You strongly believe in your B2B marketing vision and approach. But your executives and sales team just don’t seem to be on board. Or they don’t understand it takes effort to generate and capture demand. In this article, we will explore how to tackle this situation head-on so you get buy-in for your B2B marketing strategies. We’ll discuss common mistakes to avoid, key strategies to gain buy-in, and the significance of aligning stakeholders on different aspects such as the problem, root causes, priorities, approach and team.
Before diving into the strategies, it’s crucial to recognize why executive and sales buy-in is essential. When your boss and sales team are aligned with your B2B marketing plan, it fosters collaboration, maximizes resources, and increases the likelihood of achieving your goals. Buy-in ensures that everyone is on the same page, working towards a shared vision. Sound easy, but’s very hard. Let’s dive in!
First things first: B2B marketing strategies buy-in on problem & root cause
One crucial aspect of obtaining buy-in is to emphasize the importance of addressing the underlying problem and root cause. Executives are more likely to listen and engage when they realize there is a pressing issue that needs to be resolved. The time for fast traction is when there’s blood in the streets. This could occur when marketing achieves its lead generation goals while sales struggles to meet targets. Additionally, repeated unsuccessful attempts to drive revenue through various strategies and resources may also create an opportunity for executives to be more open to exploring new approaches.
To avoid common pitfalls, it’s crucial to be aware of the mistakes that can hinder buy-in. It starts with effectively communicating the problem you aim to solve, and the underlying root cause. For instance, if there is a lack of understanding that the buyer journey has evolved, it becomes difficult to justify why simply generating more leads may not suffice.
To address this, conduct a thorough audit of your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), messaging strategies, and existing programs, while also highlighting any bottlenecks. Interviewing sales professionals and customers about their buying journey is crucial to identify any gaps and understand their significance. By mapping out the missed opportunities and explaining their importance, you can lay the groundwork for securing buy-in across your organization.
From approach buy-in to operational agreements
There’s more than one way to bake a cake. That’s why it’s crucial to align your operational way of work with sales and keep executives informed via steering committee sessions. Always includes the approach with the various stages of the buying process, outlining the steps required to drive awareness, generate demand, accelerate and capture demand, and ultimately convert it.
You always need to align on the company business targets. Actively listening to the perspectives and concerns of your boss and sales team, and emphasizing the potential benefits and return on investment that your proposed approach offers. By recognizing these factors and taking proactive steps to address them, you can pave the way for successful buy-in and collaboration within your organization.
Finally, it is crucial to analyze and present the revenue impact of current marketing actions. By demonstrating the value and potential ROI, stakeholders can better understand the significance of investing in B2B marketing programs. This analysis can serve as a catalyst for change and pave the way for fruitful collaborations between marketing, sales, and executives in achieving shared objectives. Last but not least, we know executives are keen on McKinsey research. If they really refuse to listen to you, then perhaps this article can still be of assistance.