So, Pete Caputa wrote another great post titled 6 Marketing Mistakes that CEOs Make.
I commented that I thought that the list could be adapted to other industries.
Rebekah Donaldson asked for an example.
First thing I did was hit Google. (1 - 10 of about 2,150,000 for six mistakes. (0.43 seconds)
But, let's give this a shot for my prospects.
#6. "Me too." When was the last time you walked into a retail outlet and didn't hear, "May I help you?" When you try to close a sale, do you ever resort to the "Ben Franklin" close? When you follow up with a repeat customer, do you ever say, "Just checking in." Prospects sit in their offices saying, "Here comes one." every time a salesperson walks into the building because they all look the same, sound the same, make the same promises and use the same moves.
#5. "Uncoordinated Specialists" Do your salespeople know what happened in their industry yesterday? How many times has a prospect asked them about the overnight news and your salesperson was surprised? Do you think that the way you start an opportunity has anything to do with the way it's going to close? Are your telemarketers coordinated with your inside people coordinated with your field sales people coordinated with your service people? Who's driving?
#4. "Push (Not Inbound) Marketing" Can your salespeople get invited in? Do they have to be pushy, intrusive, and unwelcome? Do customers cancel because they bought just to get rid of your salespeople?......You're doing it wrong!
#3. "Awareness - The Red Herring" When your salespeople hear a prospect say, "Hey, I've heard good things about what you guys are doing over there." Do they pull out their order pad? Should they?
#2. "Hiring Specialists Too Soon" There are a guzillion sales trainers out there ready to take your money and teach your salespeople how to bond better, prospect better, close better, handle objections better, or write better proposals. What if it's not what their doing? What if it's the process, the manager, conflicting strategies, compensation, systems, processes, or something not at all sales related? Won't the trainers be fixing the wrong thing?
#1. "Tactical Tunnel Vision" One of my most valued colleagues reminds me frequently that if all you've got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Prospects, customers, clients expect unique solutions, applications and approaches to their issues. They don't want to have to fit their issue to the way you sell it. You have to sell it the way they want it. Be ready and responsive.
So, Pete and Rebekah, this is how I'd twist the list to fit my world and my prospects. Imagine what this list would look like if it were done by a plumber, or some other home remodeler? How about a hotel manager, restaurant owner or other hospitality people? Think about what camera people, insurance people, fitness people, or any other expert might put on their list. Anyone want their List of Six Biggest Mistakes published as a guest post on one of our blogs? What do you think?