Paul Johnston

Stacey Danheiser

Simon Kelly

Presents original research documenting the size and nature of the 'sea of sameness' consumers face, and delivers a framework to help organizations rise above it, differentiate themselves, and deliver value.

How to Differentiate Your Organization in a Sea of Sameness

Stand Out Marketing

This book offers both marketing and sales professionals a rare combined insight into both worlds to continuously capture customer intelligence and create value, by blending detailed research with academic rigor and commercial experience of the authors in both Europe and North America. It has never been easier to produce great marketing content and sales collateral. And yet, 90% of the content that marketing produces is NEVER used by sales. Why not? Because it’s not relevant to the audience or the prospect doesn’t even know the content exists. Furthermore 58% of deals end up in “no decision” because Sales has not presented value effectively. Companies are creating lots of noise but failing to resonate with the customers. So what? The danger, aside from marketing wasting tens of millions of dollars on ineffective content and tools, is that customers will disengage. 94% of prospects say they have completely disengaged with vendors because of irrelevant content. In order to grow fast, the authors argue, Sales and Marketing teams need to slow down. They need to work together to truly understand their customers’ needs, wants, motivations and pain points so that they can offer customized “value”. The book sets out how to establish a formal program to continuously capture customer intelligence and insights – the shiny gems of understanding that help prospects to connect the dots – so that value can be consistently articulated in marketing and sales conversations. By integrating the best ideas and practice from commercial experience and academic research the authors show how to create value across the entire marketing and sales value chain – not only get a new customer, but to continue to create value for future purchases by creating “post-sales” value.

Aligning sales and marketing to shape and deliver profitable customer value propositions

Value-ology

When it comes to buying a mobile phone, choosing a university, selecting a software system, or making any other purchase in a crowded marketplace, many consumers feel they are faced with a 'sea of sameness'. The websites and social media streams of the various companies all seem to blur into one, with the same phrases and promises repeated over and over again. Stand-out Marketing presents original research which compares the content produced by over 30 organizations in leading sectors to quantify this effect, proving not only that the 'sea of sameness' exists, but documenting its precise size and nature. On the back of this unique and fascinating research, Stand-out Marketing traces the problem back to its roots and offers a proven, seven-step framework to help companies rise above it and differentiate themselves from the competition. By re-focusing on the customer and their needs, and re-shaping the capabilities, attitudes and behaviours of the organization accordingly, the framework will help companies stand out and deliver genuine value. Over time, this value will convert to growth and profits for any business.

Stacey Danheiser

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