There is no shortage of opinions about what marketers need to be prioritizing right now. We can pretty much say without a doubt there is one characteristic that we’re trying to embody: Predictability. In a world upended, we’re looking for predictability, at home and work. In particular, marketers are looking for predictability in the pipeline. This is how marketing teams are able to measure their contribution to the business.
But predictability doesn’t just appear. It takes rigor, structure and process in order to achieve a marketing organization that is able to deliver pipeline predictably and sustainably. In simplest terms, creating predictability is a return to marketing fundamentals:
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- Understanding the market,
- Defining your buyer,
- Having visibility into their buying scenarios and length of cycle, and
- Knowing about the buying group dynamics, who’s involved and when.
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Even if you feel like you had these under control before the Pandemic, they certainly need a refresh now. Even though your product may not have changed, what is going on in the world of your buyer certainly has.
The fundamentals certainly aren’t sexy. But they are what is required to set yourself up for continued success. I’ve seen too many organizations get lulled into a false sense of security because of market conditions or see Random Acts of marketing generate results — but can be a slog. Having to recreate the wheel each time and be unsure of results is an anxious state of a marketing mind.
If these topics are of interest to you, make sure to register today for an upcoming workshop I’m running with Matt Heinz of Heinz Marketing on these topics. We’ll have lots of practical advice and worksheets to take with you on your journey to creating a more predictable pipeline. We’d love to see you there — virtually!