Winning the Big One in challenging times

PBN Staff

01/24/2009

Winning major new business opportunities, or “must-wins,” are always a key part of every company’s overall growth plan. Whether a new customer, a competitive takeaway or keeping a major client, must-wins demand focus, creativity and teamwork. In these challenging financial times, must-win deals also require new strategies that can increase competitive differentiation, and create the edge it takes to win. In today’s economy, a must-win may be the difference between survival and defeat.
A new strategy to increase your chances of winning the must-win involves creating a “campaign” to support the traditional sales activities. A must-win campaign means developing a marketing plan specifically for the must-win sales opportunity. While most companies have some form of corporate marketing and public relations functions to keep their public image and products and services visible, must-wins offer an opportunity to customize a set of marketing tactics specifically addressing the customer opportunity and your competitors’ weaknesses. The must-win campaign will often utilize many of the same media outlets and marketing tactics, but is focused on the dynamics of the specific deal, not the general market.
Must-wins often span a longer period of time, and marketing tactics such as branding, public relations, advertising and events such as trade shows and demonstrations can magnify and extend the power of the sales process. These marketing tactics allow a stronger positioning of the product or services, for the specific customer and competitive dynamics. While the sales process moves forward through its phases, the campaign ties the individual sales activities into an overarching message. And, winning today is about “staying on message.” In addition, campaigns keep your solution in front of the customer across what can often be longer sales cycles, through a wide range of communication channels that take advantage of the age of multimedia, multitasking, attention-challenged decision-makers.
The Obama run for the presidency offers one of the best examples of the power of campaigns in recent times. Whether your perspective is from the right or left, the Obama campaign is a model of campaign excellence. Creating a compelling “brand” early and integrating every image, message and every other marketing action across every step of the election cycle (i.e. sales cycle), the campaign resulted in a momentum and sense of strength that signaled “winner” to everyone. The brand of “change”, and the focused and relentless positioning of a calm and unflappable candidate trumped all competitors, regardless of the facts, uncovered weaknesses and other challenges.
The key was a highly integrated, focused and disciplined set of messages and images that “packaged” the candidate to best address the majority of voters’ needs.
The same strategy can apply to products and services in must-win opportunities. More than the standard corporate marketing plans, must-win campaigns zero in on the outcomes or results customers seek from the products or services they are evaluating. The term “branding” in this context involves identifying and communicating the images, feelings and results your must-win customer will realize when they select your company. It starts with a detailed and unvarnished analysis of what the competition is really about. In other words, what are the most important outcomes the customer wants to achieve as a result of selecting you or one of your competitors? It is likely more than the lowest price, but rather the value created and the return on investment.
The most effective must-win campaigns begin early and tightly integrate all elements of the message. For example, in a must-win deal one competitor was a clear market share leader, but continually failed to win the business from a major customer. On top of continually losing, the company protested the past decisions creating anything but an “objective” customer with an open mind.
Starting with a brutally realistic assessment of their position and the strengths and weaknesses of others, the company focused on a brand that centered on the importance of performance, and the need to have concrete proof of the ability to deliver. The marketing strategy was to build up the importance of performance (and consequences of failure) for the customer and its customers. In addition, the company surrounded the sales process with a campaign strategy that softened the image of the company, distancing itself from the past, while building a theme of learning and preparing. Creating a “proof of performance” brand, all communication and messages were aligned and graphics were developed that supported the brand strategy.
From initial letters, sales visits, and demonstrations to formal proposals and final presentations, the company stayed on the campaign message and carefully integrated all elements of the marketing plan. With a sales process that took almost 2 years, and despite very tough odds, and major challenges during the sales process, the company was victorious in its must-win campaign. In the discussions which followed, the senior executive from the customer said, “It appeared to us that you thought of everything. You never took your position as the market leader for granted.”
This is what an effective campaign can do. •

Christopher B. Coyle is vice president of Shipley Associates Inc., a Rhode Island-based business- and support-services firm.

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