Accelerating Marketing & Sales Transformation
Sydney - 16 March 2017
Practical strategies for advancing customer & business outcomes in the digital age.
www.theblackdot.com.au
Blackdot - Accelerating Marketing & Sales Transformation - MelbourneMarty Nicholas
Whilst many leaders have made significant progress enhancing service, transforming the marketing and sales sides of the business for the digital age is a pressing challenge which has been far more difficult to deliver. Blackdot's insight session explores the key issues which are preventing transformation, as well as the strategies and initiatives which are delivering faster results.
Sales transformation for the digital age - SydneyMarty Nicholas
Unprecedented changes in B2B buying dynamics are rendering legacy sales models increasingly less effective. With a digitally-empowered buyer firmly in control of the sales process, a new approach must emerge which is more customer-centric, more integrated with other functions and more technologically-enabled in order to secure sustainable growth.
Blackdot delivers lessons from bechmark sales organisations to help clients ensure they have the right people in the right roles, have the correct strategies to reach their goals and the best practice management disciplines.
The Secret to Successful B2B Marketing: Revenue OperationsLeanData
Wondering how savvy marketers are generating pipeline these days? Wish Sales was following up on the demand you are creating? Learn how to accomplish this and more by establishing a revenue operations function at your organization.
Attend this work group to understand how Revenue Operations can propel your B2B marketing initiatives forward—whether whether they be account-based, inbound or both. We’ll outline how revenue operations can help drive scalable growth for all fall your go-to-market (GTM) motions, as well as leave you with a framework on how to get started.
We will cover how to:
- Implement the right GTM Marketing and Sales strategy (ABM, inbound, or both);
- Utilize revenue operations to make your marketing campaigns more successful;
- Unify company data so it is accessible and actionable by all; and
- Provide analytics and insights into what is working.
SiriusDecisions Sales Enablement Market and Trends Survey RevealedSAVO
This presentation unveils SiriusDecisions’ recent sales enablement survey results, including trends and best practices to keep in mind as you look to improve sales productivity in 2014 and beyond.
How to create sales excellence and implement strategy - Mercuri InternationalMercuri International
The Global Sales Excellence Survey is packed with powerful and practical insight from the world’s best performing companies.
It comes with a self-assessment document that you can request from Mat at Mercuri via matthew-everitt@mercuri.co.uk
It answers 2 key questions;
1) What are the differences between higher, middle and lower performing companies?
2) What are the sales excellence factors that the better performing companies concentrate on?
Established in 1960,the survey is brought to you by Mercuri International and data from 15,000 client cases, 250,000 participants, and 60 + industry sectors, every year.
We take your sales to a higher level.
http://mercuri.co.uk/how-can-mercuri-international-help
Blackdot - Accelerating Marketing & Sales Transformation - MelbourneMarty Nicholas
Whilst many leaders have made significant progress enhancing service, transforming the marketing and sales sides of the business for the digital age is a pressing challenge which has been far more difficult to deliver. Blackdot's insight session explores the key issues which are preventing transformation, as well as the strategies and initiatives which are delivering faster results.
Sales transformation for the digital age - SydneyMarty Nicholas
Unprecedented changes in B2B buying dynamics are rendering legacy sales models increasingly less effective. With a digitally-empowered buyer firmly in control of the sales process, a new approach must emerge which is more customer-centric, more integrated with other functions and more technologically-enabled in order to secure sustainable growth.
Blackdot delivers lessons from bechmark sales organisations to help clients ensure they have the right people in the right roles, have the correct strategies to reach their goals and the best practice management disciplines.
The Secret to Successful B2B Marketing: Revenue OperationsLeanData
Wondering how savvy marketers are generating pipeline these days? Wish Sales was following up on the demand you are creating? Learn how to accomplish this and more by establishing a revenue operations function at your organization.
Attend this work group to understand how Revenue Operations can propel your B2B marketing initiatives forward—whether whether they be account-based, inbound or both. We’ll outline how revenue operations can help drive scalable growth for all fall your go-to-market (GTM) motions, as well as leave you with a framework on how to get started.
We will cover how to:
- Implement the right GTM Marketing and Sales strategy (ABM, inbound, or both);
- Utilize revenue operations to make your marketing campaigns more successful;
- Unify company data so it is accessible and actionable by all; and
- Provide analytics and insights into what is working.
SiriusDecisions Sales Enablement Market and Trends Survey RevealedSAVO
This presentation unveils SiriusDecisions’ recent sales enablement survey results, including trends and best practices to keep in mind as you look to improve sales productivity in 2014 and beyond.
How to create sales excellence and implement strategy - Mercuri InternationalMercuri International
The Global Sales Excellence Survey is packed with powerful and practical insight from the world’s best performing companies.
It comes with a self-assessment document that you can request from Mat at Mercuri via matthew-everitt@mercuri.co.uk
It answers 2 key questions;
1) What are the differences between higher, middle and lower performing companies?
2) What are the sales excellence factors that the better performing companies concentrate on?
Established in 1960,the survey is brought to you by Mercuri International and data from 15,000 client cases, 250,000 participants, and 60 + industry sectors, every year.
We take your sales to a higher level.
http://mercuri.co.uk/how-can-mercuri-international-help
This information outlines what it takes to make a World Class sales force by understanding the types of
salespeople and how to measure their specific sales “DNA” to optimize performance.
Years of SiriusDecision research prove that B2B organizations with an aligned revenue engine grow faster and more profitably than their peers. Not coincidentally, the number of B2B professionals whose job titles include the word “revenue” is surging, because focusing on revenue signals an enlightened view of alignment.
The question is, what does this shift really mean when it comes to cross-functional execution? Fully realizing the benefits of revenue engine alignment has made Revenue Operations the new mandate for companies that want to outperform their peers.
In this presentation, Dana Therrien will explain why Revenue Operations isn’t just a title or an organizational structure; it's a mindset and strategy for the next phase of B2B growth. If you're a sales and marketing operations leader, don't miss this important discussion to:
- Understand what Revenue Operations means, what’s driving the trend and why now?
- Learn the benefits of a Revenue Operations approach and the impact on operational functions within your organization
- Learn diagnostics and actions your organization can take to implement a Revenue Operations approach
Top10 Sales Transformation Keys to SuccessDSG Consulting
We’ve watched hundreds of B2B organizations succeed as well as fail at Sales Transformation. Sales Transformation cannot happen in organizations where leaders underestimate the level of change required or underinvest in Sales. Here’s our Top 10 list of how to get change management with Sales Enablement right.
The 10 Secrets of Sales Excellence - A global study from Mercuri InternationalMercuri International
Excellence vs your peers globally, not just because Mercuri said so!
The survey asks 926 respondents across 20 countries and 12 industry categories, with over 80 percent comprising CEOs and Sales Managers.
The top 3 are where we can help you most, now, today!
1. Each member of your sales team has a systematic account management planning process for each of their Customers
Top performing companies score high in allocating sales resources for each of their Customers such that an account management plan specific to the requirement of every individual
Customer is in place.
2. Your sales strategy is documented in writing
According to studies, only 14% of all people in a company know its strategy.
Top performers seem to overcome this risk by documenting their strategy, for consistency of communication.
3. For each step of the sales process / workflow you have defined training modules, checklists / instruments
A process is only as good as its implementation. Top performing companies don’t stop with defining sales processes and workflows.
They get better at supporting their people in living those processes by developing training modules, checklists and instruments for each step of the process.
Mercuri are experts in Sales.
Call Mat on +44 7572 343 341 and lets start our conversation.
Why Should The Best Sales Reps Work For You? This is the question top sales talent asks themselves when you try to recruit them to your team. Do you have a compelling answer? You’d better. This year, the demand for sales talent will outstrip the supply.
Marketing as the transformation agent in higher educationEric Hollebone
A view on how marketing needs to lead as the transformation agent in higher education. By modernizing its processes, platforms and approaches, marketing departments can become the voice of the student (client) throughout the customer journey and demonstrate impact and ROI at each stage: before(prospect), during(student) and after(alum).
What's the big idea for change? Whether it's expanded offerings, a new go-to-market approach, or changing your positioning. Here are 14 insights from our veteran DSG sales consultants to make a Sales or Marketing executive's big idea, a success.
US Debt And Deficits In Pictures: 5 Charts From The 2011 Budget Chart BookThe Heritage Foundation
Backed up by new data from the Congressional Budget Office and other leading sources, this slideshow presents US Debt and Deficits in Pictures. These 5 charts are only a small part of the complete 2011 Budget Chart Book available at heritage.org/BudgetChartBook. The Heritage Foundation’s 2011 Budget Chart Book reveals Washington’s spending and debt problem—in graphic detail.
Leader transformation a side effect of agile transitionFelicity Brady
This looks at the transformation of a leader as a side effect of the transition from Waterfall to Agile. The discussion looks at the perspective of this leadership transformation from both the views of the leader and the team.
5 Steps to a Successful Sales TransformationMediafly
After executives make the commitment to invest in transformative endeavors to evolve their sales and business effectiveness, how you do you make sure these initiatives last through the years to come?
In this SlideShare by Mediafly CEO & Founder, Carson Conant, we look at the 5 behaviors that lead to a successful sales transformation within an organization.
This information outlines what it takes to make a World Class sales force by understanding the types of
salespeople and how to measure their specific sales “DNA” to optimize performance.
Years of SiriusDecision research prove that B2B organizations with an aligned revenue engine grow faster and more profitably than their peers. Not coincidentally, the number of B2B professionals whose job titles include the word “revenue” is surging, because focusing on revenue signals an enlightened view of alignment.
The question is, what does this shift really mean when it comes to cross-functional execution? Fully realizing the benefits of revenue engine alignment has made Revenue Operations the new mandate for companies that want to outperform their peers.
In this presentation, Dana Therrien will explain why Revenue Operations isn’t just a title or an organizational structure; it's a mindset and strategy for the next phase of B2B growth. If you're a sales and marketing operations leader, don't miss this important discussion to:
- Understand what Revenue Operations means, what’s driving the trend and why now?
- Learn the benefits of a Revenue Operations approach and the impact on operational functions within your organization
- Learn diagnostics and actions your organization can take to implement a Revenue Operations approach
Top10 Sales Transformation Keys to SuccessDSG Consulting
We’ve watched hundreds of B2B organizations succeed as well as fail at Sales Transformation. Sales Transformation cannot happen in organizations where leaders underestimate the level of change required or underinvest in Sales. Here’s our Top 10 list of how to get change management with Sales Enablement right.
The 10 Secrets of Sales Excellence - A global study from Mercuri InternationalMercuri International
Excellence vs your peers globally, not just because Mercuri said so!
The survey asks 926 respondents across 20 countries and 12 industry categories, with over 80 percent comprising CEOs and Sales Managers.
The top 3 are where we can help you most, now, today!
1. Each member of your sales team has a systematic account management planning process for each of their Customers
Top performing companies score high in allocating sales resources for each of their Customers such that an account management plan specific to the requirement of every individual
Customer is in place.
2. Your sales strategy is documented in writing
According to studies, only 14% of all people in a company know its strategy.
Top performers seem to overcome this risk by documenting their strategy, for consistency of communication.
3. For each step of the sales process / workflow you have defined training modules, checklists / instruments
A process is only as good as its implementation. Top performing companies don’t stop with defining sales processes and workflows.
They get better at supporting their people in living those processes by developing training modules, checklists and instruments for each step of the process.
Mercuri are experts in Sales.
Call Mat on +44 7572 343 341 and lets start our conversation.
Why Should The Best Sales Reps Work For You? This is the question top sales talent asks themselves when you try to recruit them to your team. Do you have a compelling answer? You’d better. This year, the demand for sales talent will outstrip the supply.
Marketing as the transformation agent in higher educationEric Hollebone
A view on how marketing needs to lead as the transformation agent in higher education. By modernizing its processes, platforms and approaches, marketing departments can become the voice of the student (client) throughout the customer journey and demonstrate impact and ROI at each stage: before(prospect), during(student) and after(alum).
What's the big idea for change? Whether it's expanded offerings, a new go-to-market approach, or changing your positioning. Here are 14 insights from our veteran DSG sales consultants to make a Sales or Marketing executive's big idea, a success.
US Debt And Deficits In Pictures: 5 Charts From The 2011 Budget Chart BookThe Heritage Foundation
Backed up by new data from the Congressional Budget Office and other leading sources, this slideshow presents US Debt and Deficits in Pictures. These 5 charts are only a small part of the complete 2011 Budget Chart Book available at heritage.org/BudgetChartBook. The Heritage Foundation’s 2011 Budget Chart Book reveals Washington’s spending and debt problem—in graphic detail.
Leader transformation a side effect of agile transitionFelicity Brady
This looks at the transformation of a leader as a side effect of the transition from Waterfall to Agile. The discussion looks at the perspective of this leadership transformation from both the views of the leader and the team.
5 Steps to a Successful Sales TransformationMediafly
After executives make the commitment to invest in transformative endeavors to evolve their sales and business effectiveness, how you do you make sure these initiatives last through the years to come?
In this SlideShare by Mediafly CEO & Founder, Carson Conant, we look at the 5 behaviors that lead to a successful sales transformation within an organization.
This is a talk about how to identify and differentiate between Transformation and Adoption. Many change agents and companies are using this term interchangeably. This talk is a sincere effort to bring out the subtle difference between the two.
We will also discuss about some advantages and disadvantageous of Adoption and Transformation. We will also look at some criteria to select a suitable model that can work for you. The discussion will be mainly based on Schneider model and impact of organization culture on change management.
We will discuss about different agile adoption patterns and change patterns. We will also focus on how different is Scrum and Kanban, on what scenario it yields the best results.
This talk will give you very pragmatic, easy to use, handy tools and checklists which can be used to analyze and improve your current state of change management.
It is a term referring collectively to such activities as reengineering, redesigning and redefining business systems.
Organization Transformation can occur in response to or in anticipation major changes in the organization’s environment or technology.
The challenge of sustaining growth levels at 35% is not to improve your sales conversion rate (although this is never hurts). The challenge to sustaining stellar growth rates lies in increasing the quality and frequency of your Demand Generation Campaigns.
5 Charts Every Sales Leader Should Be Looking AtTableau Software
Measuring and monitoring sales progress by only looking at percent of quota achieved, whether for an individual or for an entire organization, is no longer enough to be successful as a sales leader. No matter if you are evaluating past wins or forecasting future opportunities, understanding these five ways to visualize your sales data will make sure the following elements are being considered:
• Seasonality Trends
• Regional Patterns
• Acquisition Costs
Structuring for success - Developing a dynamic structure for your marketing t...B2B Marketing
With marketing evolving rapidly in response to adoption of emerging digital communication techniques and changing buyer behaviour, it's imperative that the skill set of the marketing function evolves too, to reflect this and to enable the brand to compete effectively in the digital age.
Furthermore, marketing must be able to concisely communicate and report on the value of what they are delivering for the organisation, to all departments and particularly to the board. Fresh from delivering Deloitte's Olympics sponsorship, brand and marketing director Annabel Pritchard will focus on how to build a marketing function that's fit for purpose and structured around delivering clear and measurable business benefits. This session will cover:
•Structuring the team - ensuring a dynamic mix of specialisms across the marketing function
•Managing and nurturing the marketing team - encouraging learning and skills development
•Raising the profile of marketing - reporting value to the Board and championing the value of marketing across the business.
How to design a modern Marketing and Communications department in an agile ma...Paul Cowan
Marketing departments still remain in an old, hierarchical structure with a massive reliance on agencies and vendors to do much of the brand positioning and communications work. This model is inefficient, outdated and removes the IP from the ownership of the company. This document reveal the 3 key issues that are forcing change on how marketing organizations structure and deploy, with a recommended structure and people required in the modern marketing world.
Our mission is to deliver simplified connected solutions to complex planning, performance management, and business intelligence challenges.
We partner with you to understand your business, your goals, and your underlying challenges. We provide strategic guidance and roadmaps customized to your needs and vision. In addition, we ensure you realize the full potential of your technology plan through technology implementations, upgrades, and integrations. Our consultants are certified in their respective domains and are respected leaders within the Anaplan and Oracle communities. You will have the benefit of working with our consultants who have decades of experience in product knowledge and industry best practices.
Customers are the heart and soul of every organization. As a company grows, it becomes increasingly important to streamline processes while improving the customer experience.
For many companies resolving customer issues and seeking areas for improvement is labor intensive, manual, and unstructured. Statistically, inefficiencies like these increase costs and decrease overall company profitability.
Example of a designed Brochure. Worker Ant design specialises in converting agency artwork into perfect MS Office templates. We also design presentations and Word documents.
Marketing Operations: MObilizing Marketing For A Web 2.0 WorldClearAction
A sneak preview of my latest thinking, in which I parallel Web 2.0 and Marketing Operations. I have not presented this work live as of 5/11/09.
See https://ClearAction.com
People Power - How Moss Bros built their optimisation culture - Paul Rouke at...PRWD
At Conversion Elite 2017 in London, PRWD Founder and CEO Paul Rouke delivered a presentation explaining the journey that Moss Bros. have been on to develop their customer centric, experimentation culture.
The presentation outlines PRWD Conversion Optimisation Maturity Model and how this provides intelligent assessment of which areas a company needs to focus on to drive value and impact of their conversion optimisation strategy
Similar to blackdot - Accelerating Marketing & Sales Transformation - Sydney (20)
The case study discusses the potential of drone delivery and the challenges that need to be addressed before it becomes widespread.
Key takeaways:
Drone delivery is in its early stages: Amazon's trial in the UK demonstrates the potential for faster deliveries, but it's still limited by regulations and technology.
Regulations are a major hurdle: Safety concerns around drone collisions with airplanes and people have led to restrictions on flight height and location.
Other challenges exist: Who will use drone delivery the most? Is it cost-effective compared to traditional delivery trucks?
Discussion questions:
Managerial challenges: Integrating drones requires planning for new infrastructure, training staff, and navigating regulations. There are also marketing and recruitment considerations specific to this technology.
External forces vary by country: Regulations, consumer acceptance, and infrastructure all differ between countries.
Demographics matter: Younger generations might be more receptive to drone delivery, while older populations might have concerns.
Stakeholders for Amazon: Customers, regulators, aviation authorities, and competitors are all stakeholders. Regulators likely hold the greatest influence as they determine the feasibility of drone delivery.
Senior Project and Engineering Leader Jim Smith.pdfJim Smith
I am a Project and Engineering Leader with extensive experience as a Business Operations Leader, Technical Project Manager, Engineering Manager and Operations Experience for Domestic and International companies such as Electrolux, Carrier, and Deutz. I have developed new products using Stage Gate development/MS Project/JIRA, for the pro-duction of Medical Equipment, Large Commercial Refrigeration Systems, Appliances, HVAC, and Diesel engines.
My experience includes:
Managed customized engineered refrigeration system projects with high voltage power panels from quote to ship, coordinating actions between electrical engineering, mechanical design and application engineering, purchasing, production, test, quality assurance and field installation. Managed projects $25k to $1M per project; 4-8 per month. (Hussmann refrigeration)
Successfully developed the $15-20M yearly corporate capital strategy for manufacturing, with the Executive Team and key stakeholders. Created project scope and specifications, business case, ROI, managed project plans with key personnel for nine consumer product manufacturing and distribution sites; to support the company’s strategic sales plan.
Over 15 years of experience managing and developing cost improvement projects with key Stakeholders, site Manufacturing Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Maintenance, and facility support personnel to optimize pro-duction operations, safety, EHS, and new product development. (BioLab, Deutz, Caire)
Experience working as a Technical Manager developing new products with chemical engineers and packaging engineers to enhance and reduce the cost of retail products. I have led the activities of multiple engineering groups with diverse backgrounds.
Great experience managing the product development of products which utilize complex electrical controls, high voltage power panels, product testing, and commissioning.
Created project scope, business case, ROI for multiple capital projects to support electrotechnical assembly and CPG goods. Identified project cost, risk, success criteria, and performed equipment qualifications. (Carrier, Electrolux, Biolab, Price, Hussmann)
Created detailed projects plans using MS Project, Gant charts in excel, and updated new product development in Jira for stakeholders and project team members including critical path.
Great knowledge of ISO9001, NFPA, OSHA regulations.
User level knowledge of MRP/SAP, MS Project, Powerpoint, Visio, Mastercontrol, JIRA, Power BI and Tableau.
I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to discussing this role with you, and how I can lead your company’s growth and profitability. I can be contacted via LinkedIn via phone or E Mail.
Jim Smith
678-993-7195
jimsmith30024@gmail.com
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities to radically reinvent the way we do business. This study explores how CEOs and top decision makers around the world are responding to the transformative potential of AI.
The Team Member and Guest Experience - Lead and Take Care of your restaurant team. They are the people closest to and delivering Hospitality to your paying Guests!
Make the call, and we can assist you.
408-784-7371
Foodservice Consulting + Design
Oprah Winfrey: A Leader in Media, Philanthropy, and Empowerment | CIO Women M...CIOWomenMagazine
This person is none other than Oprah Winfrey, a highly influential figure whose impact extends beyond television. This article will delve into the remarkable life and lasting legacy of Oprah. Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance, compassion, and firm determination.
We’ve spoken a lot at past events around how we are in the midst of significant shifts in how our customers buy brought about by digital. As a result of this we’re all transforming and that’s why we’re all here this morning, the big question we talk about a lot with clients is the pace of transformation vs our customers (and competitors), and whether we are moving at the right pace.
Broadly speaking there are 5 main stages that we observe customers maturing through:
Animate through customer maturity line
Physical channel dependence – this is the buyer of 5 years ago, heavily reliant on salespeople for solution understanding and fit, strong focus on solution features and benefits
Digital experimentation - beginning to branch out into digital channels, could be starting to buy
Disruption/preference shift – this is the point where buyers begin to develop a preference for digital channels and see less value and have less time for salespeople
Informed, self-directed buyer – highly search literate, savvy and highly informed, online and social media comparisons, expect far broader business value and depth of expertise from sales interactions
Omni-channel expectations – the end to end experience is a significant element in the purchasing decision, the ability to move between channels seamlessly and with high levels of personalisation are expected as given
Animate through enterprise maturity
What we observe with particularly a lot of the B2B sector that we work with is that typically a lot of headway has been made with service transformation – examples would be introducing a self-serve digital platform, or a range of other initiatives aimed at dedicated measurement and improvement of the customer experience
Marketing and sales transformation however has been far more difficult to progress, with varied progress across sectors
For a lot of us we are likely dealing with customers who are stages 4 and 5 – so a big part of today’s session is about helping you with ideas for how to accelerate and catch up with them.
Animate sector examples
So given that most of us aren’t moving as fast as we’d like to – what are the obstacles holding us back?
Animate through the marketing challenges
Executive buy-in – with a lot of leaders coming from relationship selling backgrounds, often building executive understanding and support for digital marketing initiatives can be difficult
Outcomes mindset – many marketers haven’t had to be accountable for revenue and lead generation outcomes in the past, so this is a significant mindset shift and often requires net-new talent additions
Data/tech/content – our marketers need to work with more data and technology tools, and build more compelling content more quickly, than they have had to in the past – so this is a big capability leap
Personalisation at scale – and marketers face the challenge of increasing relevance across all touchpoints and engaging a customer who is far more discerning and educated
Animate through the sales challenges
Bottom-up buy-in – salespeople are often accustomed to be CEO of the customer relationship and can be threatened by digital and marketing initiatives
Channel and role mix – the universal soldier field force is unlikely to be the most cost effective and customer appropriate channel anymore, new sales channels such as inside sales and increasing levels of sales role specialisation are required
Digital literacy – CRM, social media, data skills all need to lift
Acumen and insight lift- a higher level of commercial acumen and unique expertise is required to engage buyers and deliver contextual thought leadership and insights
Animate through the integration challenges
Customer imperative – we need to awaken the business to the criticality of reorganising around the customer
Data integrity – so dealing with our legacy databases and data entry issues – without good data relevance is impossible
Legacy platforms – often we have existing platforms with significant sunk costs that restrict our ability to be nimble and evolve our tools
Organisational design – roles, KPIs, incentives all have to be adapted support new ways of working
Process integration – all the typical issues between marketing and sales pop up here, we have to work out how to hardwire lead qualification, hand-offs and follow up
Single customer view – and we need to deal with our disparate databases, without the right data at the right time our marketing and sales staff can’t be as relevant as they need to be
So in terms of the maturity process for how organisations typically develop, let’s look at what this actually looks like.
Animate through the marketing stages
Brand building – all above the line campaigns, no connection to sales
Campaign driven – starting to run campaigns but they are sporadic and sales engagement is variable
Lead generation – marketing is starting to take responsibility for early funnel and dedicated joint M&S initiatives are well underway, lead targets are being set
Demand generation – marketing is orientated around the buyer’s journey and channel selection, content and campaigns are geared around this for key buyer personas, automation well underway, clear accountability for revenue targets
Customer lifecycle – marketing play a significant role throughout the end to end customer journey from pre purchase through to repurchase. Account based initiatives are in place as marketing start to go beyond loyalty initiatives for existing customers to dedicated KAM support
Animate through the sales stages
Haphazard Selling - The operating model is ambiguous, sales processes are not well defined and CRM data quality is poor or non-existent. Salespeople are largely self-reliant and there is little in the way of formal development or support from the business.
Sales Disciplines - Professionalisation of the salesforce has begun, with more robust role clarity, targets and incentives driving more of the right behaviours. Capability development is improving and the importance of uplifting CRM hygiene has been recognised
Sales Effectiveness - The foundations supporting consistent sales performance are mature and a performance culture has emerged. Process and CRM compliance is strong however these are not yet seen as simple and enabling for salespeople.
Buyer Centric - More channels are being introduced and pilots and initiatives are being launched to adapt marketing and sales for the digital age. Integration and data sharing across functions has begun to enhance sales effectiveness and the customer experience.
Customer Driven - Customer-facing functions are fully integrated and are delivering a consistently high quality omni-channel experience. All customer interactions are supported by data and technology tools which deliver strong relevance across the buying journey.
Animate through the integration stages
Not Started – building business buy-in, educating frontline and leaders on the ‘why’
Isolated Experimentation – Some experiments around combined M&S campaigns, testing of new channels and tools
Aligned Campaigns & Accountabilities – good communication and understanding across M&S, regular joint M&S campaign initiatives, planning and rhythm
Integrated E2E Workflows – Complimentary and integrated M&S processes, integrated databases, execution platforms and metrics/dashboards
Optimised Cross-Channel Execution – scaled execution through automated workflows and alerts, full attribution and funnel visibility, single view of customer
VOICEOVER
With only headings on page:
Thanks Marty. Before I launch into our first example I was reflecting on my personal experience over the last 20 years in strategic roles within firms attempting to adopt “agile”, “test and learn” or “fail fast” approaches for new projects. Now don’t get me wrong, entrepreneurial organisations utilising agile methodologies as part of their DNA deliver great results in very short spaces of time. The issue for most of us is that at best only small parts of our firms are operating in this manner – we have siloed businesses and legacy systems and mature products to deal with. It’s a bit like the old cartoons of scooby doo when he sees a ghost – his legs run like mad but he’s just not moving anywhere.
Context box:
Being the Director of the Financial Service practice at Blackdot, the example I will draw on here is that of a major financial institution that was on the very early stages of a pathway to gradually transform its marketing & sales activity in one of its business units. Elsewhere in the firm they had relatively more developed capability in B2C marketing and wanted to translate some of that capability to the traditional B2B relationship selling environment.
To provide some further context to the scenario, the Marketing division had gained some degree of executive buy-in, with broad alignment on the desire to reduce the spend on above the line brand building campaigns and shift more to targeted below the line activity. This was a big change for the division, and as you’d expect they received mixed support from the executive team who were accustomed to an old world relationship selling model. The challenge they were given was to ‘prove it’. By the way I have seen variations of this scenario play out in many financial and non-financial institutions.
To “prove it” the marketing team decided to run an ‘agile’ pilot. They selected a scope and segment for the pilot. The focus was acquisition in middle market. They selected an unmanaged segment which was declining at double digit percentages year on year – which was less downside risk for the business. Sounds logical?
However the problem in this example was that this was far from a disciplined start. The well intentioned ‘agile’ pilot did not deliver on a number of critical fronts, including impactful levels of sales and operational and leadership buy-in and support. In other words, the pilot derailed.
Let’s consider some of the potential interventions that could have helped move the dial:
Acceleration Box:
Row 1
Whilst a project may be set up with a well written business case, and a set of clear objectives, this does not mean the objectives will be commercial enough to earn you the right to continue. If your business unit generates $80m in annual sales, then a revenue uplift of $1m is hardly likely to raise too many executive eyebrows. Moreover, if your outcomes are predicated purely on delivering leads, with no outcomes around acquisition, retention, up-sell then you are potentially moving the organisation further and further away from marketing-sales integration. In fact what you will end up with is a frontline sales team swamped with a sea of poor quality leads, little desire to pursue any of them, and a growing frustration with the marketing department.
Row 2
Being targeted in your content is directionally the way to go, but the cake is only part baked. Unfortunately experimenting with only parts of the marketing engine will not yield the results you need to prove the outcome.
Often firms start with a mature or legacy customer base, and build email newsletter type content with some tailoring based on wealth or age demographic parameters. This however doesn’t account for the stage of the buyer journey or the individual buyer channel preferences.
Slides 78-81 recommendations.
The aim for your pilot should be to prove the value of the integrated engine by demonstrating what can be achieved with M&S working together across the buyer’s journey e2e. Critical to this being successful will be good process, leveraging marketing automation to deliver scale, common definitions on what a good lead is, how it gets handed over and who owns it to ensure successful lead generation efforts on the marketing side receive the attention necessary for conversion on the sales side.
Row 3
The typical approach to engagement is to build interest and try to head off cynicism through sending out broad email communications to staff, which will often incorporate rules or implications for not “being on the bus”. However this doesn’t generate real engagement. Simply filling the sales pipeline with unqualified leads and trying to enforce or push sales to follow will result in a lack of commitment at best, and active rebellion at worst.
However if we actively involve the sales team in the pilot design and outcomes, and give them some accountability for the outcomes then this will support ownership. Also if the pilot process is designed to deliver better quality leads then Sales will be motivated to pull the leads into the sales funnel rather than having them pushed at them. Throughout we need to support this with an engaging change management program that is “fit for purpose” to support frontline ownership.
[Roadshows to unveil the process]
So what we have illustrated here are some ways to accelerate the success of the pilot through extending from common practice to best practice. The final point to land on is this – sometimes to win you need to challenge the conventional wisdom.
Unconventional wisdom
We are in corporate with shareholders and regulators and existing customers, we’re not start-ups - there’s no prizes here for failing fast, only heartache. Let’s set ourselves up for success, lets test and learn and win! And the way to do that is to structure the pilots correctly from the outset to deliver meaningful results, with an integrated M&S process delighting customers across their journeys, and exert some change management muscle to support the transformation, no matter the size. Earn the right to leverage the pilot from a “disciplined start” to greater operational maturity and build the business imperative.
CONVERSATION WITH GABBY
2015 done some work with sales team to help sales team – BPB way
2016 Brought in to help the marketing team – setting up lead generation pilots,
Looking at database, and coming up with a list of next viable product – analytics teams. No connection to sales. Very unqualified bunch of leads and flooding the pipeline with sales pipeline, and the sales guys ignored.
We recommended they stop immediately.
They were already running the pilots…just started. Newsletter going out every 2 weeks plus a monthly.
Marketing to invest a bit more time in qualifying the leads on the phone (allocated resource to qualify).
Build a call to action on each newsletter.
Business case:
They saw success as delivery of leads to sales teams – but success is getting a conversion out of the marketing generated leads. Winning is closing the lead, not # leads in the pipeline.
Channel Experimentation:
Pilots were purely newsletters, with some tailoring. Content eg. cricket themed, tailored to the size. Different newsletters to different segments.
Slides 78-81 recommendations.
Recommended targeting based on channel and based on stage of buyer journey, utilising marketing automation.
Frontline Engagement:
Difference between putting leads into sales pipeline and trying to enforce or push sales to follow up.
Need to swap to better qualified leads and get sales to pull rather than push
Roadshows to unveil the process. Stakeholder engagement plan by groups of sales people with tailored engagement plan.
Agile and fail fast:
Pilot was “test and learn” but results were pretty poor, just farming out newsletters. However if they stepped back and put resources behind in the first place, they would have much better results from the start.
Set yourself up to win, not fail and tweak.
VOICEOVER Acceleration
Row 1
Clear vision - what its going to deliver in terms of customer, frontline, shareholder value
Many of us operate in environments where there has been a myriad of change initiatives throughout the years and a lot of scar tissue built up at the frontline > getting the dependencies and sequencing right and sharing what the roll-out will look like is critical
Row 2
Platform implementation: often focus is on platform implementation and systems integration. A lot of the complexity is technology related e.g. What’s the right platform, how does that align with our technology roadmap, what should the underlying architecture look like etc.
A new technology tool alone cannot deliver new ways of working
New op model - focus on new op model, how do the strategy, people, process and technology fit together? What does this enable from a customer experience perspective, role and goal clarity
Technology platform implementation > New op model, op model, process, mindset and capabilities, technology
Row 3
Big bang transformation program > continuous value - deliver ongoing improvements in the customer experience and employee experience to fuel interest and ongoing momentum
Unconventional
When trying to achieve rapid op reinvention
It’s really less about the big bang top down transformation program that leaders are thumping the table on
You need all that
But to actually deliver the change you need to successfully deliver packages of new DNA into the org, the org has to mutate
So that means user friendly packages of ppl, process and tech that enable people to evolve with the change
Acceleration
Row 1
From resistance management approach to> responsive frontline problem solving – focus on value and adoption, responsively address frontline pain points – always appreciated by frontline. Champion the features of the solution, create champion groups/coalition of the willing, collect bottom up feedback and get teams working together, put focal points on what is working and what’s in it for me
Row 2
We’re all aware in a big corporate you can’t underestimate the challenge of getting different parts of the business behind your project, particularly when spread across locations. Need to shift from fighting the tide to going with this, looking at how to get the enterprise working for you.
Row 3
New capabilities > new mindset and behaviours – DWD head, heart, guts stuff
Unconventional
Good change comms and capability, this is good
But
It’s actually about solve pain and delivering real value
It needs to be about frontline belief – make it faster, better, easier
Last session notes – this was Ben’s share around the AZ story
Realisation that the tech alone isn’t the answer, got to look at the people, process stuff
Only got the tech, then did the process and the people
Got Ferrari, custom wheels in top right loving it and using it fully energised, global standardized all the modules lost functionality custom to that market, global operating model, went backwards, ended up with teams that are using excel, team lost motivation and belief, alignment with the journey, tool no longer fit for purpose, lot of noise in the org and broader change going on, some poor results around a product happening at same time, restructures global standardization causing loss of hearts and minds
Starting doing good things to fix issues – working with sales teams, bottom up feedback, loosened some business rules, sales champion groups, pain points roadshow - find pain points and jump on them quickly, frontline value this, if couldn’t fix find bandaid solution
, looked at what pain points can fix quickly – fixing pain points drove back up, Chmapion the features of the solution, put focal points on what is working, what’s in it for me
sitting in the middle at the top as still don’t really have the functionality used to have still some reversion to excel and still work to be done, but love the tool marketing working closely with sales teams, some additional modules launched, got some
Classic derailment story –
This archetype is really about really excelling on the transformation and then carrying the momentum into BAU
The example we have in mind isas a telco that started with 10 different systems and complex operations supporting the frontline
Their operations were not fit for purpose and Customer and employee experience was well below par
They implemented a technology backbone end to end and also rebuilt the whole sales and marketing operating model end to end
At that point they started getting results in terms of effectiveness and efficiency for the front line
Rather than resting on their laurels, they then looked to leverage all the capabilities of the new system and processes to continue to improve the customer and employee experience
The features of technology and agiltiy of the operating model allowed them to take customer feedback and construct and implement the solution in real time
In terms of what we can learn from that, when you think about how a traditional transformation would run, we have bursts of effort and energy around the implementation points. People get excited about customer centricity and often you create a strong customer function and we invest a lot in inside out innovation
To move to best practice you are looking to sustain the moementum into BAU and get the organisation to continue to learn and improve
Custoemr becomes the responsibilty of everyone in the organisation and we look to optimise and reinvent based on customer feedback
Common practice would be to rest on our laurels and bed down the transformation unconventional wisdom is this concept of restless excellence – using insight to rev the machine harder.
When you are in zone 1, there are issues but also opportunity to shape the transformation in the ideal way. Our view is to always start with people. Get conviction from management and the frontline on the need for change and mobilise on a credible well planned end to end pilot
zone 2 is liberating because the organisation is already convinced so we can be led from the frontline. A quick build on the technology, process and operating can unleash the energy that is already within our people
zone 3 requires a careful reset as there is a danger of pushback or regression to old ways of working. The key here is to demonstrate value by using the potential of the technology and processes to solve real world pain points for the customer and employees.
Zone 4 is the zone of delivery but we need to maintain the momentum from the transformation and make sure we continue to build and improve. Remediating existing problems or getting to new organisational best is not enough, we need to drive to best practice based on outside in feedback.