There is one question you need to ask companies today to see if they are on track with their digital transformation.
That question?
"What is your company's unique selling point (USP)?
The answer, has to be;
"Our people"
If you are given a long list of features and benefits then they are a product lead company and certainly don't understand their why.
Watch the Simon Sinek video here
What is Your Why?
Your "why" is controlled by your Limbic brain. This is the "old part" of your brain. The part that understands emotion, but not language. Often people say "it was a gut reaction" or "I feel it in my soul". This is your Limbic brain. If this is how people buy, wouldn't it be great to appeal to the Limbic brain of the people we want to buy?
Why Your Sales and Marketing is the Same as Everybody Else
The problem is that people don't buy what you do or how you do it. We live in a world where every product is sold and marketed the same. We are number one, we are market leader or people list the features and benefits of the product.
Problem is, all your competitors do this. So you look and sound the same as everybody else.
As a buyer, we know nothing about what you do or what you company does. You, after all, are the experts, we cannot understand the difference between your competition. Which is why we go onto social media and do research.
The great thing about social media, is that we can avoid salespeople. We know from experience that salespeople want to sell us something to get commission, they don't want to help us, they want to "just get the sale" and are "always closing". As buyers we hate this, understandably and the internet and social media is a great place to work as buyers, in stealth mode. Without the distraction of salespeople.
How We Buy in 2020
If I tell you that the iPhone is the best mobile phone in the world, what do you do?
You will go online and validate that.
You will read articles, join discussion groups, ask questions of your network.
BMW now assume that everybody who walks into a car showroom knows more than the salesperson.
It's not possible for a salesperson to know everything about the range of BMW cars. The same will be the case for your product or service.
So our clients are researching on social and we know people buy if we appeal to the Limbic brain .... how do we combine them?
How to Sell More?
By empowering our employees to talk on social in an authentic, inspirational and educational way.
We get them to complete their Linkedin profiles that appeal to the Limbic brain and offer up expertise, for potential buyst to find and read.
In this interview with Danielle Guzman who is Global Head of Social Media for Mercer and we discuss "5 Things to Kick Start Your Employee Advocacy Program" and she shares the value they have gained from empowering their employees with social media.
Mercer are getting 3 to 4 times the attributed revenue than the brand generates. Can you believe that? If the brand is creating $10 million, then empowering your team on social will generate $40 million.
There could be a business case there, my suggestion is that you use an outside company to help you. Hint, hint. ;)
The Word Has Changed However Much You Deny It
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently said
But digital transformation requires more than cutting-edge hardware and software (though it needs plenty of both). As analysts and organizations look forward to 2020 and beyond, the crucial role of people in digital transformation—how they work with technology and with each other – emerges as a key theme.
https://www.cio.com/article/3519273/key-to-sustained-digital-transformation-in-2020-people.html
