7 Deadly Sins of Marketing

The Seven Sins of Marketing & Sales

Lisa Dennis, Knowledgence Associates

The Original 7 Deadly Sins

Superbia Pride
Invidia Envy What if we
Ira Anger came up with
a new list that
Avaritia Avarice focused on
Tristia Sadness Marketing
and Sales?
Gula Gluttony
Luxuria Lust

© 2006 Knowledgence Associates Ldennis@knowledgence.com www.knowledgence.com

The 7 Sins of Marketing & Sales

Sin # 1 –Left or Right Brained
Sin # 2 – One Size Fits All
Sin # 3 – Calling Higher
Sin # 4 – Map-less
Sin # 5 –Premature Proposal
Sin # 6 – Bait & Switch
Sin # 7 – Cloning
Bonus Sin!


Sin # 1 - Left or right brained
organization?

Related but separate

It’s about Orientation

Strategy Tactics

Marketing Sales

Organizationally and conversationally, Sales is mentioned first
Who is charged with demand creation?
Orientation needs to be strategic, than tactical
Put the activities in their proper order – mentally and organizationally
Aligning Marketing and Sales is NOT about having one department
report to the other


Get Whole Brained!

Integrated Understanding of
Customer Experience

Increase understanding Share mkt intelligence
of market environment
Increase understanding
Share street-level of real customer needs
intelligence
Get clear on messaging
and value drivers
S M Internal Campaign
Launches
Sales Ready Messaging
Collect “proof”
Killer Questions
Get Marketing Input
Tiered Value
Propositions
Get Sales Input
Integrated Lead Generation & Qualification


Measure & Prioritize
Create a lead quality scoring system

2 1 0
1. Source of lead external executive internal staff cold call

2. Level of contact CEO/President VP Sales other

3. Decision location local head office local autonomy remote

4. Size of potential $250k plus $100k to $250k <$100k

5. Competition loyalty neutral other loyal

Scoring: 10 or 9 - excellent opportunity
7 or 8 - good opportunity
5 or 6 - fair opportunity... risk
© 2006 Knowledgence Associates 4 or Ldennis@knowledgence.com
less - don’t go! www.knowledgence.com

Telecom Example

2 1 0
1. Telecom Spend/Mon $5K + $2.5 - $5K < $2.5K

2. Level of contact Decision Maker Evaluator/ Information
Influencer Gatherer
CXO, President Office/IT/Telecom Purchasing /
Owner Manager Tactical

3. Value Recognition See value in Willing to change, No reason to
their terms/pain for real reason change, best
price wins!

4. Urgency Sense of urgency No Urgency, but Competitive
still motivated contract expire
3+ mons

5. Customer Fit Exact Target Within range Outside


48 – 36 Index (good) LM2

Customer Fit Index 35 – 21 Index (average) LM1
20 or less Index (poor) LM0

Prospect Name:

# Attribute Poor Fit 1 2 3 4 5 6 Good Fit
1 Market Farmers Hunters
Position (retention) (growth)

2 Number of < 15 15 - 200
Sales Reps

3 Active Deals <10 or >100 10 to 50 ideal
in Pipeline
4 Value/Volume Higher Volume Higher Value Mix
(Transactional) (Relational)

5 Company Status Quo or Change or Growth
“We’re Fine”
6 Competitive Efficiency Focus Innovations/Client
Strategy (commodity) Focus (people)

7 Market B2C B2B
Type (retail) (business)
8 Channel Sell to channel Sell direct
Complexity (indirect) (growth)

Sin # 2 - One Size Fits All
Value Propositions

Major time and $$$ spent
crafting and corporate value
proposition statements
ROI difficult to track

Does the right “corporate” value
proposition spell sales success?
When was the last time a
“one-size-fits-all”
ANYTHING actually fit?!


Value Proposition Defined

Clear and succinct statement indicating the
specific value of a service or product or
offer to a specific audience in order to
differentiate its value


Putting a Spin on It

Customer-focused description of value
that demonstrates your knowledge about
the customer’s experience or challenge
and your specific offer to address it,
underscored by what differentiates your offer
from any other.


Format and Language Shift

From To
Offer Centric Customer Centric
Offer description Customer experience or
situation

Why you need it Our offer for THAT
experience or situation

Why IT’S THE BEST
OFFER! Why THIS OFFER rather
than other options


Building a Better Value
Proposition
Component Description Perspective

Customer Objective What specific This is about THEM
objective(s) or need(s)
do they have – in their
language?

Your Offer What is your offer that This is about you in
will assist them in that relation to THEM
endeavor?

Differentiators How does your offer This is about you in
stand out from other relation to OTHERS
options?


Tiered Value Propositions

Shift focus to market/customer, NOT just product or service

Corporate Value
Proposition

Industry Vertical Product Category Relationship

Market Segment Service Category Title


Test - 3 Key Questions

1. What is the customer objective ?
IN THEIR WORDS!

2. What is the specific offer to answer the customer
need?

3. Why would a customer select this company over
the other perceived market alternatives?


Orientation

From whose perspective
is value described?
Insert
Customer
People don’t buy products or Here
services, they buy outcomes!

Think of Value Propositions
as a mirror.


Sin # 3- The Charge to “Call
Higher”

Common problem of
calling at non-decision
making levels

Depletes a sales person’s
most important asset

Difference between a
“yes” or a “slow no”


Do they know how?

Reps spend time with influencers, locking
themselves into staying there in the hopes they
will “earn” their way up the ladder

But telling them to call high isn’t enough!
– Lack of access
– Lack of practice
– Lack of focus

Calling high first can double your wins

Get Reps Ready to have
a Strategic Conversation

Most sales people are simply unprepared to
converse at that level
The needs & wants of an influencer are
dramatically different than someone at senor
levels
– Different goals
– Different language
– Different proof points


Senior Level Focus Shift

Creating Strategic Value
Building a tailored Value Proposition
More Steps to the Executive Call
Offering Personal Executive Value

Common complaints:
Didn’t understand my business
Talked too much
Didn’t communicate value


Sin # 4 - Going out into the
territory without a map

Most reps have no clear, defined plan for
where this year’s quota will come from
Over-reliance on finding “low hanging fruit” or
getting “qualified” leads from Marketing
Tendency to “ping-pong” around the territory
How do you get
where you need to
go without a map?


Territory Planning

The process to improve quota attainment and
forecast accuracy:
Set goals around market segments, competition,
trends, specific accounts, and new opportunities
Design a Territory Plan that spells out specific
approaches to:
• Renewal business / Installed Base
• Existing pipeline
• Brand new opportunities
• Sets specific territory objectives, strategies and action plans


Creating a Plan

Unit Strategies

Pre-work: Terr. or Acct Exit
List of Current Map
And Renewal
Opportunities
Protect

Expand

Terr. or
Acct Pursue
Plan
Mutual Value Revenue
Objectives Create


Plan Components

Territory or Account Goal
Revenue Relationship Cross-Account

Objective Objective Objective Objective Objective

Marketing
Strategy
Partner

Action Resources Relationship
Action Resources Review

Action Resources


Territory Planning Outcomes

Increase territory penetration
Identify qualified prospects faster
Gain new customers faster
Retain existing customers
Increase pipeline and forecast accuracy
Effectively use company resources


Sin # 5 - Suffering from
“Premature Proposal”

What’s the quickest way to get a sales person out
of your office?
ASK FOR A PROPOSAL!
Issues:
– Too quick
– Not enough info
– Product/Service centric
– Sits in pipeline too long
– Is it real?


Missing pieces of puzzle

2006 Initiatives?

Funding in place?

Desired Outcome? Who is on decision
team?

See Bonus Sin!

You know it’s too early if…

You’ve had only 1 or 2 conversations
Don’t know if your prospect IS the real decision maker
Don’t know who else they are talking to
Have no idea if the project is funded and staffed
Time frame is fuzzy or non-specific

Haven’t completed LEAD MEASUREMENT, and
CUSTOMER FIT


Have the courage to:

Push back and ask for more time with the
prospect
Request meeting with end users
State information you need to complete a targeted
proposal
Ask for prospect’s assistance (time, people,
resources) to gauge commitment
Ask who else they are considering


Sin # 6 - Bait & Switch:
Technology or Sales Process?

How does your organization sell?
Is there a defined process that all sales reps
follow?
In the absence of a process, technology is
enticing
Assumption that software will impose a process
on reps
Reps immediately figure out work-arounds so
they don’t have to change their “own” process


Process is about Integration

VALUE

VALUE
PROCESS
PROCESS

SKILLS

SKILLS
TOOLS

TOOLS


Challenges

No defined sales process = MULTIPLE processes
Every rep does it their own way
Hard to manage multiple methods
Forecasting suffers as a result
Difficult to pinpoint the real problem when sales
are down
Marketers can’t provide actionable tools
Very inconsistent customer experience


Sin # 7
Cloning your Super Star

Where do the best sales managers come from?
The common answer is promoting from the field
Very few “stars” receive training on how to be a
sales manager
Result: They become “closers”
Don’t have the coaching skills to help others do,
so they ride in to “save the day”
Different skill set required for the job


What do they need to succeed?

A single sales process they can apply consistently
with reps
Coaching skills training
Shift from managing 1 territory to a Sales Unit
Account and territory review process
Measurement tools for selling standards


Selling Standards
Territory Management MEETS Territory Management EXCEEDS Territory Management FAILS

Territory List - Segmented AM mentors AR Late or incomplete Territory Plan
Sacred Time for cold calling Cross matrix – No Team Work
Territory Plan - Finished and Approved Products Vs. Companies with Trends “Going through the motions”
Working as a Team Attend Two or More Industry Events per Quarter Failure to attend any Industry Event
Attend an Industry Event – Quarterly Become a Market Segment SME for the Team No Identified “Sacred Time”
Keep-up with Industry Trends – Newspaper/Mag Present Industry Trend at Sales Meeting

Account Penetration MEETS Account Penetration EXCEEDS Account Penetration FAILS

Select and Track Accounts (20/AM, 40/AR) 50% Churn in Selected Account List – Quarterly No Plan – No Calls
Execute your Territory Plan Face-to-face calls per month – 12 (At least 7 NEW) Fewer than 7 Face-to-face calls per month
Use Notes in ACE to Track Success Refine Territory Plan Bi-Monthly
Face-to-face calls per month – 7 (At least 4 NEW)

Solution Selling MEETS Solution Selling - EXCEEDS Solution Selling FAILS

Meets Farming Algorithm Exceeds Farming Algorithm Bad Farming Algorithm
Understands 9-Boxes Always uses 9-Boxes Doesn’t use 9-Boxes
Gains Access to Power More than 1 VIP Letter per week Poorly written SS Letters
One VIP Letter per week for management review Starts with Power No Access to Power

CRM/SFA MEETS CRM/SFA EXCEEDS CRM/SFA FAILS

Submit Weekly Call-Logs Uses Tool Daily Refusal to Use Tool or its components
Updates active account three times a week Attaches all VIP Letters No Weekly or Incomplete Call-Logs
Notes Coaches and Trains others is use of Tool(s) No VIP Letters
First Call’s check-off
Pipeline Status


BONUS SIN


Closing or Qualifying?

Thinking that your sales team has a “closing” problem
instead of a “qualifying” problem
“He or she just can’t close!!” or
“These leads STINK.”
All leads are not created equal – are your reps truly
qualifying each lead?
Marketing may pre-qualify – but final qualification is
Sales’ job
Jumping the gun by putting something in the pipeline that
isn’t truly qualified


Qualifying Criteria

PAIN 1. Do we understand what the prospect’s desired
outcome is?

FIT 2. Can we fully meet the prospect’s needs and
requirements?
FUNDING 3. Is there a funded budget for this project?

TIME 4. Do we know when they have to make a decision
and why at that time?
CRITERIA 5. Who is on the decision-making team and what
is the each member’s decision-making criteria?
PROPOSAL 6. Have we presented our proposal in person?

SHORT LIST 7. Are we on a short-list of vendors? Who else is?


Most Powerful
& Overlooked Sales Tool

PROOF!
Nothing you say
about your
company will be Nov 19, 1998

AMSP

more compelling 12344 First ST.
Vancouver, BC
V6T 3R7

Re: Internet Application

than what existing Outstanding performance on the
application last developed by your
company.

customers say We can quantify a 30% increase in
revenues as a result of this
application.

Regards,

Turn it into a John Smith

consistent program


The 7 Sins of Marketing & Sales

Sin # 1 – Is your organization left or right brained?
Sin # 2 – One Size Fits All Value Propositions
Sin # 3 – The Charge to “Call Higher”
Sin # 4 – Going out into the territory without a map
Sin # 5 – Suffering from “Premature Proposal”
Sin # 6 – Bait & Switch: Technology or Sales Process?
Sin # 7 – Cloning your Super Star
Bonus Sin! – Closing Problem or Qualifying Problem


Pick Your Sin(s) and
Change Your View!

See the world through your customer’s eyes™


THANK YOU FOR COMING!

BUSINESS CARD = Electronic copy of Value
Proposition template & an article

Lisa Dennis, President
Knowledgence Associates
Ldennis@knowledgence.com
617-661-8250
www.knowledgence.com


7 Deadly Sins of Marketing

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