InboundPHX: Sales & Marketing - Symbiotic or Antibiotic?

InboundPHXIntegrating Sales and Marketing

…from an inappreciably used Chief Revenue Officer’s perspective

InboundPHXSeptember 30, 2015Tom BlondiChief Revenue Officer

SocialWhirled Overview

• SocialWhirled is a digital publishing platform and campaign management system for brand leaders and their agencies.

• Social-mobile-digital campaigns launched in Hours not Months. Enables fast/easy creation and management of fully synchronized campaigns – dynamically changed on the fly.

• Customers include Pepsi, Intel, Macy’s, Mattel, McDonalds

• Wolf and the Raven• Shark and Pilot Fish• Sales and Marketing

Sales and Marketing – Symbiotic or Antibiotic???

• Sales• Marketing• Wrong….it’s buying

In the past 5 years, what has changed the most?

• By 2020, Gartner predicts customers will self-manage 85% of their relationships with companies without ever directly engaging a human (hello, Marketing…).• In the next 3–5 years, more than 50% of respondents to

an Economist survey said Marketing will own the customer buying experience. By comparison, less than 20% of respondents said sales will own that experience.• As of January 2015, there were nearly 2,000 vendors of marketing

technology services. Even Accel Partners’ highly vetted and carefully curated list contains 600 entries.

Source: BrightFunnel, July 31, 2015 - By Nadim Hossain

There used to be a divide….clear line of demarcation between sales and marketing.

The Engagement Journey

Influence

Direct Impact

…”engagement journey” is the new "disruptive innovation" which was the new “game changer” which was the new “paradigm shift" which was the new…

• Who’s expanding and why• Who’s adopting an why• Who’s raving and why• Who’s converting and why• .• .• .• .

Now reverse this and go to work finding where those people “live”

• Stop thinking about it as a sales and marketing challenge and start thinking about it as an “engagement” challenge.• People engage with you and your brand for their reasons…not yours

• They will engage more meaningfully when they are• Compelled • Interested• Have a need/desire• Feel you are “listening”

• Understand those reasons and what those behaviors translate into• Build your engagement programs/processes around those behaviors • Start this process BEFORE you reach out

Sales and Marketing or Engagement?

• B2C…yeah, we get it…listen, watch, learn, adapt, relate• B2B• 2012 CEB* study: B2B

buyers are 57% of the way through the purchase decision before even talking to a supplier.• Find the right buyer profiles• Understand their buying cycle(s)• Earn their trust

• If you’re still making cold calls you are likely still watching cable…• The attention span of a human has dropped to 8 seconds…one second below a

goldfish… Statistic Brain Research Institute, 2015

Not So Much Anymore…

*CEB: Corporate Executive Board, insights and research

•Whether you are:• Attracting…don’t forget the influencer• Engaging• Converting/Buying• Using• Raving/Ranting• Sharing

• I know, sounds a lot like dating, doesn’t it….

Funnel schmunnel…it’s all about the engagement journey…

• tofu, mofu, bofu….foofoo• It’s not a funnel as much as it’s a pipe that adjusts to the flow…a

journey to be managed:• Before the sale• During the sale• After the sale

We’re not in a funnel anymore, Toto.

• The Sales Cycle is only one piece of the puzzle…and the least important• Your Sales Cycle depends entirely upon the Buying Cycle• If you understand, manage, monitor the buying cycle, your most efficient

Sales Cycle will follow…

Philosophically speaking…

AttractEngageNurtureConvertDelightShareEngageNurtureConvert

Advertising/Promotion $

Marketing Automation

How many funnels do you see?

• Tofu• Mofu• Bofu• Wtfc

Where does sales fit?

• Then• Engage – phone or visit• Discover – understand why/if they are looking• Present – show them how you can help• Propose – provide price, implementation• Close – get their signature• Hand off - Move On

• Now• Understand – who, what, when, where, how• Engage – sit tight• Discover – analyze, interpret• Present – educate, inform• Propose – allow them to find the best fit• Close – allow them to buy• Onboard, Utilize, Create, Rave, Share

Sales Role Then and Now

• Change…don’t get too comfortable or too rigid in your interpretation11 years ago someone called Mark Zuckerberg appeared on TV to talk about something called 'the Facebook‘.

• Buyers decide…not us…listen, watch, learn, adapt…rinse and repeat

The Final Word…

Tom Blonditom.blondi@socialwhirled.com