There Is No Such Thing As B2B Marketing! Here's Why...

That principle holds true regardless of what you are selling.

And...

This is where most messages fall down. You see, if you don't know who you are writing to. Then you cannot write a message that is going to grab their attention. And you cannot give them a front-row seat to a better life. Because you don't know what they want.

Let's face it. If you don't know who you are writing to. Then you cannot know what they want. Or what problem they are wrestling with.

So let's look at the first and most important step in good marketing...

Write To ONE Individual

If you want to write a drop every message. You've got to know...

1. Who you are writing to?
2. Their pains and fears?
3. What do they want?
4. What is stopping them from getting what they want?

There is a simple step-by-step process to find your ideal customer and walk a mile in their shoes. I've outlined the steps in my book Consistent Profits Pyramid. You can download your free copy by clicking this link.

rebrand.ly/Consistent-Profits-Pyramid-Free-Book

Until you know who you are writing to. Your message will fail. Because you cannot give them what they want... and remove their problems.

In a B2B situation, this problem made worse because you can write to many different people in the same company.

Let's say you want to sell Customer Relationship Management CRM software. Who is your ideal customer?

A business that already has a CRM system. A business that already has a customer database. A business that understands why they need your system.

The "beauty" of technology is that no matter how good the product is. You will never please everyone. If you've got 10 people using a CRM system (who might have different skill levels) then you're going to have 10 different complaints.

So...

If you sell a better CRM system. Who should you talk to?

Should you target the Marketing Manager / Marketing Director?

Yes. That's a good place to start.

But...

The marketing manager is unlikely to be able to make a purchase decision. They can influence the purchase. But they cannot make it.

I've been Marketing Manager and Head of Marketing for different companies and I never had the authority to buy software. Especially software that would affect the business in a huge way.

So...

Should you contact the owner?

Yes. It's always good to start at the top. The owner or CEO will have the authority to buy. They will have the final decision. But how well can you grab their attention?

Are they going to click on your Facebook ads? Will they see your LinkedIn ads? What other ways do you have to reach them other than by direct mail?

Direct mail is the best way to grab the attention of a business owner. But you need to find their name and address. And that's not quick or easy. If you can buy a list of business owners then you can get results fast. If not then you'll have to do a lot of research before you send your first letter.

That's why you may want to target the Marketing Manager. They are much more likely to click on your Facebook or LinkedIn ad. They are much more likely to read your blogs and follow up emails. And... if you can win the heart of the Marketing Manager they can make the case for changing CRM systems.

Yes, it's the longer way to get what you want... and it may be your only route.

Here's the key thing...

Once you decide who you are targeting, you can't change your mind until you have tested the campaign.

I had a consulting client that sold software to companies. They wanted to target marketing managers. So, I built a campaign AND made sure it gave the Marketing Manager everything they needed to persuade the MD and FD.

Days before we put the campaign live, my client decided that it would be better to contact CEOs. He fired me because the campaign I created targeted Marketing Managers... even though that's what we agreed!

The messaging to CEOs need to be completely different to Marketing Managers. The way to target CEOs is completely different to Marketing Managers. In short, the strategy and messaging would be completely different. Even though we were selling the same product to the same company.

Why is there such a dramatic shift in strategy and message?

Because the ideal customer changed. That's why you must know who you are writing to. If you get that wrong. Then everything else is a waste of time.

Once you know who you are talking to. It's time to look at...

What Do They Want?

People buy what they want... not what they need. So if you want to write a drop everything message. You've got to talk about what people want.

My marketing journey started as Marketing Manager for a specialist PC Gaming company. I had to create messages for business owners and gamers.

What did the business owners want?

Business owners want products that fly off the shelf with a good margin. In short, they want money in their pocket.

So how could I write a drop everything message for them? Here's an example of something I should have written...

New Xbox controller sells 3x as fast as anything else with double the margin!

That's a drop everything message for a business owner working in the gaming industry. If they sell from a store or online. They will want to know what the controller is, why it's selling faster than anything else and why they can make double the profit selling it.

That's a message that gives gaming retailers a front-row seat to a better life.

Is that message going to appeal to a gamer?

No! And...

It's not supposed to. The message is for business owners.

The message for a gamer needs to be...

New Xbox controller will halve your lap time in Need For Speed and Dirt Rally

This message appeals to a specific Xbox gamer. Only those that play racing games. The message will not appeal to those that play first person shooters.

So can you see that there is no difference between B2B and B2C marketing? Yes the messaging changes ONLY because you are writing to a different person.

The success principle of grab the attention of your ideal customer and give them a front-row seat to a better life holds true.

So...

Do you know who you are writing to? And do you know what they want?

If you don't know what your ideal customer wants then your message will fall flat. You need to get clear on who you are writing to before you do anything else. This is the "research" step that will pay dividends for years to come.

Now let's look at the next thing you need to think about in your message...

What Is Stopping Them From Getting What They Want?

What stands between your ideal customer and what they want?

Is it time? Is it money? Is it knowledge? Is it confidence? Is it a combination of all 3?

Once you have grabbed your customer's attention. If you want him to take a specific action. You need to know what is stopping him from getting what he wants. You have to know the problem he is wrestling with.

I think of this as a physical object. I call it the obstacle that is between your customer now and the life they want.

You see, your job is to show the customer that your product or service will remove the obstacle from their life faster and easier than anything else.

So, let's return to our example of the games store owner. He wants more money. He wants better products to attract better customers.

What is stopping him from getting what he wants?

Knowledge.

He doesn't know about this new product. A new product that will give him what he wants. More money. More customers. Better customers.

If you can prove how this product will give him those things then he'll buy the product.

Good marketing gives your customer a front-row seat to a better life. To do that, you've got to show the customer how your product or service will remove the problem from their life so they can get what they want.

If you can show the customer the specific steps that they must take to achieve their goal. Then you make it easy for them to get out of their seat and take the first step. The step that you want them to take.

That step is not always to buy your product. It could be as simple as reading a blog post.

So, what is stopping your customer from getting what they want? And how can you remove the obstacle in their way faster and easier than anyone else?

If you don't know that and you can't articulate that. Then you are leaving money on the table.

Focus On Their Passions

The final thing to remember is that your customer has less time than they want. So if you want them to read your message... all the way through to the end... then you've got to focus on their passions.

This comes right back to knowing who you are writing to and what they want.

If you write about your customer's passions then they will read copy at any length. That sounds like an exaggeration and I wrote a sales letter that was over 10,000 words. I was terrified that no one would read that much copy.

What did the message do?

It appealed to the people that would buy the product. It gave them everything they needed to feel good about buying.

Everyone else stopped reading at the headline or after a few paragraphs.

Remember that you are writing to one person. Show them how you can help them get what they want. Prove that your system works by showing them the system and with testimonials. Then you will earn their trust.

Once you have earned your ideal customers' trust. You are one step away from the sale. Give them an irresistible offer and you will make them feel good about buying. That's how you make the cash register ring.

Now It's Your Turn

You now know that there is no difference between B2B and B2C marketing. You know that all good marketing starts by writing to one specific person. That is all boils down to...

Grab the attention of your ideal customer and give them a front-row seat to a better life.

The first step to use this in your business is to understand who you are writing to. What I call painting a portrait of your ideal customer.

If you don't have a clear picture in your mind of your ideal customer. Then download my book Consistent Profits Pyramid. It will walk you through a step-by-step process to do this. You can download your free copy by clicking the link below

rebrand.ly/Consistent-Profits-Pyramid-Free-Book

If you have found this useful then please leave a comment below.

If you know a business owner that has a great product or service that they struggle to sell. Then please share this with them.

Until next time...

Carpe diem

Roland Eva

P.S. When bankruptcy stole my first business. I made a commitment to myself to discover a repeatable system to turn strangers into customers on demand. A journey that ended when I made £30,105 in 9 days… without making a single sales call.

It's a system that I've used in many industries. To sell products and services ranging in price from £5 to £12,000.

A system that I've used repeatedly in campaigns that have dwarfed that initial success.

I'd like to show you how to use my simple 3 step system in your business so you can turn strangers into customers on demand. And build your dream business. A business that gives you the income and lifestyle you want.

Unfortunately, I can't show you how to use my simple 3-step system here. The post would run too long.

That's why I've written the book Consistent Profits Pyramid. The book shows you how to use my simple 3-step system in your business. So you can turn strangers into customers... on demand.

I'd like to give you a FREE copy.

To download your FREE copy now. Click the link below.

rebrand.ly/Consistent-Profits-Pyramid-Free-Book