the invisible customer - steve robins keynote at productcamp boston 2011

© 2011

www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com

The Invisible Customer

Steve Robins

June 9, 2012

www.SolutionMarketingBlog.com p2 © 2009-2012

Which of the following will drive the greatest success for your company?

1. Advanced technologies?

2. Great locations?

3. A strong customer base?

4. Low prices?

5. Cost-effective manufacturing?

6. Creative marketing?

7. Great messaging?


Which of the following will drive the greatest success for your company?

1. Advanced technologies?

2. Great locations?

3. A strong customer base?

4. Low prices?

5. Cost-effective manufacturing?

6. Creative marketing?

7. Great messaging?


Serenity Hotel


What if…

!

I wish…


• Provide a solution methodology for Marketing

• Discipline, rigor, consistency – best practices

• Help Marketing to work with Sales

• How:

• Solution Marketing Blog

• LinkedIn Group

Steve Robins

Senior Director of Marketing, FirstBest Systems

Founder, The Solution Marketing Blog, Top-rated solution marketing blog

10+ years in solution marketing

– Expertise in solution, industry and product marketing

– Experience: FirstBest Systems, Solution Marketing Strategies, EMC Documentum, KANA, The Yankee Group


Agenda

The invisible customer

Why customers matter

The visible customer, enabled through – Listening

– Customer perspective

– Totality

– 360 Discovery

– Solution Marketing

Next steps

Summary

Questions


Current & Prospective Customers

User Manager C-Level Purchasing Channel

and others

© 2009-2012 The Solution Marketing Blog

The Invisible Customer


Communication Challenges



That might be useful

Company Customer



How can we help you?

Πώς μπορώ να λύσει το πρόβλημά μου;

Company Customer





Company Customer

#$%&@!





Company Customer

#$%&@! I need: Features Features Features

OK. We’ll give you: Features Features Features


Focus on Internal Core Competencies


Internal Core Competencies

Research

Engineering

Manufacturing

Knowledge


Focus on the New New Thing


Distraction with New Technologies

Customer

Shiny New

Thing

Company

I don’t need that X


“Many innovators are so enamored with technology that they lose sight of what is really important – what people want from technology, not what it can actually do”

-Carl Franklin Why Innovation Fails


Intermediaries


Intermediaries

You Customer Sales

Service…

My problem is…


Intermediaries

Customer External

Experts

My problem is…

You Sales

Service…


Intermediaries

Customer External

Experts

Inter-

mediaries You

Sales

Service…

My problem is…


New Customers Add to the Confusion

Company Customers


Lack of Depth


Customer

Purchases

Feature needs

Business needs

Biz challenges

Industry trends

Career challenges


Customer Lifecycle

Mature customer

New customer

Prospect

Lead

Suspect


Offer

Product

Partner products

Services

Data

etc

Product .


Value Chain

Product

Delivery

Sales

Marketing

Manufacturing

Engineering

Research/

Design

Service Sell &

Partner

Market Engineer &

Produce


Customers Matter


Visible Customers = Visible Gains

Revenue is driven by customers

New market opportunities

Deep customer loyalty

Lower “pivot” risk

Fewer customer service issues

Competitive differentiation

Fewer technology surprises


The Satisfaction Gap

Will come

back

20-40%

Will not come back

60-80%

Customers who say they’re satisfied Source: The Cult of the Customer, Shep Hyken

“Satisfied

Customers”


“Your truly loyal customers will not only buy from you but also do much of your selling for you. They will become your advocates!”

- Shep Hyken The Cult of the Customer


Wireless industry: loyalty leaders outperformed loyalty laggards by 173%

Loyalty Laggards

Loyalty Leaders Walker Information 2007,

as described in

The Cult of the Customer


http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/secrets/secrets_of_tuned_in_leaders.pdf

http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/secrets/secrets_of_tuned_in_leaders.pdf


Profitability Speed to Mkt Likelihood to lead Customer Sat

Market Tuned In Leaders

+31%

2x Faster

2x likely

to lead

+20%

Tuned in Companies Are More Successful

Data:


Today’s Goal: Increase Customer Visibility

User Manager C-Level Purchasing Channel

and others


360 Degree Discovery

360

Solution Marketing

Price

Customer Perspective

Totality

Listening

Customer Visibility


Listening


Where to Listen

• 1:1/small groups

Customer site

Sales calls

Phone interviews

Win/loss interviews

• Larger groups

Conferences, shows, user groups

Customer, executive and advisory councils

Surveys

Focus groups


Listen For

• Process

• Challenges

• Unmet needs

• How they think, personal drivers

• Environment

• Feedback that goes against your assumptions

Listening Tips

• Speak the customer’s language

• Consider the whole person

• They provide challenges and you develop solutions


Totality


Total Person


Services

Total Solution

Customer

---

Pain

Points

Tech-nology

User

Process

Content/ Data

Complete Solution Everything to solve the customer’s problem


Total Customer Experience

Research/

Design

Service Sell &

Partner

Market Engineer &

Produce

What happens in one place

affects everything else


Competition

Technology

Innovation

Strategy


360o Discovery

What markets and solutions should we

target?

How will we educate and engage with potential

users and buyers?

How will we incorporate and communicate value?

How would the user/buyer like to buy and use the

solution?

What will each solution do and include?

Internal

• Revenue

• Current offerings

• Core competencies

• Solution maturity

• Sales-readiness

External

• Under-solved challenges

• Top market, solution opportunities

• Segment size

• Market drivers

• Competition

Persona

• Titles

• Business challenges

• Career goals

• Thought process

How to connect

• “Hang-outs” – communication channels, pubs, trade shows, social media

• Industry jargon

• Influence levers (ex case studies?)

Value

• Before/after process

• Before/after challenge/gain

• Customer’s value drivers - dollar impact

• ROI

• Purchasing habits, budget

Access

• Best channels

• Optimal role of VARs, SIs, direct sales, buying on contract

• Preferred delivery models… Software? SaaS? Business Process Outsourcing?

• Requirements for customer success

Solution Requirements

• Revenue opportunity

• Use cases

• Business challenges

• Industry/function trends

• Key components

• Buy vs build

• Testing

Customer

Value

Solution

Access

Solution

Development

Portfolio

Strategy

User & Buyer

Personas


Key Participants in the Buying Decision

Functional VP Approves budget

Delegates details

“Will this improve my

bottom line?”

Strategist Business owner

Identifies problem/need

“How will this improve

efficiency and

effectiveness”

IT Innovation Manager/

Developer Business analyst

Specs and evaluates

“What’s the best system

we should use?”

Consultant Advises company and

recommends new strategies

“How does compare to

other options?”

User Manages projects

“How will this help to do

my job better?


Personas

General Persona #1: The VP/Director of Marketing

Typical title VP/Director of Marketing

Department Marketing

Background/ experience

Matured through the ranks of marketing

Personality Leader

Aggressive

Day-to-day job

Lead large team

Manage budget

Build and execute marketing strategy

Top business goals Create and maintain a strong brand that generates interest

Generate leads

Challenges Doing it all within a limited budget

Solution needs

Clear ROI

Easy to use

Competitively priced

Ab

ou

t m

e W

hat

I’m

th

inki

ng


Place

Product

Pro- motion

Price

Company

Solution Marketing – All About the Customer


Strategy, Metrics

Place

Product

Pro- motion

Price

Company

Solution Marketing – All About the Customer

Customer

---

Pain

Points

Solution

Access Education

Engagement

Value

End-to-End Marketing for Today Customer-Focused Marketing

“How can I solve

my problem?”

“How can I

learn more

about it?”

“How will it help me and

what is my total investment

to get this solution?”

“Where can

I find it?”


$494

$594

$694

$794

$894

$994

$1,094

14

19

24

29

34

39

Mar '10 Jun '10 Sep '10 Dec '10 Mar '11 Jun '11 Sep '11 Dec '11 Mar '12

Re

ve

nu

e (

$ M

illi

on

s)

Su

bs

cri

be

rs (

Mil

lio

ns

)

Unique subcribers Revenue

Invisible Customer

Subscriber trend Revenue trend Stock price

Sources: NetFlix, Google

$75

$107

$155

$176

$238

$263

$113

$69

$115


Getting Started

1. Begin internal discovery

2. Know the customer

3. Define the business problem

4. Move from feature/benefit business value

5. Think about solution completeness

6. Bonus: how are market/tech forces changing solution requirements?


360 Degree Discovery

360

Solution Marketing

Price


Totality

Listening

Customer Visibility


Thank You

LinkedIn.com/in/SteveRobins1

Twitter.com/SteveRobins

SolutionMarketingBlog.com

robins [at] firstbest [dot] com

FirstBest Systems

213 Burlington Rd

Bedford, MA 01730

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Steve robins


http://www.linkedin.com/in/SteveRobins1

http://www.twitter.com/SteveRobins

http://www.solutionmarketingblog.com/


http://www.solutionmarketingstrategies.com/


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Thank You!


Market Adoption

Early Adopters

Visionaries

Innovators

Technology

Enthusiasts

Early Majority/

Pragmatists

Late Majority

Conservatives

Laggards

Skeptics

Time

Customers want technology

and performance Customers want solutions and convenience

Rela

tive %

of

Cu

sto

mers

End of Life Early Life Bowling

Alley

Sources: E.M. Rogers, G. Moore

The Solution Opportunity

Main Street

The Tornado

The Chasm