The Science of Marketing

I miss driving stick.  Revving the engine at a stoplight, dropping into gear and hearing the tires chirp, downshifting into a sharp curve.  Exciting stuff, especially with the right car.  But beyond the thrill of it all, there’s also something rewarding about working through the progression of gears that reminds me of well oiled marketing communications machine.

Much like a 5-speed transmission, marketing communications activities need to work in sequential stages to be effective, especially with more strategic sales.  Take, for example, a developer of enterprise-wide security solutions, where there are many stages in the buying cycle and several stakeholders involved in the purchase decision.  Customers for this type of solution aren’t going to a website, downloading a free trial and installing it.  They’re writing RFPs, kicking tires, calling in technical experts and getting their finance department involved.  Marketing communications for these high touch sales doesn’t begin in 5th gear - you can’t post a web site and expect a thousand people to click "Buy it Now".

It all comes down to understanding the buying cycle in a given market, looking at the stakeholders and learning about their chief concerns.  Think about first gear - where prospective customers begin the process of evaluating new products - and implement programs that position your solution as a viable option.  In second gear, when technology evaluators begin putting competitive products to the test, be sure your communications activities differentiate you.  Rolling into third gear, a business level audience may get involved, so you must be able to demonstrate how your product can improve the bottom line.  Fourth gear may target an operational team tasked with figuring out how your solution will impact existing systems and processes; so build some tools that demonstrate simplicity and integration.  And in fifth, when last minute considerations can derail a sale, be sure you have the information and materials you need to manage objections.

While audiences, tactics, and messages will vary, the approach holds up to any complex sale.  Phase your communications efforts to mesh with what’s going on in the buying cycle.  Those who try to close a strategic sale in first gear will find themselves spinning their wheels. 

Drew McLellan recently wrote about expecting too much from your marketing, concluding that "marketing takes time, repetition, and patience."  So true, and to that, I’d add a progression that jibes with the buying cycle.  What would you add?

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