Post on 29-Nov-2014
description
Marketing to Today’s Economic-Focused Buyer:
Driving More High Quality Leads with Value-Focused Tools
TOM PISELLO, Chairman & Founder
Blog: http://tompiselloroiguy.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @tpisello
http://www.alinean.comhttp://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.2
Today’s Economic-Focused Buyer
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.3
The Economic-Buyer
• Size
Longer Sales CyclesMore Leads to Close Same
Amount of Business
Stalled Deals
Harder to Reach
More Skeptical
of Claims
Outcome Focused
Harder to
Engage
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.44
Buyers Research Purchases Independently and Online
Source: SiriusDecisions 2010
15% 12% 9%
11%9%
6%
19%21%
14%
55% 58%71%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2009 2010 2015
Web
Direct Mail
Events
Internet-fueled Buying Cycles
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.5
Buyer Skepticism – Trust 3rd Parties vs. Vendors
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Early Middle Late
Internal events/triggers
Peers
Industry analysts
Trade publications
Search engine results
VARs/Partners
Consultants
Vendors
Most often
selected
Source: SiriusDecisions 2010
Internal Events / Triggers Drive Early Stages of Buying Cycle
3rd Parties such as Peers, Analysts & Trade Pubs Most Influence – Mid / Later Stages
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.6
Information Overload Rising / Effectiveness Declining
6
50%
28%
10%6%
3% 3%
37%40%
6%3%
11%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
1 to 10 11 to 25 26 to 40 21 to 50 51 to 75 75+
Campaigns Received Per Week
2006 2010
Average 2006: 15.4 campaigns
Average 2010: 20.3 campaigns
32% increase
62% of B2B vendors need more leads in
order to generate the same amount of
sales
Source: SiriusDecisions 2010
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.7
Successive Downturns Cause Fundamental & Permanent Change
-8.0%
-6.0%
-4.0%
-2.0%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
B2B Spending Annual Growth
IDC historical spend
Forecast compiled from IDC, Forrester, Gartner and Goldman Sachs
Two successive downturns in past 10 years have permanently changed buyers
Affected technology marketplace first:
Prior: Innovation, growth, time to market, features / functions drove purchases
After: Saving money, bottom-line impact, best value and fast payback
“Great Recession” downturn reinforcing / accelerating this fundamental change
All areas of economy impacted for all of B2B purchase decisions
Tech Bubble
Great Recession
IDC 2010
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.8
CFOs Gain More Control
• CFOs responsible for more groups
• Taking control of strategy + buying-
cycle
• Uncover Issues
• Set priorities
• Specify potential solutions
• More financial due-diligence on all
purchases
• Require formal business cases
• Seek lowest price, lowest risk /
best value solution
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.9
Quantifiable benefits
are mandatory
On average 90% of corporations surveyed require
quantifiable proof of bottom-line benefits on most
projects.
Quantifying value is
difficult for buyers
Two-thirds (65%) of buyers indicate that they do not
have the knowledge or tools needed to do business
value assessments and calculations.
Third party validation is
essential
Most trusted sources are: Industry Analysts (31.4%),
and Peers (28.7%).
Vendors lag as a trusted source for only 8.1%.
Buyers turn to vendors
for value proof points
81% of buyers expect vendors to quantify business
value of proposed solutions.
Source: IDC 2010, survey of 200 B2B buyers,
Sirius Decisions 2010 B-to-B Buyer Survey on trusted sources.
Frugalnomics: the new mantra for B2B Buyers
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.10
Fight Frugalnomics with Value Marketing
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.11
Fight Frugalnomics with Value Selling & Marketing
Value Focus
Discussion:
• Prescriptive & Quantified
• Discover… Is customer
aware of issue?
• Diagnose… How bad is it?
• Quantify … Value of change
• Compare … Value vs. Status
Quo / Competition
Drive: Customer /
Diagnostics-Led: What is
issue & outcome / value of
change?
Product Focus
Discussion:
• Customer knows issue
• Tie features / functions to needs
• Compares product alternatives
• Feature • Function • Price
Drive: Sales-Led: Product
Driven
Solution Focus
Discussion:
• Customer knows issues &
desired outcome
• Questions to discover pain
points
• Recommend solution to
solve pain
Drive: Sales-Led: Pain-Point
Driven
Solution
ProviderTrusted AdvisorVendor
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.12
Value Marketing: How Companies Buy vs. How to Market / Sell
SiriusDecisions Buying Cycle
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing to
Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Justifying
the
Decision
Making
the
Selection
Committing
to a Solution
Decision
Consideration
Discovery
Lead
Prospect
Marketing Qualified
Lead
Sales Qualified Lead
Opportunity
Close
Traditional Marketing Cycle
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.13
Create awareness
around a new problem
Align problem
with business
issues; drive urgency
Help buyer
identify needs in solving
the problem
Align solution
with specific sets of
business needs
Demonstrate core features
and functionality
Validate/reinforce choice
Content Marketing Strategy and the Buying Lifecycle
Loosening of the
status quo
Committing to change
Exploring possible solutions
Committing to a
solution
Justifying the
decision
Making the selection
Education Solution
Vendor Selection
BUYING CYCLENEW CONCEPT
NEW PARADIGMESTABLISHED MARKET
Content Marketing Strategy
Reputation Demand Creation Sales Enablement
13Source: SiriusDecisions
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.14
Discovery
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing to
Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Justifying
the
Decision
Making
the
Selection
Committing
to a Solution
Decision
Consideration
Discovery
Risk adverse / overloaded
Easier to do nothing than change
Don’t have time to fully understand
issues
Executive driven / CFO aligned
Internet fueled via 3rd party sources
Sales often not engaged yet
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.15
• 84.1% buyers use white papers during the buying journey (most used)
• Average of 3.2 white paper downloads per month (very active)
• Leveraged throughout the buying lifecycle:
– Discovery
• 35% for awareness and finding ideas to challenge status-quo
• 33% for finding solution options
– Consideration -23% for creating a short list of vendors and vendor evaluation
– Decision - 10% for making a final decision
BUT, utilization and frequency of use are DOWN year over year…
Need something newer, more personalized / dynamic to break through the clutter and renew relevance to more skeptical / frugal buyers ….
Whitepapers Remain Most Valuable Demand-Gen
Tool
Source: Ziff-Davis Enterprise
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.16
Discovery – Connect and Engage with Interactive White Papers
• One-to-One personalized white
paper
• Customized dynamically from a
few data points
• Registration profile (if
available)
• Quick survey
• Uses data to personalize report
• Qualitative Information
• Quantified Results
• Produces customized PDF
• Download or E-mail
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.17
Personalizing via Profile
Entice with Abstract
Collect / Confirm
Personalization Data Points
from User:• Industry
• Location
• Size
• Stage in Buying Cycle
• Role in Buying Cycle
• Pain Points
• Asset Survey
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.18
Intelligent / Personalized Report
• See Some Basic Results On-
Screen As Data Is Entered
• Download or E-mail PDF
Personalized White Paper
• Register Prior to Download
• Capture Lead and Intelligence• Customize contact profile
• Intelligence from pivot point
profiling
• Usage reporting
• Integrate with lead nurturing
system
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.19
Discovery – Connect and Engage with Interactive White Papers
• Break through the Noise!
• Generate More Leads vs.
Traditional White Papers
• Engage and Educate
• Reduce Sales Cycles
• Drive more Sales
• Engage
• Personalized
• One to One Dialogue
• Research Based
• 3rd Party Credibility
• Improved Intelligence via Profile
• Improved Usage Tracking
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.20
Discovery - Diagnose with Assessment Tools
– Survey current opportunities, spending and practices
– Diagnose issues
– Benchmark status quo versus competition and leaders
– Recommend improvement strategies
– Map solutions to improvement strategy
20
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.21
Profile for Benchmarking
Benchmark comparisons
Typically by industry, location and size
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.22
Survey
Survey Questions – Multiple Choice, Pull-downs, Quantifications, Rankings
Spending, Sentiment or Current Practice Questions
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.23
Diagnostic Assessment Results
Compare current responses vs. peer averages and leaders
Drive priorities through benchmark comparisons
Intelligently recommends solutions to resolve most pressing issues
Recommends next steps in buying lifecycle
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.24
Personalized Report
Register Prior to Receiving Report
Executive Summary & Expanded Analysis in PDF report.
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.25
Discovery - Diagnose with Assessment Tools
– Connect better with frugal / skeptical executives
– Engage earlier in decision making cycle
– Provide Cx / Sr level executives with reason to break status-quo
– Establishes urgency of resolving these issues over others
– Reduces time to realize issues and commit to change
– Elevate relationship from Vendor to Trusted Advisor
– Improves competitive position
25
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.26
Consideration
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing to
Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Justifying
the
Decision
Making
the
Selection
Committing
to a Solution
Decision
Consideration
Discovery
Recommend solutions to address
issues / goals
Quantify the cost of doing nothing
Make the case for change
Quantify rewards vs. risks
Make project a priority
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.27
Consideration : Justify Change with ROI Analysis
– Highlight costs for status quo, quantifying the “cost of doing nothing”
– Quantify the business benefits / savings for each stakeholder
– Keep it Simple, But Credible
– 3rd party validation to improve credibility
27
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.28
Profile
Profile current environment and opportunity
Keep simple (<10 data points maximum)
Key defaults provided from research to streamline discovery
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.29
Calculate and Illuminate Benefits
Applying research and case studies estimate savings / benefits.
Don’t usually communicate ROI unless pricing / investment included (optional)
Interactively provide what-if scenarios
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.30
Call to Action and Next Steps
Promote Registration and Download / E-mail PDF Report
Highlight Additional Next Steps, Including Sales ROI Workshop
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.31
Personalized PDF Report
Register to receive report.
Results summarized and expanded in PDF report.
E-mail or Download options.
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.32
Consideration : Justify Change with ROI Analysis
– Increase urgency for this project over others
– Reduce time it takes for customer to build own business case / justify change
– Reduce discounting (value focus vs. price)
– Prove value of add on solutions / services for better up/cross-sell
– Improve competitive positioning
32
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.33
Decision
Loosening
of the
Status Quo
Committing to
Change
Exploring
Possible
Solutions
Justifying
the
Decision
Making
the
Selection
Committing
to a Solution
Decision
Consideration
Discovery
Make the case for change, but lose
deal to competitor…
B2B customers strategy has changed –
“to buy only what they need at the
lowest possible price.” (Forrester)
Need to prove solution as best value
Total cost of ownership (TCO)
comparisons can help
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.34
Decision – Differentiate with TCO Analysis
– Compare against status quo or against select solutions
– Quantify costs for unique opportunity
– Tally total costs over product lifetime not just up-front costs
– Prove better value via total cost of ownership (TCO)• Lower lifecycle cost
• Better benefit realization
• Lower risk
• Intangible benefits (more upside potential)
34
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.35
Profile and Results Summary
Profile to collect data in order to customize TCO comparison for specific
scenarios / configurations
Communicate results interactively
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.36
TCO Comparison and Result Highlights
Head to Head comparison of solutions total cost of ownership
Summarize Key Findings
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.37
Register to Receive Report
Register to Receive PDF Report via E-mail or Direct Download
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.38
Report Options to Match Stakeholders / Decision Phase
PDF report via e-mail or direct immediate download
Completely personalized
Summarize results, Highlight more detail than in online tool, Call to Action
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.39
Decision – Differentiate with TCO Analysis
39
– Validate selected solution as best value
– Quantify low risk of decision for buyer
– Reduce decision cycle in final stages of buying cycle
– Reduce competitive discounting
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.40
Create awareness
around a new problem
Align problem
with business
issues; drive urgency
Help buyer
identify needs in solving
the problem
Align solution
with specific sets of
business needs
Demonstrate benefits and functionality
Differentiate/
Validate/reinforce choice
Integrated Content Marketing Strategy
Loosening of the
status quo
Committing to change
Exploring possible solutions
Committing to a
solution
Justifying the
decision
Making the selection
Education Solution
Vendor Selection
BUYING CYCLENEW CONCEPT
NEW PARADIGMESTABLISHED MARKET
MESSAGING
Reputation Demand Creation Sales Enablement
Interactive
White Paper
Webinar Case Study
Executive
Assessment
Event Webinar Analyst Report
Benefits
Calculator
Peer Interaction
Source: SiriusDecisions
TCO
Calculator
Competitive
Comparison
Analyst Report
Interactive
White Paper
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.41
Next Steps
1. Your Sales & Marketing Ready to Do Business with Frugal Buyers? Take this Diagnostic Assessment to Find Out.
2. Research White Paper: Five Reasons You May Not Be Spending Enough on Content Marketing
3. Over 200% ROI from a Value Marketing Program Sound Impossible? Find Out for Yourself
4. Why Alinean? Alinean Vendor Profile (SiriusDecisions)
Alinean powered tools can significantly upgrade the quality of sales interactions
throughout the buying process, allowing prospects to drive at the beginning
through simpler, self-service tools and sales to provide greater depth as the buying
process proceeds – SiriusDecisions 2010
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com