Developing a marketing plan that sustains steady, consistent growth is imperative for your organization's success. Building a strategy that yields double digit revenue growth every year requires putting the customer first, and building around their specific needs. In the webinar Marketing and Sales Models for Sustainable Growth, Launch Team’s President Michele Nichols talks about how a company can achieve this goal by focusing on the customer first, with a data driven, educational mindset at the core of their marketing efforts. Michele also touches upon how customer behavior is changing and how companies should be adapting to support them.
Customer Behavior Changes
As new technology changes the way we purchase goods and services, consumer behavior also changes. Buyers have access to all the resources needed to find the product or solution they need. In fact, 89% of buyers identify potential solutions without a salesperson's assistance before making the decision to purchase. Due to this shift inbound marketing has become an effective tactic in positioning your company as a viable solution.
Flywheel Model
As customer behavior shifts, the way we service those customers needs to change as well. The mindset of designing a system that meets your customers’ expectations has changed drastically, moving away from the funnel marketing model to the Flywheel model. The Flywheel model emphasizes the customers’ needs and puts them at the center of the system. This looks at the entire buyer experience rather than the customer being the end product as they are in the traditional funnel model. By positioning your company as a helping-hand along the entire research and buying process, you are improving the chance of buyers choosing you.
Positioning in the Market
We often talk about creating your unique value proposition and finding your company’s “sweet spot.” This spot is the area where your companies’ capabilities and consumer values lie, but competitors can’t touch. This statement should focus on the prospect and not the product. It should deliver a sharp, clear message by speaking the language of the customer helps position yourself well.
What you need
- Product or service worth buying
- A clear understanding of who will buy it
- A clear understanding of how they will buy it
It is important that your team is on the same page regarding your positioning in the market and your value proposition. If you’d like to download our positioning guide to help you accomplish this, click here.
Fueling the System: Marketing
Inbound is data driven marketing that uses this information to provide informative content to the prospect. Promoting educational content on social media to bring them to a blog or landing page will allow them to take an action or download content to establish a point of contact. Once you have their email, you can provide them more information and learn about their specific needs. Although there is success in using inbound, it should not be your only one. An integrated strategy is best, and these leads should not stop at marketing. Once a qualified lead has been found, a salesperson or team needs reach out, develop a relationship and follow a defined sales process.
Having your marketing and sales team work together to satisfy the customer every step along the way is vital to consistent growth, retaining customers and gaining their trust. This trust will entice the customer to continue working with you and refer you to other businesses.
If you would like to hear more from Michele about consistent growth, the strategies to get there, and more on the sales process, click on the click on the link below to the webinar.
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