Your sales and business development engine is a machine with great potential, but it requires proper marketing fuel to run well. Any engine without fuel is just a big block of metal sitting in place, going nowhere. That engine wants to perform at its highest level, which means not just any fuel will work. Filling your engine with cheap fuel will result in mediocre performance. Instead, pump it with high-octane marketing fuel. This means having the right marketing strategy and tools in place to fortify your sales team to be successful.
How do you decide what type of marketing tools and activity are needed to fuel your engine? You’ll determine this by developing a strategy and purpose that defines your market, identifies potential buyers and outlines how and why they buy. Once you know this, you can develop the appropriate marketing tools that connect your business with your buying market. The goal is to have well-positioned and strategically-aligned marketing activity in place designed to generate business opportunities and create successes.
Create the connecting points
Consider the connecting points that are necessary for bridging the gap between your business and your market. The tools you develop will draw you closer to your market. For example, suppose your business struggles with market awareness or brand recognition. A well-defined public relations plan could be the answer for that challenge. Such a plan would identify ways to gain media coverage in key markets that raise visibility for your company. Being recognized for accomplishments, company developments, and customer successes are a few
ways to feed your public relations efforts which provides great marketing fuel for your business development engine.
Perhaps the need is in the area of lead generation and prospecting. Campaigns developed that target a specific group can create opportunities for your sales team. Through eBlasts and cultivating activities that have clear call to action components, the fuel will continue to flow.
You may also find that marketing tools are needed in the form of collateral. With digital and print-based materials, you can tell your business story in a way that connects well with your market. This allows you to showcase your expertise, convey the value of your solutions and demonstrate results that existing clients have realized.
Peak performance
While a strategy and plan are necessary, neither of them are beneficial if they’re sitting on idle and starving your sales engine. Marketing activities have to be implemented logically so that all components are positioned to maximize the opportunities needed for revenue-generating opportunities.
If you’re experiencing engine sputtering, then a tune-up will reveal where the unwanted sludge exists. You can then clean it out to remove underperforming marketing activities and replace them with refined marketing fuel.
For example, your company may participate in tradeshows, but the results from these events is less than stellar. You need
to know why by asking your team:
- Are the events the right ones for our market?
- Are the attendees those who have buying power or can influence a buying decision?
- Does our show presence portray our company favorably with visual appeal and strong messaging?
- Is our follow-up strategy the right one and are we converting opportunities?
Engage the pit crew
Your business development and sales support team also play an important role in keeping your engine finely tuned. This “pit crew” is typically involved in the daily marketing activity execution and is on the front lines of tactical implementation. The advantage here is that your team will be able to identify any problem areas right away while also recognizing what is working well.
With a well-designed strategy that includes the necessary marketing tools for your business, your sales engine will generate revenue opportunities for your company while outperforming the competition.
William Russell is managing partner of The Marketing Beacon, a firm that delivers custom-developed marketing solutions designed to generate new customers for your business and grow opportunities from existing clients. Visit TheMarketingBeacon.com for more information.
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