Science vs. Art…or both

I recently spoke to a few members of a Marketing team and although they had great Marketing ideas, they had trouble getting adoption from their Field and Channel Marketing teams. They couldn’t figure out why – great ideas, great team members, great product, great corporate revenue…

As I started asking questions, I quickly realized that they considered Marketing to Field and Channel a science. You do A and B and C will automatically happen. Unfortunately, they were wrong. Marketing to Sales people and Channel partners isn’t a math equation, it’s a lot more than that…I’d say they have half the equation down pat. But, the other half is completely missing and in 2015 it’s a shame to say they are definitely not the only Marketing teams that have this problem.

So what’s the problem? The “art” is missing. Marketing to Sales and Channel partners is also an art. You cannot have a team focused on creating Marketing programs that just push those programs out. You absolutely absolutely absolutely must have a relationship with those folks to whom you are giving the programs. I can’t emphasize this enough!!! You have to understand their goals, what motivates them, get their input and feedback and just know them. Believe it or not, it sounds easier than it really is.

I’ve been at many companies where the Marketing team has no idea who the Sales teams are and couldn’t name four Sales people. Marketing teams where they haven’t spoken to anyone on the Sales or Channel team in months, yet are focused on helping them sell more. Does that make any sense to you? I really hope not!

I don’t care who you are, where you work or what you do for work, if you don’t have a connection with people, your fantastic ideas will fail! It’s that simple! Anyone remember “new Coke“? This example might be a radical one, but you get the point. If you’re goal is help people, talk to them.

Field and Channel Marketing is both a science and an art. Metrics are important but you also have to have a relationship with the stakeholders. Doesn’t matter how fantastic your program is, if you don’t have end user buy in, it’ll flop.

The Granny Lesson

My mom and dad have seven grandchildren. Three live in the US and four live in Ireland. The ones who live in the US live relatively close to my parents so they see each other often. The grandkids in Ireland, however, don’t have the benefit of being with my parents much. But, that hasn’t affected their relationship. The kids Skype with my parents on a weekly basis so that they can see and speak with each other. It’s as good as living down the street.

One of the last times my mom went to Ireland, my youngest nephew, who was three at the time, saw her in the airport and went running up to her and gave her a huge hug. He knew who she was and was thrilled to know that his granny was going to spoil him for the next week or so.

I have channel partners all over the Americas. We email often and have good, productive, email exchanges. However, it’s the phone calls and in person meetings that are the best. We can relate to each other and there’s something about sitting in a room with someone and hearing their voice that changes a relationship. Words written in an email can be taken so many different ways so if you don’t have an established relationship, then words can easily be taken the wrong way. When you sit face to face or hear a voice over the phone, you can get the tone of the voice and can really get a better understanding of what the person with whom you’re speaking, really means.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have built strong relationships with my channel partners over the phone, and of course email, that when we meet face to face, it’s like we’ve know each other for years, understand each other and give each other hugs. (For the record, I don’t suggest hugging people you don’t have a relationship with and if you’re unsure about it. A smile and handshake will work just as well.)

My challenge to you,  get out of the email rut, stop texting, walk over to someone’s desk, pick up the phone or hop on a plane and meet someone face to face. The bond that you build can be as strong as my nephew’s and my mom’s.

Good Example of Closing the Loop – AlaVie Fitness

I got the below email today from the company where I was doing my morning Boot Camp. This is a perfect example of letting the customer know that you’re listening to them and (key word!) doing something about what they’ve said. Kudos AlaVie Fitness.

“Hi Everyone,

The results are in from the AlaVie Fitness survey of all current and past boot campers.

You gave us some fantastic insights about improving our program, and we want to thank you for all of your ideas and suggestions.

You spoke, we listened, and we’re making some big changes to AlaVie Boot Camp based on your feedback:

– Eliminating the 1 week break between camps (to help you keep up your fitness momentum). Starting in August of 2009.
– Making the pre-camp consultations optional (to give you the flexibility to decide when you really need your coach’s guidance). Starting in August of 2009.
– Lowering our prices (to make the Bay Area’s best boot camp more accessible to you). Starting in August of 2009.

For all camps that start after AUGUST 1st – , we’ve published our new AlaVie Boot Camp registration and calendar to reflect new camp dates and prices: http://www.alaviefitness.com/bootcamp_locations_calendar_registration.php

We want to make this transition as smooth as possible for you, so please contact us at info@alaviefitness.com or 415-567-7411if you have any questions or concerns.

Remember, this is YOUR fitness community. If you have additional ideas about how to improve AlaVie Boot Camp, please share them with us!

Thank you for making AlaVie part of your fitness journey.”

Knowing that they listen, I bet they’ll get more people willing to give them feedback when they ask. Great job closing the loop boot camp trainers!