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How to fill your pipeline pre- and post-sale? Thought leadership is the answer
| Guest post by: Craig Badings |
Article Overview: Filling the sales pipeline is one of the most talked about aspects of marketing and sales. In this article I challenge conventional thinking about how to fill the pipeline and advocate that in fact thought leaderhip is one of the most effective ways to do so.
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Free Download - Your content will die if you don’t shift your paradigm By Craig Badings |
How to fill your pipeline pre- and post-sale? Thought leadership is the answer
Over the past few years, there has been an understandable spotlight on the sales pipeline. Companies the world over have sent their employees on refresher and extra training courses while executives have focused intently on the health of the pipeline.
The same questions have been asked over and over: "What is the best way to fill our pipeline?"; "How do we interest our target publics in our product/service during these tough times?"; "How do we get in front of our clients and prospects and have conversations with them?"; and so on.
None of this is new. Filling the new business pipeline is one of a company's biggest challenges.
Most of us are aware of the 20-4-1 rule - for every 20 prospects you call, four will entertain your proposals and only one will bite. When it comes to pipeline, we all know the drill - keep one step ahead, know your audience, have conversations, know the sector, find solutions, listen to the client, etc, etc.
The problem is that there is a new marketing and sales malaise - people are tired of being marketed and sold to in the traditional manner.
Thought leadership will position you as the expert
What price then to have your prospects already vested in your brand because they recognise your company as the expert or 'go to' source for information in their sector? This is probably not going to happen through traditional sales or marketing channels. Rather to achieve this outcome you need thought leadership.
Thought leadership is about arming your team with the relevant insights about your or your prospect's sector so that you can hold in-depth conversations with them about the most important challenges they face. These conversations should be backed by a feast of interesting and relevant content backed up by supporting collateral as well as presentations, one-on-one meetings, roundtables, forums, etc.
Thought leadership is about valuable insights
What better way to drive your pipeline than by offering your prospects something they really value - information and insights about their sector, their issues, their challenges. How refreshing to them and to your team to be able to drop the 'hard sell' and to have conversations that you know really matter to them and that develop even deeper insights of their business.
This is thought leadership in its truest form.
For 10 years or more, management consultancies have filled their pipelines and generated interest from their target publics through clever thought leadership. I'm not talking about putting out a bit of content here and there but rather through targeted thought leadership strategies that receive the right amount of senior management input as well as resources and budget.
Thought leadership delivers six key things
A good leadership campaign']);"> thought leadership campaign can deliver the following to your business:
- 1. An alignment of your interests with your prospects showing your deep understanding of their issues
- 2. Differentiation from the competition
- 3. Increased credibility and an enviable position as a trusted advisor
- 4. Less resistance to pricing and a vindication of their purchasing decision
- 5. Creates brand evangelists from within your own customer ranks
- 6. Delivers a longer-term, thought leadership conversation platform beyond the sale
A well-packaged, well-presented leadership campaign']);"> thought leadership campaign will deliver a refreshed and more relevant way of engaging with your clients as well as your prospects. More importantly it will deliver a more sustainable and authentic way of filling your pipeline pre and post the sale.
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About the Author: Craig Badings RSS for Craig's articles - Visit Craig's website Click here to visit Craig's website   Thought leadership benefits |
Related Forum Posts
Pitching without getting Poached
- Hi Kevin,
This is a great question and one I get ALOT! The short answer is a non disclosure agreement with a strict confidentiality clause and non-compete.
Sadly, it doesnt always work. I recently hired a copywriter to edit some of my women's leadership work - and now I find out she is speaking on Women's leadership to my own Women's group. Eek!
In any case, I'm the expert so I doubt it will go far.
You do need to be careful and follow your gut on who to trust and how much information to share. Most people are honourable but you do need to cover your butt.
J
Woman Profile - Jacqueline Cochran!
- Thanks! I haven't heard of her before. I'll have my team look into her story and see if we can put something together. She's on the list now along with Rachel Ray, Debbie Fields and Julie Aigner-Clark - it looks like we have a lot of women in the pipeline!
Keep the suggestions coming!
Re: How To Post A Forum Topic That Gets Responses
- Hi GT,
I guess this is why you are a writer and this is why it took me 6 months before I started writing articles for article marketing. The first article took my 3 day, or even more.
In high school I was the only one not to fill all the given lines for an answer, while others filled more.
Free gifts
- Hi Kevin - I like that idea.
You could also have them fill out a profile online the deals with the topic at hand and for them to get the results of their survey they need to show up to the event.
How about getting better seats if you pre-register online? Or an extra session with the person delivering the seminar?
In the signup page if you ask them a targeted question and get them more involved they are more likely to come as well. For example if it's on marketing you could ask them to fill out their top 3 marketing challenges. Make it a required field. You may lose a few people who don't want to fill it out but those who do fill it out will be more committed and more likely to come out. It also gives the expert delivering the seminar targeted information to work with at the event.
How about giving them a link from the website so they can promote their business if they actually show up?
Just a few ideas kicking around my head before taking off for the SEO for Africa event. Hope it helps!
Re: Hello to the forum
- Hi Pete,
You are welcome to this great forum. A client of mine is interested in pipeline construction project across Africa. When he is loooking for consultant to work on the project will you be interested? The project is taken off in the first quater of 2011
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