Cheryl Strege| The Partner Marketing Group How to Talk to the C-Level About Marketing and Walk Away with More Budget and Respect

Cheryl (Wilson) Strege 25 years of ERP & CRM marketing Great Plains Microsoft Dynamics The Partner Marketing Group Microsoft Programs Turnkey Marketing Programs Butterfly Publisher R2R Marketing Plan Reviews R2R Integrated Marketing & Sales Workshops Introductions

Who are you? Why are you here? Intros & Objectives

Agenda – Leadership’s view – Marketing’s view – What needs to change? – Must do’s When you get back to the office… Session Format

What happens to marketing when…? Revenues come up short? Need to show a short-term profit on P&L? Cash flow is squeezed? Publisher is reducing margins? Competition is eating away at profitability?

Viewed as tactical vs. strategic Lack of “outputs” Lack of quantitative results – Sales = short term (‘present’) – Marketing = long term (‘future’) Lack of accountability Lack of respect Why?

Increased sales > more gross revenue Get more customers than the competition Retain existing customer base > upsell/ cross-sell revenues Greater profitability What Does Leadership Want?

Marketing Often Delivers…”Stuff” Activities – Inbound: website, blogging, social, content development, content updates, 3 rd party sites (Pinpoint) – Outbound: nurture campaigns, installed base marketing, communications with prospects and customers, events, promotions, tradeshows… – Sales resources: videos, demos, free trials, and more…

Marketing Often Delivers… Measurement – X# delivered, click-throughs, opens, downloads, visits, time on site, pages viewed, blog posts written, likes, shares, follows, comments, etc. Unrelated to leadership’s list of wants

Marketing is a line-item expense, should be cut when needed to show a profit To generate more revenue, hire more salespeople Unquantifiable, can’t show ROI/ROA Not related to corporate strategy & KPIs, simply tactical Attracts odd “creative types” Leadership Often Thinks…

Marketing responsible for… – New customer acquisition – Existing customer retention – Identifying new customer segments – Introduce new products, upgrades, service revenue Gaps

1.Tie marketing > cash flow 2.Communicate outcomes 3.Speak the language of business 4.Develop systematic, repeatable processes 5.Understand who your (internal) customers are 5 steps to position marketing as a leader Remember, the CEO/CFO is your #1 customer!

Two “outputs” 1.Identify sources of cash flow Market segmentation Sync to the buying process 2.Produce cash flow Add new customers, increase revenue from current customers 1. Marketing > cash flow Sales sells, R&D invents, finance funds, marketing produces cash !

Direct correlation between marketing and cash – Future sources of cash flow – Cash! (Customer purchases) Must know KPIs – Grow gross revenues by 20%? – Add 25 new customers? – Increase installed base revenue by 30%? 2. Communicate outcomes, not activities Communication – you excel at it!

Marketing – Activities, likes, shares, blog posts, opens, downloads… C-Level – Profitability, growth, ROI, assets (tangible & intangible), return on assets (ROA) 3. Language of business

Cross-selling and up-selling – Assets? Your company’s customers – Return? Installed base revenue Result? – Leadership sees connection between marketing, ROA, and a KPI! Example: Return on assets

With the CFO, what 2 things would you say to position marketing (and yourself) as a leader? EXERCISE: In the elevator…

Unlike accounting processes (debit/credit)… Perception = qualitative, not quantitative Demonstrate systematic processes such as… Installed base sales Campaigns Social 4. Repeatable processes

4. The metrics that matter Metrics: efficiency & effectiveness Efficiency? Leads generated Effectiveness? Leads closed Metrics: past & future Past? # of leads closed Future? Results of today’s activities produce future cash flow Metrics tied to KPIs Involve stakeholders (CFO) in defining the metrics Set realistic expectations Be careful what you measure – why?

Identify their needs/pain Tell a good story Communicate well and frequently Nurture relationships 5. Internal customers

1.Position your marketing dept. as a leader 2.Pitch great marketing ideas and get support Short and long term results Dollar figure on future opportunities 3.Make marketing a long-term investment at your company via the language of business 4.Ask for (more) budget, respect & a raise! Four Outcomes

Facts & metrics (language of business) + your passion + augment with a story > leads to a transparent, repeatable process = more budget Ask for more budget

Metrics/ Facts Your passion! Augment w/story Repeatable process More budget! Ask for more budget – 4 steps What, How, Why TOFU, MOFU, BOFU

‘Back at the office’ exercise Market yourself – (Internal) market segmentation – Determine your unique value to each segment – Which segments are opportunities, which are dead ends? Prioritize highest cash flow activities Find a mentor – EX: Need help with ROA, velocity, leverage, ROI and other business metrics? Complete SWOT

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIESTHREATS EXERCISE: Your Personal SWOT

STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES Communication – good or needs improvement? Have repeatable processes – checklists for projects and metrics exist, good at tracking results. Good communication to prospects, weak internally. The language of business – need some help with financial terms, identification of cash flow, & KPIs. Need marketing automation software. OPPORTUNITIESTHREATS New markets: - Opportunity with cloud-based software. - Opportunity to introduce packaged solutions. Competition? EXERCISE: Your Personal SWOT

1.Tie marketing > cash flow 2.Communicate outcomes 3.Speak the language of business 4.Develop systematic, repeatable processes 5.Understand who your (internal) customers are SUMMARY: 5 steps to position marketing as a leader Remember, the CEO/CFO is your #1 customer!

What landed today?

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