chrisbrogan.com - Latest Comments in The Sales Marketing Organization

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

JDJ — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:18:52 -0000

Yes. "Indubitably" might be too strong a word, so just, "yes."

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Louis — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:15:24 -0000

I agree with Paul Hebert 's comment: it's "conversations" to sales.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

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Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

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Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Michael Hyatt — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 22:10:16 -0000

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Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

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Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

birkin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 05:58:21 -0000

I agree with Paul Hebert 's comment: it's "conversations" to sales.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

MandyStepheny — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:35:09 -0000

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Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

James Young — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:28:32 -0000

Maybe not sales exactly, but company strategy, yes. Granted, the strategy of the company is designed to maximize sales, so they ultimatley be one and the same. But, I've seen too much marketing muscle wasted on efforts that don't tie to strategy.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Keith Wiegold — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:18:11 -0000

Well done, Chris: your thoughtful questions are ones many marketers are asking themselves (though not as eloquently).

I believe that both questions (“what if every aspect of our efforts was dedicated to helping people sell?” and “what if every aspect of our efforts was dedicated to helping customers buy?” ) can be addressed with another question: "what if every aspect of our efforts was dedicated to helping our customers.....PERIOD."

The trust created by a company when truly, truly helping its customers address higher-level needs (than simply buying a product) via solving their problems (through education, information, inspiration, entertainment) is what content marketing is all about.

Yes, it sells -- but in a customer-centric, problem-solving way. Yes, it helps customers buy -- but above and beyond the utilitarian-based benefits of the product service.

Content marketing can be about SO much more than a "wide-area sales funnel" (actually, I always felt that's what traditional advertising did...in its mass-market, shotgun blast, interruptive way). Done strategically, content marketing can address ALL stages of the customer journey with a company/brand, from suspect to prospect to warm lead to customer....BUT THEN also beyond -- repeat customer to loyalist to advocate, enhancing lifetime value.

(My full disclosure: I've created a strategic framework that creates such a roadmap for content to play thoughout all stages, with objective-based measurement metrics which indeed helps marketers "see every effort’s paths back to sales.")

I guess the question isn't that "Are companies asking for more sales out of their online marketing efforts?" (they should), but that "Are customers asking for more out of companies' online efforts?" (they are)...and THAT'S where strategic content marketing provides the solution -- over the lifetime.

Keith Wiegold
Chief Content Evangelist
Nutlug Content Marketing

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Tracy Marlowe — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:33:17 -0000

I definitely think that it's a growing trend. Not with all companies. But more and more are seeing the light everyday.

I own a small advertising agency and have several clients in the real estate realm. In the "olden days" (okay, two years ago), we could put branding ads out in consumer publications and the leads would come rolling in. Now days, with the obvious challenges in that market, it's just not enough to get their phone to ring. It's not enough that people in their market perceive their development as the "hottest development around" if the sales aren't happening. They began demanding, as they well should, that we be able to show them how every dollar they spend directly translates into sales.

Enter, content marketing. I am a Hubspot customer and loyalist and am currently using it to help my customers actually track the success of their content marketing campaigns. It's been awesome. And eye opening.

Yes, at first it was a challenge for me to evolve from years and years as a traditional branding advertiser. And I still believe firmly in branding. The channels, methodologies and strategies for conveying well developed brands have just changed with the times.

And if we as marketers don't change and begin to adapt to a more content based sales and marketing model to better serve our clients then I honestly think we'll be relics before long.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Christine Fife — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:20:54 -0000

No, I don't think it is a trend, I think it is just normal business. The point of being in business is to sell something. Marketing and sales practices evolved out of the desire to sell more, always with the bottom line of sell more but spend less to do it.

Because this is the case, I don't think it is right to call it a "trend."

Unfortunately, many companies continue to pursue a mass advertising attack (fill the funnel, knowing sales win ratios will be low). Has any recent study been done to illustrate which approach is reaping more rewards?

Personally, I agree with Paul Hebert 's comment: it's "conversations" to sales. The change that some companies are starting to make is that conversations don't have to wait to begin with a sales person and a consumer. Companies can participate in the market conversation much earlier as part of their brand/product awareness stage so long as they don't look at it as a new place (online social networking areas) to paste the same old advertisement bullets (that doesn't add to the conversation, that adds to the noise.)

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

billhanifin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:00:15 -0000

Everyone I have been hearing from is asking about the business impact of their investment in social media, tools, brand building - all of it. There is more emphasis on these questions from more traditional marketers (might there be a loyalty marketing generation gap? here) but in the end, everyone is in business to create sales. Sounds basic, but it's true.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

SteveAverill — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:36:36 -0000

When I was in Sales, my personal mantra was "Don't sell, make sales". PR, Marketing and Social Media all contribute to the process of a closed deal. Can you create the environment and circumstances internally and externally where sales are made? You can if everyone sees themselves as part of the sales process, as on that assembly line, the end product being a deal. Marketing PR HR Customer Service, that guy hired to do Social Media, all dedicated to making sales.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

@abarcelos — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:09:06 -0000

I once read an article about how EVERYONE in an organization is in sales no matter the department. If you focus on the fact that it's all about happy customers (internal and external), the bottom line, which is equally as important, naturally progresses. Sounds simple enough but way too many organizations still have an us against them within the company where sales blames support and vice versa. In the end, the point is missed and customers suffer.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Mayo — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:46:59 -0000

I found truth in value to the effort and more so the effect of conversion from leads to actual sales...and then going the distance with the customer and maintaining a relationship that brings mutual value to the customer and the selling organization...and then repeat sales!

Keep the info flowing Chris!
Cheers,
Mayo at Proposalware dot dot dot

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Becky Blanton — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:42:52 -0000

What if, instead of "buying" or "selling" you were all about "connecting" and making it possible for people to "find" the services, goods, products they want? That's at the base of permission marketing after all - it's about the people. That thought alone will change the way you think about your question.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Nick Shepheard — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:58:45 -0000

No it's not a trend.
Marketing's job is to create demand and to speed up the buying process so any time you put "marketing" in a sentence you're beating a path for sales. Or you should be, it might come as a shock to some but Marketing's purpose has never been to spend the marketing budget.
I kind of like your two stories idea but I don't think it's as clear cut as PR doing one and Marketing taking care of the other; some of the best company stories I've heard have been from Sales, or the guy on the factory floor, or from other customers.
So, not a trend. Sales being driven out of marketing is an absolute. Always was.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

perry maughmer — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:36:22 -0000

This is the exact conversation I was having yesterday with an associate of mine (Nate Riggs). We were able to re-frame the discussion we were having around social media to the perspective of social media being the tool to help people sell more effectively.
Your points are completely in sync with our conversation...to power of jazz

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Vicki Rellas — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:24:42 -0000

Great post! Many successful salespeople intuitively know that they need to tell stories about their products and services. The stories have to be visceral and eventually present the product in a way that will make a (profound) difference in the consumers life. What is getting more difficult is managing all the different outlets that are being used to disseminate the story! Hubspot not only helps with that process but allows for easy management and direct accountability.
Sales Marketing is a very appropriate naming for this!

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

RegiSasso — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:01:39 -0000

Chris,

GREAT post! I’m bringing a different perspective to this topic. I think we’re on the forefront of a major shift in how marketing and sales align and work together to engage, converse, and acquire new customers. Social Media is quickly evolving to become a transformative discipline under the big marketing umbrella. Marketing’s overarching goal it is to generate brand awareness and demand through a variety of disciplines, techniques or channels. And we all know what sales’ overarching goal is. 

As a sales pro, what I happen to be excited about is that social media is looking like a game-changer for marketing and sales organizations, no matter whether they’re in a B2C or B2B environment. Yes, it’ll take a couple more years for more complex B2B adoption, but if social media can help to free up my time to engage in more quality conversations with prospects – who want to engage with me - it naturally leads to strong and trusted relationship building – and yes, sales. Compared to the antiquated and ineffective dialing for dollars that sadly exists today in most sales organizations – particularly in the high tech industry – I can’t wait to experience the impact social media content makes to sales, salesmarketing, or even marketingsales. If social media helps me reduce my cold calling time and makes me a more effective, productive, and profitable sales pro in acquiring new business for my company, I want it now!

Keep up the great evangelism!

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Rachel Happe — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:42:08 -0000

Hi Chris - personally I think online marketing is all about sales and that essentially it will become the same thing.

Here's why - the cost of sales has plummeted since the cost of information distribution and discovery has plummeted. It is much, much easier to do match making because people are voluntarily putting their information out there online - and obviously product and services companies have for a while. As this trend continues will see places like LinkedIn become much more of the Match.com for business. I express a need and I get matched with 20 people that can fulfill it - and either I can do the pursuing or be pursued.

It's a much better paradigm for all involved (aside from spammers) because both buyers and sellers don't have to spend the extra cycles on prospects that are not a good match. This presumes, of course that people and companies know who they are and what they want. The better companies are a defining who they are and staying true to themselves, they less friction they will have in finding customers.

JMHO :)

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

tippingptmedia — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:32:07 -0000

I especially liked your statement, "I think content marketing and the like are lead generation-focused." When we look at marketing in the 21st century, we have to consider the multiple levels a company must use to reach an audience. We can't rely on one form of communication to satisfy the needs of all customers. For one customer, having an instant chat with a customer service representative will provide optimal satisfaction while another will only feel comfortable with a written manual in hand. The need to bring satisfaction to a customer has not changed, but companies must use a variety of ways to reach out to their clients.

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Keith Monaghan — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:54:47 -0000

In my limited experience companies have always expected online marketing to generate sales.
Even back in the late 90s during the dot com boom. It's just that back then the companies that were talking ROI didn't get as much attention as the ones spouting "new paradigm" and "integrated vertical portal" and the other buzzwords of the day. Same as it ever was. (And that's a good thing).

Re: The Sales Marketing Organization

Tommy Rector — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:42:02 -0000

It SHOULD be, Chris, but for most companies it isn't there yet. Many companies still are mired in the old media methods, and think online is "cute and trendy", pay lip service to it, but have no idea how to actually generate leads, let alone effectively convert them to sales. You are on the right track. Evangelize your stand.