The Invisible Customer - Steve Robins Keynote at ProductCamp Boston 2011

The Invisible Customer
Steve Robins
June 9, 2012

© 2011
www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com

Which of the following will drive the greatest
success for your company?

1. Advanced technologies?
2. Great locations?
3. A strong customer base?
4. Low prices?
5. Cost-effective manufacturing?
6. Creative marketing?
7. Great messaging?

© 2009-2012 www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com p2

Which of the following will drive the greatest
success for your company?

1. Advanced technologies?
2. Great locations?
3. A strong customer base?
4. Low prices?
5. Cost-effective manufacturing?
6. Creative marketing?
7. Great messaging?


Serenity Hotel


What if…

I wish…

!

Steve Robins

 Senior Director of Marketing,
FirstBest Systems
 Founder, The Solution Marketing Blog,
Top-rated solution marketing blog
 10+ years in solution marketing • Provide a solution
methodology for Marketing
– Expertise in solution, industry and product
marketing • Discipline, rigor,
consistency – best
– Experience: FirstBest Systems, Solution Marketing practices
Strategies, EMC Documentum, KANA,
The Yankee Group • Help Marketing to work with
Sales
• How:
• Solution Marketing
Blog
• LinkedIn Group


Agenda

 The invisible customer
 Why customers matter
 The visible customer, enabled through
– Listening
– Customer perspective
– Totality
– 360 Discovery
– Solution Marketing

 Next steps
 Summary
 Questions


Current & Prospective Customers

User Manager C-Level Purchasing Channel

and others

The Invisible Customer

© 2009-2012 The Solution Marketing Blog

Communication Challenges



That might
be useful

Company Customer



Πώς μπορώ
How can we help
να λύσει το
you? πρόβλημά μου;

Company Customer



Πώς μπορώ
How can we help
να λύσει το
you? #$%&@!
πρόβλημά μου;

Company Customer



Πώς μπορώ
How can we help
OK. We’ll give you:
 Features να λύσει το
I need:
you?
 Features #$%&@!
 Features
πρόβλημά μου;
 Features  Features
 Features

Company Customer


Focus on Internal
Core Competencies


Internal Core Competencies

Research
Engineering
Knowledge
Manufacturing


Focus on the
New New Thing


Distraction with New Technologies

X
I don’t
need that

Shiny New
Thing

Company Customer


“Many innovators are so
enamored with technology
that they lose sight of
what is really important –
what people want from
technology, not what it
can actually do”
-Carl Franklin
Why Innovation Fails


Intermediaries


Intermediaries

My problem
is…

Sales
You Service… Customer


Intermediaries

My problem
is…

Sales External
Experts


Intermediaries

My problem
is…

Sales External Inter-
Experts mediaries


New Customers Add to the Confusion

Company Customers


Lack of Depth


Customer

Purchases
Feature needs
Business needs
Biz challenges
Industry trends
Career challenges


Customer Lifecycle

Mature customer
New customer
Prospect
Lead
Suspect


Offer

Product

.
Partner products

Product Services
Data
etc


Value Chain

Research/ Engineer &
Design Produce
Market Sell &
Partner
Service Product
Delivery
Sales
Marketing
Manufacturing
Engineering


Customers Matter


Visible Customers = Visible Gains

 Revenue is driven by customers
 New market opportunities
 Deep customer loyalty
 Lower “pivot” risk
 Fewer customer service issues
 Competitive differentiation
 Fewer technology surprises


The Satisfaction Gap

Will come
back
“Satisfied 20-40%

Customers”
Will not come back
60-80%

Customers who say they’re satisfied
Source: The Cult of the Customer, Shep Hyken


“Your truly loyal customers
will not only buy from you
but also do much of your
selling for you. They will
become your advocates!”
- Shep Hyken
The Cult of the Customer


Wireless industry: loyalty leaders outperformed
loyalty laggards by 173%

Loyalty Laggards
Loyalty Leaders
Walker Information 2007,
as described in
The Cult of the Customer


http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/secrets/secrets_of_tuned_in_leaders.pdf


Tuned in Companies Are More Successful

2x 2x
Faster likely
to lead
+31% +20%

Profitability Speed to Mkt Likelihood to lead Customer Sat
Market Tuned In Leaders

Data:


Today’s Goal: Increase Customer Visibility

User Manager C-Level Purchasing Channel

and others

Listening

Customer
Visibility Totality

Customer
Perspective

360 Degree 360
Discovery

Solution
Marketing
Price


Listening


Where to • 1:1/small groups
Listen  Customer site
 Sales calls
 Phone interviews
 Win/loss interviews
• Larger groups
 Conferences, shows, user
groups
 Customer, executive and
advisory councils
 Surveys
 Focus groups


Listen • Process
For • Challenges
• Unmet needs
• How they think, personal drivers
• Environment
• Feedback that goes against your
assumptions

Listening • Speak the customer’s language
Tips • Consider the whole person
• They provide challenges and
you develop solutions


Totality


Total Person


Total Solution

Services

User

Tech-
nology Process
Customer
---
Pain
Points

Content/ Data

Complete Solution
Everything to solve the customer’s problem

Total Customer Experience

Research/ Engineer & Market Sell & Service
Design Produce Partner

What happens in one place
affects everything else


Customer Perspective


Competition

Technology

Innovation

Strategy


360o Discovery
Portfolio User & Buyer Customer Solution Solution
Strategy Personas Value Access Development

What markets and How will we educate and How will we incorporate How would the user/buyer What will each solution
solutions should we engage with potential and communicate value? like to buy and use the do and include?
target? users and buyers? solution?

Internal Persona Value Access Solution
• Revenue • Titles • Before/after process • Best channels Requirements
• Current offerings • Business challenges • Before/after • Optimal role of • Revenue
• Core competencies • Career goals challenge/gain VARs, SIs, direct opportunity
• Solution maturity • Thought process • Customer’s value sales, buying on • Use cases
drivers - contract • Business challenges
• Sales-readiness
dollar impact • Preferred delivery • Industry/function
How to connect models… Software?
External • ROI trends
• “Hang-outs” – SaaS? Business
• Under-solved communication • Purchasing habits, • Key components
budget Process
challenges channels, pubs, Outsourcing? • Buy vs build
• Top market, solution trade shows, social • Requirements for • Testing
opportunities media customer success
• Segment size • Industry jargon
• Market drivers • Influence levers (ex
• Competition case studies?)


Key Participants in the Buying Decision

Strategist IT Innovation Manager/
Business owner Developer
Identifies problem/need Business analyst User
“How will this improve Specs and evaluates Manages projects
efficiency and “What’s the best system “How will this help to do
effectiveness” we should use?” my job better?

Functional VP
Approves budget
Delegates details Consultant
“Will this improve my Advises company and
bottom line?” recommends new strategies
“How does compare to
other options?”


Personas

General Persona #1: The VP/Director of Marketing
Typical title  VP/Director of Marketing
About me

Department  Marketing
Background/  Matured through the ranks of marketing
experience
 Leader
Personality
 Aggressive
 Lead large team
What I’m thinking

Day-to-day job  Manage budget
 Build and execute marketing strategy
 Create and maintain a strong brand that generates interest
Top business goals
 Generate leads
Challenges  Doing it all within a limited budget
 Clear ROI
Solution needs  Easy to use
 Competitively priced


Solution Marketing – All About the Customer

Product

Place Pro-
motion
Company

Price


Solution Marketing – All About the Customer
“How can I solve
Strategy, Metrics
my problem?”
Solution
Product

“How can I
“Where can Education
Access
Place Pro- learn more
I find it?” Engagement
Customer motion about it?”
---
Company
Pain
Points

Price
Value
“How will it help me and
what is my total investment
to get this solution?”
End-to-End Marketing for Today
Customer-Focused Marketing

Invisible Customer

$1,094
39

$994
34
Subscribers (Millions)

Revenue ($ Millions)
$894
$238
29 $263
$176 $794
$155
24
$107 $115 $694
$113
$75
$69
19
$594

14 $494
Mar '10 Jun '10 Sep '10 Dec '10 Mar '11 Jun '11 Sep '11 Dec '11 Mar '12
Subscriber trend Revenue trend Unique subcribers Revenue Stock price

Sources: NetFlix, Google


Getting Started

1. Begin internal discovery
2. Know the customer
3. Define the business problem
4. Move from feature/benefit  business
value
5. Think about solution completeness
6. Bonus: how are market/tech forces
changing solution requirements?

Listening

Customer
Visibility Totality

Customer
Perspective

360 Degree 360
Discovery

Solution
Marketing
Price


Thank You

LinkedIn.com/in/SteveRobins1

St ev e r o b i ns Twitter.com/SteveRobins
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING SolutionMarketingBlog.com

FirstBest Systems
213 Burlington Rd
Bedford, MA 01730 robins [at] firstbest [dot] com

www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com


Take the Next Step

Solution Marketing Pros www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com
LinkedIn Group
THE
linkedin.com/groups? Solution Marketing
gid=1826720 Blog


Thank You!

Market Adoption

The Chasm Main Street
Relative % of Customers

The Solution Opportunity

The Tornado

End of Life
Early Life Bowling
Alley

Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority/ Late Majority Laggards Time
Technology Visionaries Pragmatists Conservatives Skeptics
Enthusiasts

Customers want technology Customers want solutions and convenience
and performance Sources: E.M. Rogers, G. Moore


The Invisible Customer - Steve Robins Keynote at ProductCamp Boston 2011

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