banding leadgeneration

8/10/2019 Banding Leadgeneration

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The Impact of

BRANDINon Lead Generation



Overview

B2B marketers who view branding as a soft, non quantitative marketing initiative are sadly

mistaken and it’s costing them money.

Poor branding gets in the way of sales’ ability to get in front of the prospect and communicatekey value messaging, product information and detailed lead characteristics. Good branding,on the other hand, allows sales to have the most relevant, timely and efficient conversationwith their prospects, which enables them to prove value to potential buyers at the beginningof the sales cycle. Doing so gives sales a 95% chance of closing the deal, as opposed to a 5%chance for those entering the sales cycle at the tail end [Gitomer].

Having a brand that properly communicates your core message and value proposition and amarketing team that is able to provide effective tools directly impacts the sales teams’ ability tosell.

Organizations that have successfully aligned sales and marketing work as a group toward acommon goal to generate more demand and close more business. That common goal is thebrand what it means, the weight it carries, and how it helps the customer.

The MathMarketing Alignment Benchmarking Study shows that businesses with the greatestdegree of marketing and sales alignment close 38% more proposals and lose 36% fewercustomers to the competition than less aligned or non aligned businesses.

Without a powerful brand, backed by an aligned marketing and sales culture, B2B companieslooking to reach full revenue potential face two major hurdles:

1. A greater number of non qualified leads find their way into the sales funnel, costingmillions in list scrubbing, lead qualification activities and misappropriated sales andmarketing resources.

2. B2B sales executives can’t get past the gatekeeper, get in the door, and speak withdecision makers face to face.



Where to Start

Getting Better Leads Into the Sales Funnel From the Get-Go

Eighty percent of a company’s profit goes to the least valuable 20% of customers. And themost valuable 20% of customers generate 150% of revenue [Angel Customers & DemonCustomers, Larry Selden and Geoffrey Colvin]. Sales activities, such as cold calling, use thehighest amount of resources, yet net the lowest degrees of success.

With better quality leads from the onset, B2B marketers and their lead generation teams,sales engineers, and sales executives can start the sales cycle earlier, and can more effectivelynurture them to close.

An effective brand drives more high quality leads into the sales funnel and directly affects thebottom line.

Better Brand = Better Leads

A good branding strategy:

• Increases credibility • Communicates value proposition • Lowers perceived risk • Encourages prospects to take action

• Sets expectations • Fills the funnel with better quality leads • Paves the way for future profits • Makes an offer tangible and believable.

• Differentiates the solution from the competition • Saves time, money and resources

Most importantly, a good branding strategy drives consumers to take action.



Next Steps

Getting Past the Gatekeeper, Getting in the Door, Getting Face-to-Face

It’s no longer enough to have the best ROI or best feature list. B2B buyers are bombarded withthe same message from companies who look and sound the same.

Marketers must break through the clutter and differentiate from the competition. It’s importantto note, however, that those B2B buyers are people…and people need to connect with andtrust in a brand on a logical and emotional level.

In order to initially get past gatekeepers, through the door and in front of decision makers, abrand must carry a message of value that emotionally connects and resonates with prospects(people).

Another important note: A brand’s number one competitor is not always another brand.Instead, the number one competitor is indecision. To get a face to face appointment with a keydecision maker a brand must communicate why that person should make the effort to listen tothe sales executive and change what they’re currently doing. Sales executives must convincethe decision maker that the pain they believe they’ll feel by changing is not as great as the painthey will experience if they don’t take action [Corporate Visions].

A good brand gets sales executives in the door and helps to encourage prospects to takeaction.

Good Branding Strategy

Good branding strategy differentiates a product, service and/or company from the competitionand puts it in a league of its own.

In fact, with good brand positioning, smaller companies can take on bigger companies withease and win over customers by proving they aren’t the same old same old. One suchexample is of a smaller bandwidth company that branded itself as the “anti phone company.”This message of “pain when working with Ma Bell” immediately and deeply resonated withtelecom buyers who may not have realized there was another option. With consistent visualand common thread messaging, this company built a small empire and became a formidableplayer in the bandwidth field, capturing lucrative opportunities from Ma Bell converts.

Three Basic Steps to Building a Brand Strategy

1. Convince the buyer they should care about the offer. Create compelling messages forsegmented prospects (based on their specific concerns, problems and needs) in order todeliver the most relevant story.



2. Articulate the differentiating factor. Think of two intersecting circles. The circle on the leftrepresents what customers want, need and believe they can get. The circle on the rightrepresents features, what can be done for the customer and what is different about thebrand than any other. Where the two intersect is the differentiating factor on which tobuild brand strategy. Reinforce the differentiating factor in a way that is believable anddo so in every single “touch.”

Your Brand = Everything You Do

At the end of the day, your branding comes through in everything you do, and it affects yourbottom line. From email communications to whitepapers to the way the receptionist answersthe phone your brand is in front of an audience, making an impression and directly affectingthe ability to sell.

The Good Brand Litmus Test:

1. Is messaging consistent across all communications and collateral?2. Can every employee communicate the brand’s value proposition?3. Is the brand credible?4. Does the brand set the right expectations?5. Does the brand have a good reputation?6. Does the audience see rich design and professional copy in branded materials?7. Does the audience connect with the visual and written brand?8. Does the audience receive quality materials, such as a letterhead postcard vs. a plain

sheet cutout?9. Is the brand in front of the audience too often, or too seldom?10. Is the brand recommended by others?11. Where does the brand collateral lead the prospect?12. Are brand messages consistent and cohesive across all collateral?13. Do branded materials make it easy for prospects to navigate the next step?14. Does your brand “understand” what the audience wants and needs?15. Is it easy to share your brand’s message?16. Does the brand’s “voice” resonate with the audience?17. Is the brand original?18. Is the brand clear?



About IDS Technology Marketing

IDS Technology Marketing is a full service marketing firm focused on delivering end to end,tightly integrated sales and marketing solutions for savvy B2B technology companies throughoutthe United States and abroad.

Our deep hands on experience in technology sales and marketing helps us understand theneeds of today’s IT buyers—CIOs, IT directors, managers, and administrators. And it helps usunderstand the importance of the influencers and how IT purchasing decisions are distributedacross many levels and departments of a business.

Many of the world’s leading manufacturers of hardware and software for storage, security, cloudcomputing, virtualization, networking, and mobile technologies rely on IDS Technology Marketingfor:

• marketing strategy• marketing campaign design• development and implementation• sales enablement• lead generation and nurturing• B2B telemarketing and outsourced inside sales

GET IN TOUCH WITH16435 N Scottsdale Rd. Suite 195Scottsdale, AZ 85254Phone: 877.675.8303Email: [email protected]

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