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Your Message Is Not What You Say
As a result of a very successful first quarter, I’m in the midst of working with several new clients on their go-to-market strategy. A central portion of our process The INTELLIGENT GROWTH Blueprint is the development of an effective market message. Every time I go through this exercise with companies, I’m reminded why so few companies – I’d say somewhere around 5 – 10% – have an effective message.
The mistake that 90% of companies make is that they think that a message is merely the words you use to describe your company and get people to “get it.” I even had a client plead to me, “Just tell me what we need to say so that more people will buy from us and we’ll say it.”
Oh…If only it were so easy.
To be as clear as possible:
Your Message Is Not What You Say
Your Message is Who You & What You Do
It is only when you words completely align with who you are (Authennticity), the actions you take and the feeling people have about you that your message can truly resonate.
The biggest, most common and most destructive action made in messaging happens when you focus on the words or sales tactics first. You must first determine where you stand, who you are and why you should win before you can begin any effectively develop the words you will use in your message.
Branding Is Crap!
There, I finally said it. Branding is crap! Sure, it might be fine, even important, if you’re Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Proctor and Gamble, etc. While I’m at it, the whole idea of Top of Mind Awareness (TOPA) is crap too! Maybe if your competing for the 2 second purchase decision of what laundry detergent you’re going to use then all that stuff matters. But – and this is a big but – if you’re a small or mid-market company selling products or services to other businesses (large or small) stop worrying about your (Capital B) Brand or top of mind – trust me, your customers and prospects have far, far more important things on their minds than thinking about your company.
A great brand is a result of being relevant, important and delighting people. It’s not a logo, an icon or an exercise. As I’ve said hundreds of times – your brand is what others say you are, not what you say.
I’m writing this post because it’s making me sick seeing how much money small and mid-market B2B/B2G companies are spending on useless “branding” exercises.
I’m working with a potential client who currently has 20 clients that his company works with. Success for him is adding 2 – 4 solid clients/year. He just spent more than $20,000 to “assess the market and his brand.” Here’s the problem – HE DOESN’T HAVE A “BRAND”! And that’s okay.
He’d be far better off taking the $20,000 and investing it in building an effective marketing asset; and so would every other B2B company.
The problem I have with branding is that it puts the focus in the wrong place – twice.
- First, it places the focus internally on you, rather than your customer. Great companies look outside, not inside.
- Second, and worse, it looks at the world as it is, rather than as it could be. As a marketer, I’m not particularly interested in what customers think today. I’m interested what you want them to think, and the actions you can take to increase the probability that they’ll think that. And you can’t ask customers what they want – as Steve Jobs says, “It’s impossible to ask people what they want, when what they want is around the corner.”
It’s your job to figure out what they want – and then to focus maniacally on making that happen. If you do that, you won’t have to worry about your brand – you’ll have too many people wanting to work with you to have the time.
The Design of Message
Great design is achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take way.
We’re in the midst of several messaging projects with new clients. As I’ve written before, a message if far, far more than the words you use to describe your company.
That said the words you use are very important. They should serve as the focal point for the actions of everyone in your company. If everyone is clear on what you are trying to do, their creativity can be released and great things happen.
Therein lies the rub. The purpose of your words is to create clarity. The biggest challenge I see in entrepreneurial companies is their ability to create such clarity.
When I talk with CEOs and sales/marketing executives I share with them that the secret of great design is the secret of great messaging. Great messaging is achieved when there is nothing left to take away; it is achieved when the essence of your company is clearly communicated.
Most messages are like a Rube Goldberg Machines. Complicated with lots of commas and “ands,” executives throw everything advantage they could possibly add into the mix. The hope is that if they say enough things, eventually something will spark interest.
The reality is quite the opposite. The end result is confusion in the market and in your company. My advice is to take away, take away, take away – until there is nothing left but the core of what your do; or more importantly why you do it.
Competing for Attention
In September 2009, I wrote about the fact that, as marketers, we are all competing in Times Square today. Simply put, people are overwhelmed with commercial messages.
This came to light on my trip to Chicago yesterday. The picture you see here is of the handrail for the escalator. That’s right, they’ve turned the handrail into an ad. I don’t know about you, but I’m no more likely to go to this hotel than I was before.
The moral of the story is that merely broadcasting is a useless strategy at best. More likely than not, it contributes to becoming increasingly irrelevant. Going forward, the only viable marketing strategy is to engage with your market.
Be Consumeable
At one of my speeches recently, I was talking with an attendee on the difficulty he was having getting prospects to respond.
As he shared his experiences with me, I came to understand that:
- He did something really different,
- The results his clients received were nothing short of amazing, and
- His message was so complicated that the more he talked about it, the more I got confused.
I spent some time with him in an attempt to simplify his message so that people who hadn’t worked with him could understand why they would want to talk with him. While he listened intensely, I could see him struggled with making his message simple. “It’s more complicated than that,” he would tell me; or, “And we do much more than that.”
What I wanted him to understand was that it’s his job, and the job of his selling organization, to make his message easily understandable.
“Make it consumable – make it like junk food,” I said.
Marketers have understood for years that positioning yourself as the proverbial “spinach – it’s good for you” is not an effective strategy. Why do more people eat Oreo cookies than spinach? Because Oreos taste better and are more easily consumed.
The same is true when it comes to messaging. People are too busy and too crazed. They don’t have time to think, so stop making them do it. Do the thinking for them – make it easy – you’ll see your sales soar.
The Key to Differentiating
“That’s not how we do it in our industry.”- “I’m not sure I’m comfortable doing that, I’ve never done that before.”
- “I’ve been working with my customer for several years, and I’ve never asked those types of questions.”
- “Salespeople aren’t expected to do that in our industry.”
- “We’ve never done that before. How will I know it will work?”
These are just some of the most common statements that I hear every day from people who claim that they want to differentiate their companies from their competitors.
Let me remind everyone that differentiation is an ends – it’s not a means. The critical component to differentiating yourself in the market is doing something different that matters.
90% of the time the activity that matters and makes you different will, initially, make you and the people in your company uncomfortable. Think about it, if it were comfortable to do, it’s highly likely many others would be doing it.
Please do not misunderstand my point. Merely being different is not enough to differentiate. So, just because no one has ever done it before doesn’t mean that you should do it – but it’s a great starting point.
Do You Have Competition?
Let me be clear:
If you’ve got a viable business you’ve got competition.
I often hear executives claim that they don’t have any competition. I even catch myself saying it about Imagine, sometimes. The reality is, no matter how “unique” your products/services are, your customers and prospects still have alternatives. You may (and I emphasize “may”) not have any direct competition, but you certainly have:
- indirect competitors, and
- the toughest competitor of all, the status quo.
People don’t buy products and services so much as they “hire” a product or service to do “a job.” This means that if some doesn’t have a problem (a job to be done) there is no opportunity for [a sale]. The only offerings that can have no competition are the ones that do a job that nobody wants. To be accepted in the market, you must be able to define the job that you are asking people to hire your product/service to do.
This is an important distinction, because a critical strategic decision for any business is how you define your competition. The brain of your customers/prospects requires contrast to understand and act. Your definition of competition is what makes it possible to radically differentiate your company (think about it – how can you contrast with nothing?).
Example
When I started Imagine, I thought I had an approach that was so unique that no one did what we do. So when asked who my competitors are, I brazenly responded: “We don’t really have competition. No one does what we do.” That, of course, got me nowhere. I was so focused on getting people to understand what we weren’t (we weren’t Sandler, we weren’t Miller Hieman, no we weren’t a marketing agency, and so on) that no one could understand what we were.
I realized that I needed to define my competition. The easiest way to do that was do compare us to “sales trainers.” But, I knew that sales training was a highly commoditized, highly competitive market and that it would be virtually impossible to stand out or to earn the fees we needed to deliver the results we promise.
Stuck (because I could define what we weren’t, but not what we were) I asked myself, what is the job that someone is hiring us for?
My first thought was that people were hiring us to do sales training. But I knew that didn’t do us justice. So I pondered it more and I realized that no one wants sales training – what they want is more sales. More, profitable sales and faster sales. That was our job – to enable companies to get more sales, faster sales and more profit per sale.
Now defining my competition was easy – we compete (and cooperate) with virtually any product or service designed to help companies with their go-to-market strategy. This completely changed the focus of my company, enabled us to attract some great clients that would never of hired us to merely do sales training, and it gave us a track for successful innovation. Today, we continue to pursue that journey.
Now it’s your turn. What “job” do people hire your products/services to do? What else is competing for that job?
Don’t Have Time To Blog? Thanks!
Last night, I spoke to the Baltimore chapter of The American Marketing Association. The topic was blogging and its place for businesses. One of the attendees came up to me after the presentation and said what I’ve heard many, many times – “Everything you said was great and I agree with it all (okay, I don’t hear that all the time), but we just don’t have the time to do it.”
Side note: For purposes of this conversation, I will use “blog” and “content” interchangeably. I think a blog is a great way to distribute content and support engagement, but whether you or your company “blog” is less important than do you create meaningful, valuable content for your market on a regular basis.
For those that say you don’t have time, I share three simple responses and a bonus thought.
1. Today there are only two types of companies – which are you?
Best companies and people do things that me-too companies don’t – and they get rewarded for it.
2. There’s a HUGE conversation taking place…
… are you participating in it?
3. Here’s the difference blogging and content marketing has made for Imagine, you tell me – is it worth it?
Final Thought
If after all this you still can’t bring yourself to make the investment (of time and energy to do it yourself or money to have others do it), then on behalf of all those who are blogging, we say thank you. The more people who don’t take it seriously, the greater our advantage is.
What do you think?
Where’s The Story
Once a year, people sit down to watch television and they’re (almost) as interested in the ads as the show. That time, of course, is the Super Bowl. As I watched the game and rooted for the Saints, I was struck by three things.
- First, I was struck by how virtually everyone who wasn’t a Colts fan was rooting for the Saints. Yesterday, they truly were America’s team.
- Second, I was struck by just how boring and useless the ads were – again.
- Third, it hit me just how much these two things have in common.
Why did so many root for the Saints? They have a compelling story. From the recovery of New Orleans, to the comeback of Drew Brees, to the characters on the team. The Saints, simply put, were are a great story.
The ads – not so much.
It’s unfortunate, because it hasn’t always been this way. Three years ago, I asked if your company would make a good TV show. Last year, I wrote about the importance of a powerful back story. There was a time that commercials did an excellent job of this. In 30 seconds, a great commercial told a compelling story that enticed and engaged its audience. Today, it seems as though commercials are trying to catch lightening in a bottle in the form of a catchphrase, rather than engaging the audience with a story.
To see the difference in commercials compare one of yesterday’s most popular commercials with a famous commercial from the 1980s.
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Notice that while the commercial is funny, it doesn’t really tell a story. As a result, people may remember the punch line (Don’t touch my mama or my Doritos), but it’s highly unlikely they’ll remember the product (even though the product is part of the punch line).
Now look at this famous Federal Express commercial:
The Doritos ad has far greater production value, and I think we’d all agree that the Federal Express commercial is far more memorable – and impactful. Why? Because it tells a powerful story.
If you want people to notice you, stop focusing on features and start telling stories. What do you think? What’s your story?
The Only Thing Worse Than No Social Media Presence
I don’t spend much time pontificating on social media. I leave that to people like Gini Dietrich who live in that world. While I certainly have readers who are actively engaged in and even counsel others on the use of social media, most of the readers of this blog are busy working in and on their businesses and focusing on new ways to grow. Most businesses are still confused by this “new world” and are taking a wait and see approach. Today, waiting is a mistake – but not the biggest one you can make.
In May of 2009, I wrote that a content marketing strategy was a must for every business. Social media is clearly a means to distribute content, so it is certainly good news that I see more and more companies of all shapes and sizes announcing, “We’re on [fill in the blank]” – so an “A” for effort. Unfortunately, execution is getting a clear “F!” The fundamental mistake lies in the idea that a company or an individual are “on” a social media platform.
Social media isn’t something you’re on – it’s something you engage in. While it’s become trite to say that tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (to name a few) are not a broadcast medium, apparently this old news hasn’t hit small and mid-sized businesses.
While some businesses engage very effectively, my estimate is that 75% of fast growth businesses are not. That 75% fall into two categories: one group ignores their platform and posts or updates very infrequently, and the other actively participates, but they tell, and act as if their followers should feel privileged to have access the company’s thoughts. Frankly, I don’t know which one is worse.
Social media and content marketing provide a tremendous opportunity for companies to clearly demonstrate their difference. It allows you to leverage your strengths and, in many cases, neutralize your vulnerabilities. Done correctly, it’s highly leveragable and can lead to a multitude of return in a variety of ways. The key is that is must be done correctly. Correctly means that it is open, honest, authentic, and collaborative.
Look, a business does not need to participate in social media to be successful. Apple has virtually no presence of social media sites or platforms. My best guess is that this is because they have no desire to collaborate and engage, and that’s fine.
I recommend social media as a great lead generation and cultivation tactic, but if you can’t engage – skip it.
What do you think?
Breaking Through The Noise
Anyone who has worked with me knows that I’m a maniac for messaging. In today’s world, where good is now nowhere near good enough, a solid message is no longer a valuable bonus – it’s an absolute must have to compete. The foundation of a great message is a well articulated value proposition. The challenge here is that creating a value proposition that resonates is extremely hard (it’s one of the reasons that The INTELLIGENT GROWTH Blueprint process is so valuable).
And, even after you’ve created a powerful message you have to translate that through the words and deeds of your salespeople. It’s no wonder businesses overlook these steps – wouldn’t just be easier to get in the market and sell? If you realize this challenge, I’ve got good news for you.
My friend, consultant, advisor, and author, Kevin Daum, is coming out with a new book Roar! Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle
Kevin is offering a free preview of his book (and he’s giving away his formula for creating a powerful value proposition – and please know this is must-read stuff). I realize that this sounds like hyperbole, but you’ll note I rarely say something is must-read, Kevin’s take on creating value proposition is. After reading this portion of the book, we refined our process as a result. Kevin’s given me permission to share the preview here, so take advantage and download a copy.
Great Wine
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I just got back from 10 days in Vancouver speaking with companies about Creating Demand. I met and talked with CEOs and senior executives from a wide variety of businesses who are all taking up the challenge of moving beyond good to great with gusto.
On my last night there, I had a terrific opportunity to take in a Vancouver Canucks game with one of the executives. He’d just begun a new endeavor for a major western-Canadian organization with the edict to build a powerful brand from the company’s resources.
So in between goals, (the Canucks won 3-2 in an exciting game) we discussed how he may be able to do that. This executive came from the premium wine business, so we talked a lot about wine as well.
Returning to my hotel I realized just how much great wine can teach executives about great branding. So if you like wine or branding (or, even better, both), I share with you nine lessons great wines can teach us about building a great brand:
- Great wine is the result – not the process. There is not such thing as “wine-ing” (except when my kids do it, and it’s spelled differently) and there shouldn’t be anything called branding – a brand is an end, not a means.
- The people who drink the wine are ultimately the ones that decide what a great wine is. It is your customers, and the people who come in contact with you, who decide if you are a great brand.
- All the publicity in the world does not make a great wine. All the publicity in the world does not make your brand great.
- To be a great wine, the wine must deliver the goods. Just because the winery says the wine is great doesn’t make it great. Just because your website says your brand is great doesn’t make it so.
- The most powerful marketing component for a wine is inside the bottle. The marketing component that actually drives and creates your brand lies in what you do and/or deliver, not in your advertising, brochures, or logo.
- Wines have good years and bad years, and while good years help, great wines find a way to be great regardless of circumstances. Great brands deliver regardless of circumstances.
- When a great wine becomes popular and the producer or bottler tries to exploit it by ramping up production to “sell more,” the wine inevitably loses its aura, its specialness, and it fails. When businesses start getting traction and they exploit their brand to drive short-term revenues or profits, the brand loses its authenticity and inevitably fails.
- As anyone who enjoys wine knows, it takes a certain amount of time for a wine to gain its flavor, and you can’t short circuit that time. If you open a wine “before its time,” you lose. Building a company that becomes a great brand takes time and you have to give it that time.
- Great wines age well. It’s not about being the first, it’s about being best. Great brands age well. It’s not about being the first, it’s about being best.
What do you think of these lessons? Do you have any to add?
Effective Communication
I came across an interesting question (I can’t remember the source). The topic was listening and the question was after talking with someone “did I really listen? Did I understand what they really wanted me to do – and what they wanted me not to do?”
It was the last part that I found most interesting. In the super busy time we are all in, we have a tendency to listen for what others want us to do, but rarely do we think about what they don’t want us to do. As an executive myself, and an advisor to many other executives, I often experience the exasperation of ineffective communication. I find myself thinking – and saying – “Why did they do that?” I realize the intent is almost always in alignment with my desire, but the action often isn’t.
A long time ago I learned that a “stop doing list” was far more powerful than the traditional to-do list. I shouldn’t be surprised to uncover that this theme also applies to communication. I think that if we all spent more time understanding what isn’t expected, and communicating it when we establish expectations, we’d all be more effective.
What do you think?
The Grinch Who Stole Value
At this time of year, while we are all in the midst of the season’s greetings ritual, it is worth stopping for a moment to remind everyone that empty ritual is meaningless. The last thing I want to be perceived as is “Grinch-like,” but I can’t help but notice all of the inane, silly, and meaningless cards and holiday emails I’m getting.
It reminds me of a lesson my mom taught me. As I child, I was known to be slightly impulsive. My “act first, think second” habit caused more than a few things to break. I learned (quickly) that if I apologized quickly the punishment would be far less than it would have been otherwise. I became really good at saying “I’m sorry.” Eventually my mom taught me that merely saying I’m sorry didn’t mean anything if I didn’t act sorry. At that point, saying I’m sorry no longer had a positive effect. I learned that empty words were worthless.
Today I got the following email message:
What’s wrong with this you ask? I’ve never done anything with them, I don’t think about them, and I have no loyalty to them. All this message did was highlight how little they actually care about their customers.
Now, if this were happening just during holiday season, I wouldn’t comment on it. However, these empty acts happen all the time, and in today’s attention-deficit world, businesses can’t afford empty communication.
- They happen when you send out a newsletter that your readers don’t find relevant.
- They happen when your salespeople call on your customers and your customer gets no value from the call.
- They happen when emails go out with all data and no context.
Buyers are constantly making decisions about how relevant you are. Your challenge is that 99% of that decision is made subconsciously. As people have less time and less capacity to deal with information, your #1 communication job is to ensure that you make the cut. Resolve to make every communication meaningful, relevant, and valuable.
Are You Different?
When I speak with CEOs across the country, I’m always amazed by how much attention is paid to differentiation. I can’t really blame CEOs for this. For years, marketing consultants and authors have been shoving the concept of differentiation down their throats with claims like “Differentiate or Die!”
The problem with the focus on differentiation is that it is an end – not a means. Unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped branding firms and marketing agencies from packaging the ends and selling it as a means to justify fees. As such, the whole concept has become fraught with complexity – and angst.
Differentiation is actually quite simple. It’s the answer to a very simple question – “Are you different?”
If the answer is ‘yes’, then act that way. If you are different and act different, you shouldn’t have to spend much time or effort differentiating. Think about it, when you go to The Four Seasons, do you need them to tell you they are different from other hotels? When you got your iPhone, did Apple need to convince you it was different? How about Cirque du Soliel?
If the answer is ‘no’, then no amount of effort of differentiation will help.
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Resources
Doug's Washington Business Journal Columns- Intelligent Growth Articles
Third Wave Selling Blog
Products to Grow
