Canvas Magazine | Chutes or Ladders? | November 2014

CHUTES OR LADDERS? 9 risks you must take to build a sustainable business

Perfecting the art of customer service Your sales strategy defined Why email still matters

BIGGER, BETTER SWATCHBOOKS. FALL 2014.

[ACTUAL SIZE]

mohawkconnects.com

To achieve real success, you must consistently embrace risk every day.

page 12 NOVEMBER 2014

PUBLISHER

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mark potter

Editor’s Thoughts

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Up, up and away...

brandon clark MARKETING MANAGER brandy brewer

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Best of CANVAS Notes Tangibility

MANAGING EDITOR michael j. pallerino ART DIRECTOR brent cashman

EDITORIAL BOARD chris petro GlobalSoft

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Marketing Insights P12

Chutes or ladders?

9 risks you must take to build a sustainable business

tom moe Daily Printing

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dean petrulakis Rider Dickerson

Why it matters to your business and how you can get it right

david bennett Bennett Graphics

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tony narducci O’Neil Printing

Can you name the only two problems your business is facing?

The power of service

Your sales strategy defined

CANVAS, Volume 6, Issue 7. Published bi-monthly, copyright 2014 CANVAS, All rights reserved, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30097. Please note: The acceptance of advertising or products mentioned by contributing authors does not constitute endorsement by the publisher. Publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of an opinion expressed by contributing authors.

CANVAS P1

EDITOR’S THOUGHTS

Up, up and away…

“Caution: Cape does not enable user to fly.”

T

The above warning label, taken from the tag of a Halloween costume, is funny because it’s true. You don’t get super human powers just because it says so on the label. Take social media. In a time when social is begging

anybody (everybody) to become a thought-leader in something (anything), it might be best to clearly define your strategy before you take that leap (pun intended).

A recent report by research firm BIA/Kelsey unveils that social is the top media for small and medium businesses in terms of usage and spending. The “Local Commerce Monitor” shows that 74.5 percent of small and medium

As technology continues to enhance and diversify how we communicate, what could be better than being a marketing services provider today?

businesses – defined as those with fewer than 100 employees – now use social media to advertise or promote their businesses.

That’s great news, if you know what you’re doing. Being social for social’s sake is no way to build a social media campaign. Being creative and finding ways to engage your followers, aka your existing and prospective customers, is how and why you do it. The beauty of social media is that you have the world at your fingertips. The curse is that you have the world at your fingertips.

Social impacts all corners – and everybody – in your company. Being social is not a series of random posts and tweets about incidental happenings in your world. It is a precise and strategic way to offer snapshots into who you are and what you offer. It can be one of the most powerful and effective tools you have at your disposal.

That’s where you come in. As the way we communicate continues to evolve, what’s better than being a marketing services provider today? Let’s face it – everybody has a story to tell, it just comes down to how they tell it. Print. Digital.

Content marketing. Email campaigns. Your best move becomes their best move.

And that means being better than the rest. In “The Parachute or the Stairs?” entrepreneur and author Tom Panaggio shows you why a willingness to take risks is what separates your company from the rank and file. And if you’re looking for ways to improve your customer service techniques, author and long-time business consultant JE Karp gives you the lowdown in “The Power of Service.”

If you absolutely feel that wearing a cape will help your business reach a little higher, give us a call. We may know somebody who knows somebody who can help.

Keep pushing on,

Michael J. Pallerino, Editor Follow me @mpallerino P2

CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

impact in paper & print Creating an

Tangibility

“ids on their d see our ki n a ay d g ll in a rn rs o pute ry m e stairs eve re at our com y to watch a th st n e w o W . d ve lk e wa we dri nd of the da d We text while uch at the e co e art of us, an th whatevers.” n o n e they’re a p lop dow lik p s to ce vi ly e n d o r , long e cling to ou s all night. W V T n e re sc t our fla s. essages ow define u millions of m e iv ce I fear they n re e ur veins, I ted. W gy runs in o over-stimula lo o ly n te ch le p te m ile co wh to say we’re r more. And it’s a stretch e capacity fo th e av h to I don’t think m d yet we see of our lives. gs of quese heartbeat every day, an th e b ld u ioned to thin o it sh d n it co ve e lie m e nsive things e beco don’t b itionally, offe how we hav d ad Tr an . s u ay d to to rs available are appetize the garbage lence simply o a stretch. vi is d le Consider all an ib s g g n ything ta e. Sex, dru an lu l e va fe rsation le to ab g n tio y on a conve that tryin rr d e ca in ’t n ra g ca in scripted People become so constantly is ne another. o d rl m o o w fr t e e th g when on we yes is not importantly, ck of attenti laze in our e g la re o e at M th th . r , e re ct d o si fa from our s anym ffer. In And con e halo effect their device ultimately o th at d ’s g it an n , – ki n o e io lo it in t b am withou left to imag ces. ’s not much mobile devi for us, there n a c e w t n to connect o believe tha of our ability r ss o o le p d g f ar o in g I passionately e v ce R a n h y b y r accepta r u o te l, s y ve le r m u e d o ina human I . of values, an le ck p la maintain som o a e t d p an l a rs manne worst impac s with re n o ti a r more, the fo rs d e e v e n n e e t o th k c be vo cessan real mulation may onsibility to e p s re l this oversti r al f u o o s. e ’s it liv ry in our believe ithin others. lack of myste w n o ti o m e d le won’t feelings an e. But Goog m f o n io rs a motter ve or proven in nvision a be d e lle to e p e is lik d e I’d but her b orth living. out myself, lieve can eit e our lives w ant to lie ab ing that I be ak h m yt n d A an t. l h e g Not that I w fe e ri s allow us to ays has to b els, the let me. It alw ” it. Yet dream g lin g o o social chann “g V, T y b – s ce ti rm o fo n iad our minds. I ment’s nment in myr sn’t impact ai e rt o d te n ff e u st st e is ly dig ink th ned state of iculous to th ere relentless our conditio d h t ri w u ’s B ry It . . e ve e lu ile b le va al Peop and mo ctions and re around us.

Tube videos r real conne everywhere fo ’s g at internet, You in th h e ac ag – b ar e starving nsume the g maintain believe we’r that we can continually co ve e w lie e re b su ly s e e has undersionat mind mak ustry always in here. I pas d ra in g r u e o th , st rn n n agai le. In tu otion within ith real peop ortunity to ru lings and em p w e p s fe o n e io ke th at vo e rs e to We hav real conve sponsibility ry by having ve it’s our re lie e b I . some myste ty ili lue of tangib t up stood the va e. So, let’s lif t we deserv n e own m r u sh o . ri f u rs o o e oth k some it’s the n ac t b u b ss , d to rl s, o n w ’s inio task in today nscripted op not an easy s, listen to u ’s it ye , e ly e n th ai rt in e C ok people our heads, lo ing again. feel someth to t ar st d an

W

ards, Warmest reg

Mark Pot te r Follow me @

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

er

markricepott

Wide format applications.

Wider business opportunities.

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Š2014 Ricoh. All Rights Reserved.

MARKET INSIGHTS

A SNAPSHOT OF THE TRENDS DEFINING OUR INDUSTRY

The Tao of Content Marketing

Just how important is content marketing? According to the “Content Marketing and Lead Generation” report by Starfleet Media, 63 percent of B2B marketers plan to allocate a greater portion of their marketing budgets to content marketing over the next 12 months.

In addition, 23 percent plan to more than double their spending on content marketing in the year ahead. Interestingly, 68 percent say they outsourced some of their content development over the previous 12 months, the survey reports.

The percent of B2B marketers that believe social media is an effective channel for marketing, according to the “What Works Where in B2B” survey by business agency Omobono. The research also shows that 38 percent plan to spend more on social media, while 39 percent will turn to apps or optimization.

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

Research says overwhelmingly that the future lies in offering games, awards, entertainment and other ways of keeping [consumers] engaged without being creepy and digging too far into [their] privacy.”

– Scott A. Rosenberger, senior partner of Deloitte Consulting’s travel, hospitality and leisure practice, on ways to keep your consumers’ attention without turning them off with technology

MARKET INSIGHTS

A SNAPSHOT OF THE TRENDS DEFINING OUR INDUSTRY

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content It’s here – your go-to guide to attracting and retaining customers through superb online communication, compliments of Ann Handley, marketing veteran and chief content officer at MarketingProfs.

Handley subscribes to the theory that we are all writers. If you have a web site, you are a publisher. If you are on social media, you are in marketing. Translation: We’re all relying on our words to carry our marketing messages. We’re all writers.

Everybody Writes gives expert guidance and insight into the process and strategy of content creation, production and publishing, with actionable how-to advice designed to get results. Its lessons and rules apply across all of your online assets — web pages, home page, landing pages, blogs, email, marketing offers, and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media.

If you’re looking to become a player in the world of content marketing, CANVAS recommends you add this book to your list.

Posting up

Social is the top media platform for small businesses When it comes to usage and spending, social has become the top media platform for small and medium businesses, according to the “Local Commerce Monitor” report from research firm BIA/Kelsey. The report shows that 74.5 percent of small and medium businesses – defined as those with fewer than 100 employees – now use social media to advertise or promote their businesses. Small businesses also spend an average of 21.4 percent of their total media budgets on social, more than on any other media platform, the survey says.

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

TOOLS

TECHNOLOGY

CONNECTIONS

The winning combination of tools, technology and connections.

All the sign industry’s most competitive players will be in Las Vegas in April — getting the next-level tips and tricks that will drive their businesses.

You can’t win big if you don’t play hard. Register now for ISA Sign Expo 2015.

WHERE YOUR BUSINESS WINS Education & Networking: April 8–11 • Trade Show: April 9–11 • Mandalay Bay Convention Center • Las Vegas, Nevada

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CANVAS P9

MARKET INSIGHTS

A SNAPSHOT OF THE TRENDS DEFINING OUR INDUSTRY

Inside the funnel

Reports looks at best ways to reach customers If you’re looking for the best way to reach your customers, email still is your answer. According to a report by Gigaom and Extole, digital marketers say the strategy remains the most effective across much of the sales funnel.

The report – “Workhorses and Dark Horses – Digital Tactics for Customer Acquisition” – shows that email is the best at building awareness (41 percent), boosting acquisition (37 percent), and increasing conversion (42 percent). The four most used digital tactics most by respondents include:

Social media marketing

Search engine optimization

Content marketing

Email marketing

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

When it comes to digital production, we wrote the book...

Graph Expo 2014 may be finished, but the race continues—to grow your business, serve your clients and increase your profits. Konica Minolta helps you break into the lead with hi-tech innovations like 3D printing. FileAssist for Graphic Communications, the cloud-enabled tool for secure mobile access to information. All Covered IT Services, to manage your IT without adding personnel to your payroll. And our exclusive EngageIT Xmedia services, the industry’s first cloud-based cross-media marketing platform for print, web and mobile media.

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© 2014 KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS U.S.A., INC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

KONICA MINOLTA, the KONICA MINOLTA logo, bizhub, and Giving Shape to Ideas are registered trademarks or trademarks of KONICA MINOLTA, INC.

9 ESSENTIAL RISKS YOU MUST TAKE

By Tom Panaggio

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

BY TOM PANAGGIO

OR I

risks you must take to build a sustainable business

magine you’re standing at the edge of an enormous cliff with a parachute strapped to your back. To your right is a winding staircase with a sturdy handrail. There are only two ways off the cliff – jump or take the stairs. And here’s the catch: Jump, and you’ll be awarded the exact amount of money you and your family will need to live happily ever after. Take the stairs, and you get to walk away – nothing gained, nothing lost.

To achieve real success, you must consistently embrace risk every day.

What would you do? What if there’s a slight chance your parachute won’t open? Is it best to play it safe and know that a life of mediocrity awaits? This is the dilemma entrepreneurs face every day.

Risk is eternally linked to opportunity. There is nothing wrong with taking the safe way out. Millions make that choice. But successful entrepreneurs are different. They are professional risk takers. They must be (and are) willing to strap on that parachute every day. Are you? To achieve real success, you must consistently embrace risk every day.

A willingness to take risks separates leaders from the rank and file. If you lose the spirit of risk, your business begins to decay. From startup through the last sale, the spirit of risk is the unexpected edge for every business. Here are nine risks you must accept if you want to build and run a sustainable, profitable business: CANVAS P13

CHUTES OR LADDERS?

No. 1 – Be the pig Are you a chicken or a pig?” One of my business partners, Phil Turk, used to ask this question a lot. Think about a bacon and egg breakfast.

The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. Following your entrepreneurial dream means giving everything you have – like the pig.

You must be fully committed. An entrepreneur’s commitment is personal. It includes an investment of money, time and a loss of opportunity by foregoing other opportunities. Once you decide to jump, if you want any chance for success, you must go all in like the pig.

No. 2 – Finance the dream yourself Giving up your hard-earned money is the ultimate risk. To pour your life savings into an entrepreneurial pursuit is like walking the tightrope without the benefit of a safety net. It takes courage. Even though the commitment is substantial,

Make no decisions and nothing happens. You’re in

it’s necessary to keep pushing forward. Money

stagnation, and your business will suffer. You can’t

buys resources, technology and manpower – all

be an entrepreneur and avoid decision-making.

critical elements in helping a business succeed.

You make your move, and then embrace the risks

True entrepreneurial spirit promotes self-reli-

that come with it.

ance and the willingness to find the money.

No. 5 – Change or die No. 3 – Sacrifice your most precious possession: time

Your business is like a shark – keep moving or it will die. Businesses must progress, and progress

When you pursue a new enterprise, one resource

requires change. Internal change happens within

that cannot be reimbursed, borrowed or saved in

the business walls and is not necessarily customer

an account for later is time. Losing it is the risk you

facing. Internal change can be organizational.

take going in. How you invest your time is a test of

There are changes in personnel, management,

your resourcefulness. Where is the best use of it?

department and staff reorganizations. It also re-

How much must you invest? Too little means less

fers to processes or systems, changes in attitude,

than a full effort. If there’s too much, other life seg-

and your business personality. While these three

ments suffer. The good news is eventually you’ll

characteristics can and do change independent-

learn how to navigate these challenges.

ly, they also can be linked, thus resulting in dramatic transformation. External change always is

No. 4 – Don’t be a non-decider

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customer facing. It’s most noticeable to your cus-

In business, you must decide over and over

tomers and competition. Innovation, an external

again. The first decision you make is to jump in and

change, brings a new competitive edge to your

pursue an entrepreneurial dream, but decisions

business by introducing products or services that

don’t end there. By making decisions, whether

increase the value of a customer’s experience

right or wrong, you’re progressing and mov-

with your organization and is announced in the

ing from where you were to something different.

marketplace through branding and marketing.

CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

Easily

digestible

stories that will

inspire

your sales team

Pay it

Forward

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CHUTES OR LADDERS?

No. 6 – Forget the “If I had…” excuse Some entrepreneurs are like a little boy with his nose pressed against the candy store window, hoping and thinking, “If I had a couple of pennies, I could buy some candy.” Sub in new technology, a larger budget, and so on, and excuses made by struggling entrepreneurs are everywhere. You must be self-reliant. You must get comfortable looking at yourself as the solution, not other peo-

Accepting marketing risk means recognizing that some degree of failure is both inherent and necessary to finding the right path.

ple or objects. I have heard all the “If I had” excus-

ing risk means recognizing that some degree of

es over the years. Unfortunately, this way of think-

failure is both inherent and necessary to find the

ing is based on false reality, because the road to

right path. Commit to a consistent, ongoing strat-

success is through action, not tools or accessories.

egy to ensure your message gets in front of your prospects when they’re ready to buy. You can’t

No. 7 – Expect to fail Starting and building a business is like learning to ride a bike. To master that skill, you must em-

accomplish this by sending a single message and hoping prospects remember you, and then respond months later.

brace and expect the risk of failure. By expecting

No. 9 – Get up close and personal tives. First, you’re willing to embrace failure by with your customers to fail, you accomplish two very important objecdoing something to keep your dream moving for-

Shortsighted business leaders assume that

ward, rather than avoiding risk and doing nothing.

customers have unreasonable expectations or

You can’t hit a baseball unless you swing the bat.

that their demands will increase once you open

Second, you set the expectation of planning for

the door of a relationship. After all, what if you

the best, but preparing for the worst. This is not a

start talking to them and they start wanting better

defeatist attitude, but it gives you the opportunity

pricing, extended credit or other special consid-

to prepare for recovery and make another attempt.

erations. The truth is customers require consistent care and investment. Invest in the necessary

No. 8 – Spend money on marketing

resources to draw your customers closer. Start by

Marketing is key to building a successful busi-

understanding your customers’ experience, and

ness. But it’s also something that many entrepre-

then continue maintaining a consistent line of

neurs are apprehensive to spend their money

communication throughout the relationship. To

on. Instead, they offer handy excuses such as:

a small business owner who has a small number

“I tried it once and didn’t get any response, and

of customers, losing just one has a significant im-

so I stopped.” One of my companies, RME, had

pact on organizational health. The easiest way to

a simple motto: “He who markets most wins.”

avoid customer churn is by continuously reaching

In fact, we used marketing risk as a competitive

out and communicating; the sales process never

edge against our competitors. Accepting market-

ceases.

Tom Panaggio has enjoyed a 30-year entrepreneurial career as co-founder of two successful direct marketing companies, Direct Mail Express (DME) in Daytona Beach, Fla., and a spin-off, RME in Tampa, Fla. He also is the author of “The Risk Advantage: Embracing the Entrepreneur’s Unexpected Edge.” For more information, please visit www.TheRiskAdvantage.com.

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

PAPER because Print Works!

Print is an effective marketing and communications medium. In a time of compelling forms of communication, print on paper works, and works well, especially when paired with the right media mix. For statistics and valuable resources or to schedule a customized meeting, visit the Print Works! page at domtarblueline.com.

PAPERbecause.com

WHY SERVICE MATTERS

The

Power of

Service

K

now your people, know them

personally, take an interest in

them and reward them. They are

the ones who keep the wheels turning.

Now hear this: Concentrating on providing great service makes people at all levels of your business feel good. It changes lives and builds sales and profits.

Let’s start here. The printing industry is a complex industry that involves many businesses throughout the process. With the involvement of so many businesses, and the diversity of all those involved, the importance of building trust through relationships and having a strong communications skill set is critical to your success.

It has been my experience that some executives just don’t understand how their communications, both verbal and non-verbal, affect everyone around them. They don’t get

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

how telephone manners, email messages, the spoken word, mannerisms and personal appearance can have a profound influence on their brand. Have someone you trust or a professional consultant with solid credentials evaluate your “presence” in your business.

Where there’s a string of businesses involved – manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers – there always are issues that can become obstacles to delivering a positive service experience. How you deal with those problems, at all levels in your business, absolutely impacts the extent of your success. Supply chain management only works when each part of the system is in complete synergy.

BY JE KARP

Why it matters to your business and how you can get it right

Know your people, know them personally, take an interest in them and reward them.

They are the ones who keep the wheels turning.

CANVAS P19

THE POWER OF SERVICE

One of the keys to success is understanding what you have an abundance of and what you need more of.

Your suppliers, your staff, your clients have to be managed.

They need your attention. The pressures of supply chain management have an effect on employees who feed the system.

Know your people, know them personally, take an interest in them and reward them. They are the ones who keep the wheels turning. There isn’t a better feeling than when it all comes together.

Executives often express their frustration on the phone or in emails, leaving the people – clients or employees – feeling powerless. This is not the way to build long-term relationships. Those relationships can be life changing. Relationships are built on trust – clients and employees knowing that their needs are paramount to you. They learn this every time you meet or beat a deadline, every time you make them feel important, every time you give them better service than they expect, especially in an industry that’s so time sensitive.

These days, if you don’t meet your clients’ needs, someone else will. If you don’t treat your employees well, someone else will.

Your part of the supply chain needs your constant attention.

Technological innovations produce change in the way you do business and you have to keep up-to-date. People and circumstances change for your suppliers, clients and employees. Keep abreast with what’s going on in their world and keep working on those relationships. If you don’t, somebody else will step in. Court your clients and staff and lure them away. They will start eating into your market share because you didn’t want to change your behavior or perhaps you just never thought about it.

This is the power of service – you serve your employees, your suppliers and your clients – all of the time, every day. That’s how you must think about everything you do—in terms of service.

All about the relationships

Building strong relationships with those who depend on you is the pathway to success, whether it is the manufacturer, the wholesaler, the printing firm, your client, your employee or the retailer. Those relationships will lead to a sense of partnering, as opposed to a feeling of vulnerability. The people who you serve are the builders of your reputation – they are the builders of your success. Choose not to cater to them – make them live by your rules and timelines – and your entire business inevitably will be adversely affected.

If someone you do business with calls you, call them back within 24 hours, sooner if the message says the matter is urgent. Don’t explain all your problems to your clients – whether it be a wholesaler or a customer you’re working with. Never make negative statements. Show them you are listening by

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

asking them questions and by assuring them that you are going to “get right on it.” You must care about their problems, because if you don’t, their problems become your problems. It’s a partnership, so depend on them as much as they depend on you. It is worth your while to impress a client. Besides that, it’s the right thing to do.

You never know when a one-stop customer may become a long-term one, or how many people they will tell about how you treat them. Order sufficiently and, if you find the ordering is a problem, take on the business of ordering yourself. Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than having to wait on something because you don’t have what’s needed to complete a job.

Both verbal and non-verbal communication are critical to building relationships. When dealing with clients, be aware of the tone of your voice. If you’re communicating by email, go to great lengths to ensure your tone comes across as positive and gracious. People remember how your tone of voice made them feel. In fact, what people remember most about you is how you made them feel. That’s their bottom line where you are concerned.

The people who you serve are the builders of your reputation – they are the builders of your success.

STAY IN TOUCH...

Our CANVAS community is more robust than ever.

Don’t miss an issue

Update your information today!

www.thecanvasmag.com

THE POWER OF SERVICE The power of relationship building is that you must take every opportunity to make them feel good. Complacency is your enemy.

Loyalty is built from emotional bonds, so both the language you use and the way you deliver your message are incredibly important. Ask someone you trust how you come across to others. It can be painfully beneficial.

And here’s the kicker – you need to genuinely care about your suppliers, your clients and your employee’s needs. That’s the first step to delivering authentic service.

There’s one more important thing to remember. Make sure you give your customers your full

attention. Face them straight on. This is how you convey they have your undivided attention. This goes for your employees, too. Your message should be that you care. Drop whatever else you’re doing and give your customers your unbroken attention.

You build your sales and profitability through great service, not only to your clients, but also to your suppliers and employees, too.

That’s the Power of Service. Raise that flag, and they will come – and return.

Concentrating on providing great service makes people at all levels of your business feel good.

It changes lives and builds sales and profits.

As a McDonald’s owner operator, Joy E Karp created the “McDonald’s Hands On Business Training Program in 1979, which became the worldwide training model for McDonald’s. Karp has spent her life as a business owner (she became a McDonald’s franchisee in 1985), as well as designing and teaching courses on service and customer satisfaction. She also is author of “The Power of Service: Practical Ways to Build Personal and Professional Relationships.”

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CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

BUSINESS INSIGHTS

SALES STRATEGY DEFINED • GREGORY COTICCHIA

Your sales strategy defined

Can you name the only two problems your business is facing?

I

’m often asked to help a company define its strategy. I find that when I am asked to do so, the company’s low/flat sales typically is suffering from technology issues and a strategy that had worked successfully just stopped working.

I had an old boss who used to say, “There are

If you’re a part of this, your friends will all come

only two problems in business: not enough sales

up to you and say, “Do you work there? Wow.” Fu-

and everything else.” While I’m not sure he was

ture employers will say, “You must be successful

the first one to say that, his words still ring true. In

since you worked at Company X.’’ It’s what I call

my experience, the No. 1 reason many companies

the “Fiddler on the Roof” phenomena – “You’re

think this is because they have hit a roadblock.

rich; they think you know.”

The solution is easy: devise a strategy to get back on track.

Strategy is a three-legged stool: Where are

I agree with authors Al Ries and Jack Trout,

you? Where do you want to go? How do you

whose book, “Bottom-Up Marketing,” says that all

get there? These all seem like simple questions.

great strategy comes from tactics. The philosophy

But these questions can be childlike to some

is derived from their work in “Marketing Warfare.”

companies, which means they often are dis-

The premise is simple: It all starts in the field and in

missed or ignored.

sales. Find the repeatable, go-to-market pattern in

Isn’t there some methodology that can be used? Some companies create strategies that re-

the sales process, extrapolate that, and then simplify it for your marketing messaging.

sult in a winning formula. It would be great if they

Ries and Trout argue that for the bottom-up ap-

could create one that had a guaranteed outcome,

proach to work, you must have a deep knowledge

and then repeat it over and over again.

of the tactics used on the battlefield. From there,

Some companies are looking for a “tag line” – a secret catch phrase they can attach to their business with messaging that can magically start growing sales and revenue.

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Strategy is hard work

CANVAS NOVEMBER 2014

you must formulate a strategy that can achieve tactical objectives.

More specifically, they argue that the sole purpose of a strategy is to put the forces in motion

What are you great at?

V

m a e t r u o y or

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS to overpower your competitors at the point of

SALES STRATEGY DEFINED

What is the lesson?

contact using the principle of force. On a military

Strategy meetings are very important. They

battlefield, this means having more soldiers or

are designed to get everybody on the same

force at the point of battle. On the marketing

page about messaging, resource allocation, etc.

battlefield, it means you must overpower your

But real strategy happens at the field level, belly

competitors in a specific position (in the mind of

to belly with your prospects and customers. See-

your prospects and customers).

ing and hearing that pattern will lead you to your

Ries and Trout say that a good strategy does

desired outcome.

not depend on brilliant tactics. Mediocre tactics

Now, here’s a word of caution. As a result of

usually are sufficient for a good strategy. Even the

the above, you may be tempted to listen to your

best possible tactics are unlikely to compensate

sales reps to derive this strategy. That could

for a poor strategy. In marketing, advertising can

work, but would most likely be a mistake.

be considered tactics, and many managers falsely

Sales is not a market research tool. It is not

assume that success depends almost entirely on

your strategy’s diving rod. The feedback as to

the quality of the advertising campaign. If a strat-

what’s working and what’s not is not colored by

egy requires top-notch tactics to win the battle,

coin-operated incentives or by one customer

Ries and Trout maintain that such a strategy is un-

versus a market. But that’s what your sales team

sound because tactical brilliance is rare.

wants. They are after results in revenue. They

Any strategy should take into account the

don’t want to pull the camera back to see the

probable response of your competitors. The best

whole picture. It’s not their job. And, in many

way to protect against a response is to attack

cases, it is not how they are wired.

the weakness in the market leader’s strength.

To support the argument of a bottom-up

So, get out there and see for yourself. Ask questions. “Why” is a good place to start.

strategy, Ries and Trout point out that many large companies incorrectly believe they can do anything if they simply allocate enough resources. History shows otherwise, especially if you consider failed attempts like Exxon’s entry into office systems and Mobil’s acquisition of Montgomery Ward. Such diversions shift resources away from the point of battle where they are needed. This is one of the dangers that can be avoided by a bottom-up strategy based on what can be accomplished on the tactical level.

Greg Coticchia is an award-winning technology executive with more than 25 years experience in high-tech products and services. Recently, as CEO and co-founder of eBillingHub, he grew the company from inception to establishing it in a leading market position that led to its sale to Thomson Reuters. He currently teaches both business-to-business marketing and entrepreneurial leadership at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business.

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