Features Business Guest Column
Process-focused marketing

Marketing is much different today, and this calls for a different mindset. This generation has less brand loyalty, and businesses can no longer solely rely on relationships built by the older generation. Marketing doesn’t work alone, but with your entire business. You may increase leads through marketing but you won’t have an efficient way to transform leads to satisfied customers. Process-Focused Marketing looks at the sales and marketing process as a whole in three steps.

The first step is to build a framework. Write down what happens from the first marketing effort to project completion. Write down every action, every form filled out, every email sent, every document signed. Include where are you answering your phone when a lead comes in. Most contractors do a lot of work from their trucks, and this needs to become part of a simpler process. You would be surprised at how much waste exists in the process and how much of this can be organized, delegated and automated.

Write down every action, every form filled out, every email sent, every document signed. Include where are you answering your phone when a lead comes in.

Next you need to assess your current software. Out of date software wastes time, costs money, and most modern integrators are not compatible with obsolete software. Also, some business owners don’t realize how affordable automation and integrations have become. The utilization of cookies – tiny text file created by a website – is imperative to a successful company. Cookies provide a way for the website to recognize you and keep track of your preferences. They let companies know the products that you’ve been looking at on their websites. Companies that use cookies can have their sales people automatically notified when a potential customer appears interested in their products. Now the sales person doesn’t have to guess who needs attention!

Next, create a written plan and set clear goals. This doesn’t have to be complicated, just write down a point form plan on a sheet of paper. Set out your goals and share them with your team.

The second step is to find your voice, and project it. Refine your message. What makes your company special, what sets you apart? Next, define our target audience and plan where to find it. Who is your ideal customer? Once you know who they are, you can research where to find them. You’ll need to set a marketing budget and plan your spend, allocate where every penny is going. When you have a set budget you can take comfort in the fact that you are doing the right thing, and you’re in the right places because you have a well thought-out plan.

Who is your ideal customer? Once you know who they are, you can research where to find them.

The third step is to measure the results. The framework you created from the first step will support the structure of HOW you measure the results. It’s important to discern what data is important for your company. Data like web traffic, closing ratio, ROI on marketing dollars, length of time from estimate to sale, length of time between sale and project completion are all important types of data to consider measuring. Without a way to measure what’s working, you’re just spinning your wheels.

Without a way to measure what’s working, you’re just spinning your wheels.

You need to be agile and make decisions that will move your company forward. These decisions will come from data. There are many software options that can help, many of which can collect data and send reports automatically. We use SharpSpring for our clients, because it gathers data and assists in other ways to create an efficient sales process. Google analytics gives excellent data on web traffic and behavior, and MailChimp provides great analytics on email marketing. The aim is to reduce workload and increase efficiency, so using automation and reliable tracking software is invaluable.

The overall goal is to systematize the sales and marketing process to make it scalable and repeatable. The more scalable and repeatable your process is the more profitable your company will become. Once completed you will have a reliable framework, a clear relevant message that is broadcast to your target audience, and the data necessary to adjust in real time. Once your sales and marketing process is fully implemented you can expect to gain the productivity of one to three employees, without adding a cent to your payroll.

Chrissy Wozniak is co-founder of The Uncommon Ground Inc., a process-focused marketing agency based out of Niagara Falls, Ontario.