There’s a scene in the film "The Princess Bride" (one of my all-time favorite movies) where the hero and heroine, Wesley and Buttercup, flee their pursuers and face the decision to enter the perilous Fire Swamp, a legendary forest filled with all kinds of danger. Buttercup says, “That’s the Fire Swamp. We’ll never survive!” With a confident smirk, Wesley replies, “You’re only saying that because no one ever has.” And with that, they enter the swamp.
The same kind of fear and skepticism shown by the heroine can be seen on the faces of B2B marketers today. For years, B2B marketing was the proverbial forgotten stepchild. Marketers just needed to focus on getting campaigns out on time, and all was well. Not so today. Suddenly, B2B marketers find themselves being “chased” by sales, finance, and other groups that are looking to them to generate leads, measure their impact on revenue, generate content, and help sales move deals through the pipeline at a faster pace. In addition to those internal pressures, marketing automation (a technology about which many are still uneducated) is now at the forefront. These factors are causing confusion and “fear” for today’s marketer, making it seem there’s no way out.
If you are feeling like this, don’t worry. Unlike the Fire Swamp, many have adapted to the new world of B2B marketing. I’d like to offer four tips to help you survive.
Tip #1: Relax!
I’m not being flippant here. Just relax, take a step back, and consider enjoying the role you’re in. I’ve said before that there is no better time to be in B2B marketing. Yes, there is much that is expected of us. But with that expectation comes a great opportunity to shine. So, enjoy the ride and accept challenge.
Tip #2: Be Realistic
Years ago, in a previous role, I became the head of a marketing department at a technology company. Within weeks of starting, I began to receive calls from others in the organization asking why things were not moving at a faster pace. I took each of these opportunities to outline for my peers where the department had been, the dormancy of marketing in the organization, the vision for what we were going to accomplish, and the plan for how we were going to do so. Some of the items on our plan were easy, resulting in quick wins. Other items would take longer, and we made it clear that they would. The bottom line is that we were realistic. We knew what had to be done, and we also knew that not all of it could be done overnight. In fact, some of our initiatives took up to two years. But all along, we were sure to show our incremental progress.
Understand that you will not change things overnight. Map out a realistic plan, work with others in the organization to execute the plan, and allow the necessary time to do it right.
Tip #3: Seek to Know That Which You Don’t Know
Several years ago, I had a plumbing issue in my home that was causing low water pressure. The first plumber I called told me the problem was the line running from the water main to our home, and it would cost $5,000 to replace. Wanting a second opinion, I called another plumber who informed me that because the home was built in the 1960s, I would need to replace all of my pipes. We didn’t get to the “quote stage” because I hung up on him. The third plumber I spoke to spent 20 minutes asking me a variety of questions about the house, if we’d had past problems, did we have any water filters, etc. After the discovery process, he diagnosed the problem and gave me a relatively low-cost, do-it-yourself fix. And it worked!
The lesson here is take the time to diagnose. Discover and identify the real problems that exist. Too many times marketers begin fixing what are perceived issues when in reality they are focusing on symptoms and missing the problem all together. To get a good understanding of where you are in terms of marketing health, conduct an audit of your current state. This audit should apply to your lead management process, your content library, demand generation strategy, resources and any other area that will impact the success of your marketing efforts. After you identify the real issues, prioritize what should be addressed and work that into your plan. Once this is complete, the real work and fun begins!
Tip #4. Make Friends With Sales
True success in marketing cannot be achieved if there is a gap between marketing and sales. Make sure you are listening to, asking for input from, and collaborating with sales. While they view the world differently, they have incredible insight into the needs and patterns of your buyers that will prove invaluable.
The world of the B2B marketer has surely changed. This change is a positive one and should be looked at as a tremendous opportunity for all marketers. So, keep running. You will survive!
