Don’t Confuse Marketing with Selling
This month’s Fortune magazine has an article about how to manage your business in a recession. Like many other
articles, the writer mentions the importance of investing in marketing. “Kohl’s, the big retailer, actually spent more on marketing this past holiday season than it did last year,” writes Geoff Colvin. We’ve received several inquiries from CEOs of small and midsized companies that want to talk about implementing a marketing program to increase revenues. My first question back to them is usually a surprise. I want to know about their sales team.
- Do you have a strong sales leader?
- Do you have an established sales process?
- Do you track your pipeline?
- How many people sell in your company?
- Do you have a mix of hunters and farmers?
It’s not that we’re trying to be difficult. We just don’t want to waste your money and our time. If you don’t have a good sales team, a clear sales process, and a system to process leads through your pipeline, then spending money on marketing is going to be a waste. No deal was ever lost because a sales person didn’t have the right brochure. And (to my knowledge), no deal was ever won because the buyer saw a data sheet and yelled, “Holy smokes, lets go buy this product based on how great this data sheet looks!” (Although this would be really cool if it did happen.)
How Your Customer Can Be Your VP of Sales
Here’s food for thought. Ever think that your best sales people and your customers have a great deal in common? Here at Zephyr Strategy, we have uncovered the value of this commonality and how to use it to your advantage.
Your customers know the truth about your company. They know how well you sell yourselves, provide services and follow up. They know if they are being served by your A-team or not. Your customers see how your company responds when mistakes are made. They know who your competition is and how they market themselves. And, your customers are aware of other sales opportunities for your company.
Some of your best sales people already have this knowledge. Both your best sales people and your customers know the true value of the services and products your company provides. However, only your customers know where they feel there might be room for improvement. Customers are the mirror every company needs to see its true reflection.
Zephyr Strategy offers strategic planning and practical, sales-driven marketing services to technology, telecommunications and professional services firms in the U.S. and abroad. We help companies capture new customers, keep existing clients, and grow revenues profitably.
From our strategic planning comes the need for tactics and execution. To support these tactics Zephyr offers a VMO Program (Virtual Marketing Organization) as well as project-based support.
