you are not your customer
TRANSCRIPT
You Are Not Your Customer
Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit Baltimore, MD 9/29/16
Bob London, Chief Listening Officer
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Paul: I brought you a picture of me,
Bob London!
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Paul: I brought you a picture of me,
Bob London!
An elegant,
hand-carved
frame made
of the finest
Brazilian
teak!
I even
autographe
d it!
Featuring my
patented
“casual-jacket-
thrown-over-
the-shoulder”
pose!
Full color!
Ummmm…thanks…But what would have been nice…
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That’s more like it!
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TOO MUCH MARKETING IS
FORGETTABLE & INEFFECTIVE BECAUSE
MARKETERS HAVE THE WRONG
PERSPECTIVE:THEIR OWN
September 2012: T-Mobile Hires John Legere as CEO
September 2012: T-Mobile Hires John Legere as CEO
• 4th place US wireless carrier
• Losing subscribers to AT&T, Verizon
• Commoditized
It’s all about network coverage maps, right?
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Legere found a visceral window into the public’s angst. “None of the technology mattered.”
“There was this plethora of hatred for this industry and this never-ending list of things people wanted to change.”
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“My head exploded, and I just went on a rant about the wireless industry and how I didn’t get it.”
“People hate contracts. Let’s not have them! ‘You can’t,’ people said. Why?”
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“People hate contracts. Let’s not have them! ‘You can’t,’ people said. Why?”
ELEVATOR RANT
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T-Mobile Share Price vs. Major Indices
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First Quarter 2016: “T-Mobile Lapped the Field”
T-Mobile31%
AT&T3%
Sprint3%
Verizon1%
New Activation Customers, 1Q16
Source: Fortune Magazine, 4/19/2016
Most Marketers “Get” the Customers’ Perspective,
Right?
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McKinsey: “How
companies talk past
their customers”
“The themes that many
companies consider important
appear to have minimal influence
on buyers’ perceptions.”
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McKinsey: “How
companies talk past
their customers”
“The themes that many
companies consider important
appear to have minimal influence
on buyers’ perceptions.”
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McKinsey: “How
companies talk past
their customers”
“The themes that many
companies consider important
appear to have minimal influence
on buyers’ perceptions.”
“We can solve all your problems!”
“Can you solve my specific problem better than anyone else?”
How do we fix the disconnect &
discover what’s valuable from the
customers’ perspective?
We Can Try Asking Them
Interviews with 600+decision-makers to discover
their Elevator Rants.
“Magic” Questions to Discover the Customers’ Elevator Rant (Sample)
What are your top 2 – 3 priorities for the board?
What might you get fired for not doing?What do we do better than anyone else?
What would you lose if we
went out of business?
What do other vendors do that annoy you?
Does my industry have a reputation—good or bad?
What’s your worst fear about investing in (product or service)?
What would make you a customer for life?
“Magic” Questions to Discover the Customers’ Elevator Rant (Sample)
What are your top 2 – 3 priorities for the board?
What might you get fired for not doing?
What do we do better than anyone else?
What would you lose if we went out of business?
What do other vendors do that annoy you?
Does my industry have a reputation—good or bad?What’s your worst fear about investing in (product or service)?
What would make you a customer for life?
“Magic” Questions to Discover the Customers’ Elevator Rant (Sample)
What are your top 2 – 3 priorities for the board?
What might you get fired for not doing?
What do we do better than anyone else?
What would you lose if we went out of business?
What do other vendors do that annoy you?
Does my industry have a reputation—good or bad?
What’s your worst fear about investing in (product or service)?
What would make you a customer for life?
2 Year Old Cloud Management Software Firm with $0 Sales
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“Our platform helps you gain visibility & control over your public, private & hybrid cloud environments. You can reduce costs & run your cloud more efficiently.”
2 Year Old Cloud Management Software Firm with $0 Sales
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“Our platform helps you gain visibility & control over your public, private & hybrid cloud environments. You can reduce costs & run your cloud more efficiently.”
“Wow, you’re trying to do an awful lot in one piece of software. I’m not sure what problem it solves. No thanks.”
“Is there one specific problem it solves really well?”
2 Year Old Cloud Management Software Firm with $0 Sales
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“Is there one specific problem it solves really well?”
“One feature is like a programmable light switch that turns off your cloud when you’re not using it. This reduces your monthly costs by 20 – 60%.”
“Now that’s cool. Can I just buy that & not the whole platform?”
CUSTOMERS’ ELEVATOR
RANT
Pivot to Simple Enterprise Web App
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Pivot to Simple Enterprise Web App
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2 YEARS WITH NO CUSTOMERS
OR REVENUE
Pivot to Simple Enterprise Web App
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RAISED $1.65M IN VENTURE FUNDING
Now What?
Real conversations with real humans.
Discover their Elevator Rant
Learn how they buy.
Learn the real language they use.
Stay objective. Never get defensive!
You’re a Marketer. Listen to the Market
Now What?Then Transform Your Marketing
Focus on features & benefits that matter most from target’s perspective.
Emphasize the problem you solve best and prove it.
Use the customer’s language in your marketing.
Help their research: Provide more facts than narrative.
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Fix Your Perspective—
Then Fix Your Marketing.
Thank You!