IMPROVE ALIGNMENT WITH FIELD – To sell effectively, your field sales
team relies on deliverables from marketing, and often sales people perceive
that they are not getting what they need. Aligning the marketing content of
product launches, marketing messages and tools provided to the field is
essential for revenue growth.
GAIN BETTER INSIGHT INTO CUSTOMER NEEDS – Ultimately, developing,
marketing and delivering products that customers need is the goal. How do you
know your customers’ perceptions of you and your solutions? Understanding what
is on the mind of your customers and how they perceive your organization and
solutions is fundamental to successful long-term customer relationships.
DEVELOP AND DELIVER MORE COMPELLING MESSAGES – There may be plenty you
think customers and prospects need to know about your organization. But it is
important to identify what is most compelling based on the key concerns of your
buying audience. How well do you position your messages so that prospects and
customers “get it?” And how do you differentiate your messages from those of
your competition?
BETTER MANAGE PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS – Many organizations rely on the
channel for a large portion of their revenue. How do you make sure that your
partners are getting what they need from you to be successful?
IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL EFFECTIVENESS – Successful professionals always look
at how they can improve. Young and mature marketing teams alike need to
constantly evaluate how they can work more effectively to improve their own
contributions and job skills.
IMPROVE WIN RATES – Competitive positioning is a must if you want the
buyer to understand why to buy from you versus. other alternatives. If you don’t
clearly articulate what is unique about your organization and its solutions, no
one else will. At the same time, competitive positioning must align with the
key reasons that a buyer would care, or you run the risk of sounding arrogant
and have little chance of a sale.
BETTER UNDERSTAND THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE – Do you know what the
competition is up to? Have you communicated this to the field? Do they know how
and when to use competitive positioning? Understanding how other providers are
positioning against you helps you do a better job of selecting strategies and
effectively supporting those strategies with appropriate messages and tactics.