Spring officially arrived in Chicago at 6:44 CT this morning, March 20, 2009. I have to say that I can’t recall ever being more excited about spring’s arrival than I have been this year. I was giddy when my husband and I spotted the first robins of the season in our backyard last weekend and was nearly delirious when I noticed tiny patches of green in our flower beds (granted this greening vegetation are weeds that I will pull in a few weeks, but at this point, green is green).
Let’s face it; it has been a depressing winter. In the Chicagoland area it has been bitterly cold and snowy for months. The economy has been in shambles…stress and worry has been as abundant as the ice itself.
The miracle of spring’s arrival seems to be bringing yet another form of thawing…the thawing of our economy. Just as we are in the very early moments of spring (in Chicago we have another solid six weeks of yucky weather in front of us), the economy seems as though it could be showing the very initial signs of life.
I attended INTERPHEX, a pharmaceutical industry trade show, this week. Several of the capital equipment companies serving the pharmaceutical industry reported that projects in the industry are starting to inch forward again. Some of these capital equipment companies have not had an instillation of significance for more than 13 months. I am hearing similar reports from colleagues working in other industries. In February, retail sales were higher than expected and the credit markets seem to be continuing to thaw.
Three to four weeks ago I was of the mindset that this recession could easily grind on well into 2010. Could the arrival of spring be prompting the shedding of our economic doldrums along with the shedding of our winter parkas? Maybe.
Personally, I feel a little more apt to think about a brighter future when I am not freezing to death just trying to get to work in the morning. I may even call my financial planner on Monday and put a little bit of cash I have been squirreling away (to buy guns, ammunition and canned goods if necessary) into the stock market.
Each year there seems to be a painful delay between the initial promises of spring and the arrival of consistently nice weather. This will certainly hold true for our economic recovery as well—early signs of life followed by plenty more dreary days.
But, the spring thaw does offer a welcome reminder that this too shall pass.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
B2B Marketing and Dating--A Parallel For Consideration
Business-to-business sales and marketing still requires finesse and seduction. The harried and highly electronic world each of us lives within requires more creativity and strategy than ever before. There is, in my opinion, a strong parallel between dating and b2b marketing. Please consider the following parable and let me know what you think.
The Seduction
One bright and sunny day Bob met the woman of his dreams. She was beautiful, smart, had an effervescent personality and a sharp wit.
Nearly instantly Bob began creating plans to capture her attention as he wanted her to be as interested in him as he was in her. Bob first put him best foot forward. Dressed nicely and hair neatly combed, he invited her to join him for coffee. Their coffee date went very well. They found that they shared similar values and life ambitions. Bob had planned that his next step would be to invite her to lunch a few days following their coffee date. But, they enjoyed each others company so much during their coffee date that Bob decided to make a bold move. Instead of inviting her to lunch, he invited her to dinner.
The courtship was going well and Bob always made sure to call her regularly, plan enjoyable evenings on the town and send flowers on occasion. After all, this woman was special and Bob knew that if he let too much time pass between communications her attentions could all too easily be captured by another.
Soon enough, Bob began introducing her to his friends and then to his family. After dating for four months, Bob invited her to join him for a weekend get away.
Their relationship started becoming more serious. When the time was right, Bob asked her to marry him and she enthusiastically accepted his proposal.
After years of marriage, their relationship is a happy one. She is more special to Bob than ever and he still pops her friendly calls just to say hello and gives her flowers to let her know that even after all of the years they have been together, she is still as special to him as the day they met.
There is a strong parallel between dating and business-to-business marketing.
Business-to-business sales and marketing requires seduction, attention, thoughtful relationship development strategy and ongoing reinforcement after a prospect becomes a customer.
Print and some digital media formats are excellent vehicles to present your company’s products and/or services in an attention grabbing manner—putting your company’s best foot forward. Digital media allows you to take your budding relationship to the next level. Is your potential buyer seduced enough to explore your web site, to spend time reading your white paper, to listen to your podcast, to attend a webcast you sponsored or to engage in a social network in which you are involved?
Does it make sense to assure that regular messaging is delivered to your potential customers so that their attention doesn’t stray elsewhere?
What will it take for your potential customer to get serious—to accept a meeting with a member or your sales team and eventually cut a purchase order?
After the initial seduction is complete, how do you maintain a strong bond? Excellent products and services are essential. In addition, does it make sense for your customer to be exposed to ongoing messaging from your company to reinforce their decision?
Back to Bob
Could Bob have moved his relationship along faster? Maybe he did not have to be so concerned about calling as often as he did. He could have saved money by not going on as many dates. It is difficult to tell. Maybe Bob would have saved time and money by trying to move the relationship along faster, or maybe he would have lost his opportunity all together. After all, managing relationships with human beings in our personal and business lives is a bit unpredictable.
The Seduction
One bright and sunny day Bob met the woman of his dreams. She was beautiful, smart, had an effervescent personality and a sharp wit.
Nearly instantly Bob began creating plans to capture her attention as he wanted her to be as interested in him as he was in her. Bob first put him best foot forward. Dressed nicely and hair neatly combed, he invited her to join him for coffee. Their coffee date went very well. They found that they shared similar values and life ambitions. Bob had planned that his next step would be to invite her to lunch a few days following their coffee date. But, they enjoyed each others company so much during their coffee date that Bob decided to make a bold move. Instead of inviting her to lunch, he invited her to dinner.
The courtship was going well and Bob always made sure to call her regularly, plan enjoyable evenings on the town and send flowers on occasion. After all, this woman was special and Bob knew that if he let too much time pass between communications her attentions could all too easily be captured by another.
Soon enough, Bob began introducing her to his friends and then to his family. After dating for four months, Bob invited her to join him for a weekend get away.
Their relationship started becoming more serious. When the time was right, Bob asked her to marry him and she enthusiastically accepted his proposal.
After years of marriage, their relationship is a happy one. She is more special to Bob than ever and he still pops her friendly calls just to say hello and gives her flowers to let her know that even after all of the years they have been together, she is still as special to him as the day they met.
There is a strong parallel between dating and business-to-business marketing.
Business-to-business sales and marketing requires seduction, attention, thoughtful relationship development strategy and ongoing reinforcement after a prospect becomes a customer.
Print and some digital media formats are excellent vehicles to present your company’s products and/or services in an attention grabbing manner—putting your company’s best foot forward. Digital media allows you to take your budding relationship to the next level. Is your potential buyer seduced enough to explore your web site, to spend time reading your white paper, to listen to your podcast, to attend a webcast you sponsored or to engage in a social network in which you are involved?
Does it make sense to assure that regular messaging is delivered to your potential customers so that their attention doesn’t stray elsewhere?
What will it take for your potential customer to get serious—to accept a meeting with a member or your sales team and eventually cut a purchase order?
After the initial seduction is complete, how do you maintain a strong bond? Excellent products and services are essential. In addition, does it make sense for your customer to be exposed to ongoing messaging from your company to reinforce their decision?
Back to Bob
Could Bob have moved his relationship along faster? Maybe he did not have to be so concerned about calling as often as he did. He could have saved money by not going on as many dates. It is difficult to tell. Maybe Bob would have saved time and money by trying to move the relationship along faster, or maybe he would have lost his opportunity all together. After all, managing relationships with human beings in our personal and business lives is a bit unpredictable.
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