Messaging Matters

Source: SiriusDecisions PMM Survey

13.316

21.4 24.3 26

Insufficient Leads

Poor Sales Skills Too Many Products to Know

Information Gap (Industry,

Solution, Etc.)

Inability to Communicate Value Messages

Biggest Inhibitors to Achieving Quota

Messaging matters

Messaging Matters

Malcolm Gladwell

Scientist for Tipping Point

Morton M. Grodzins

Malcolm Gladwell

Dr. K. Anders Ericsson

Scientist for Deliberate Practice

Messaging Matters

Relevant to Your Prospect

Unique to You

14%Only 14% of messaging salespeople promote creates commercial impact

Failure to create impact

86%

Your new biggest competitor

You

Them

Status Quo

Bake-offSalesCall

20-60%

They don’t see enough reason to do something different

Your Desired Outcomes are at-risk and here’s how you can fix that

SELL THE PROBLEMSELL THE PROBLEMSELL THE PROBLEMSELL THE PROBLEM

Status Quo Threatened

Identify New Needs

Define Solution

Identify Viable Vendors

Review Approaches

Make Decision

65

“Why Change?” “Why Us”

Why our company and offerings are better than the competition

SELL THE PRODUCTSELL THE PRODUCTSELL THE PRODUCTSELL THE PRODUCT

35% %Buying Vision Bake-Off

-3 -1 +1 +2 +3-2

Your new conversations

You

Them

Status Quo

Bake-offSalesCall

Challenge Assumptions

Re-Define Needs

Align Solution 20-60%

St

Customer Status Quo

Buying Vision Creation

Outcome at Risk

Outcome at Risk

Outcome at Risk

Pre-Determine Executive-Level Outcomes

Reveal threats, risks, problems and missed opportunities that put each outcome at risk

and need to be solved

ThreatProblemMiss

ProblemMiss

ThreatProblemMiss

Threat

Align strengths of products, services, programs to solve the re-defined needs and “engineer“ desired outcomes

Your Solution

Your Solution

Your Solution

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“Solution” Selling

Salespeople “Play 20 Questions”

Customer

Wait to hear a couple keywords and then jump into prepared products presentation and competitive matrix

Do you have a music problem?

I don’t have a music problem!

Maybe a 10 CD changer?

1000 songs in your pocket

…I DID HAVE A MUSIC PROBLEM!

Messaging Matters

Messages Tools Skills

Customer Conversations

DEVELOP DEPLOY DELIVER

Integrated Approach

MARKETING SALES

You need a messaging system

On purpose vs. by accident

Who do you want to be?

Messaging Matters