“Every Marine is a Rifleman” is a core tenet of the US Marine Corps. At boot camp, every Marine receives training in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and teamwork. Regardless of how they end up serving in the Corps—as a mechanic, lawyer, clerk, pilot, dentist, or pastry chef—every Marine is prepared and expected to apply their combat training when needed. That rifleman commitment serves as the tactical cornerstone of the Marine Corps. Always Fi motto (“Always loyal”).
B2B companies, particularly professional services firms, can benefit by creating a culture similar to that of the Marine Corps; train all employees with basic marketing and sales skills that can help the company grow and succeed. “Every employee a sales representative” it must be thoroughly ingrained in a company’s workforce, from the front desk to the corner office.
Many B2B firms, in legal, accounting, financial services, and consulting disciplines, employ at least one rainmaker, usually a founding member, who brings in the bulk of new business. But that “outside/inside guy” dynamic puts a company at risk, because rainmakers can leave unexpectedly (of their own choosing or by ambulance), and the company’s rate of growth is always limited by their energy, motivation and availability. More importantly, this business model fails to tap into a company’s “inside men,” whose individual and collective business relationships, skills, experience, and credibility must be harnessed to drive consistent revenue growth and scale the operation.
Regardless of their title, job description, or ability to work the floor at a social event, all B2B executives should receive training, tools, and ongoing support that empowers them to:
- Manage your personal brand – Customers hire people, rather than a company, to help them. In order to display their credentials, each account professional must maintain a complete and up-to-date biographical profile on the company website and on LinkedIn. To expand their visibility, they should also be involved in at least one non-employment related activity, whether it’s membership in the local chapter of a professional trade association, their daughter’s soccer team, or a fly-fishing club.
- Articulate the company’s value proposition – Many employees, even at the top level, do not have a clear understanding of what makes their company different from the competition, and cannot provide a compelling reason why someone should hire them. Like a good Marine, every employee should know their company’s “elevator pitch” and be prepared to recite it whenever someone asks, “So…who do you work for?”
- Nurture your professional network – Each practitioner has a network of current and former clients, associates in other disciplines, friends, relatives, neighbors, and people they have met at conferences or social events. Business contacts are often included in the company’s CRM system and may receive quarterly newsletters or other communications issued by the company. But account professionals must also maintain direct and regular contact with their entire personal network to nurture and expand those relationships, because referrals are driven by a wide network.
- Boosting higher mind awareness – The marketing challenge for most B2B companies is to shortlist the candidates called for an assignment. To increase their chances of getting that call, companies must constantly sow seeds with customers, prospects, and referral sources, driving higher awareness of the company’s capabilities and credentials. Everyone needs to play an active role in that process by generating relevant content, in the form of blog posts, signed articles, case studies, industry updates, slideshows, etc. – that the company can market to keep the company in play.
- sell intrinsically – Because the “inside men” embody the company’s intellectual capital and provide its services and solutions, they are better equipped to demonstrate to prospects and customers the company’s ability to add value, which is its most important sales tactic. powerful. Intrinsic (or “consultative”) selling is what turns prospects into customers, and not including account professionals in the sales pitch process can hurt a company’s growth potential.
- Look for cross-selling opportunities – The practitioner assigned to an account is the administrator of that relationship. As a trusted advisor, the professional has a deep understanding of the current needs of each client, as well as an idea of what additional services could be valuable. Based on that 360° perspective, the account professional is in the strongest position to recommend new services or an expansion of existing work. But many professionals fear that this request will compromise their professionalism or jeopardize the relationship with the client. Both of these obstacles to increasing account penetration can be addressed with the right tools and training.
- ask for references – This is a difficult task for most account professionals. However, if they have nurtured their network, gained confidence by learning how to cross-sell to existing customers, and rehearsed the referral request process, then professionals can make this an easy routine.
“Every employee, a sales rep” will not be achieved by simply setting company-wide mandates. The program must be driven by internal disciplines, consisting of written guidelines, worksheets, and internal training, that provide employees with the proper guidance, support, feedback, and motivation. Combined with a high-level commitment to changing the culture and a company-wide recognition that transformation will be difficult, your B2B company can greatly improve its sales and marketing capabilities. Always Fi.