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January 22, 2008
In Defense Of The One Timer
I was on the phone the other day with
a business colleague, and we began discussing what we're seeing in the market place. Specifically, we were discussing
our interaction with companies, and how they approach the development and implementation of their marketing programs.
My colleague mentioned that most of the companies with which he comes in to contact perform "One and Done"
marketing. In other words, they develop a campaign, launch it, and then almost immediately look to start the next one.
Most fail to create integrated campaigns that allow for lead nurturing and follow-up.
While
I could not disagree with him, it did get me thinking about companies who operate in this fashion. And as I thought
about it, I found myself preparing a defense for those marketing executives who are under fire for operating in "One
and Done" mode. The reality is that these companies have no other way to approach marketing. Given
what they have, the majority are doing the best they can.
The more I contemplated this,
the more I realized that many companies are forced into "One and Done" mode because they don't have
any internal process, mechanisms or technology that allow them to do anything else. How can a company develop nurture
streams, follow-up mechanisms, and user led communications if they don't have the process in place to account for it?
Well, they can't!
And that's why so many companies approach marketing the way they
do. They're forced to. But there is good news. "One and Done" can change by assessing the current
process (or lack thereof); developing a process plan that includes prospect driven communication, lead nurturing, lead routing,
and measurements; and implementing the process by integrating marketing and sales roles, and applying the appropriate automation
tools.
Don't get caught in the "One and Done" trap. Sure, you may
be in a situation where it's all you can do given the state of your company's marketing operations. But there are
steps that can be taken immediately that will allow you to move out of "One and Done" mode, and into an
environment where campaigns flow, leads are nurtured and ROI increases.
8:32 am est
January 11, 2008
Don't Be Afraid
Happy New Year to all!
As you can see we took a holiday break from the blog but are now back at it. We sincerely hope that you all had a great
time of rest and relaxation with your families and loved ones.
With
every New Year come all the promises of things we'll accomplish, things we'll stop doing or adjustments we'll
make. Personally, mine came the day after New Year's Day when my friend asked me to join him in participating in
a triathlon this coming summer. Although I'm in decent shape, I'm not in triathlon shape so I accepted the challenge
and have begun my training. I say all that to tell you that as I was running this morning, and listening to music on
my iPod, a song came on that starts with a quote from Nietzsche that says "All great things must first wear a terrifying
and monstrous mask in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity."
This got me thinking about some of the conversations I've had in the last year with several marketing executives
when discussing their lack of lead management process (this is what one thinks about when they do not want to focus on
their old aching legs). Many of these people know their process is broken, or at best, that it lacks the necessary
elements to make it solid. Yet they refuse to fix it. Why? I believe the main reason is that they they're afraid
of what they'll find. Perhaps they're afraid that fixing the process may take too long. Or maybe fixing it will
disrupt things (they find comfort in status quo). Or maybe they're afraid of the interpersonal conflict that comes
with identifying and fixing a broken process. Fear is a paralyzing agent.
But
fear shouldn't keep us from doing what should be done. Will taking the necessary steps to fix your lead management process
have an impact on the "hearts of humanity"? I highly doubt it. But it will have an incredible impact on the
revenue your sales force can generate, and the impact your marketing programs will have on your company's revenue goals.
Sometimes making the necessary changes is, in the words of Nietzsche, "scary and monstrous". But if we have
the courage to fix it, the results will be fantastic.
8:26 am est
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