With the advent of virtually universal cellphone ownership and so many means of digital communication, I think that’s a phrase that today is only heard in old movies. (A similar situation is depicted in the funny “Bob Wehadababyitsaboy” Geico commercial.) Yet I believe on closer inspection, it leads us to some important insights we can use as we’re planning our marketing strategies.
First—and this is the single most important lesson—all communication is person-to-person. Personalization has been a major topic in digital marketing for a long time, and its importance in B2C marketing and advertising is easy to grasp. The more you know about your prospects’ likes, dislikes, needs, and desires, the more likely you will be able to effectively target your marketing message.
However, it’s my experience that personalization is less understood or used in the B2B setting. If you’ll let me go back to the example I used to start this article, I want to touch on the old operator-assisted call when it wasn’t placed as a “person-to-person” call. In that case, the call would go through to whoever picked up the phone on the other end.
We can view that as a parallel to B2B marketing: your marketing is going to a company. However, just like the non-person-to-person phone call, your message will actually be received and scrutinized by a person, so some kind of “personalization” should be considered.
If you’re marketing to the consumer, personalized coupons and similar schemes work, but in the B2B world you’re often selling specialty items or fixed-price services, so those tactics aren’t available to you.
What do B2B companies want?
Therefore, you need to ask yourself, on a personal level, what do the gatekeepers and decision makers at B2B companies want?
They want information. We live in the Information Age and when you strip away everything else, good, actionable information is the “coin of the realm.” Virtually all of today’s leading companies are, in one or more ways, sellers of information.
The lesson here is that if you provide your prospects and current customers with the information (content) they need to succeed, you will end up with a larger and more responsive customer base.
But what content?
I can’t tell you exactly what topics around which you should create content, but I can introduce you to some people who can answer that question specifically: your sales force. Regular engagement between your marketing team and sales reps to discuss content marketing ideas can be your classic twofer:
- You break down barriers that often separate the two functions, and
- You get some great ideas for personalized content.
This increased interaction between sales and marketing might also allow you to do some list segmentation similar to what is done in B2C marketing. You might discover that while many companies use the same product or service, the challenges they face in the marketplace are different.
This could give your marketing team the ability to massage white papers and email newsletters in ways that more directly push the buttons of a wider group of prospects and clients.
You’re a person, too!
Let’s get back to the concept of person-to-person communication for a moment. Even if you start targeting your content and messaging better, there needs to be a human being on your side of the communication.
Take time to humanize your contact people. If, for example, you’re using a white paper as a lead magnet, let the author or authors express their personalities. Include enough biographical details that the reader knows it wasn’t created by simply piecing together some information you found on the web and slapping your corporate logo on top.
It’s been said many times, but bears repeating: People do business with people, not companies. This is especially true in the B2B world. Clients and prospects need to see that you invest human capital in your content.
To whom it may concern
Finally, don’t forget the simple things. No one in sales or marketing should ever send out an email that screams “Form letter!”
If you don’t specifically know whom you’re emailing and some basic things about them and their companies, don’t compose or hit send until you’ve done your research. You need to include at least the name of the recipient, a possible solution to their problem, the reason why you’re reaching out, and some personalization, such as “I saw your blog on widgets…”
Trash cans–both real and digital–are primary destinations for communication that lacks personalization.
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If you’re feeling unsure about yourself or lack confidence in your pitch, take a step back and try to identify the weaknesses you are feeling. I’ve always found that when I do as much due diligence as possible on who I’m pitching to, I feel more confident. Knowing the business experience of the person I’m pitching allows me to make my pitch more personalized and compelling. —
Practice makes perfect, as they say. You’ll be infinitely more confident doing your pitch if you know the material and it becomes second nature. The biggest reason for freezing on stage is that people forget the material or aren’t confident they know it. Practice your pitch 100-plus times on your own, or preferably in front of others, to get comfortable with the material. —
Practice your pitch in front of a mirror first, then perform it in front of friends and/or family members. Using a two-pronged approach will allow you to see things that others might notice about you (like smiling for example), and letting others in will give you outside feedback that you probably wouldn’t catch on to. It’s the best approach because you have at least two more sets of eyes on your pitch. —
Investors and clients have heard hundreds, or even thousands, of pitches. By building rapport, for example, through small talk, you can differentiate yourself from your many competitors while also increasing your confidence by making the interaction more empathetic. —
One big fear during a pitch for investors or potential clients is being stumped or stumbling over unexpected questions. So, instead of just practicing your pitch, come up with some questions that could be asked and practice your answers for them, too. You could even ask coworkers or friends to submit questions so that you can come up with answers to a wide range of potential inquiries. —
A great way to objectively evaluate your pitch before presenting it is to time how long it takes for you to say it. This forces you to think about your pitch in a different way, which can help you decide what does and doesn’t need to be said. After doing this a few times, you’ll feel a lot more confident about the quality of both your presentation and the pitch itself. —
It may feel awkward at first to watch yourself on video, but you will get used to it, and doing this will help you to see facial expressions and delivery. Share these recordings with others to get their tips.—
You can practice your pitch all you want, but the truth is if you’re not feeling confident, it’s not going to go as well as you want it to. So spend some time practicing positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you’re confident, that you’re going to do amazing, and that everyone will be impressed with your presentation. Feeling confident will make all the difference heading into your pitch. —
The best way to feel ready for a pitch is to know your pitch forward and backward. I accomplish this by weaning myself off the page. Even if I will have the pages in front of me when I do the real thing, I want to know I can talk through it without being reliant on what I have written down. This will give you the confidence to be yourself in the room and connect more with your listeners. —
As someone who has given dozens of client pitches, I’ve learned the most important thing to do is to engage your audience, and I have found the best way to do this is by being relatable, and in turn, likeable. I try to listen to every point and answer every question. —
Practicing by actually talking to investors is great, but it actually makes learning harder because you’ll be focused on the outcome, not the process. Hire a public speaking coach and practice your pitch with them. They’ll be able to properly analyze what you’re doing and give you practical advice, ranging from your pitch to tempo. Changes will be rapid and your confidence will skyrocket. —
It’s common for business owners to feel nervous about pitching to clients and investors because they are not confident in their writing skills. They often feel like their script and talking points are subpar. An editor can help you refine your pitch to help you feel more confident when pitching to investors or clients. —
Perhaps you have trouble demonstrating your pitch to potential clients and investors, but what if you were to add the art of storytelling into the mix? This could be a great way to not only incorporate fun, but if there’s a story to back up your pitch, it also will help your investors see the situation from a different point of view. People love hearing about others’ experiences, so give it a shot. —
The best way to practice your pitch to investors is to actually talk to investors. Another founder can talk about your delivery and your message, but they won’t have the insights into how investable the idea is. Build a huge list of target investors, and consider starting at the “bottom.” Practice on those investors that are good, but not your top selections. Then move up to your target funds. —
