Targeted Thinking

You don’t need a crystal ball to be a better marketer

By Andrea Hill 

We humans are rather predictable when it comes to what we do with enthusiasm versus what we tend to avoid. For instance, we jump right into the things we understand and know how to accomplish, but tend to procrastinate when it comes to stuff we find uncomfortable. So it’s no wonder that many businesses neglect or avoid marketing, which seems like magic and luck wrapped up in an expensive package. But you don’t need a marketing degree and a crystal ball to be a better marketer. You just need a better way to think about it.

In most things, reflecting on why you do something will lead to superior understanding and execution, and this is certainly true with marketing. The purpose of marketing is to support the sales function with everything from lead generation to capturing an order. To understand the importance of this role, consider what it means from the context of sales, particularly the seven phases of sales:

1. Lead generation: The collection and segmentation of information about potential customers (everything from contact data to news and chatter).

2. Prospecting: The process of getting a lead to give you attention long enough to determine if he or she is a desirable customer, and subsequently demonstrate to him or her that your company or product can provide meaningful benefits.

3. Qualification: Ensuring that you are targeting the right customers for your business (remember—you don’t need all the customers, you just need the right customers) and that you are communicating directly with the decision-maker.

4. Needs assessment: Understanding the business needs of your qualified prospect.

5. Presentation: Demonstrating how your products (or services) can fill the prospect’s needs.

6. Objections and negotiations: Resolving any remaining concerns interfering with the prospect’s decision to buy.

7. Closing: Getting the order.

Each time you plan a marketing effort, consider which sales phase or phases you intend to support. The answer to that question will help you determine which type of media to use (newsprint, trade magazine, internet banner ads, trade show booth, etc.), what type of message to communicate, which image(s) to run, and the nature of your call-to-action.

The following are some examples of effective ways to market in various media given your intended sales phases.

Facebook. Your Facebook presence, by nature, is supportive of the presentation and objections and negotiations sales phases. When engaging in constant dialog with customers and potential customers, you have ample opportunity to demonstrate your products and service orientation. In addition, every time a customer asks a question or poses a problem, your public response informs other customers who may have the same concerns. And the enthusiasm of your most active customers helps potential customers feel more secure about dealing with you. If you were not previously aware of the primary reason and benefit for your Facebook activity, you will probably become more intentional about it now.

But what if you want to use Facebook for lead generation? Of course, you can hope that current fans will share your information with their networks, but that’s a very passive approach. A more active marketing proposition would be to do paid Facebook ads that target characteristics of users similar to your current fans, or run a contest that awards a prize to a current fan if you reach a certain number of new fans in a specific time period. Once you have all those new fans, run a Facebook poll or survey to help you target the fans most likely to be your ideal customer (qualification). Look up their contact information online and contact those fans directly to see if you can initiate a conversation with them, at which point you cross over into sales. 

Print advertising. One of the most common problems I see in print advertising is the failure to properly qualify customers through the ad. For instance, a company’s OWNERS recently approached me for advice when they realized that their average purchaser had declined significantly in terms of purchasing power. A survey of their past three years of advertising easily demonstrated why. During the recession, they decided to advertise their lowest-priced, trendiest products rather than the high-end product lines upon which they depended for both revenue and gross margin. The result? Nearly all the new customers cultivated during the previous three years were price-conscious, and their high-end customers were turned off or not interested because it appeared that the company had shifted its attention away from them. The lesson here is when creating your marketing, be sure to highlight the products that attract the right customers and discourage the rest, or you risk shifting your customer base in an undesirable direction. 

In that same vein, what’s the difference between a tagline that works and a tagline that doesn’t? An effective tagline qualifies customers by calling out to them that they matter, and even subtly discouraging the customers that don’t. Keep in mind that the cost of supporting ideal customers is always lower than the cost of supporting customers who always wish you would do something for them that you really don’t want to do.

Trade shows. Trade shows are an obvious choice for lead generation and prospecting, but have you considered their value as a needs assessment tool? Use every opportunity to ask potential customers about their business needs and concerns, and make note of their answers. You will likely see certain groups of issues emerge as key concerns within your target customer base. This knowledge will help you be a better presenter when you get the opportunity, and you may be surprised at how many doors open to you when you start by showing genuine interest in someone’s business rather than simply trying to show them your products. 

During your next marketing planning session, start by consulting the seven sales phases. You will find that your thought process moves along at a much faster pace, and you will be more comfortable with the results.