The Mezzanine Group's founder, Lisa Shepherd, shares insight into her book, The Radical Sales Shift. This is the third in a five part series. Part three explores the leaders in B2B marketing and the first five lessons on how to use marketing to grow sales in B2B companies.

1. Professional
Development
Session #3
Session 1 Recap: Introduction & Background
Session 2 Recap: Implications & Diagnostics
Session 3: The Leaders & Lessons 1 – 5
Upcoming Marketing (Special Report &
Book Launch Party May 27th)

2. The Premise: “We can’t find enough hunters”
 Peter Saunders, the owner of ClinTek, good business but churning through sales people
 Radical Sales Shift is occurring:

3. The New Buyer
More informed
More connected
More impatient
More Autonomous
More overloaded
More risk averse
More abundant

4. 3 Implications of the New Buyer
1. New pipeline – the sales process has a lot of twists, turns and loops
2. New sales team skills – the old canned approach doesn’t work
3. The growing role of marketing

5. The sales process
Old Funnel - and new reality
New structure full of twists and
‘bounces’ - pinball machine

6. Sales team skills
1. Buyers are experts – so sales people have to be MORE expert.
- -  Experience, expertise and calibration needed
- -  Canned approaches don’t work well

7. Marketing has a growing role in revenue generation
This first 57%
is marketing!
The remaining
43% is sales &
marketing

8. Diagnostic 1: Marketing
1. Strategy, Awareness, Lead Generation, Sales Support, Customer Retention
2. Questions like:
• We understand who our ideal customers are and why they use us
• We know the keywords (search terms) that people use to find info online about the problems we solve
• We use a CRM system
• We communicate regularly with our past customers
3. Marketing Neophyte, Junior, Senior, Sophisticate – and recommendations for each

9. Diagnostic 2: Sales
1. Recruiting & Training, Process & Skills, Measurement & Mgmt, Performance
2. Questions like:
• We conduct sales training twice a year or more
• When someone calls our office, it is easy for them to speak with an appropriate sales representative
• We do key account planning on an annual basis
• At least 80% of our sales team meet quota every year
3. Sales Neophyte, Junior, Senior, Sophisticate and reco’s for each

10. Diagnostic 3: Marketing & Sales Integration
1. Questions like:
• Sales and marketing have jointly developed the customer persona
• Sales and marketing have created common definitions of terms like ‘qualified lead’, ‘deal size’ and
‘customer retention’
• The marketing team involves the sales team in developing its annual marketing plan
• Marketers go on prospect calls with the sales team at least twice a year
2. Sales and Marketing Silos, Acquaintances, Best Friends – and reco’s for each

11. Part 3
Introduction to the 20 Leaders
&
The First 5 Lessons

12. The 20 Leaders
Dawn Abankwah
VP Business Development
Spafinder Wellness
Leslie Carter
Chief Brand and Strategy
Officer, Knightsbridge
Janet Campbell
VP Sales
TAB Records Management
Nikki Gore
VP Marketing
Bluecat Networks
Andrew Jenkins
Principal
Volterra
Mike Hennessy
VP Sales and Marketing
Intelliresponse
Camille Kennedy
Senior Director of Marketing
Hip Digital Media
Christina DiLallo
Marketing Manager
Newcomp
Joanne Gore
Director of Marketing
Avanti
Mark Fasken
Sales Manager
Influitive

13. The 20 Leaders
Colin McAlpin
Former VP Product Mktg
Cognos
Brian Mergelas
CEO
WaterTAP
Jennifer McGill Canu
Former Group Mktg Director
Royal Building Products
Pina Sciarra
VP Sales
J&J
Liz Williams
Director of Mktg & Comms
ADP
Susan Smart
Group Account Director
Tite Group
Dave Zavitz
SVP Sales and Marketing
Canada Cartage
Ross Nepean
VP Global Marketing
TAB Records Management
Herb Saunders
President
American Appraisal Canada
Colleen Preisner
Director of Marketing
FCT

14. Lesson 1
Get Support from the Top

15. Get Support From The Top
• If you don’t, marketing is not likely to succeed in mid-market B2B companies
• Lots of skepticism and lack of experience – requires senior buy-in to overcome
• How to get that support:
1. Secure a marketing budget for year one
2. Get leadership time for marketing (weekly meeting with senior exec for first
3 - 4 months)
3. Be on the executive committee
4. Have CEO own marketing initiatives internally

16. Lesson 2
Set Realistic Expectations

17. Set Realistic Expectations
• Everyone thinks marketing is easy, that anyone can do it, and that results will
happen in a month or two
• Because the purchasing cycle in B2B is long, marketing takes just as long to
have an impact
• Not a 3 or 6 month process
• Reality: 6 – 12 months to see consistent pipeline
growth from marketing, and real impact is in
years 2 and 3

18. Lesson 3
Don’t be the Art Department

19. Don’t be the Art Department
• Everyone thinks marketing = ‘what color is the logo’ in B2B companies
• Have to dispel this myth hard and fast
• Take a calculator to meetings
• Talk about ROI
• Don’t just do brochures

20. Lesson 4
The Right Attitude

21. The Right Attitude
• Take responsibility for revenue generation
• Role up your sleeves
• Be resourceful
• Sharing expertise = marketing

22. Lesson 5
Good Marketing Starts With
Business Acumen

23. Business Acumen
• Strategic thinkers – is the company differentiated, is the value proposition
clear and compelling, is the position sustainable
• How does the business make money
• What marketing drives ROI (most profitable
customers, least cost)
• B2B marketers need to focus on ‘hard side’
(financials and data) and ‘soft-side’
(creative and communications)

24. What’s Next
Session #4
Lessons 6 – 10

25. Special Report
May 27th Book Launch Party
- your ideas please
- ideastorming session
Upcoming Marketing