The secret to revenue growth and career advancement

THE SECRET TO

REVENUE GROWTH

AND CAREER

ADVANCEMENT

Kristin Zhivago#pmv

November 3, 2010 GrandView Webinar - Kristin Zhivago 2

It’s a jungle in

here!

What should we be doing?

Corporate tribal infighting

CEOs have lost confidence

No single vision

Scope creep

due to

subjectivity


It’s also a jungle out

there!

How can we knowwhat we

should be doing?

Big

differences

between

different

types of

buyers

Customers

in control of the

buying process,

discussions

Confusion,

competition,

distractions

Constantly

changing

landscape


Why is it all

so broken?

Because the company is

flying blind


No one is the “buyer authority”


What does the buyer authority KNOW?

What customers want to buy

and how they want to buy it


HOW DO YOU BECOME

THE AUTHORITY?

How do you gain that

in-depth knowledge?

WHAT’S THE SECRET?


If you ask buyers the

right way, at the

right time, they will

tell you exactly what

you need to know.

Note: They won’t tell you while you’re selling to them


There is a catch.

You have to DO it.


Interviewing: Simple. Powerful. Hard. Such a simple concept – ask them the right questions, the

right way, and you will find out what you need to know.

Logical – ask them what they want you to sell, and how they want you to sell it to them – so you know what to do.

It takes GUTS – you must step out of your comfort zone.

But that’s always where the revenue is.


You have TWO BUYERS

Your CEO

Your Customers

Note: You can’t sell good marketing to your CEO

unless you treat your CEO as your first customer


What your CEO is buyingRESULTS (REVENUE)

THE ABILITY TO USE THAT KNOWEDGE

TO LEAD THE COMPANY IN

THE RIGHT DIRECTION

IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF

WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT

AND HOW THEY WANT TO BUY IT

RESULTS (REVENUE)


Become the CEO Authority Interview your CEO – so you KNOW:

What’s driving him?

What are her goals?

What’s driving him nuts?

What does she wishe you were doing?

How does he feel about what you’re doing now?

You need to KNOW what he/she really wants – your CEO will tell you, if you ask.

Don’t guess. Don’t assume. You’ll be wrong.


Interviewing your CEO Make an appointment – say you want to interview him/her to make

sure that what you are doing is on track

Say you will be interviewing customers as well, so that you successfully sync up his/her goals with customer preferences/buying processes

Record the conversation so you don’t have to worry about taking notes and you can engage in a meaningful conversation

Ask:

What are your key goals right now?

What’s your biggest challenge, running the company?

What do you think customers want from our products? What is the most “Critical Characteristic”?

If product management/marketing were running perfectly, what would it look like?

Are there any competitors who you think are doing it right?


Become the Customer Authority Realize:

Companies SELL.

Customers BUY.

Companies think like sellers, not buyers

Customers have a BUYING PROCESS

Most companies make it difficult to buy

Don’t make what people want

Don’t sell the way people buy

Don’t answer questions people actually ask

Examples…


Interview your Customers Why current customers?

They know you (more than you think!) – strengths and weaknesses

They will tell you what they were thinking when they were buying (they will tell you what they didn’t tell your salesperson!)

They have a vested interest in your success

You can reverse-engineer successful sales and manufacture sales in quantity


Interviewing your Customers Why the telephone?

Familiar working/thinking environment

No physical distractions

Not a stiff focus group

You can have a real conversation

Record it, transcribe it, turn it into a report

Amazing insights into WHY

Web data can tell you what, but not why

Goes beyond what you can get with social media “listening”

You will be developing for and marketing to someone you have talked

with, personally. You will have stories in your back pocket.


Interviewing your Customers Set up appt with email. You’ll get an hour if you set up an

appointment.

Ask open-ended questions

How do you feel about our products, services, company?

If you were looking for this product/service again, and didn’t know about us, what would you type into Google?

What do you think of our competition? What can we learn from them?

If you were CEO of our company tomorrow, what’s the first thing you would do?

What was your buying process? Who was involved? What were the stages?


The journey from the

jungle to Revenue City

Logical, tested, step-by-step system


Stop trying to “sell” and “market.”

Interview, create reports, summarize, analyze, recommend.

DISCOVER DEPLOYDEBATE

Resolve the differences between what they want and what you sell. How they buy vs. how you sell. What you promisevs. what they want delivered.

Map out their buying process so you can support it at every step.

Build an Action Plan.

Stay on the Road.

The Roadmap To Revenue


“Branding is the promise

that you make. Your

brand is the promise that

you keep.”

Kristin Zhivago, Marketing Technology, 1994


Five promise-keeping toolsProducts & Services

People

Processes

Passion

Policies


The Scrutiny Spectrum

Light Scrutiny – see it, buy it

Medium Scrutiny – see it, ask questions, buy it

Heavy Scrutiny – see it, ask lots of questions, test it, discuss with other buyers, talk to salesperson, sign contract

Intense Scrutiny – all of the above – but then you get married

Four types of products/services in the world, according to the amount of scrutiny applied to the buying process:


Mapping the Buying Process

See Ask Buy Rate

Search Ask Try Buy Rate

Search Ask Talk Sign Use RateTest

Search Ask Study Test Sign UseTalk Rate

LIGHT

MEDIUM

HEAVY

INTENSE

In each case: What do they do –

and what should you do to make that easy?


Answering their questions Can’t guess – must know

It’s never quite what you think

What is their “Critical Characteristic?”

They must be satisfied with the answer – or will keep looking

Help them analyze their options

Biggest question: “What’s going to happen to me after I buy?”


Roadmap to Revenue The secret to company growth and personal growth is to

INTERVIEW – your CEO and Customers

Become the Authority

Focus on their buying process: WHAT they want to buy and HOW they want to buy it

Determine the promise you can keep

Map out the buying process

Build an action plan

Go for it


Thank You

Kristin ZhivagoZhivago Management Partners, Inc.

[email protected]

Zhivago.com@KristinZhivago

To be notified when the book is launched: Zhivago.com/Roadmap

mailto:[email protected]

The secret to revenue growth and career advancement

Business

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