Revenue Fuel

03/28/2024

Lesson: Be "different" to win

A replacement for EDI would be welcome indeed

Sounds to me like they are playing the "Better" game, though

Case in point:

Pepsi never really "won" in the 80s with their Pepsi Challenge campaign

They grew some market share

But they never toppled the category leader

How does one truly overtake the brand that is literally synonymous, in some locales, with ALL flavors of soda?

I'll have an Orange Coke please. It's actually a thing.

Pepsi made a crucial mistake by advertising in every ad that Coke is the market leader

They did not ultimately achieve their market transforming gains

This despite the New Coke debacle, in which Coke literally competed against themselves

🤦

That was a LOT of money spent by both parties for not much change in the actual market demand

So, rather than position this new data exchange as an EDI Killer,

it is crucial to position the product as a solution for a new set of objectives that customers want to fix accomplish or avoid
..and for goodness sake, do not ever mention the competing solution in a or any other positioning

Dream BIG! and Be an Anomaly
-----

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03/24/2024

Seriously, ya gotta walk the walk

Sales and Marketing has become a process of learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement

Like everything, if you're not out there executing reps, you're (getting) stale

- How do you know what works?
- How can you guide your team?
- How can you speak intelligently with leadership?

Not every one needs to be a creator

Even if you have a team of creators working for you…

For God’s sake work the distribution

- Observe what works
- Look at the data
- Share your lessons

Tick Tock (or TikTok), times a wastin’ Speedy

Better get started
——

For everyone else…

Now you won’t be able to unsee this on profiles that you visit

Dream BIG!

To learn more about growing your business
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03/14/2024

Hey Einstein!

Just because you are ready to sell…

does not mean that everyone who consumes your content is ready to buy

I know, it’s a tough pill to swallow with your boss leaning on you

There are some of you calling BS, right now

There are others who are saying that there is no point in creating the content then

Whoa, genius!!

It’s not about you and it never was

Everything that you do must be viewed (inextricably through the lens of the buyer)

He or she will buy when they are damned good and ready

Do you even know how long your average sales cycle is?

Do you know the different intent levels for different touches?

Inbound vs Outbound?

What about “dark social”?

Ooooo, spooky 👻�
In 2024, winning opportunities is not just about putting a salesperson in front of everyone to close the deal

You need to earn the perception of trust, authority, and expertise

While E.A.T. is thought of as an SEO concept, it is a derivation of customer perception

Create a differentiated point of view

From that create content

Educate and enlighten your prospective loyal fans to a new way of thinking

Do this over and over again

Be patient

Then, when someone is in market, they will engage in a higher intent activity with you

Then, get your salesperson involved

Be forewarned, always remain “joint venture”

After all, WIIFT (what’s in it for them) is all that matters

Dream BIG!

03/12/2024

“More” doesn’t win.

“Better” doesn’t win.

Different, Effective, and Creative wins.

I here the stories over and over again

Folks believe that if they could just do “more” then things will change

But they rarely do

If we can just be “better” than our competition, things will change

But they rarely do

It’s not until one is willing to step outside of their current mind set

and commit to being different than they are today

and different than the rest of the market

then the magic can begin to happen

Dream BIG!

03/05/2024

Thank you Jason Kelce!

03/01/2024

Be a Data-driven organization, they said

Learn from our data they said

So, you collect it

But, you never actually prepare to use it easily

First of all, are you capturing data that points to effectiveness?

Or, are you capturing the same old data that you always have?

Have you taken a systems thinking approach to actually using the data

The sole purpose of data is to create usable information so that you can make decisions

This needs to happen quickly and easily

Otherwise, your team will simply make it a lesser priority
..and you know what happens with lower priorities

They simply don't get executed regularly or effectively

Then folks will get emotional

Criticism and Defensiveness arise

This can all be avoided if you create the plan to use data with as much zeal as you have when conceiving what data to capture

Dream BIG!

02/28/2024

Hiring is broken!

Well, it's working for some people

But who?

Get an inside view of the current state of hiring in a crazy connected and tech-heavy world

Frustrated?

Hope is not lost

But...

Different Results Demands Thinking Different Different

Follow Revenue Fuel

Are you tired of job hunting in a maze of mediocrity?Sick of being ghosted by soulless algorithms?Liz Capants, Recruited, EBC Associates, joins me to discuss...

02/27/2024

No CRM data means no bad data

"So, I won't get in trouble."

Right?

You also
..can't see what's working..can't see what's not working..will need to spend time creating manual forecasts..make it much more difficult to back you up when you're on vacation..won't get any better at your job..will have a difficult time when you want that promotion

Shall I keep going?

Dream BIG!

02/24/2024

Wawa isn't a convenience store

It's an institution

Many focus on their favorite coffee

That's just the tip of the iceberg with Wawa

Their secret is in never-ending experimentation and research based on real-world data and results

It is plainly obvious by the ever-changing offerings delivered fresh and hot or cold exactly when you need them

All of this with an outstanding customer experience

The best of their experiments stay and develop a cult-like following

My addiction is the Wawa Sizzli breakfast sandwich

This is the kind of company who actually listens to customers

By way of example, Wawa developed an app

At first it sucked...but they listened

Now it is outstanding

The app slows down checkout...not any more

The app can't connect to the internet...now there's an offline mode

I put my Wawa card in my Apple Wallet so I don't need to open the the app...now you can.

Food experiments:

- the afore-mentioned Sizzli has a cult following
- quesadillas are now permanent
- soups and chili are a staple
- omelettes have been around for a while
- burgers may stay
- no theyre trying pizza...and egg bites for the low-carb crowd
- holy crap! who knew they'd become go to gas stations?

But, the coup de gras is Wawa's investment in the community

They believe in the people so much that they literally invest in it

Differentiation
Voice of the customer
Effectiveness
Community..and so much more

Wawa is more than a convenience store

They don't play the "better" game

The are different, not better
..and different wins

So, if not a convenience store, then what?

Community Food Hub?
End All Be All One Stop Shop?
Take-out Lunch Magnet?

But, I know an emerging new category when I see one

All this from humble beginnings as a dairy and a honking goose

Kate Winslet called it a “mythical place.” Tina Fey hoisted a basket of its hoagies in a Saturday Night Live skit. Harry Styles said it’s one of his favorite things about Philadelphia.

02/21/2024

You’re selling backwards

That’s what I told a young salesperson who asked for my help

(Just, wait until you learn how me met)

You’re not selling a product. You’re selling an outcome

What he has learned along the way… rapport is not enough

People don’t care about what you do

They care about what you can do for them

The lesson focused on how to communicate value and differentiation

He told me a story, and it was a good one, to support his selling process

Of course the company isn’t prepared with the kind of case studies that they need

They don’t seem to have social proof readily available to support the selling effort

Typical 😂

Hire those young people at a budget price, give them a quota and an activity metric…

Then beat them with a perverbial stick

That’s all it takes, right?

Of course not

This public company is selling like it’s 1999

Over time they have let emerging techniques in sales and marketing pass them by

Now, the organization is full of amateurs

I’ll bet they are increasingly frustrated that they are not getting results

…and blaming others

It’s never about what you sell

It’s not simply about how hard you bang the phones and email

It’s about what the new outcome will be for your customers

What are they trying to fix, accomplish or avoid?

Nail that outcome and that’s what makes them ask you how it works

That’s your chance to shine

The funny part is that we met…wait for it

…when he cold called me

That’s right, he cold called me

Needless to say, it didn’t work

But, I liked him

Fast forward several months and he asked me for help via LinkedIn DM

He didn’t try to sell anything to me

He just asked for help

Why?

Because I understand what outcome he wants to realize

I created enough interest that he asked me how he can be better

…and I gave him a lesson

Selling without selling

It was not my intention…

But, he offered to help me to sell to his company 😁

Networking, like selling is about 1 thing and 1 thing only

How can I help you to realize a better future?

That’s what you need to understand about every prospect

But first you need to grab their attention

If YOU need help with that, I’m here for you

Dream BIG!

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02/18/2024

Think that content distribution is a waste of time?

A few days ago, I booted up my computer. What did I see?

My web site live chat app showed 3 people on my web site first thing in the morning

It also showed that they pages they were on were 3 of the exact pages that I had distributed the day prior

This is not a surprise to me. I have data that shows a direct correlation to LinkedIn postings and web traffic

The surprising part is that folks did not simply click on links

In fact, my Direct traffic went up dramatically

Why?

Well, if your URL is easily typed in your browser AND it's not too generic, they will leave the social platform, type it in, and find you easily

Alternately, they'll search on their preferred search engine

What is my conclusion?

In addition to the obvious correlation between LinkedIn traffic and web traffic, people don't trust links

Dream BIG!

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