At the B2B conference in November Paul Everett, Director of Marketing Strategy took us through the importance of building a balance between customer experiences and doing something as a business that’s worth marketing.

1. AN EXPERIENCE WORTH RAVING ABOUT
PAUL EVERETT, DIRECTOR, THE MARKETING PRACTICE
@TMPEverett

2. (ABOUT ME)
Working for… ...selling to
INTRODUCTION

3. A TRACK RECORD OF PREDICTIONS
INTRODUCTION

4. DECISION TIME FOR B2B BUSINESSES
INTRODUCTION
Marketing as a support
resource for the business
Marketing as a strategic
OR asset for the business
Marketing
objectives
Time horizon
Typical skill sets
Relationship with
sales
Efficient delivery against
campaign targets
Campaign to campaign /
quarterly outlook
Marketing communication and
project management
Responsive / supportive
(Joint) ownership of
commercial targets and overall
ROMI
Shaping the market for the
future & evolving programmes
over time
Blend of strategic and
operational not limited to pure
marketing skills
Peer to peer

5. We need to break out from the
marketing silo and do things
that have an impact on the
business and our customers
INTRODUCTION
BECOMING A STRATEGIC ASSET

6. TWO KINDS OF EXPERIENCE
INTRODUCTION
Customer
experience
(Do you know
what it’s like to
be a customer of
your business?)
Experiential
marketing
(Doing things as
a business that
are worth talking
about)

7. EXPERIENCE: THE NEW BATTLEGROUND
FOR COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION
Participants in activities such as tourism, extreme
sports and recreational drug-use also tend to stress the
importance of experience.
INTRODUCTION

8. EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

9. “The internet is broken.”
The Guardian, 15 August 2014
EXPERIENTIAL
“Is the internet full?”
The Telegraph, 13 August 2014

10. WE HAVE FILLED THE INTERNET WITH
INFOGRAPHICS
“Can we fit one more in?...”
INEXTPREORDIEUNCTTIIAOLN

11. WHERE DID IT ALL GO SO HORRIBLY WRONG?
EXPERIENTIAL

12. EXPERIENTIAL

13. WHAT ARE THESE EXPERIENCES?
Something your business does that the audience can
engage with
Rather than standalone content, which is just
something that marketing creates
Do something that’s worth marketing, rather than
creating ‘empty’ marketing
EXPERIENTIAL

14. STOP PRODUCING STUFF. START DOING THINGS AS
A BUSINESS THAT ARE WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
EXPERIENTIAL

15. STOP PRODUCING STUFF. START DOING THINGS AS
A BUSINESS THAT ARE WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
EXPERIENTIAL

16. STOP PRODUCING STUFF. START DOING THINGS AS
A BUSINESS THAT ARE WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
EXPERIENTIAL
“It’s rather refreshing to see a
big tech company actually do
this kind of thing rather than
just talk about it.”

17. STOP PRODUCING STUFF. START DOING THINGS AS
A BUSINESS THAT ARE WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
EXPERIENTIAL

18. FINDING YOUR IDEA
Don’t get too caught up on joining the
‘outside-in’ bandwagon. What are you great at
that customers love?
Sense check: The best ideas will need to
involve people outside Marketing!
EXPERIENTIAL

19. FINDING YOUR IDEA
Before: Show, don’t tell
“Tell me and I forget. Teach
me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.”
Now: Share, don’t show
EXPERIENTIAL

20. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN B2B

21. WHY WILL CX BE THE NEXT BIG THING IN B2B?
Will our existing
customers buy more
from us and re-sign the
contract?
Are we serving
customers in the most
efficient way possible?
Are we creating raving
fans as our best proof
points and advocates?
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Does the experience of being our customer match up with
our positioning and the story we’re telling in the market?

22. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MARKETING TO LEAD
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
3a – False partnership
• Marketing has minor role in lead
generation strategy
• May have revenue responsibility,
usually shared with sales.
• Limited or no control over
customer experience, product
development.
3b – True partnership
• Marketing has a significant role
in lead generation strategy
• Has revenue responsibility that is
usually shared with sales, but
may also be a standalone target
• Significant or leadership role in
managing customer experience,
product development
1– Sales led
• Marketing supports sales with
brand and lead gen activities
• Rarely has revenue
responsibility, and that is usually
shared with sales, not a
standalone target
• Small role in growth strategy,
product direction, etc.
2– Marketing led
• Marketing drives much or all of
revenue
• Leads growth and lead
generation strategies
Source: Econsultancy, The Reinvention of B2B Marketing, 2014

23. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MARKETING TO LEAD
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Marketers Rank Their Greatest Impact on Growth
Sales - led False partnership True partnership Marketing - led
Brand strategy & comms Brand strategy & comms New product innovation Brand strategy & comms
Sales support Sales support Brand strategy & comms New product innovation
Promotions Promotions Sales Support CX & lifecycle management
Customer research Customer research CX & lifecycle management Customer research
Digital innovation New product innovation Customer research Promotions
New product innovation CX & lifecycle management Promotions Channel Management
CX & lifecycle management Channel management Channel management Digital innovation
Channel management Digital innovation Digital innovation Sales support
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Source: Econsultancy, The Reinvention of B2B Marketing, 2014

24. IT IS ALREADY HAPPENING
Led by organisations with a B2C heritage
Reflected in the rise of Account Based Marketing
Seeing it in new job roles and responsibilities
More programmes focused on customer lifecycle
(and data quality!)
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

25. FUNDAMENTAL BUILDING BLOCKS
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Desired
position
Customer
experience
Sell
Welcome
Renew
Upsell Optimise
Status
Personal
motivations
Career
Fun
Security

26. FUNDAMENTAL BUILDING BLOCKS
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Desired
position
Customer
experience
Sell
Welcome
Renew
Upsell Optimise
Status
Personal
motivations
Career
Fun
Security
A methodology and responsibility for
gathering and acting on customer
experience insight

27. EXAMPLE IN PRACTICE
Positioning hypothesis: ‘making Finance easy’ is a potential position in the market
Customer research: it is an important factor, and ‘fun’ is a related attribute
Existing customer experience positives: concrete areas where we are already different
Existing customer experience negatives: where experience is a long way from positioning
Customer journey mapping: identify pain points & moments of truth with prioritised actions
Business actions: Internal change programme and employee engagement
Marketing actions:
• Messaging development for new positioning
• Customer lifecycle communications (moments of truth)
• Customer advocacy refresh
• Prospect and customer segmentation
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

28. EXAMPLE IN PRACTICE
Benefits:
• Stand-out position attracts new business
• Customer retention and increased share of wallet
• Advocacy-powered customer growth
• Cost savings from process simplification
• Pride in customer satisfaction
Marketing as a strategic asset to the business!
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

29. THE KEY CULTURAL TREND OF THE
21ST CENTURY?

30. STUFFOCATION - JAMESWALLMAN
“Instead of stuff, focus your energy,
money and time on experiences.”
“Switch from the materialist mindset —
so last century — and get on board with
the key cultural trend of the 21st
century: experientialism.”
“Instead of looking for status, happiness
and meaning in material things, start
getting them from experiences.”
CONCLUSIONS

31. CONCLUSIONS

32. A FINAL QUESTION…
So what are you doing to help
your customers find status,
happiness and meaning?
If you can do that, they’ll stay with
you for life.
CONCLUSIONS

33. THANK YOU
@TMPEverett