The Loose Thread

For years marketing teams have churned out white paper after white paper.

All we know for sure is people have stopped reading them or stopped trusting them – which is slowing down the closure rate.

The marketing team is killing themselves too, watching results go down, while you in the strategy seat are left scratching your head, trying to figure out what has gone wrong and how are you going to address it?

Where It Pulls

It’s time to transcend white papers to what your prospects in todays era truly crave – what they truly need to suppoprt collective decision making and take a real risk on you – because they feel like it’s a no brainer decision that is going to make them look good – not put them out on their own, on a risky limb.

What they need to read is a real, story of implementation.

Now when I say this, most peoples minds go to “but we already create case studies and we have a ton of testimonials” but this is not what I mean at all.

I don’t mean brags about your tech and logical propositions. I mean actual stories that showcase someone that took the risk in the past and is now a hero because they did. Steve is a great example of this.

Follow the Thread

Steve led an inside sales team. within a global IT hardware, software and services corporation.

A big man, with a big heart, he was warm and friendly and did everything he could to make his team successful.

Although an industrial designer by training, Steve had a natural affinity for getting on with people and would often use his design thinking to create white papers and briefing documents that demonstrated how the technology his company provided operated.

Steve was growing ever more worried about the reduction in the volume and quality of inbound leads, and how much longer it was taking for them to move through the sales funnel.

When It Clicked

On a quick call he realised that the market had changed, that the existing clients were more scared and risk adverse, and his team had not changed with it.

We weren’t giving them what they needed to feel safe in making a decision… only what they needed to think that they had a solution that worked…

Now I could go on and on about the science behind why this difference matters, but for now I just want to share what changed. Very quickly Steve went to work.

What Moved

Soon Steve and his team had created a small series of compelling stories that shared their success and the success received by the person that willingly went out on a limb on their behalf.

Soon they had these stories shared across all departments… from marketing to get leads to sales team to echo the narrative.

Steve and his team were much happier.

The library of stories was really helping them convey value, handle objections and generally create higher quality leads that flowed through the system much quicker, providing wins all round.

Where Is Yours?

In a climate of fear and volatility, are you presenting proof…
or are you building belief?

Are you showing product…
or stacking the risk–reward equation so your clients can see themselves as the hero?