How do I engage with key decision-makers?

As a new decade dawns, this question will be top of mind for many professionals. Whether the offer is technical or soft-skill, whether the priorities are strategic or immediate, it is imperative we engage with key-decision makers. Otherwise our talents remain Europe’s best-kept secret.

Fatigue?

For anyone who has been studying this topic for some time, the question often brings a degree of fatigue. Some would add words like “apprehension”, “nervousness”, or “scepticism”. So many approaches have not worked. It takes a lot of patience and dedication. Is there really a better way of doing it? Are all these approaches a mirage?

Many professionals would rather someone else did the “engaging”, and contracted them in when they were successful. This approach is fine if it’s working … but will it work in the decade ahead?

Changing world

As the end of the “noughties” goes by, there are significant changes occurring in the landscape of business-development.

Firstly, nobody can just rely on their CV or skills. In a global marketplace, every corner is teeming with competitors or soon will be. There are usually hundreds from which to choose, and there is always someone cheaper. Why us?

The usual answer is “relationship”. But here again, things are changing. Managers are in-post for much shorter durations. Procurement processes make it harder to employ their friends. Decisions are increasingly made by committee, as companies pursue stricter governance guidelines.

Thirdly, a lot of “keep-in-touch” strategies are simply no longer working. The recipient knows what we are doing, and protects themselves accordingly. In a busy world, some of these “How are you?” calls get resented, particularly if the person at the other end suspects they are the subject of a marketing process.

Finally, the days of “message-centred marketing” are numbered. In just a few years, this will seem as quaint as mail-shots or prize-draws. Messages from strangers get disregarded so quickly that we don’t even now what’s in them. Whether online or offline, the “envelope never gets opened” or gets lost in the pile. So it really doesn’t matter how much work has gone into the brand or USP or white-paper. It simply gets ignored.

Innovation

You would imagine that this would drive organisations to find new ways to engage. There is little evidence for this; on the contrary what seems to be happening is that companies are working their existing strategies more intensively … for example, doing more “Keep-in-touch”, customer surveys, networking etc.

Not only is this not very innovative, it fact it provokes more resistance and contact-protection from decision-makers. There are many who are now simply inaccessible by phone or email, except to a chosen few.

Leading by Enquiry

Throughout 2009, Success 121 has been piloting a number of new ways to engage for consulting firms, independent professionals and even internal departments in large organisations, many of whom face the same issue. How do I engage with key stakeholders?

“Research Led Marketing” is one of the more successful approaches, though it’s not the only one. Rather than leading with a message, we instead lead with a question. Ideally a question that is specific to the niche in which the professional works, and that’s adds some new knowledge or insight.

Questions like “What are your priorities for the year ahead?” do not generally work. This is usually heard as “pre-sales-talk”, and will either prompt generic answers, or none at all. “How are you dealing with the impact of XYZ regulation?” works much better.

“Research Led Marketing” is one of the more successful of the value-centred approaches …

* being more engaging for prospects, as long as it’s done professionally and well

* producing “value-in-advance” of any sales conversation, in turn inviting interest, enquiries and leads

* providing a practical “vehicle” for alliance partners to start working together, and collaborating

* reaching senior decision-makers that are beyond the reach of promotional means. (Most of these people don’t do conventional networking)

* sharpening the value proposition and informing the provider about how they need to position their services

More?

As part of a strategic alliance with several value-centred organisations, Success 121 is organising a webinar on “Research Led Marketing” on Jan 27th 2010 at 9am GMT or 10am Central European Time. This will address how to design a new approach to customers and alliance-partners by constructing engaging enquiries with them.

There is no charge for this webinar, but space is restricted. If you would like to reserve a seat, you can do so by visiting www.success121.com or by clicking on this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/511133784.

A note about “value-centred”?

Research-led marketing is more than just another tactic for the seduction of prospects. It is not “false research” or “sugging” (i.e. “selling under the guise of research”).

It’s an approach for professionals who genuinely want to add value in their marketplace: i.e. people who are focused on the prosperity of their clients first-and-foremost, and who are confident that their own prosperity will develop as a result. It’s for people who think about their market more than they think about themselves.