aligning b2b marketing + sales with the customer journey bob …mrkto.b2bmarketing.net › rs ›...

Aligning B2B marketing + sales

with the customer journey

Bob Apollo Inflexion-Point

22-Jun-17 B2B Ignite 2017 | www.inflexion-point.com | @bobapollo | #valuesellingsystem 1

2

Transform your brilliant

marketing messages

B2B Ignite 2017 | www.inflexion-point.com | @bobapollo | #valuesellingsystem 22-Jun-17

into a series of successful sales conversations

What percentage of your marketing resources are currently spent on sales enablement?

- None

- 0-5%

- 5-10%

- 10-15%

- 15-25%

- >25%

A QUESTION…


https://api.cvent.com/polling/v1/api/polls/spkmyv3x

#1 Sales Challenge


According to SiriusDecisions annual survey of sales leaders in complex B2B sales

environments, their #1 sales challenge is

“Our sales people’s inability to understand buyer needs and connect them to the

business value of our solution”


STATUS QUO BIAS, LOSS AVERSION,

NON-OBVIOUS NEEDS +

THE VALUE GAP



STATUS QUO BIAS

People feel greater regret for bad

outcomes that result from new actions

taken than for bad consequences that are

the consequence of inaction:

If your customers don’t believe they have

a compelling need to change, they will

stick with the status quo

[Kahneman & Tversky]

LOSS AVERSION


LOSSES GAINS

+VE

-VE

1*

2*

WILLINGNESS TO TAKE ACTION

Adapted from “The Three Value Conversations” Derived from original research by Kahneman & Tversky

People are twice as motivated to avoid losses as

they are to seek gains

CURRENT TRAJECTORY vs. BETTER FUTURE STATE


SITUATION REMAINS

THE SAME

SITUATION GETS WORSE

SITUATION GETS BETTER

TIME

OPTIMISTIC TRAJECTORY

PESSIMISTIC TRAJECTORY

ALREADY KNOW THEY NEED TO CHANGE

DON’T THINK THEY NEED TO CHANGE


TIME

CURRENT TRAJECTORY vs. BETTER FUTURE STATE


SITUATION REMAINS

THE SAME

SITUATION GETS WORSE

SITUATION GETS BETTER


PESSIMISTIC TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE

THE VALUE GAP

REALISTIC TRAJECTORY

UNANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCES

DON’T THINK THEY NEED TO CHANGE


If our prospect stays on their current path

in a changing world they are likely to suffer

unanticipated negative consequences.

We need to persuade them that the pain of

staying the same is going to be significantly

higher than the potential pain of change

INTRODUCING THE VALUE GAP


The trajectory the customer is on today CURRENT TRAJECTORY

What the customer could achieve with our help

BETTER FUTURE STATE

T H E C U STOM ER ’ S VA L U E G A P

SIZING THE VALUE GAP


BETTER FUTURE STATE

CURRENT TRAJECTORY

SMALL AND STABLE VALUE GAP

BETTER FUTURE STATE

CURRENT TRAJECTORY

LARGE AND GROWING

VALUE GAP

INCREASINGLY LIKELY TO

TAKE ACTION

VALUE GAP

MEASURING THE VALUE GAP


CURRENT TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE

KEY DRIVERS

OF THE

VALUE GAP

AVOIDABLE COSTS

BUSINESS RISK

REDUCE PAIN POTENTIAL REVENUE

STRATEGIC GOALS

INCREASE GAIN

DEFINING THE VALUE GAP


VALUE GAP CURRENT TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE

ENABLERS OPPORTUNITIES

OBSTACLES THREATS

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE VALUE GAP

[1] CURRENT TRAJECTORY

- Where the prospect’s path of action is likely to lead them

[2] BETTER FUTURE STATE

- What the prospect could potentially achieve if they accepted the need for change

21-Jun-17 ©2017 Inflexion-Point Strategy Partners | Value Selling System® 16

The probability of the prospect taking action is directly related to the degree of contrast between their

current trajectory and a better future state

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE VALUE GAP

[3] THREATS

- What are the key problems, risks and consequences associated with the customer choosing to stick with the status quo?

[4] OBSTACLES

- What are the constraints or impediments that are stopping or could stop them from realising their potential?

21-Jun-17 ©2017 Inflexion-Point Strategy Partners | Value Selling System® 17

[6] OPPORTUNITIES

- What are the significant benefits that the customer can expect to achieve as a result of achieving their better future state?

[5] ENABLERS

- What key capabilities can we offer that will allow the customer to eliminate the obstacles and achieve their better future state?

CURRENT TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE


CURRENT TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE


OBSTACLES THREATS

CURRENT TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE


OBSTACLES THREATS

CURRENT TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE


OBSTACLES THREATS

CURRENT TRAJECTORY

BETTER FUTURE STATE


OBSTACLES THREATS

GENERIC VALUE GAP

FRAMEWORK

CUSTOMER -SPECIFIC

VALUE GAPS

Focusing on the Right Problems


THE HIERARCHY OF PROBLEMS


CRITICAL PROBLEMS: The customer has no option - they have to solve them NOW

SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS: The customer needs to solve them - but they can afford to wait

TRIVIAL PROBLEMS: The customer would like to solve them - but they can live with them

An unresolved threat or unrealised opportunity


A single critical problem is far more

likely to drive action than a laundry-list

of significant or trivial problems


A single significant problem can also be

enough to drive action if it is associated

with a strategic initiative

Connecting their Needs

with your Capabilities


CONNECTING NEEDS + CAPABILITIES


OBVIOUS NEEDS

GENERIC CAPABILITIES

YOUR PROSPECT’S NEEDS

YOUR CAPABILITIES

Inspired by “The Three Value Conversations”

TRADITIONAL “VALUE ADDED” APPROACH


OBVIOUS NEEDS



YOUR CAPABILITIES


A slightly better way of solving exactly the same problem

“ADDED VALUE”

WHERE MOST SALES + MARKETING ACTIONS TEND

TO BE FOCUSED

LINK UNDERVALUED NEEDS TO UNIQUE CAPABILITIES


OBVIOUS NEEDS


UNIQUE CAPABILITIES

UNRECOGNISED, UNCONSIDERED OR UNDERVALUED BUT

HIGH-IMPACT NEEDS


YOUR CAPABILITIES

CREATING, CAPTURING + JUSTIFYING YOUR

UNIQUE VALUE

WHERE YOUR MARKETING

MESSAGES + SALES

CONVERSATIONS ARE

BEST CONCENTRATED


IMPLICATIONS

FOR MARKETERS


[1] ELEVATE THE PROBLEM BEFORE YOU

PROMOTE YOUR SOLUTION

AKA “HIGHLIGHT THE THREAT BEFORE

YOU HIGHLIGHT THE OPPORTUNITY”

OR “LEAD TOWARDS YOUR SOLUTION,

NOT WITH IT”


[2] DEMONSTRATE GENUINE

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

CONNECT THEIR UNDERVALUED

NEEDS TO YOUR UNIQUE

CAPABILITIES



[3] CONVEY A VALUE MESSAGE…

…AND EQUIP YOUR SALES PEOPLE

TO HAVE A SERIES OF VALUE-

CREATING CONVERSATIONS

MASTERING

“MOMENTS OF TRUTH”


“The Greatest Sales Deck I’ve Ever Seen”* #1: Name a Big, Relevant Change in the World

#2: Show that there will be Winners + Losers (contrast current Threats and future Opportunities)

#3: Set out the vision of a Better Future State

#4: Introduce your unique Enablers as ways of overcoming the key Obstacles to their achieving a Better Future State

#5: Present Evidence that you can Make the Story Come True (similar roles, similar organisations, similar journeys)

*http://labs.openviewpartners.com/the-greatest-sales-deck-ive-ever-seen-its-zuoras-and-its-brilliant-heres-why/

[A] ISSUE-LED PRESENTATIONS


“Most Thought Leadership is Nothing of the Sort”* #1: If it looks, says and sounds like what everyone else is publishing, or addresses the same problem in the same way as everyone else, don’t waste your time [it’ll only contribute to the deluge of drivel]

#2: You must leave your audience thinking differently to how they did before they first came across your messages/materials

#3: Make sure you lead them towards, and not with, your solution

#4: Sell them the sizzle, not the whole steak [you must leave your audience wanting to learn more]

#5: Offer a clear next step and make it easy for your readers to take it…

*Doug Kessler and many others (including myself)

[B] GENUINELY THOUGHT LEAD YOUR AUDIENCE


“No Content Without a Plan for a Conversation” #1: Recognise your content for what it is: the opportunity to

stimulate or support a sales conversation

#2: Be clear about the role each piece plays in supporting the prospect’s buying journey

#3: Don’t release any more major content pieces or sales tools without developing subsequent talking points for your sales team

#4: Involve your sales people in both testing the message and developing the conversation prompters

#5: Measure your success by the number of opportunities your actions create or advance

[C] SEGUE FROM THE MESSAGE TO THE CONVERSATION


Equip your Sales People to conduct Customer-Specific Value Gap Analysis

- Start by identifying a handful of the most common critical problems that you can solve better than any other option

- Develop a generic Value Gap scenario that covers your typical Ideal Customer’s likely Current Trajectory, their Better Future State, their most common Threats and Obstacles, your key Enablers and their most valuable potential Opportunities

- Coach your sales people to have conversations that enable them to customise this generic Value Gap scenario so that it reflects the unique circumstances of each individual prospect

[D] CUSTOMER-SPECIFIC VALUE GAPS


“How + Where does this Support the Sales Process?” #1: Everything you do should have a key role to play in advancing a

specific stage of the sales or buying process and an intended outcome

#2: You need to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the key steps and milestones in your organisation’s sales process, and know

what sales people are expected to know and do at each stage

#3: Identify and eliminate “orphan” materials that are little used and are not aligned to a particular stage in either the buying or selling

process

#4: Work closely with your colleagues in sales to prioritise and create materials that eliminate barriers and constraints in the selling and

buying processes

[E] ALIGN YOUR ACTIONS WITH THE SALES PROCESS


IN CONCLUSION…


- Confront the Status Quo Bias

- Leverage Loss Aversion

- Contrast your Customer’s Current Trajectory with a Better Future State

- Amplify the Value Gap (and make it customer-specific)

- Focus on a few Critical Problems that you solve uniquely well

- Link your Customer’s Undervalued Needs to your Unique Capabilities

- Amplify the Pain of Same before you sell the Gain of Change

- Equip your Sales People to have Value Creating Conversations

- Align your Marketing Efforts with Key Stages in the Buying and Selling Processes


Aligning B2B marketing + sales

with the customer journey

Bob Apollo Inflexion-Point 07802 313300 [email protected]


aligning b2b marketing + sales with the customer journey bob …mrkto.b2bmarketing.net › rs ›...

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