Bob London / Chief Listening Officers -- Presentation to Smart City Works Infrastructure Actuator
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A presentation on customer discovery to the Fall 2017 cohort of the Smart City Works Infrastructure Actuator.
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Bob London / Chief Listening Officers -- Presentation to Smart City Works Infrastructure Actuator
- 2. WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?
- 4. HEY, MARKETE RS! IT’S THE YEAR OF… Content Marketing Inbound Marketing Storytelling Social Media Marketing Nurture Marketing Growth Hacking Chatbots/AI Marketing Automation Buyer Personas & Journey 2018: ???? Video Account Based Marketing EVERY YEAR IS THE #$@&! YEAR OF THE CUSTOMER
- 5. HEY, MARKETE RS! IT’S THE YEAR OF… Content Marketing Inbound Marketing Storytelling Social Media Marketing Nurture Marketing Growth Hacking Chatbots/AI Marketing Automation Buyer Personas & Journey 2018: ???? Video Account Based Marketing EVERY YEAR IS THE #$@&! YEAR OF THE CUSTOMER
- 6. YOUR COMPA NY TARGET AUDIENCE THE DREADED AND PERNICIOUS B2B BUYER-SELLER DISCONNECT
- 7. YOUR COMPA NY TARGET AUDIENCE B2B MARKETING PIT OF MISERY
- 8. HOW SERIOUS IS THE VENDOR-BUYER DISCONNECT? “The B2B Buying Disconnect” “B2B vendors focus on providing material that buyers don’t find very useful or trustworthy.” “The Disconnect Between Marketers & Buyers” “Tech marketers invest in areas that IT buyers don’t consider important in the decision CMOs Admit They Don’t Understand Their Target “Just 50% of CMOs felt they understood customers well & 35% understood prospects.” “Companies Are Talking Past Their Customers” Themes that brands consider important appear to have minimal influence on buyer perceptions.”
- 9. “So what? Can you solve my problem better than anyone else?” “We can solve a bunch of problems!” @chief_listener Not Statistically Significant “We’re a leader, not a follower!” (yawn)
- 10. DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR SOLUTION.FALL IN LOVE WITH THEIR PROBLEM.
- 11. CURIOSITY CALLS Open-ended conversations with customers and prospects solely to learn what the world looks like from their perspective……Business priorities, challenges and rants …Views on your industry and vendor landscape …Perceptions of your company and solution TARGET LIST EMAIL INVITATION DISCUSSION GUIDE LISTENING TIPS
- 12. JUST SHUT UP & LISTEN TO THEM Relax. Breathe. Smile. It’s a conversation not a survey. Drop filters, biases & defensiveness Be authentic & human. Stay agile & iterative @chief_listener Be curious What do you mean by that? THE CURIOSITY CALL Start with their big picture Go where they want to go. No selling. Listen for “elevator rants” Ask disruptive questions. 12
- 13. Subj: A quick favor if you can Dear (name): I hope this note finds you well. I’m touching base to see how things are going and also to ask if you’d be able to participate in a very brief research project we’re undertaking. As background, things are going very well at (organization name). To make sure that continues, we want to make sure we’re aligned with our customers—and that means getting real-world perspectives from folks like you. We’re just looking for your candid thoughts on a few things. Would you be able to have a 20-30 minute, one-on-one phone conversation with me? If so, please reply with a couple dates/times when you’re free. Or you can use this scheduling link to find a date and time that works for you: (use TimeTrade.com or Calendly). Your involvement would be greatly appreciated! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me at (phone) or (email). Best regards, (Your name) E-MAIL INVITATION (TEMPLATE) 13
- 14. Want better insights? Ask better questions. @chief_listener “WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?” o Business buzzwords (value, impact, SaaS- based) o Marketing-Speak o Too much industry jargon • Be disruptive & thought- provoking • Avoid:
- 15. 1. What’s on your white board? 2. If I asked someone who works for you what their mission is, what would you want them to say? 5. If you started a company in our space today, what would you do differently? 6. If you had a free hour with a leading industry expert, what would you ask? 3. What do you and your team need to get better at 4. What’s the first think you think of when I say _____? 7. What would make you a customer for life?
- 16. • Don’t assume you understand your customers’ real priorities or context • Avoid biases. • Ask questions your competitors haven’t asked (yet) • Listen without an agenda or filters • Embrace rants • Emphasize the problem you solve best & prove it • Use customer’s real language not yours • Deliver insights vs. content • Be “transparent & absorbent” vs. “opaque & impermeable” • Help their research: Provide@chief_listener LISTEN FIRST MARKET BETTER
- 17. Free Customer Re-Discovery Playbook www.chieflisteningofficers.com/free Bob London / Founder & CEO bob@chieflisteningofficers.com +1 (240) 994 7644 www.chieflisteningofficers.com THANK YOU! (AND HAPPY LISTENING)
Editor's Notes
- You aren’t alone.
- No such thing as a tangent
- Tie your product or service to their goals & budget priorities. What value do you add to their business? ------ If you started your job yesterday, what would be your first observations? What would be your first priorities? Everyone has a thought bubble when they meet with a sales person. This is the elephant in the room that your positioning needs to address. You don’t need names, just rants. Like, “The partner sells me and then hands off to a junior person to do the work.” What is it? Positive? Skeptical? Exasperated? Excited? You don’t need names, just rants. Like, “The partner sells me and then hands off to a junior person to do the work.” Drill down for specific complaints. There’s always at least 1 juicy industry complaint you can position against. ----------- Buyers don’t want all things to all people. They want “a job done right.” Your sweet spot is the foundation of your positioning. If you lose a sweet spot customer or deal, always find out why.
- “WHAT’S ON YOUR WHITE BOARD?” “WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR TEAM NEED TO GET BETTER AT?” “WHAT’S THE MOST SATISFYING PART OF YOUR JOB? THE LEAST?” “IF YOU HAD A FREE HOUR WITH A LEADING INDUSTRY EXPERT, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK?” “IS THERE SOMETHING WE DO BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE?” “WHAT WOULD THE IMPACT BE IF OUR PRODUCT WENT AWAY?” “HAS YOUR JOB CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED USING OUR PRODUCT?”