Magnus Marketing Blog

My client development manager and I were discussing go-to-market in the diner last night. We agreed that looking for new business is like going after a job. It seems the analogy is so obvious, yet marketing still operates as if that isn't the case. Let me explain:

Job Search:
1. Candidate prepares a resume tailored to the job he wants. Resume highlights core competencies as they relate to the job he wishes to do.
2. Candidate researches a short list of companies he wants to work for and tailors his cover letter to address the job posted or desired job he'd like at the company. Highlights how his skills and knowledge will add value to the position and advance the company in some manner.
3. Candidate sends resume + cover letter, then follows up with recruiter/hiring manager.
4. Candidate is likeable, intelligently speaks about company, proves his skill fit and may get shortlisted.
5. Selection is made, performance is measured. Best candidate with skills and likeability is hired.

Call a resume an introductory collateral piece and a cover letter a direct email or phone call and what is the difference?? Isn't performing a task for someone, whether as an I.C. or a group or a company - "doing a job"? Aren't you applying for a job every time you bid on an opportunity or solicit for business?

Then why do marketers pump so much mass messaging? Why all the generic messages, broad telemarketing, endless noise of communication? Blogs, podcasts, webinars, mass comm - noise that empowers the buyer with more information to consider competitively. The best job seekers know how to fit their skills into a company in a targeted manner. A seeker who broadcasts on multiple job boards is considered relatively "undesirable" (active vs. passive candidates). Don't you appreciate interviewing someone who really understands your business and shows the value they can bring? So why don't companies do the same? That is why RFP's are "cattle calls" and price is the driver in decisions - many companies just lay it all out evenly.

Side note: I recently listened to a broadcast on MarketingPowers station on account-based marketing. The vendor/presenter was advocating webinars to a group of companies and kept talking about content. Content is derived from research and webinars are still mass marketing, unless you do a custom webinar for a team at ONE account. In account based marketing - the target company is a market of 1, the "brand" is what it means to THAT company. We need to stop talking about brand, webinars, telemarketing and other traditional marketing tactics in terms of account-based or research-based marketing. Brand is mass, telemarketing is mass, advertising is mass - good for awareness and low-hanging fruit lead gen. Qualified lead gen, proactive opportunity identification, strategic selling is one-to-one targeted, targeted, approach.