How "Wonder" Can Empower Your Sales & Marketing Efforts
Most companies are looking to systems and automation to empower results in sales and marketing. But increasingly, they are realizing that the people behind the scenes, the ones USING the systems and automations, aren't "in it to win it".
A system, or automation, in itself, isn't a solution to a problem.
It's a tool.
And like a hammer, they need to be used properly to get the "right" results.
Someone using a hammer to fish is probably going to unsuccessful in fishing. And it doesn't mean there's something WRONG with the hammer, it just means it's not the right tool for the job.
So, let's take a look at the 3 most common marketing automation challenges, as compiled by Act-On to see how we can empower our people behind the system to address the problem with WONDER and curiosity, instead of just a training manual :)
P.S. When we say "marketing", you can just a easily input "sales" 😉
Challenge 1: Adopting Automation Software
The number one challenge when bringing a new software into the mix is in incorporating it into the culture of the organization. And what drives the culture of an organization?
The people.
Often, companies will mandate specific usage of a tool, even incorporating the use into performance metrics.
But that only works if the people GET IT.
And not just in the ability to use the tool. But they understand how THEY can use the tool to make their job easier, and buy into that.
In the Act-On article, this items focuses primarily on what you should expect from an automation vendor. That they should provide:
An online customer community and support forum
On-site training workshops to provide intensive training
On-demand learning that is instructive and readily available
Customer success teams that are available when you need them
Consistent check-ins and success reviews
Help with marketing strategy and marketing automation alignment
Technical configuration and CRM integration assistance
And all of these are great. But they don't have anything to do with YOUR team.
I've seen SO many vendors, great vendors, provide these services. But if your team doesn't care enough to use them, they're useless.
So how can incorporating WONDER and curiosity into your culture impact this?
When you're team is full of peeps who are CURIOUS about how a new tool can improve their job function, they take it upon themselves to find ways to make it work for them.
And at the end of the day, there isn't just ONE way for a team to incorporate a new tool. There's YOUR way. And empowering your team to figure out the TEAM'S way to use a tool to optimize THEIR work and YOUR business is the fastest path to adoption. Not in some generic sense, but in the sense that will actually create VALUE that balances the cost of the tool.
Challenge 2: Difficulties Around Deliverability
Whether you're looking at email deliverability in marketing, or direct message acceptance in sales, making sure that people actually RECEIVE your message is a huge challenge for most companies. We can send out a million messages, but if none (or very few) of those get through to people, the number we send becomes mostly meaningless.
And, again, while the Act-On article lists some great tips on:
Making your email templates mobile-responsive,
Optimizing your emails for the recipients inbox, and
Using quality data and cleaning your lists regularly.
Again, not bad tips. But also not relevant in fixing the larger problem.
The number one reason that messages aren't RECEIVED by the recipient, is that they don't CARE about the email.
Let's look at a quick definition of Receive from Merriam-Webster: "to come into possession of."
When it comes to prospects actually "being in possession of" your marketing and sales messages, it means that they REMEMBER them.
Not just that they were sent.
Not just that they were delivered to an inbox.
Not just that they were opened.
Not just that they were read.
But that they were remembered.
So let me ask you this...what type of interactions do YOU remember most?
An email? A digital ad? A pitch?
Or maybe, an authentic interaction with another human?
I know which one works for me.
So if the deliverability of messages is mostly impacted by the value in the relationship behind the message, how can WONDER and curiosity empower those relationships?
Real relationships are based on authenticity. On people being people. Connecting with people with whom we have something in common.
And what's the fastest path to authentic relationships?
Tapping into what YOU specifically find interesting. The things you wonder about. The topics of conversation that allow you to naturally be curious.
Individual people aren't all naturally curious about the same things. And when we can tap into our unique wonder, we build relationships based on who we are 💖
And once those relationships are in play, and people are actually LOOKING FORWARD to your messages, imagine what THAT does for deliverability.
Challenge 3: Using Automation to Manage Leads
Lastly, but certainly not least, we come to the "managing leads" part of the puzzle.
Most automation systems can be set up to score your leads. But what are you scoring them on? And do those things actually matter? And what are you doing with the scores? That's something YOU need to decide. Not the system.
The Act-On article calls to attention the importance of follow-up. Which CAN be automated. But at the end of the day, it's almost always a PERSON who closes a deal, especially with anything that is any kind of investment for a company.
Sure, you might buy pencils and highlighters without talking to a person, but probably not if you're buying a new platform that's supposed to optimize your entire funnel. Or if you are buying research. Or consulting services.
So the people need to be empowered to follow-up in a confidence and meaningful way. And how can we ignite that within our team?
You got it...through WONDER and curiosity.
Confidence comes from believing in ourselves. Based on our expertise. Our journey. And how we can uniquely help.
When our people become curious about how they can help, and fully buy-in to their role in fixing a prospects problem, follow-up becomes an authentic concern vs. a sales ask.
And one ignited by the person. Not just driven by data collected from another department 💡
So, what if, we actually looked at our level of connection as a lead scoring mechanism?
Instead of just focusing on the information we've collected from a lead for scoring (some of it given and some of it interpreted), if a person in your organization had a KNOWN relationship with them, wouldn't all that be more meaningful?
I'd say so :)
Bonus: For more information on KPI's, check out the recent Conversations episode titled KPI'S THAT MATTER.
At the end of the day...
An effective digital transformation is based on how the people implement it. And if we don't optimize the PEOPLE behind the scenes, we won't have a digital transformation...we'll have a bunch of technology stacks collecting dust.
If you're looking for a quick taste of what tapping into your WONDER can do for you at work, check out the next What Do You Wonder Workshop!
And also check out the upcoming Human Potential in Business Summit, coming to you virtually from June 12-17, 2023 🎉
