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Your Sales and Marketing - Duck Hunting and Tough Questions
from:"Marketing is spreading out corn for the ducks to eat... Sales is taking a shotgun and shooting the sitting ducks."
-Eli Goldratt
It's obvious. Marketing brings them in. Sales takes them out. But in our chaotic, multi-tasking, unfocused, fighting fires, slaying dragons, keeping the business running kind of days our execution of the obvious goes askew and we get into trouble.
When we're not careful, here's the definition we business owners seem to apply...
Marketing is spreading out filet mignon for the ducks to eat, because I love steak. Sales is taking a shotgun and shooting up in the air like a madman at the ducks who happen to fly overhead.
Or, even worse...
Marketing is putting out filet mignon for the ducks to eat, because that's what we sell, filet mignon. Sales is taking a shotgun and shooting ourselves in the foot in a desperate attempt to convince the ducks that they really like steak instead of corn.
It's a mess, isn't it? It doesn't even make any sense, does it? But when you are caught up running a business the obvious and the sensible sometimes are hard to come by.
Are you putting out steaks? Do you know?
So what? What's your point?
Ok, try answering these questions. These are not "how-to" type questions. They're a kick you in the pants, slap you in the face, rethink how you think set of questions... but you're an adult, you can take it.
What do your answers to these take-no-prisoner questions say? What do they hint? What would your company be like if you had different answers for them?
Remember
Marketing and sales isn't always what you would enjoy or what makes sense to you. As a matter of fact, it's safe to just assume the messages that work best won't make much sense to you... because you're not the customer.
Your fears are not their fears. Your ideas of success are not their ideas of success. Your concept of class, elegance, functionality, or effectiveness are not theirs. Your ideas of clarity are not theirs. Your ideas about desirability are not theirs.
Remember, you're on the inside. You are inside the industry, insides the market, inside the company, inside the production process, and inside sales process. Your customer is on the outside. Things look very different on the outside versus the inside.
Finally, remember, those on the outside don't have to do business with you. But you, on the inside, must do business with them to survive, much more to thrive.
Better results will come if you keep this wake up call in mind as you make decisions improving your marketing and sales processes.
Toussaint Goudeaux is a Principal with Ontologi, a strategic consulting firm focusing on... well, focus. Focus may be the missing ingredient for a business wanting to move to the next level. For more information please visit http://www.ontologi.com
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