I’m a marketing consultant with a mantra. Surely I’m not the first consultant to have one–many also say prayers–but I adopted it early on, deciding it was the only way I’d run my business. It goes like this: May all my leads be inbound….
For a simple concept, it nets remarkable results–and makes a huge difference in how I spend my business development time since I’m focused not on programs that push, but ones that pull great work to me.
Honestly, I don’t understand the value of cold calls when hot opportunities are what I seek (which means they’re calling me). And when the phone rings, I’m intent on that conversation being a negotiation, not a pitch.
See, if I call a prospect we’re focused on the “who” as in…who the heck are you? But when a client calls me they’ve already determined the “who” and we’re therefore focused on “what” I can do for them. In fact, I view all my marketing programs–be they articles, speaking engagements, workshops or blog posts–as the introduction. So when I’m meeting with a prospect we’re continuing that conversation, instead of starting an entirely new one.
Think of it this way: When all rivers flow to you, you’re producing a constant stream of opportunities. But with selling you’re swimming upstream (and at a disadvantage). Instead of focusing on prospects or how many customers you can find…focus on programs that encourage people to find you, or your product.
Sales is reactive, marketing is proactive. Marketing decreases your costs while increasing your reach and influence. But sales decreases your reach by focusing on a particular region or how many prospects one can call during a given day, or quarter. With sales you’re centered on volume, with marketing you’re centered on value. Sales is short-term thinking since it focuses on how to move the most merchandise in the shortest timeframe, whereas marketing is long-term thinking centered on engaging a lifetime of brand loyalists.
But don’t take my word for it, marketing legend Peter Drucker argued that “business has only two essential functions: innovation and marketing” as well as declaring “the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous.” I’m not saying that sales is obsolete, I just advocate that it should happen OUTSIDE the organization. For instance, my sales force are my clients and colleagues and, being that they’re not paid to promote me, their feedback is objective, credible.
But here’s the thing, my mantra doesn’t apply solely to consultants, it applies to marketers of ALL products and services (both B2B and B2C). Here’s a prime example of a product warranting a steady flow of inbound leads: a couple weeks ago a colleague of mine announced a new content program featuring a series of relevant and recent case studies. The program benefits the companies profiled in the articles as much as it does the readers learning from the best practices, so there’s unique value for both parties built into the program. But any new initiative is challenging and she was having a difficult time finding PR execs to solicit for case-study coverage–the PR execs being a fine target since their job is to get their clients great ink.
My colleague asked if I knew of any PR pros she could contact. But PR firms should be pitching her, not the inverse. So instead of recommending leads I recommended lead-generating programs (programs not people). After all, what she needed was…you guessed it…a river of opportunities flowing TO her, from sources such as:
Through these programs my colleague can switch from looking for content opportunities to choosing from a veritable sea of them. Now, instead of battling for prospects the prospects can battle for her attention, exactly as it should be. And she’ll never need to pick up the phone (except to take THEIR calls). All because she’s focused on lead-generating programs… not leads.
So don’t run after them, marketers–follow the mantra and let that river of opportunities run to you (and me).
CK,
Lots of good ideas here and obviously you have placed lots of thought into this. I agree with you…
except, I think, when done correctly marketing working with sales are an unstoppable force and do not need to rely on short-term thinking. (Sales strategic plans do not (should not) include cold calling.)
I use your principal in my business, however, I think using this design usually is a long-term process before the phone rings enough to create livable margins… three to five years is my guess.
What is your experience with the dynamic impact in terms of time?
Can’t wait to visit with you Wednesday!!!
ck, i believe that other than the time factor, this model works well in advanced market (such as us) and in advanced fields (such as hi-tech). i’m not so confident, and it is sad to be said, that in italy it may work as well as for fmcg.
Thanks Lewis. Many programs do take time to take hold–absolutely. It takes time for people to get to know you, read your articles, hear of referrals, etc. It can be many months or several years. But…with the right “target” and “program” you can focus on “inbound” from the get-go and reap the rewards rather quickly.
For example, what I did when I started consulting in ‘99 was to think of programs that would net a stream of inbound leads in a few months. I tapped agencies and consultancies as a target audience of mine, instead of just client direct. See, the agencies and consultancies are constantly pitching business (so THEY became my sales force) and many times wind up with too much work for their employed work force. So I focused on an area where many agencies needed to get up-to-speed to compete and produced some pieces of thought leadership that would help them in their pitches and sent to a select few. When they needed the competency, it was a natural fit to bring me on since I provided them value through pieces I sent to them–and they continued to send me projects…so it was an inbound stream.
That program started bearing fruit in 45 days and was my bread and butter for several years.
CK,
Great strategy. I worked for six years as a freelancer, and it paid my bills and resulted in clients. That was during my youth and my life in Seattle.
Today, in another space and time, it feels too much like working for someone else, and I no longer have the patience for it. That doesn’t diminish the idea that it is a strategy that works.
My alternative to it is to get back to my first loves–writing books and articles and making presentations and offering workshops. It pays less well at first but keeps me in control of the work I choose.
G: we’ve e-mailed a bit about your business focus and I’m particularly fascinated by your cross-cultural angle.
With what your business is providing insofar as a competitive advantage and growth for both Italian and U.S. co’s. I think much of your insight could be marketed in ways to attract more attention about you–and more business to you. Think about programs that give unique value to your audience and then think about who could be your “outside” sales force.
You might just be surprised at how many Italians and Americans will start contacting you (so, inbound) being that you provide them with a way to grow their business across int’l borders.
CK – Very interesting post. Obviously the river flowing to you is an ideal, but I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it with respect to may customers (who tend to be small B2B – or B2T(Tech)). Gaining visibility is always a challenge when resources (people and $$$) are limited. The web certainly helps: one of “my companies” (ultra small: 7 employees) just lined up a beta customer who found us after we’d placed an opinion piece in an online pub. We’re now working on more online pubs, letters to the editor, etc. and more SEO than they’ve done in the past.
ck: You know, my personal mantra used to be “Just Win, Baby”, a tribute to the great 20th Century philosopher, Al Davis.
Yep, your insight hits us all square in the Kundalini Third Eye — Pull Cures All Ills.
This is not to say that sales is somehow out of the loop, though — their job is to manage the business relationships with your distribution partners. Our jobs, as marketers, is to bring to our distribution partners as many happy, excited, ranting and raving, wallet-in-hand customers as possible.
Said in a more Zen-like way in keeping with the Eastern thought theme of today’s post, the Yin of Sales is sell-in while the Yang of Marketing is sell-through. One cannot work without the other.
This is a very nice touchstone mantra to keep us on track. (Thank you, sensei…)
ck, i love to be surprised!!
but yes, i’m focusing on this aspect because i do not want to become again slave to the wage.
Good advice, CK. I just might borrow that mantra for editorial purposes, at least for new products. In my case, however, I’d term it a mANNtra. (OK, time to take a break from the computer, I think….! Getting a little punchy in Boston…)
: )
CK … do you ever sleep, girl?
This is a great mantra. Obviously you need to be prepared, or to have thought through your services or products, but once you have this you will be more than ready for all those in-bound calls.
CK
Your post got me at hello…
“Think of it this way: When all rivers flow to you, you’re producing a constant stream of opportunities. But with selling you’re swimming upstream (and at a disadvantage). Instead of focusing on prospects or how many customers you can find…focus on programs that encourage people to find you, or your product.” That is soooo true. As a marketer you are responsible for writing for each company to help bring floods of people to them for their products & services through correct surveys & promotional activities targeted for correct publics. It is your “think big” as source on the writing allowing the stream to flow out. I was stuck in the selling band & it’s true. Thanks for putting it such a workable simple perception.
Kathy
Maureen: B2T is a creature that’s truly all its own. It is a challenge when resources are limited, which is why these inbound programs are so vital. Being viewed as an “influencer” (like in your opinion piece) is a great strategy–keep us updated on how that nets into biz for you.
. It’s easy to get stuck in the “selling band” as you say, but I find it far more productive (and rewarding)to focus on these “think big” programs.
Stephen: Ah, you guru–you say it better than I. Folks, Stephen had a great piece air last week over on MarketingProfs. Check it out at: http://www.marketingprofs.com/6/denny1.asp
Ann: Mantra–mANNtra. Whatever pulls more good fortune to you.
Gav: It does require really thinking through all–so it helps to have a mantra to direct all strategies and tactics.
Kathy: Thanks for reading–what a great comment
Good post, ck.
Yes, it would be wonderful if all the leads were inbound. You are right that there must be many “outbound” efforts in order to get inbounds.
As a PR consultant, I’ve found an effective way to get inbound leads is by aligning with other marketing-related businesses — smaller ad agencies and consultants, and letting them offer my firm’s services as an adjunct to what they can offer a client or prospect. To sweeten the deal for the agency, they get a percentage off the top.
They can position me as an affiltate or a partner agency, which explains why we’re not at the same phone number or address.
Over the years, it’s brought me many inbound leads — several of which have turned into clients.
“But here’s the thing, my mantra doesn’t apply solely to consultants, it applies to marketers of ALL products and services (both B2B and B2C).”
Thank You! If all marketers follow this rule, then there’d be a lot less message scattering going on. Works right in line with Godin’s Permission Marketing philosophy. Don’t just seek out customers, do things that make them raise their hands. Nice post.
Thanks for the chime-in David and Paul.
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David: Yes, this strategy of agencies has worked well for me and creates an ongoing OUTSIDE sales force for me, too. Let them do the work, eh?
Paul: You’re right…the mantra does decrease scatter and SPAM. And speaking of which–when we met up you had some fine thoughts on “what constitutes SPAM” that was very enlightening. I expect to see you start blogging that over in your corner and at BMA’s blog (as well as through your new writing gig over at Mad Ave Journal). Could make for a fine series. Looking forward to that in the near term