The quest for hyper targeted messaging is nothing new. It is of utmost importance – and refining by the minute. The goal of course is to give the prospect the information they need, at the precise time that they need it – aka matching the buyer’s journey. When Marketers are successful, a prospect is marketing qualified, then sales qualified and the closing process ensues.

But, who do prospects really buy from? Do they buy from a brand? Or do they buy from a campaign topic? Or maybe, they buy from the irrefutable value that is presented by the Marketing team.

Actually, it is none of the above –

People Buy from People

More precisely, prospects buy from people whom they trust to complete the service or provide the product needed, period. Certainly technical and functional value-add is extremely important in a decision, but in a competitive environment personal relationships win the deal.

Trust Factor Marketing is a process by which personal relationship value is apparently as important as product/service value. It starts before Sales and Marketing qualification; it starts as soon as communication starts.

Here are suggestions to get started with Trust Factor Marketing and personalize at a level higher than any targeting metric can provide.

1. Research to understand the business and personal drivers of a prospect. Is there a big societal improvement focus within their culture or maybe a winner-takes-all personality? Big difference in approach and messaging!
2. How do your business and personal drivers correlate with their business and personal drivers? Point them out, bring them up, and connect at a deeper level asap.
3. Define buyer personas that include soft traits and speak to them.
4. Work with the Sales team to gain intel on decision makers, entity personality, and motivators to buy.
5. Get personal with subject lines, greetings, closing signatures – very basic, but it is too easy to bypass this very important step.
6. Watch how the prospect company Markets their product/service. Is their language casual or formal? Funny or serious? Brief or verbose? All are clues to show you how to relate to them on a deeper level sooner.
7. Run campaigns directly from a specific person to a specific person. Then test the absorption of the personalization. Try various roles to find to whom the decision makers are listening.
8. Allow Marketing to personally introduce a specific Sales lead to segue into a closing process. Stay aware of the relationships – and optimize to get the close. Marketing and Sales should never run exclusive to one another.

To be successful, Trust Factor Marketing needs detailed research and thought requiring a lot of perception as well as fact.

The result of a deeper “top of funnel” gets you to a closing position more quickly and with much higher quality. Faster close with higher quality = faster, higher revenue.

Sheri Tate is Director of Marketing at Amick Brown.

“ Every day is a chance to improve the Marketing process, but only if it is filled with common sense, analytics,  and provides positive goal attainment for all in my sphere. “

@IAmSheriTate – Twitter

Sheri Tate – LinkedIn

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How ready is your organization to take on a culture shift? I am not talking about a new CEO, or a new CIO, or CTO –

Can we talk about the cultural impact of real-time?  Can we discuss adding SAP HANA, Advanced BI tools like Lumira 2.0, or Simple Finance to your processes and abilities, and how this will affect your work culture? Beyond technology readiness, this is a decision factor that must be addressed for success.

Here are some concerns and realities:

1. Transitioning from IT driven reporting to self service: Deep dive, professional level reports will not go away, but there is a fear within IT that it will. Let’s face it, it has taken years of skill attainment, understanding data extraction, understanding business goals, and intricate graphic building that tell a story to the many.
2. Conversely, relief from report requests will cause proactivity: Another common conversation is with exasperated IT leaders who are bombarded with reporting requests that tie up their already formidable schedules. It will be a relief to give secure access and self-service so that the business can gather insights on their own.
3. Dollar ROI aside, HANA creates a chance to strategically shine: Our Managers, IT Leaaders, and Business Leaders were hired for a reason other than to chase R & A. What if we foster a culture of strategy, innovation, and positivity with these skillful folks? Someone who has the drive to think ahead of the next cycle will intuitively find monetized and non-monetized ways to make your company better.
4. Data is forcibly cleansed : The monkey on many companies’ backs before this transition will be resolved! A major technology shift , disparate systems, and cross departmental capability will cause a data clean-up extraordinaire . It is very, very common for this to be a primary bump in the road to a tech change. You are not alone!
5. The business units are brought to the tech decision table: Communication challenges lead to communication bliss once the sides understand one another. Having spoken candidly with many, on the tech side and the business side – You Both Want the Same Thing. Devising Change Management communication will change your life .
6. As well, the tech team is clearly valued in the success of resolving business problems:  Since both sides understand the motivations and skills of each other, symbiosis starts to occur.
7. Verifiable Accountability : With this new strength in data, speed, and R & A, owning a result is a constant. No more blame, no more delay. However, the positive is these same strengths, give you dramatic strength to run your business more collaboratively, strategically, and skillfully.

So, my friends, as you continue your advanced technology journey – remember that you are not alone. With the many hard and soft considerations, Amick Brown is here to navigate with you. Each situation is unique – and ready to move forward with the correct roadmap and perspective.

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In any employment situation, cultural fit is critical. We often focus on this fact when hiring a permanent employee, but the reality is that work culture matters in even the shortest of temporary assignments.

First of all, what does “cultural fit” mean?  Cultural fit is a combination of motivators, work method, values, and personality. It is a connection between the employee and employer and work environment which contributes heavily to being happy and successful in any position.

Why does it matter? It matters because we are human – we want to thrive and make a difference. We want work to be satisfying and yes, make us look forward to doing it.

How we all approach these human goals is unique to our motivators, work methods, values and personality.

Let’s see some examples:

Company A is made up of hard driving, win at all costs, and the more work hours the better sort of place. Employees are recognized and rewarded for the inroads they make to beat the other guy, internally and externally. Every month/quarter/year is a chase for the big sale or the big innovation. Individual accomplishment and work environment is important to employer and employees alike.

Motivators – The Win individually first, then The Win for the team

Work Methods – Long and hard. Fast and furious.

Values – Recognition as an individual first, then as a team member

Personality – Alpha and confident, thrive on pressure

Company B is made up of hard driving, win at all costs, and work hours are many but not stressed sort of place. Employees are recognized and rewarded for the inroads they make to beat the other guy – but mostly externally. Every month/quarter/year is a chase for the big sale or the big innovation. Collaborative accomplishment and work environment is important to employer and employee alike. Individual accomplishments are also highly sought.

Motivators – The Win for the team

Work Methods – Collaborative/Individual hybrid

Values – Team relationship is a valuable part of the work process

Personality – Confident and has a strong desire for input and feedback.

Company C is a hyper-flexible and intellectually scrappy start up. It is risky in nature because of its life stage. Employees work within and across departments due to necessity and this makes for an extremely collaborative environment. Any losses or missteps are very visible, but so are the wins. High satisfaction is realized because an employee makes a visible difference directly each month/quarter/year.

Motivators – Making a positive difference every day will achieve The Win

Work Methods – Very team collaboration oriented. Very fast and nimble.

Values – Recognition for team wins, individual contribution is secondary.  Work relationships very important

Personality – Entrepreneurial, enjoys the risk/reward ratio

Now for some food for thought:

1. Choose the example which most closely matches your current organization.
2. Now circle back to the short to mid-term staffing requirement.
3. Place a technically strong, resume validated candidate into a company that conflicts with the cultural definitions of the human represented in said resume.
4. Will the result be optimal for either side of the placement?

The outcome is assured to be conflicted at best. Co-workers, Managers, and the Contractor will struggle to understand how to do business well. Communication within each of these 3 scenarios is quite different. Unspoken expectations are quite different. How challenges and successes are handles and communicated are quite different.

All of these are affect optimal success because… employers and contractors are Human.

Let us align motivators, work methods, values, and personality and watch your contracting program thrive.

Sheri Tate is the Director of Marketing at Amick Brown

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