Magnus Marketing Blog

In an earlier post, I mentioned something about how my clients don't listen to me. This is a much more serious organizational problem than "no one listens to Rachel". I have taken to calling myself the step-orphan of my clients.

Recently, I completed a campaign with a new client. Because of various issues, they supplied a tight list of 300 organizations that required both market intelligence and lead generation. I completed the project and provided back the list which contained close to 30 or 40 leads, complete information on what organization was using or had implemented what product, insight into reasons why organizations weren't adopting certain products and more. I started to provide the recommendations on how to handle the list - suggesting when to call back or do another (the third) mailing, etc. Abruptly, I was told - that's OK, WE will decide how to handle it. The owner is pretty sharp...he isn't stupid. But, I kind of have a feeling about what is going happen...the very young salesguy is going to visit the leads and counter their direction on when to call and email. They aren't going to position either the company or product properly to attack the organizations objections. And, because they need a return will likely be aggressive. The result will inevitably be - you guessed zero results. Two other points:

1. I have some type of "magical" quality that allows me to converse with people of all types. Just because I talked to someone and they responded, doesn't mean that anyone else will have that same capability. By not having me follow up the leads - nuturing them to meetings or the right point to hand off and not letting me do the follow up calls on the other part of the list...the leads will drop.

2. By not incorporating the market insight and the approach to continue the process, they will subvert the evaluative process that the organizations are going through - individually or collectively.

When salespeople snatch leads too early or marketing passes leads too early, before a relationship is solidified - it can actually harm the organization's success. Sometimes, and potentially in this case, it will be perceived as a bait and switch - you had one person represent and now someone completely different is dealing with us. Long ago, when I worked at CSI Multimedia - I had super relationships built with many Princeton area firms and knew a lot of stuff. Instead of working with the salespeople to build those accounts or learn how to account manage, the owner practically pulled them away. One client at Merrill Lynch stated that he only wanted to deal with me because I knew his jobs so well. He wasn't too happy with his salesrep, if the rep and I worked together - this would have saved the account which ended not long after I was ended.

At Hexaware, I managed the lead generation function and stayed involved with the prospect until there was a handoff to the sales manager. It was a super process, I also was another point of contact for the client in the event they couldn't reach their salesrep or needed something. I transitioned the account over - introducing the client to the sales rep from myself and my prospecting agent. But, then again, Hexaware was a professional multi-million dollar organization at the time I ran that function. I wish these small businesses would gain that level of team functioning.

What absolutely kills me is when I sit there and tell my clients - if you do this, then you will have success and they go and do something completely contrary. Then, I hear it failed or didn't work or whatever.

Key takeaways:
1. Not all phone personalities are created equal. Different people will have different levels of success, taking someone off of working an account too soon and handing off to someone else will cause failure. It takes time to build a relationship. No one likes to date someone only to open the kimono and find out they are really someone or something else.

2. Pay attention to the market. Again and this is pervasive among many companies, the ivory tower of management or company does not dictate what or how the market operates. It can be influenced, but not driven. And, it is a cycle...meaning the inputs from the market will drive the outputs from the company which in turn influence the market. This cycle is broken when the company decides to follow its own agenda and not that of the market.

3. Going against the market will result in failure. If Joan the business manager says we won't make a decision or look at any products until March, you contact them in late February or March. You don't show up on the doorstep with the product ready to demonstrate in January and leave 8 messages trying to set up a demo before March. Joan isn't going to return your call. Why? Because you aren't working with her, you are working against her. No one likes that now, do they?