"THE INDUSTRIOUS MARKETER" BLOG

Six B2B Essentials for Launching the "New New" Mousetrap

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The "new new" mousetrap is that thing that suddenly appears from nowhere and changes our lives. The paradigm shifter. The game changer. Whether the "new new" is service, manufactured good, or applied science, the marketer's challenge is huge. Your target customer hasn't a clue that they need it. And, even if they're intrigued, they probably lack what it takes to assess the potential value. Not a particularly auspicious set up for your sales team.  

Don't tell me, yada yada.  Prove it.

Why, then, do companies launch major new products on the naive premise that "show and tell" is a viable business development strategy?  It may happen in consumer-land, but in the B2B world, new concepts don't get scooped up by simply arriving on the scene.  Even the seemingly overnight successes cultivated their business opportunities very deliberately over time.

For argument's sake, let's assume that the venture backing the "new new" has enough funding to sustain the development period ahead, and that the core value proposition is both real and well articulated. 

With the basics in hand, here are six essentials for "new new" market development: 

#1   SALES BUILDS ON NICHE MARKET STRATEGY

In launching the "new new", you're up against skeptics and entrenched beliefs about business process that don't change easily. The marketer's job is to promote the benefits/advantages of change, to reduce the perceived risk of change in general, and the risk of selecting your particular solution. Niche strategies allow you to do the ground work more efficiently and to secure a core client base at lower cost. Focus on one or two specific market contexts where your solution presents distinct advantage over the alternatives. Niche strategies target very narrowly defined uses, in terms of vertical markets, functions or process supply chains.

#2  ASSEMBLE IRREFUTABLE LOGIC ABOUT THE VALUE

Define, document and quantify the value proposition in your market's language.  Do beta installations/set ups (for nothing, if you must) and get out there in the trenches to follow the value chain in order to prove the concept in use. Building a strong business case in one market niche will produce a fat file of references to help you jump to the next niche. Much, much faster.

#3   GET KNOWN FOR EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Get known for the excellence with these first niches, then use them to network your way into additional sectors that have similar challenges. Provide clients with a "cookbook" on how to maximize the value of your product in use.  And be very specific without fear of giving away your secret sauce. Provide whatever client services support is necessary to make them successful users, even if that means contributing your expertise to assist in their process redesign if they won't or can't do it themselves. (You may find need to price in the consulting services; having testimonials attributing successful transition to your attentive client services will help.)

#4   EVERY CUSTOMER IS A CASE STUDY

Profile each new client's experience using your product, at all levels of use, in as many contexts as you can. Make the case study development bits part of your "onboarding" or "implementation" process--so that you can understand why and how they made the decision to use your "new new" from their perspective. Capture executive testimonials that attest that the value promised was delivered-and that your firm goes beyond. Then produce formal case studies that tell the story from the client's viewpoint. Write white papers that discuss the options and trade-offs, comparing your solution honestly.

#5   EXPLOIT NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS

Now, you're positioned to launch your "new new" into more niches. You have the data to back your unique selling proposition and real people who will vouch for how your company does business. Now you have something of interest to say, face-to-face, in print, on the web, at conference, et al. Substance that will help you sell. And contacts that you can ask to introduce you to others with similar problems or needs.

#6   SWITCH TO INBOUND MARKETING TACTICS

Inbound marketing educates, excites and engages prospects where they're looking for insight at different stages of their buying cycle. It's inherently a content marketing approach, but also fundamentally sales oriented. Web-centric integrated marketing infrastructure is vital; every tactic contributes to the overall success and metrics guide improvement.  Do it well and you'll pull your targeted prospects through the awareness-interest-specifications-commitment pipeline without wasting much on the tire kickers.  And since inbound marketing prompts prospects to contact you, this also means no more cold calls. Your sales team will love you. 

No magic, just good planning & diligent execution.

One final comment. There is no "magic bullet". It's not about the size of your ad budget, creative branding, or becoming a media darling. These things are admirable, but not sufficient. Marketing the "new new" requires the diligence, discipline and process quality approaches akin to what your product engineers do. Work that's not always so glamorous and definately not a one shot deal. The most effective B2B marketing is systematic to begin with and "new new" marketing requires more than the usual number of touches.

Don't be confused.  Your strategy doesn't position you to sell, it gets you aligned with how your prospect buys. In the case of a "new new" mousetrap, this means blasting a hole in their perceptions.  Because, frankly, they aren't even aware that they should buy what you're offering.