of being distracted, losing focus and gobbling up precious bandwidth and resources---something that small companies simply cannot do.
As Harry Beckwith said in Selling the Invisible, "to broaden your appeal, narrow your position." He explains that a narrower focus can create huge opportunities, allowing you to compete far more effectively, even with much larger organizations.
So take a careful inventory of what your company does best, sacrifice and work with professionals to showcase the benefits of your key solutions in a way that will attract potential buyers to learn more about your company and its solutions. Specialization may be one of the hardest marketing lessons for small companies to learn, but this fear must be overcome in order to compete more effectively and grow revenue.
Posted by Lori Siragusa on Mon, Jul 05, 2010
If you are the chief executive officer in an entrepreneurial organization, chances are you are handling a number of different functions. Wearing multiple hats as a CEO of an entrepreneurial company is nothing new, but when it includes trying to lead both the company's sales and marketing initiatives, you may be selling your company short.
When a CEO suddenly takes "managing" the marketing initiatives to mean "performing" them, it can be seriously counterproductive to the company and for the CEO in terms of his abilities to handle his executive level responsibilities. The person responsible for generating revenue for the entire company, be it the CEO or any individual executive should not have to struggle between the two functions when both are absolutely vital to the company’s overall growth and success.
In some organizations, it may be possible for an executive to handle both functions, but only up to a certain point. In the early stages of their business lifecycle, companies can often find a way to attract some of the so-called "early adopter clients" to their ranks. But once that pipeline has run its course, the company is faced with getting to what is known as "critical mass", a client base substantial enough to earn the company credibility in its market. This is where many companies tend to hit the proverbial wall. The indicators of being stuck often manifest themselves as sales problems, but almost invariably, they are marketing problems.
What they need is a marketing “lift” to get them over that wall.
It is at this precise moment that entrepreneurial companies need to get it right. In order for the company's story to be heard beyond its early adopter circles and initial sphere of influence, it takes professional marketing expertise to create the right messaging and positioning statements so that the company's story will resonate with its prospects. There is no substitute for getting your marketing fundamentals right. But, rarely, if ever, is this accomplished with a “two-for-the-price-of-one” model where one executive doubles up to try to handle both functions.
As we continue to state, the need for sophisticated marketing in an entrepreneurial company is inversely proportional to the size of the organization––the smaller the firm, the greater the need. If your organization expects to move beyond its current orbit, then the head of sales must have a laser-sharp focus on sales-associated issues which fundamentally drive revenue. Likewise, marketing must be regarded as its own strategic business function and must be led by a marketing expert who works directly with the head of sales. By recognizing this, your organization has a far greater chance of accelerating growth to the next level of success.
Posted by Lori Siragusa on Wed, Apr 07, 2010
Want to be among those organizations that are able to communicate with prospects in a compelling and meaningful way? The follow these tips when developing your positioning platform:
Simplify - In positioning, less is always more. And today, simplicity is a highly valued commodity. People crave it, decision makers demand it. If you want to be heard and understood above the din of your competitors, your positioning must be crystal clear. Sure, your technology is complex—even more reason your communications shouldn’t be. Make it easy for prospects to quickly grasp what you do, why your solution is different and why they should care about doing business with you.
Sacrifice - Great positioning requires great sacrifice. No company can be all things to all people. This is especially true for entrepreneurial businesses with limited resources. It seems counterintuitive, but if you want broader appeal, narrow your focus. It is often better to “own” a niche as a specialist than to be awash in a sea of competitors scrambling for the same deals. Following this principle almost invariably leads to increased revenue.
Sanity Check - Let’s see...You are an entrepreneurial software firm with four employees and three early adopter clients (only one of which is installed), but you are claiming to be the industry leader? That’s simply not believable as your positioning strategy. Great goal, poor positioning. Play to your current strengths instead.
Stick to It - Your positioning strategy requires perseverance. While media campaigns and other initiatives tend to be fluid and nimble, your positioning platform is meant to establish how you want prospects to perceive you, which should not be something you transient.
If your firm has the grit and determination to follow these simple, yet challenging principles, count yourself among those rare organizations that will be able to successfully communicate with audiences in a way that is compelling and meaningful. By doing so, you will increase your ability to drive prospects into your sales pipeline.
Posted by Inline Marketing Partners on Thu, Mar 25, 2010
In a recent article entitled “When Computers Leave the Classrooms, So Does Boredom” (published in The Chronicle of Higher Education), the point is made that real teaching seems to begin when we rely on the wit and wisdom of the instructor versus the graphics and bullet points in a typical PowerPoint presentation. In fact, the article has actually spawned new terminology on college campuses across the country called “teaching naked” in reference to faculty members who now are teaching without the aid of PowerPoint.
As salespeople who work with prospects in their buying process, we need to understand that more than salespeople, we are indeed educators in every sense of the word. As such, we need to think about how we can most effectively communicate our value proposition with our prospects. Personally, I don’t think we do it with PowerPoint.
Here is a fun exercise I would suggest for sales teams who want to improve their sales ability and presentation skills. The sales manager gets to pick a single topic or aspect related to the product/solution his salespeople sell. Then, schedule a sales meeting at which each salesperson will do a 10-minute presentation on the assigned topic. The only rule – No PowerPoint. Presenters can use visual aids, grease boards, flip charts, and can provide one handout as part of the presentation, but essentially, salespeople will be presenting “naked!”
Following each presentation, the sales manager can lead discussion with his salespeople to critique each presentation highlighting the positives. And, Mr. Sales Manager, you should get up and present, too. Hopefully, you are better than any of your salespeople at this exercise and if you are not (or if you just know you are not a good presenter)…then hire in a third party to help coach your salespeople on their presentation skills. We may live in a world of PowerPoint-driven webcasts and webinars, but salespeople who learn to comfortably present “naked” will be more confident and composed in any sales situation they encounter.
by Harold "Bud" Boughton
Advisory Partner, Business Development
Posted by Inline Marketing Partners on Tue, Mar 23, 2010
In my previous three blogs we…
- discussed how the traditional sales process has become more of a buying process,
- determined that the buyer’s ultimate decision to buy is a “value” decision,
- agreed (?) that nothing captures emotion and the essence of value like a story.
Thus, we all need to be storytellers. Well, I was wrong.
You see, it is not enough to be just a storyteller. The true professional salesperson must master the art of being an outstanding storyteller. Here are six points that will get you well on your way to becoming the master storyteller you need to be.
One, you are always more effective telling a story when you are on your feet (standing not sitting). Your ability to control the room, to walk and talk at a certain pace, to use hand and arm gestures is all accentuated when you are on your feet.
Two, begin by telling your audience that you are going to tell them a story. Then open the story by painting a mental picture for them. This takes them out of their real environment and brings them deeper into your story. Let them take the trip with you!
Three, describe the people in your story in some detail. Physical appearance, their temperament, their personality; “humanize” the story as much as you can so that your audience feels like they really know who the people are.
Four, when you are describing the real impact of your product and/or service in the story, it is important to emphasize numbers that are compelling and yes, don’t be afraid to repeat those numbers or write them on a grease board or flip chart for the sake of impact. Stories, however, are more about playing on feelings and emotions than they are numbers and logic.
Five, close your story with a ‘value statement’ that relates directly to your current prospect (who you are telling the story to). Help them feel the connection and see that the story you just told has definite similarities to their situation.
Sixth and last but certainly not least, practice, practice, practice! Yes, telling a story is a performance. You literally are on stage when you are telling your story. It combines the very best of your skills as a public speaker, a salesperson, and yes, even that of a thespian.
by Harold "Bud" Boughton
Advisory Partner, Business Development
Posted by Inline Marketing Partners on Thu, Mar 18, 2010
In my previous blog we discussed that in order to sell real value, one must break through the prospect’s barrier of logic and tap into their emotional side. This process, which I call “humanizing the product”, eliminates the importance of logic and feature/function replacing it instead with human emotion that captures the imagination of the prospect. I also had said in my blog that the best way to do this was to be a storyteller since nothing captures the real essence of value like a story. I’m sure some of the younger professionals reading this blog had thought I’d lost it! C’mon man, tell stories? Why, as a professional salesperson should I be telling stories? Simply put, here are several good reasons why.
One, as I said before, the best way to connect with your prospect on an emotional level is to tell stories. Real stories about real people capture emotion and the essence of value. Two, people in general like to hear stories, especially when they are told well. People like stories because when we hear them we have the chance to learn, to be enlightened and yes, to be entertained. Three, when you tell a story, you aren’t so much talking about your product or service as you are the real impact that your product or service had on another company or even better, another human being. People get bored listening to “product stuff” but who won’t put down their pen and give you their full attention to hear a story? Four, stories get told over and over again. While you may be sharing your story with only one person or in a single prospect’s office, there’s a very good chance that if your story is told well and makes some solid points, it will get told again and again by those who hear it.
Stories, more than anything else, capture the essence of our lives. That is why we like to hear them and that is why sales professionals should become familiar about stories that involve their products and services and how they have impacted other peoples’ lives.
by Harold "Bud" Boughton
Advisory Partner, Business Development
Posted by Inline Marketing Partners on Tue, Mar 16, 2010
In my previous blog I discussed how buyers today are researching their product/services alternatives via the Internet before they ever even think of getting involved with a salesperson. This has significantly changed the traditional sales process into much more of a buying process. The buyer is now much better informed and he/she now has much greater control over the entire buying process. This being the case, a sales professional must ask him or herself only one question - “What then is the prospect really buying?
In making any buying decision, the buyer must evaluate three fundamental elements of whatever it is he or she is buying. They are the product itself, the service associated with that product, and the price for the product. There is no way any business can provide the highest quality product and the best overall service and do so for the lowest price in the marketplace. It would be illogical to think that. But, if these are the three elements that the prospect is going to take into account in his/her evaluation, what is he or she really buying? What is the buyer after? One word – value. That’s right! Ultimately, a buying decision is really a value decision. That said, how does one sell this elusive, intangible thing we call “value?”
In order to sell real value, one must break through the barrier of logic and tap into the emotional side of the prospect. Somehow, they must find a way to “humanize” their product offering. And how does one best do this? By telling stories. By far, the most effective way to “humanize” the total benefits of one’s product and capture its true value is to be a storyteller. More than any other sales tool nothing captures the real essence of value like a story.
by Harold "Bud" Boughton
Advisory Partner, Business Development
Posted by Inline Marketing Partners on Thu, Mar 11, 2010
In the past, it was the salesperson who usually introduced a company and its suite of products or services to the potential buyer. This was the role of the “hunter” in the traditional business world we all grew up in. Now, however, before the salesperson even knows the prospect exists, the potential buyer is researching solutions on the Internet. This potential customer not only researches your product but also, your competition’s. He may even go to web sites and blogs to read other customers’ experiences with your company and your product. The result of all this is pretty eye-opening. This shift has totally changed the dynamics of the sales process as we once knew it.
The “hunter” now often becomes the “hunted” as the potential buyer actually seeks out the salesperson when he or she is ready to, which is normally after already doing his or her own individual evaluation of the company and its products. What was once a “sales process” has now become much more of a buying process. That being the case, the buyer is much more in control of this process than ever before and it raises yet another question for sales professionals - How does a salesperson deliver real value and differentiate him or herself once in front of the prospective customer? To answer that question, we must begin by answering a deeper more cerebral question, “What is the prospect really buying?”
by Harold "Bud" Boughton
Advisory Partner, Business Development
Posted by Lori Siragusa on Mon, Mar 08, 2010
Attention spans in the business world can be inversely proportional to titles—the higher up the executive food chain you target your company’s message, the less time that person will have to spend reviewing it. So you had better be succinct, crisp and clear in your initial marketing approach if you want to get even a sliver of a C-level executive’s time and attention. A concise, crisp positioning strategy and supporting messaging is the answer. Positioning is the process of defining what key attributes and positive associations you want to come to mind when your prospect thinks about your company and its offerings. “Messaging” represents the communication points that support the positioning statement. To get started, your organization needs to answer some key questions:
- Who are we and what business are we in? Prospects naturally want to categorize your organization in their mind, so control the bucket they put you and define it for them, making it easy for them understand you.
- Whom do we serve? You simply cannot be all things to all people. There is always a group of prospects for whom your solutions are the best fit for a variety of reasons. Identify them.
- Who are our competitors? Too many organizations claim they have no competitors. In fact, most do have competitors, and that includes perceived competitors and even status quo, meaning you might be competing against the prospect's resistance to buying anyone's solution. Recognize who—or what—you are up against.
- What makes us different? Providers of complex technology solutions can become enamored with their own technology. Refrain from citing deep, “under the hood” information and instead, explain the biggest benefit your offering delivers.
- Why should a prospect care? Focus on communicating what pain point(s) your offerings remove and the problems it solves and you will answer the prospect’s “so what?” questions.
If you invest the time and attention up front to develop a strong positioning strategy, you'll turn your prospect’s head hopefully long enough to move them into your pipelin. And remember you may only get one shot.