Awkward Reality #583

Here’s why you should focus on important, unmet customer outcomes

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If you focus on unimportant outcomes, customers will greet your new product with a collective yawn. If you satisfy outcomes competitors already meet, customers will greet you with a phone call requesting lower prices. How long will this take them? This depends on whether they have you on speed dial. How do you focus on important, unmet needs? Use Market Satisfaction Gaps.

Watch 2-min video, Quantitative Interviews are a Must

Awkward Reality #582

Awkward Reality #581

There are three types of growth. You can control one of them.

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The first is inherited growth from products launched long ago, which now “carry” your business. The second is market growth… the tide that lifts all boats. You can only impact the third—earned growth—by doing a better job than every competitor in understanding and meeting the needs of a market. This means it’s easy to be lulled into thinking your underlying growth is greater than it is.

Watch 2-min video, How Much Growth Did You Earn?

Awkward Reality #580

Missing sales quotas? The key to successful B2B selling is preparation.

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The research on B2B sales call preparation isn’t encouraging: 75% of B2B executive buyers say salespeople are not knowledgeable about their business… and don’t understand the issues they face. Unsurprisingly, only one in four salespeople get agreement from these buyers to meet again. With help from AI, B2B salespeople can now prepare quickly and thoroughly.

Download the white paper, Sales Call Preparation with AI

Awkward Reality #579

All B2B markets are not created equal. How well do you understand yours?

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The term “B2B” is useful, because business customers can be so different than end-consumers. But it’s a blunt and imprecise term, and we can do better. Check out the “B2B Index” developed by The AIM Institute. The higher your market’s B2B Index, the greater you can engage customers… in both early-stage and late-stage marketing. (This is a free service.)

Calculate your B2B Index at www.b2bmarketview.com

Awkward Reality #578

A great customer interview is all about the customer. You should be fascinated by their world.

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Imagine a fellow on a date who just talks about himself for an hour. His only questions are, “What’s your income? What’s your educational level?” Then he closes with, “Will you marry me?” Does this sound like an old-fashioned “qualify-and-then-close” sales call? As with a good date, you should be genuinely interested in your customer and their needs.

Watch 5-min video, Reinventing VOC for B2B

Awkward Reality #577

Most CRM systems underwhelm due to 3 under-performing steps.

577-3 Steps to a Winning CRM

Your CRM will never reach its full potential until three steps perform well. AI can now help all three… often in unexpected ways. 1) Move needs from customers’ brains into your salesperson’s brain using expert probing. 2) Move these needs from the salesperson’s brain into your CRM. 3) Use advanced AI (now built into all CRMs) to mine your database to create market foresight.

Download the white paper, Transform Your CRM with AI

Awkward Reality #576

Just think of all the mistakes you can make developing new products.

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You can miss an important customer need… pursue the wrong need… over-design and add unneeded costs… measure customer success the wrong way… overlook a competing alternative… over-estimate what customers will pay… under-value your product… use improper messaging. So many chances to err. Fortunately, B2B producers can use a “science” to avoid all of these. And this science delivers a truly outsized return on investment.

Watch 2-min video, How Blueprinting Drives Organic Growth