MARKETING

Over the years, marketers have embraced—or had thrust upon them—many definitions of their craft. The textbook definition—which is still taught today in some of our most hallowed halls—distills marketing down to the 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. In addition to being annoyingly alliterative, this four-part litany is simplistic to the point of being meaningless. It also omits the two most important Ps of all—passion and people. The bottom line is that regardless of whether the 4Ps ever had any relevance to effective marketing—they don’t today. They’ll only slow you down, hold you down, and keep you down.

Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, marketing’s buzz phrase was to “sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Compared to the 4Ps, this definition was a stroke of genius (though, strangely enough, still too alliterative for most tastes). This line of thinking acknowledged that there was a lot more to the product than the product itself. It understood that most purchases were based on emotion—not logic. It raised concepts like perception vs. reality—where perception was the brand and reality was the product. And it pointed out that people were buying the perception (i.e., the brand) while most companies remained insistent on selling the reality (i.e., the product). Notwithstanding its good intentions, the “sell the sizzle” concept is a bit too glib and too focused on the immediately gratifying elements of marketing. It grew out of a short-sighted and short-term approach to marketing designed to grow top-line sales with little regard for the bottom-line growth that only a long-term relationship can bring. In simplest terms, “sell the sizzle” is a one-night stand while rainmaker marketing is a marriage.

There are lots of other definitions of marketing that have been bandied about over the years, but none of them gets to the heart of the matter. Marketing, when you distill its myriad facets down to the core, is focused on one thing and one thing only—motivating. Good marketing should be designed to motivate someone to do something. It should be a call to action—a call to action with a real sense of urgency to it.

So if marketing equals motivating—who’s being motivated and what are they being motivated to do? Well it depends on what business you’re in, but there are typically three audiences that need to be motivated—employees, distributors, and customers.

Employees

Employees need to be motivated to achieve their personal best every day in everything they do. CEOs from every industry and every size company wax poetic about how their people are their most valuable asset. And while these well-meaning, and occasionally sincere, sentiments may have a short-term impact on employee morale, they do nothing to truly motivate the rank-and-file. Why? Because there’s no spark. There’s nothing to capture the imagination. There’s nothing to feel—other than an avuncular pat on the head. There’s no cause and effect, and there’s no call to action. Which is precisely where the marketer comes in. His or her job is to bring the CEO’s platitudes to life. In short, it’s the marketer’s job to make employees feel like the company’s most valuable asset and feel good about themselves because they’re associated with the company.

A good way to understand this is to equate the employment contract to the marriage contract. Assuming you’re married, think about your first date with your spouse. Think about your first kiss, your first intimate encounter, your engagement, wedding, and honeymoon. If you were like most people deeply in love, you looked forward to every moment with your life partner. You pledged to love her more every day, and you promised that your actions would serve to make her love you more every day as well. Now think back to your first day working for a new company and a new boss. Didn’t you have that same level of excitement (sans the raging hormonal urges of romance)? Didn’t you dive into your new responsibilities with energy and enthusiasm? Weren’t you determined to prove that the best man for the job had indeed been hired?

And in both cases—in marriage and at work—what happened after a few months or years? Did your spouse fall or get knocked off her pedestal? Did your boss morph into a less-than-ideal role model or mentor? Did love-making and dinnertime conversations acquire a certain sameness to them? Did your job responsibilities become repetitive and pointless?

What changed? Probably not the core elements of your marriage or job. In most cases, what changed is you—a change which is far more convenient to ascribe to your spouse or boss. And the cause of the change is a lack of motivation. The thrill of the chase is gone. The shine has worn off.

So what does this have to do with marketing? Well, similar to a marriage counselor, it’s the marketer’s job to continually remind the employee why he chose to join XYZ Company in the first place. It’s the marketer’s job to paint a picture of what lies ahead and create a compelling storyline that the employee will want to experience and help write. In work and in marriage, we feel best about those relationships that make us feel good about ourselves. It’s a key ingredient of marketing to make employees feel good—and in return they’ll work doubly hard to ensure that the company does well.

Distributors

Distributors—whether new business developers, account executives, wholesalers, sales representatives (salaried or commissioned), independent brokers, retailers, or clerks—must be motivated on a continual basis. Strong distribution is critical in today’s marketplace—and strong distributors are heavily courted by the competition. It’s the marketer’s responsibility to ensure that his distributors understand his company’s story (often referred to as a value proposition or brand position), feel part of it, and believe in it.

And how do you accomplish that? Well certainly not by staying in your office and talking to other home office types. Marketers need to get out into the field. Learn what works and what doesn’t work. Talk to top producers and ferret out the secret of their success. Talk to mid- and low-level producers and determine what they need to move up to the next level. Simply demonstrating that you’re willing to listen is a motivational tool in itself, but the key is to use this information-gathering exercise to develop marketing tools and programs designed specifically to help your producers grow their business and work smarter.

There’s nothing more motivating in life than knowing someone has your best interests in mind. Sales and marketing have a quid pro quo relationship. Have your distributors do well by you, and you’ll do well by them.

Customers

There are actually two types of customers who need to be motivated. The first group is obvious and relatively easy—your prospective customers. You simply have to motivate them to learn about your product or service, make them believe it will satisfy a core need, and prompt them to initiate a relationship by making the purchase. At the risk of taking the marriage analogy a bit too far, consider the fact that it’s a whole lot easier to fall in love while dating than it is to stay in love when the kids are wailing, the sink is full, and bills are piling up. Similarly, it’s fairly easy to convince an audience geared towards excess consumption that your product or service will satisfy their every need and provide the answer to the question they never even thought to ask.

Once you’ve delivered the solution, however, the hard part begins. That’s when the relationship begins and your motivational program has to kick into high gear. The smoke-and-mirror motivational techniques that opened the door won’t work any more. You’ve got to deliver on your brand promise, identify additional needs, and wow the customer in every interaction. The goal is to so engage the customer that when the competition sashays into his life, flaunting its attractive features and benefits, he won’t even entertain the idea of straying. He’s become a brand monogamist—and you’ve become the envy of every marketer in the land.

RAINMAKING

Rainmaking typically refers to the ability of certain employees to bring in high volumes of new business and new clients. It is most commonly associated with professional services firms, especially law practices. In reality, rainmakers operate in all fields and industries, in all size companies, and at every level of the corporate hierarchy.

Rainmaking, as with marketing, is often confused with selling but, at its core, has considerably more depth and substance. Selling connotes a transaction, while rainmaking implies a consultative relationship. Selling pushes while rainmaking pulls. Rainmakers love what they do and believe fervently that they are delivering a service of immense value. They have a long-term strategy and vision, view themselves as problem solvers, and genuinely enjoy the people they work with. The workday is not something to get through; it is a series of personal interactions to be relished.

Most importantly, rainmaking is not about the product; it’s about making connections between client needs and the most appropriate products and solutions. That’s why there are some universal principles that guide rainmaker’s success regardless of their specific field or specialty. And that’s why this book exists.

The book also exists because rainmakers are in short supply where they are needed most—in smaller businesses run by professional service providers (e.g., attorneys, architects, consultants, engineers, accountants, real estate brokers, financial planners, graphic designers, massage therapists, executive recruiters, physicians, and a host of other highly skilled independent entrepreneurs). The dearth of rainmakers in professional services firms derives from the widespread belief among professionals that selling is dirty and beneath them. They resist and reject any activity that even hints of selling. Notwithstanding the aforementioned fact that rainmaking and selling are not the same, this pervasive belief severely limits the growth prospects for otherwise sound businesses.

RAINMAKER MARKETING

So if marketing’s goal is to motivate and rainmaking’s focus is on building relationships, then rainmaker marketing should be all about motivating the target audience to enter into a deep-seated relationship with the company, brand, product, or service that’s being offered. A relationship which will experience a variety of ups-and-downs, but which will be so engaging in the fullest sense of the word ( i.e., captivating, involving, charming, engrossing, interlocking, and betrothing) that it can withstand the test of time and serve as an advocate for new relationships. That’s the best you can hope for from any customer relationship—and that’s precisely where Marketing for Rainmakers is designed to lead.

Rainmaker marketing is a 24/7 endeavor. It’s not something you do at work. It’s not a department or a business function. Rather, it represents and reflects the way you live your life. It’s both aspirational and inspirational.

Rainmaking marketers possess an internal drive to succeed regardless of external factors. They don’t sit back and wait for the perfect scenario to arrive before practicing their business-building magic. They make the most of every opportunity. They approach all aspects of their business—branding, strategic planning, tactical execution, customer relations, and competitive analysis—with the same hardwired dedication to building relationships that can last a lifetime.

Technically and intellectually, rainmaking marketers tend towards the average. What sets them apart is their mindset. They think differently and, as a result, act differently, see things differently, and are perceived differently. And as Robert Frost advised, when two roads diverge they take the one less traveled. It makes for a fun and interesting journey. So let’s begin.

Section One

THE BRAND-FOCUSED RAINMAKING MARKETER

ROE #1

BEGIN AT THE END

The best advice I ever got in my career was that I needed to begin at the end. I needed to visualize my legacy. Most people associate a legacy with the transfer of worldly possessions from one generation to the next. So it’s not a great leap to realize that each of us also create professional legacies that we leave to the next-generation marketers and rainmakers of our company, brand, or product line. The key is to define that legacy—determine exactly what it is that you want to accomplish, and then focus all your time and energy on making it a reality.

This concept of a visualized legacy is focused on defining and achieving goals. And it gets at the heart of what successful marketing is all about. In today’s business world, every marketing dollar needs to be accounted for and needs to provide a clear return on its investment. Every single marketing program—whether advertising, public relations, client seminars, promotional mailings—needs to be goal-oriented. Marketing needs to have a payoff. If it doesn’t create additional revenue, boost profits, reduce costs of acquisition, or enhance customer loyalty—in other words, if it doesn’t motivate people to take actions that will directly contribute to growing your business—then it’s simply not worth doing. Your job is to visualize precisely what action you want people to take.

Visualization is usually associated with athletes—particularly peak performers. Baseball players picture themselves hitting a home run, sprinters see themselves bursting over the finish line ahead of the pack, and gymnasts see themselves performing a perfect routine and sticking the landing to a standing ovation. The process works the same for rainmakers and marketers. Architects visualize their design, fully constructed, with people walking through the doors and gliding up the escalators. Attorneys see themselves in the courtroom with the judge and jury hanging on their every word. And marketers of every stripe see their efforts ringing the cash register.

Like all things, visualization does not come easy. It requires practice. Visualization is far different than simply saying “I think I can, I think I can.” It involves images rather than words and narration. And the more vivid the image—the more detailed and nuanced—the more impact it will have on the skills that you’re trying to sharpen.

A LESSON FROM THE GREATEST RAINMAKER OF ALL-TIME

Thomas Watson, Sr. became general manager of the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR) in 1914. At the time, CTR was a manufacturer of automatic meat slicers, weighing scales, and punched card equipment. The company had fewer than 400 employees, but Watson had big plans for the small company and, in 1924, he renamed it International Business Machines.

Watson’s description of his thought processes and game plan for the company is far too powerful to paraphrase. So here, in Watson’s own words, is the secret of his personal and professional success:

IBM is what it is today for three special reasons. The first reason is that, at the very beginning, I had a very clear picture of what the company would look like when it was finally done. You might say I had a model in my mind of what it would look like when the dream—my vision—was in place.

The second reason was that once I had that picture, I then asked myself how a company which looked like that would have to act. I then created a picture of how IBM would act when it was finally done.

The third reason IBM has been so successful was that once I had a picture of how IBM would look like when the dream was in place and how such a company would have to act, I then realized that, unless we began to act that way from the very beginning, we would never get there.

In other words, I realized that for IBM to become a great company it would have to act like a great company long before it ever became one.

From the very outset, IBM was fashioned after the template of my vision. And each and every day we attempted to model the company after that template. At the end of each day, we asked ourselves how well we did, and discovered the disparity between where we were and where we had committed ourselves to be, and, at the start of the following day, set out to make up for the difference.

Every day at IBM was a day devoted to business development, not doing business.

We didn’t do business at IBM, we built one.

Thomas Watson, Sr. didn’t invent the concept of visualization but he embraced it with a fervor that should be an inspiration to us all. Interestingly, it would be very easy to reword Watson’s quote and replace “IBM” with your own name or the name of your company. To wit:

Thirty years from now, I will have achieved all that I am capable of for three special reasons. The first reason is that, starting today, I have a very clear picture of what a successful career will look and feel like when I retire.

The second reason is that now that I have that picture, I can ask myself how a successful career like that would have to be built. I can then create a picture of how I would have to act and interact to achieve that goal.

The third reason I will have been so successful is that once I had a picture of what my career would look like when the dream was in place and how I would have to act, I realized that, unless I began to act that way from this day forward, I would never get there.

In other words, I realize today that for me to become a great rainmaker I would have to act like a great rainmaker long before I ever became one.

From the very outset, my career was fashioned after the template of my vision. And each and every day I attempted to model myself after that template. At the end of each day, I would ask myself how well I had done, and discovered the disparity between where I was and where I had committed myself to be, and, at the start of the following day, I set out to make up for the difference.

A COROLLARY LESSON FROM SOMEONE WHO WOULDN’T QUALIFY TO HOLD TOM WATSON’S MEMORY STICK

Several years ago, I headed marketing for a mid-size investment company that had aspirations of growing substantially larger. In establishing our marketing strategy, we focused on the corporate vision of being a top-tier investment company.

We started by considering what our larger brethren looked like. Using that approach, we made four generalizations about these firms:

1. They were well known

2. They had positive reputations

3. They had several “category killer” products and/or specialties

4. They were sold through a vast army of financial advisors

The next step was to translate these four attributes of top-tier companies into the primary strategies that the marketing group would pursue to support the corporate goal. Specifically:

• Increase Awareness - articulate the corporate story in a way that is engaging and compelling

• Focus on Education - Become the go-to resource for financial advisors and individual investors to learn about alternative investment strategies

• Seize Opportunities - Capitalize on the increasing interest in alternative investments by focusing on our industry-leading suite of synthetic hedge fund products

• Drive Activity - Attract new advisors, encourage existing producers to place additional assets with us, and develop an easy-to-implement referral program

A good exercise would be to follow this same structure and assess what your own aspirational role models look like. Extrapolating from them, you can then outline specific steps you can take today to move you closer to your goal.

A COROLLARY LESSON FROM MY INNER “DR . PHIL”

Life is short—which is why we should always kiss our spouses goodbye, tell our kids we love them at every opportunity, and make sure our friends know how important they are to us.

Our professional lives are equally short. So focus on what’s most important. Do the right thing at the right time. And always keep the end in sight—it’s nearer than any of us ever wants to admit.

ROE #2

BE A HOBGOBLIN

You know the old adage about consistency being the hobgoblin of little minds? Well toss it into the trash alongside the 4Ps. Consistency is paramount in building powerful brands, developing effective marketing programs, and maintaining lifelong relationships with your customers.

Think about the two or three companies (or, if you prefer, brands or products) that—from a marketing perspective—you most admire. Whether they’re manufacturers, retailers, or service providers, I’d bet the price of this book that the thing they all have in common—and the element that drives your admiration—is consistency. Consistency in message. Consistency in look, feel, and tone. Consistency in quality.

Consistency is the hallmark of a truly integrated marketing program. Indeed, it’s the cornerstone of the building-block philosophy that is at the heart of each ROE. Every element of your marketing program needs to relate to every other element. Every brochure (advertisement, web site, mailer, trade show booth, press release, blog) needs to build off the foundation of what came before and needs to serve as a springboard for whatever comes next.

It sounds easy, but consistency requires commitment and hard work. Many larger companies even have a formal “Brand Champion” to ensure that everything the customer sees or hears is “on brand”—communicating a single message that never wavers from their core positioning.

The lack of consistency that afflicts most marketing programs usually derives from three sources:

1. A misinterpretation of Marshall McLuhan’s dictum that “the medium is the message.” In today’s world, it’s the message (and the look, feel, and tone that comprise that message) that’s critical—not the medium. A common mistake of marketers is to be consistent within a given medium but inconsistent across media.

2. Outwardly driven impatience. Even the best marketing programs can’t always deliver immediate results—so there’s often pressure (usually from one’s sales colleagues) to try a different tack.

3. Inwardly driven impatience. Because marketers live with their brand 24/7, and because they tend to be creative types, they often get tired of their message (and its accompanying look, feel, and tone) long before their audience even has a chance to be fully engaged by it.

Like all virtues, consistency requires dedication, but it also pays huge dividends. So the next time you’re tempted to take the easy route towards inconsistency, aim a bit higher and be the hobgoblin that your company or brand deserves.

THE BEST OF THE HOBGOBLINS

Consistency in positioning is critical to the success of any enterprise and to an individual’s personal brand as well. There are many businesses, organizations, and individuals that do abide by the Hobgoblin ROE, and a closer look at three disparate examples provides valuable insight on how consistency can be applied in a variety of ways from a variety of platforms:

• The Marine Corps - Despite being the smallest of the U.S. military services, the Marines are the most well known and highly regarded. As an organization and a team, the Marines are also the quintessential exemplars of consistency. Current and former Marines begin or end almost every communication with their long-standing motto, “Semper Fi.” There are few Americans who could not correctly fill in the blank when asked to complete this tagline: “The Few. The Proud. The______.” Most importantly, however, the Marines stand for something—and that something never wavers. Marines are tough, disciplined, and loyal. They arrive first and leave last. And most importantly, they are men and women of character. They view themselves as Marines, and fervently believe that “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.” None of this happened overnight. It was the result of a clear vision and a consistently applied approach to their business (whether keeping the peace or fighting a war). The Marine Corps brand did not flourish because of words—it became a living breathing organization because of its actions. Character is not a result of what you say, it’s a reflection of what you do consistently.

• McDonald’s - One of the most recognizable brands in the world, McDonald’s has been a picture of consistency from its very beginnings. In fact, McDonald’s has been described as the best restaurant in the world—not because of the food quality, but because of the consistency of the overall experience. Like the strongest brands (Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson, Apple, and Starbucks come to mind), our impression of McDonald’s is the result of myriad interactions with its iconic Golden Arches, Big Macs, Happy Meals, and Ronald McDonald. Purists might argue that McDonald’s has not been true to their brand due to the introduction of non-hamburger products like chicken and salads, but those folks are missing the core positioning that McDonald’s has adhered to for over fifty years. McDonald’s was never a “hamburger joint.” Rather the company offered a convenient and affordable venue for a family meal or snack—and while they have greatly expanded their menu, they have not wavered from their original guiding principle.

• Richard Branson - With a net worth of over $2 billion, Richard Branson is one of the richest and most powerful businesspeople in the world. He runs the Virgin Group conglomerate of some 350 companies—most of which he has founded personally. His business interests run from airlines and music to cell phones and bridal shops, and he has been criticized for overextending the Virgin brand just to please his own ego. Branson sees it otherwise. He’s been quoted as saying, “In the beginning it was just about the business—now it’s about the brand.” And the brand, in truth, is as much Branson himself as it is Virgin. Branson is a control freak—which is a key component of consistency—but he also has a reputation for empowering his employees. Most importantly, he is passionate about ensuring that he and Virgin stand for something real and meaningful—in particular, a risk-taking, establishment-challenging, and edgy approach to life and business. This approach is so consistently woven through everything that Branson touches that it is highlighted front-and-center on the Virgin Group web site. To wit:

Our role is to be the consumer champion, and we do this by delivering to our brand values, which are: Value for Money, Good Quality, Brilliant Customer Service, Innovative, Competitively Challenging, and Fun. Richard Branson set out with these principles in mind in the 1970s and they still really define what Virgin is all about. Most companies in the world have a set of brand values, which in a lot of cases can be completely meaningless. Virgin believes that the most important thing is the way those values are delivered and brought to life. Here are some examples of the ways that Virgin delivers its brand values:

VALUE FOR MONEY

Simple, honest & transparent pricing—not necessarily the cheapest on the market (e.g. Virgin Blue Australia—low cost airlines with transparent pricing)

GOOD QUALITY

High standards, attention to detail, being honest and delivering on promises (e.g. Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Suite—limousine service, lounge, large flat bed on board, freedom menu, etc.,)

INNOVATION

Challenging convention with big and little product service ideas; innovative, modern and stylish design (e.g. Virgin Trains new pendolino—fast tilting train with shop, radio, digital seat reservations, and new sleek design)

BRILLIANT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Friendly, human & relaxed; professional but uncorporate (e.g. Virgin Mobile UK which has won awards for its customer service, treats its customers as individuals, and pays out staff bonuses according to customer satisfaction survey results.)

COMPETITIVELY CHALLENGING

Sticking two fingers up to the establishment and fighting the big boys—usually with a bit of humour (e.g. Virgin Atlantic successfully captured the public spirit by taking on British Airways’ dirty tricks openly—and winning. Later, advertising messages such as “BA Don’t Give A Shiatsu” both mocked BA and delivered a positive message about the airline’s service.)

F U N

Every company in the world takes itself seriously so we think it’s important that we provide the public and our customers with a bit of entertainment (e.g. VAA erected a sign over the BA-sponsored, late-finishing London Eye saying: BA Can’t Get It Up. [In addition] Virgin Cola’s launch in USA saw Richard drive a tank down 5th Avenue and then “blow up” the Coke sign in Times Square, mocking the “cola wars”)

You have to love the fact that Virgin includes actual examples to bring their corporate values to life. And while that may seem like a little thing, it further demonstrates consistency in communicating their brand and positioning. A list of generic values like “fun” and “innovation” would be meaningless in isolation. I have personally worked for several stodgy companies that considered themselves to be innovative and fun loving—but I’ve never known a CEO who would dare to strip down to a nude bodysuit, hover above New York’s Times Square, and cover his private parts with a Virgin cell phone to promote the launch of Virgin Mobile USA. That’s the sort of thing Richard Branson does consistently—and why he is a hobgoblin par excellence.

ROE #3

GET YOURSELF SOME CULTURE

Be honest. Would you have answered this ad?

MEN WANTED for hazardous journey. Small wages, Bitter cold, long months of complete Darkness, constant Danger, safe return Doubtful. Honor and Recognition in case of success.

Sir Ernest Shackleton attracted five-thousand applicants for his expedition to the South Pole via this apocryphal ad. Shackleton knew exactly the type of man he was looking for, and the stakes were too high to settle for less. He had a vision of what he wanted to achieve, and he required a supporting cast that shared that vision. As for the men who responded, it would be hard to imagine any weak-kneed whiners among them. Shackleton was passionate about surrounding himself with like-minded individuals of character and fortitude so that, when the going got really tough, everyone would stay focused on the larger goal and keep driving ahead.

Take another look at the ad and you’ll see there is absolutely no mention of specific skill sets or experience. Shackleton was following the approach used by today’s college football coaches to “recruit the athlete not the position.” High school quarterbacks are routinely switched to wide receivers and cornerbacks in order to play at the college level. They’re recruited for their athleticism and then taught how to play the specified position.

Every organization needs a Shackleton and, in an ideal world, it would be the rainmakers who serve as coaches and act as role models. Their first job would be to create and maintain a marketing culture throughout the company. All employees, regardless of title or function, would view themselves as marketers—and view every interaction with every customer as a marketing opportunity not to be wasted. Whether it’s a customer service person handling the setup of a new account, a finance person explaining an invoice, a receptionist taking a message, or an IT person evaluating new voicemail systems, everyone should understand that they are representing the total enterprise, they have the opportunity to delight or disappoint, and they contribute to both the top and bottom lines.

This boils down to the key point that marketing is not a department. Rather, it is a mindset, a way of viewing the total business from the client’s perspective. The development of this enterprise-wide mindset begins at the hiring and training stage of new employees and associates.

Of all the things you do to build your business, the hiring process is probably the most important. Hiring is a crapshoot and it’s very hard to get rid of people once they’re on the payroll. People who interview well may end up being psychos, complainers, or plain incompetents once on the job. Your organization represents a living breathing organism, and the last thing you ever want to do is introduce a cancer that can eat away at your efforts from the inside out. That’s why you—as the rainmaking and marketing heart-and-soul of the organization—need to be actively involved in the recruiting, interviewing, orientation, and training of new employees. That may seem like a lot to ask, as these would not be billable hours and would represent time that could be “better spent” prospecting, gaining new skills, or strengthening relationships with existing clients. But think back to Shackleton and ask yourself whether his time would have been better spent evaluating equipment or studying maps rather than building a team that would help ensure the success of his mission. You’re also working on an important mission, and your team will have a major impact—positive or negative—on accomplishing it.