Building the revenue engine

With the explosive growth of digital media and online marketing, leaders are adopting inbound and permission marketing strategies to expand brand awareness and drive revenue. This “new marketing” approach introduces fundamental changes to the marketing and sales processes while bringing compelling new opportunities for profitable growth. Our goal is to harness digital marketing and blend it with proven sales and marketing strategies to accelerate the revenue engine. Even small improvements across the stages of the pipeline process can yield significant improvement to sales. While this is primarily a business to business (B2B) approach, key elements can easily apply to any sector.

Framework for Revenue Performance

A Revenue Architecture drives alignment and determines the priority operating elements that capture customer value. With all the moving parts, it is difficult to get your arms around all the elements of an effective revenue strategy.  The Revenue Architecture Design process uses a simple framework supported by over 200 dimensions to help you prioritize your best opportunities for revenue acceleration. We know that all the elements of the Revenue Architecture must perform well to maximize revenue potential, but there are typically target areas that warrant particular focus. Our four dimension framework represents the critical elements of the Revenue Architecture. We bring a diagnostic and best practices model to work with you and your team to collaboratively assess where opportunities are the greatest for revenue impact.

Our Approach to Revenue Architecture

We use a logical 5-step strategic design process to explore your current state, future opportunities and determine the way to move forward for revenue acceleration. The scope of the analysis is determined at the outset by agreeing these key opportunities, priorities and gaps we seek to address.  During the project, we focus on the levers for revenue acceleration:

• Digital Presence: current capabilities for search visibility SEO performance, web presence and listening capabilities
• Customer Experience:  how well we deliver the customer experience across sales, service and online
• Content:  the content assets and capabilities including written and video content that educate, nurture and support the sale
• Lead-to-Close Process: effective demand management, lead management, prospect care and nurture as well as sales execution processes
• Persuasive Selling: critical selling and communicating capabilities for converting prospects to customers and customers into advocates
• Service and Account Management: effective customer care and delivery that drives client retention, extension and expansion opportunity

Please contact us for engagement information.

Trusted Advisor for B2B marketing automation

If you are you considering implementing a Marketing Automation solution, we can work with you as a trusted advisor. The term "marketing automation" is a bit misleading - you can't really "automate" marketing... but there are a number of leading solutions in the marketplace today that deliver compelling value. There are also a range of custom components that integrate well with digital platforms and content management systems.

Leading platforms include Eloqua, Manticore, Marketbright, Marketo, Silverpop, Neolane and Hubspot. Which is the right solution for your business?  These systems vary significantly and will apply differently based on your size, complexity and marketing-to-sales process. While cloud computing is popular today, it is important to consider a variety of options including open source CMS, opensource frameworks and custom solutions.  Marketing automation solutions offer a compelling value propositions, but the right selection and implementation approach is critical.

• How well do these solutions fit our buy-sell process requirements?
• Will these differentiate us in the marketplace?
• What is the roll of sales and marketing in the new nurture process?
• What are the pros and cons of software-as-a-service vs in-house solutions?
• Which solution has the best commercial terms based on our needs?
• Is the vendor a good fit for us?
• How well does the solution scale to our business needs?
• How will we manage the solution implementation process?

Please contact us for engagement information.

Webcast Workshop Series

As financial advisors, you build enduring relationships by helping clients achieve financial goals with prudent strategies. You build networks of professionals including attorneys and CPAs to expand your referral network. Personal service; sound planning and investment results are proven methods to drive referrals and grow assets under management. However, today - with the explosive adoption of digital media - you need to navigate an entirely new model for relationship management.

The impact of web search and new media

Consider Google. Google has gained insight into our human intent from the billions of searches we make. We use search as the access point for questions about products, services and the people we do business with. Investors are using this “self-sell” approach to evaluate potential advisors and this is fundamentally changing the relationship development process. Personal relationships remain the foundation for business development, however, today you need to extend your networks with a dynamic website and social media presence to more full engage clients and prospective clients where they are. Effective content establishes credibility and a web presence extends your reach and helps draw people to your website.

Registration coming soon for the May 2010 sessions. Please contact us for more information.

Action-based workshop series

To address the opportunities, we have brought together an expert team to guide you through a series of working sessions designed to help you accelerate your relationship marketing strategies. During the series, we will provide you workshop materials to plan and execute your marketing strategy. The webcast and 1:1 sessions will to help you successfully plan your web presence and build your online profiles and get started with a new marketing plan.

Follow this link to find more information and register for currently scheduled events.

Deliver your messages persuasively with clear and convincing logic.

Today, we communicate in multiple ways across media types - including emails, blogs, articles, reports, proposals and presentations. Too often we present a complex collection of individual ideas with little meaning or structure. Effective presentation style is critical, yet inadequate. Without a clear top-down structure, our arguments and key messages are lost or misunderstood. The audience is not persuaded to take action and teams are misaligned. The result is lost value.  Today’s leaders need to present ideas effectively across channels. They need the tools to develop a focused, logical, structured communication and the skills to deliver and present ideas persuasively.

We offer a unique approach for persuasive communications in partnership with NotaBene:

• Persuasive Communications Workshops:  This is the foundation course for effective persuasive communications. Equip yourself with tools and techniques to understand the client's problems and get your point across clearly and succinctly.
• Document and Presentation Review: Review your presentation or written work for structure and sound argumentation
• Persuasive Presentation Workshop: Intensive workshop with video recording and personal feedback
• Executive Coaching in Communication Skills: Individual coaching and preparation workshop for executives who need to continuously excel and present to management and board members.
• Workshops to train and integrate selling techniques with SCQA Single Minded Messages for end-to-end consultative sales.

Single Minded Message: Structured Thinking and Delivery Workshop

Whether creating proposals, presenting, or just writing emails, our programs are highly relevant to anyone who needs to better structure, simplify and influence through all their communications.  The "Structured Thinking and Delivery" (ST&D) workshop is the foundation of our approach. It sets the framework and approach for more succinct and effective communications. The tools and techniques acquired truly change the way you think and communicate your thoughts - whatever the channel. From analyzing the audience to making the messages more compelling, the approach helps you think clearly through your arguments and convey them as simply as possible.

The approach draws on the core elements of logical rationale, as well as current best practices in structured thinking used in worlds leading businesses such as management consulting, advertising and technology companies.

• Consultative engagement that can build on your use of the popular SPIN® model from Huthwaite*
• Persuasive communication using the powerful SCQA model

What is Persuasive Argumentation the solution?

This course delivers against the 3 core elements to drive effective communications and presentations

• It starts from the core idea, not the delivery. While there are many ways to improve presentation skills (often hard to learn) this course addresses the more common issue which is the lack of a meaningful, single minded point to make.
• Focuses on results not on means. The focus is to help individuals figure out what they are trying to achieve, and how to most effectively and succinctly achieve this objective. This prioritization of information and recommendations, based on sound logic, is core in the digital age
• While the core concepts are "media neutral" the course translates the approach into ways of making presentations, pitches, emails, documents, web sites or other communications EASIER and more IMPACTFUL for the participants to develop, to ensure that the concepts go from "ideas" to "behaviors".
• We provide a set of online tools to support the ongoing development and growth of people using the concepts and tools presented.

Note:  The SPIN framwork is a registered trademark of Huthwaite, Inc.

Please contact us for pricing and engagement information.

Consultative Selling

Sales leaders and client engagement managers that represent complex products or services must develop clarity and insight about the key business issues their clients face. Solution Selling Workshops are tailored learning programs that enhance your team sales methodologies (e.g. TAS (Target Account Selling), SPIN (from Huthwaite, Inc.), and Miller Heiman)  with persuasive communications methods to deliver a consistent end-to-end process.

We offer a customized programs for your sales and delivery consultants. In many organizations, little if any, training is provided to help existing teams and new joiners understand the role of the consultant in an issue-led consulting cycle. Our program help your delegates develop and enhance the skills and knowledge they need to operate successfully as consultants, including:

• strengthen facilitation skills
• integrate client engagement and single minded message models
• identify elements of assertive or non-assertive behavior and
• clear communication -with Single Minded Message
• build relationships and manage delivery as part of future business development and
• understand process model and their associated activities
• develop enhances strategies for account management

New Sales and Marketing Programs

The New Marketing Workshop and Webcast series helps teams and leaders shape their thinking and professional strategies for digital marketing and sales.  Participants will learn the landscape of social media and Internet marketing and shape selling and communication approach. The outcome is a personalized marketing plan.

Typical Agenda items include:

1. A review of the landscape and impact of new media
2. Understanding  and defining Web 2.0 and Internet Marketing
3. Exploring the factors that impact search engine visibility and optimization
4. Understanding interruption marketing vs. permission marketing strategies and implications
5. Review the Tools of the trade – including social networks, blogs, podcasting and communities of interest
6. Use the SCQA model to develop your personal professional brand
7. Use the ten-step process to tailor an individualized strategy for web presnece and new marketing.

We offer the Financial Planner/ RIA series  - working with advisors, mutual fund sponsors and full service financial services companies to offer one- day workshops tailored to the needs of the financial advisor.

Persuasive Communications

Today, we communicate in multiple ways across media types - including emails, blogs, articles, reports, proposals and presentations. Too often we present a complex collection of individual ideas with little meaning or structure. Effective presentation style is critical, yet inadequate. Without a clear top-down structure, our arguments and key messages are lost or misunderstood. The audience is not persuaded to take action and teams are misaligned. The result is lost value.  Today’s leaders need to present ideas effectively across channels. They need the tools to develop a focused, logical, structured communication and the skills to deliver and present ideas persuasively.

We offer a unique approach for persuasive communications in partnership with NotaBene:

• Persuasive Communications Workshops:  This is the foundation course for effective persuasive communications. Equip yourself with tools and techniques to understand the client's problems and get your point across clearly and succinctly.
• Document and Presentation Review: Review your presentation or written work for structure and sound argumentation
• Persuasive Presentation Workshop: Intensive workshop with video recording and personal feedback
• Executive Coaching in Communication Skills: Individual coaching and preparation workshop for executives who need to continuously excel and present to management and board members.
• Workshops to train and integrate selling techniques with SCQA Single Minded Messages for end-to-end consultative sales.

Whether creating proposals, presenting, or just writing emails, our programs are highly relevant to anyone who needs to better structure, simplify and influence through all their communications.  The "Structured Thinking and Delivery" (ST&D) workshop is the foundation of our approach. It sets the framework and approach for more succinct and effective communications. The tools and techniques acquired truly change the way you think and communicate your thoughts - whatever the channel. From analyzing the audience to making the messages more compelling, the approach helps you think clearly through your arguments and convey them as simply as possible.

The approach draws on the core elements of logical rationale, as well as current best practices in structured thinking used in worlds leading businesses such as management consulting, advertising and technology companies.

• Consultative engagement that can build on your use of the popular SPIN® model from Huthwaite*
• Persuasive communication using the powerful SCQA model

What is Persuasive Argumentation the solution? This course delivers against the 3 core elements to drive effective communications and presentations

• It starts from the core idea, not the delivery. While there are many ways to improve presentation skills (often hard to learn) this course addresses the more common issue which is the lack of a meaningful, single minded point to make.
• Focuses on results not on means. The focus is to help individuals figure out what they are trying to achieve, and how to most effectively and succinctly achieve this objective. This prioritization of information and recommendations, based on sound logic, is core in the digital age
• While the core concepts are "media neutral" the course translates the approach into ways of making presentations, pitches, emails, documents, web sites or other communications EASIER and more IMPACTFUL for the participants to develop, to ensure that the concepts go from "ideas" to "behaviors".
• We provide a set of online tools to support the ongoing development and growth of people using the concepts and tools presented.

Note:  The SPIN framwork is a registered trademark of Huthwaite, Inc.

Please contact us for engagement information.