In 2006, I became an overnight success as a Marketing Manager and Copywriter for a tech startup in Toronto, Canada. But what’s interesting, I think, is that my greatest success in marketing came from my biggest failure in sales.
Prior to becoming a Marketing Director, I’d spent 10 years mastering high ticket sales. I’d successfully sold a wide range of products;
- 10K Lincoln welding machines
- 120K imported luxury SUVs
- 12K pre-arranged funeral services
- 10K IT contractor and placement services
- $60 per square foot imported hardwood flooring
- Enterprise hardware and software.
And I was good at it.
But when I first started working for a certain tech startup, my employer didn’t have a website or any marketing materials. They offered a complex hardware/software solution that no one understood. So, I had to struggle to get sales the old-fashioned way (cold calling), without marketing support.
After five months with minimal sales results, I convinced upper management we needed better marketing. So, I was given the additional role of Marketing Director and created the company’s website, case studies, and webinars.
"Your business is your product. Marketing is part of your business."
The day after launching the new site, I was contacted by the third-largest public mass transit system in North America. The buyer wanted a free demo and said my marketing materials had pre-sold them on our brand.
Within a few weeks, I closed the largest sale in our company’s history. The customer was a huge corporation with 761 million in annual revenue. When I picked up the check from the decision maker, he said their firm had never made such a rapid purchase.
For me, it was the easiest sale I ever made. The only effort required was a 15-minute product demo. Problem was, I wasn’t sure how to repeat those results. My journey into how to get repeatable marketing results had begun.
After successfully directing the marketing for a tech startup, I started my own marketing business called “Predictable Results.”
But I soon realized that predictability hinges on a deep understanding of your customers. This was what led to my initial success.
I had also evoked stories that brought the content to life. Telling stories helps create an emotional bond with customers that puts them at the center of your messaging.
Crafting a few relevant stories is a practice that will pay dividends. But how do you craft a good one? What stories should you tell? Here are some ideas…
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- How did your business get started?
- What’s your case for change?
- What’s your vision of the future?
- What do you stand for and why?
- Which customers do you serve and how do they benefit?
- How did a customer successfully use your product? (the hero’s journey)
- Why is your product different and better?
- What’s your business philosophy?
- What can you teach potential customers?
- And more
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Contact me about getting interviewed on my podcast. I use the elements of story structure and journalism to help you develop an interview plan and a few good stories. Who knows, they could become your most valuable marketing assets.
Do you make decisions like I do? Then we should work together.
- Driven by trusted base relationships
- Built on a small focused audience
- Designed to maximize long-term sales
- Multi step-by-step process and longer sales cycle
- Aimed at building brand identity based on trust
- Focused on educating your target audience
- You make rational buying decisions based on business value
- Aimed at generating demand and leads
Copy is where the rubber hits the road for your marketing – read my book for details. My copywriting skills are supported by decades of hands-on experience in advertising, B2B sales and marketing. Further, I have been trained by the best in the business at AWAI (American Writers and Artists).
Do you struggle with these lead generation problems?
- Your product or solution is too complex or innovative for prospects to understand
- Unbearably long sales cycle
- Too much competition
- Your find it hard to stand out
- High cost per lead
- Not enough sales
- Can’t attract the right customers
Why it’s difficult to generate leads on demand…
It’s usually only a small percentage of the market that’s actively looking to buy your product – if they’re looking at all.
So, if you focus on active buyers, you may be looking for a long time or competing for a very small market. And in that case, you’re also be competing for the same wallet as everyone else.
Business Development insight
New products are introduced with publicity and maintained with advertising. To sell a new product, you need to sell the problem first. Once your product becomes associated with a category, you need to be different to stand out.
Here’s the solution…
A better lead generation strategy is to focus more effort on the 99% of the market that’s not actively buying. More sales can be generated by building relationships through content. Do this affordably and you have a system for predictable growth.
These principles are based on the idea that if you focus on creating demand, then the leads will follow. This requires advanced planning, consistent effort, and time to implement. But if you do it right, you can create an endless supply of leads and achieve a much greater return on investment.
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1. Most potential customers aren't ready to buy. Try to sell to them and your time and effort will largely be wasted.
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2. Most sellers are competing for the same wallet. So active buyers might be your least profitable customers.
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3. When you build value for companies who are not in a buying cycle, you earn their trust.
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4. Create relationships with companies before they're ready to buy and you'll have a competitive advantage.
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5. Consistently build relationships and you can stop worrying about lead generation and control your growth.
To generate leads effectively, you must have strong marketing. This includes your value proposition, messaging framework, and marketing plan.
I provide hourly coaching and consulting on demand to help your marketing succeed. This is based on my 30 years of offline and online experience in advertising, marketing, and B2B sales.
LinkedIn is the channel I currently recommend to most of my B2B clients. Done right, you can use LinkedIn to pinpoint your target audience and reach them consistently with high quality content at the lowest cost.
I’m experienced and trained on how to use their advertising platform. And my Knowledge and skills are continually updated with the latest best practices.
What You Get
- Innovative marketing strategies
- insightful questions
- Entrepreneurial passion
- Results driven content
- Reliable & friendly service
- Professionally trained experts
- On-time delivery, deadlines met
- Portfolio quality work
- Content best practices
