Do You Want To Know A Secret?

Did you know that the American bee is actually digital? Yup… It's a U.S.B.

So is that a conspiracy theory, or a bad dad joke? Perspective is reality in the mind of the bee-holder! The definition of a conspiracy theory is: a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators, or a theory asserting that a secret of great importance is being kept from the public.

The basic idea here is that there is a secret that someone knows and is using to control your circumstances. But again, to most of us, perception is reality.

Some people believe that marketing has a secret formula that some know while others don't. That's why you hear that word so much in marketing. A Google search shows that there are 161,000,000 secrets to be learned. Sales secrets have the same number while just searching the word ‘secrets' shows 4.3 BILLION results.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Just because something is a secret, does not mean that it's true, or that it universally applies to all. So let me tell you a secret… the secret to success is unique to you. Your situation, circumstances, and definition of success is uniquely yours.

There is a song by Joe Jackson called “You can't get what you want, till you know what you want.” People can attribute an activity or a theory, or a strategy to success without defining what they actually mean by success.

I was talking with a friend who said he wanted to do more social media for his business. When I asked why he said, “I need to hire a salesperson and I want to generate leads for them.” Sounds logical enough?

But he asked me what's the secret to my success with it, I told him that the secret was him. With a confused look he asked, “Why me?” and I told him that social meant relationship, and media, meant message. So social media only works when you share yourself through messages that build quality business relationships. He should hire the salesperson and help him (or her) develop relationships with the kind of people that would be a good fit for his business.

The 3 B's of Success

I have found that my perfect customers have three B's that create a mutually beneficial relationship. I know my business can only be successful when my client achieves what they want. They have to know what they want before I can give them what they want. If they can define a clear objective (reach a certain new audience, increase sales to their current audience, or help communicate changes in their business), then we have a goal to achieve and a metric to measure success.

Once that goal or goals are defined, THEN we have to make sure that they contain these three B's – Bandwidth, Budget, and Belief.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth means that they are willing to become an active partner in the process. I have found that owners are often too busy and want to delegate things like marketing. They search for a company that says they know the secret about what's going to work for them. Some may be really good at what they do, but the most important asset in marketing is the experience, insights, and active participation of people who know the most about the business.

Owners know the culture, the staff, the products and services, and the clients. All of that insight is needed to actively adjust and implement creative messaging that covers all of those needs.

The Secret: Active and consistent engagement with the stakeholders of the business leads to marketing success.

Budget

Budget may seem like a no-brainer, but it's complicated. Problems happen when companies commit money, but fail to commit their time. It's a process to take prospects through the Buyers Journey. It can take three months to set up a system, three months to tweak, and between six months to a year to start to see a quality return on investments. The promise of a quick fix often shows up as more web traffic and higher social media engagement. BUT… the only measurable in business that matters is increased sales.

The second part of this is convincing owners to commit to weekly meetings, planning sessions, and often training to build, implement, tweak, and adjust the system. Delegation can hinder or slow results needed to power a real return on investment.

The Secret: Patience, participation, and personal involvement lead to sales profits.

Belief

Belief is easy when huge profits are flowing in, but the minute trust is broken, belief becomes an issue. That means that constant communication and listening are key to success. This has to be more of a partnership than a buyer-vendor relationship. Both parties have to be empathetic, engaged, and energized in any relationship.

That means that you have to believe in a company's mission, vision, and values, and they have to believe in yours. More importantly, you have to believe that each party has the other's best interest in mind, or trust will erode and ultimately disintegrate over time.

You have to accept that we are all imperfect humans who have feelings, and emotions, and will stumble along the way. Relationships are complex and take compromise, confidence, and commitment.

The Secret: Everyone needs to be committed and believe that success is possible. Belief is based on relationships, and relationships are built on trust… and that takes work to maintain.

Final Thoughts

“The thing always happens that you really believe in, and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”

– Frank Lloyd Wright

By not being committed to a relationship, it's easy to blame the other person (or company) and just sever ties and move on to the next option. All too often I see people who start out strong, and just cut ties before success ever happens.

That means that you and your customers have to take the time to get to know each other well enough and be willing to invest Bandwidth, Budget, and Belief in each other. Nothing is forever, but if you invest time upfront to make sure you are the right fit for each other, you have a much better chance of success!

I would love to hear your thoughts on how Bandwidth, Budget, and Belief resonate with you. Have you had business relationships that have abruptly ended because of trust? How have you improved this in the past? Do you rush in or slowly build when starting new collaborative business relationships? Do you have any experiences or bits of wisdom to share?

Comment below and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about finding your perfect customer.

To learn more about this and other topics on B2b Sales & Marketing, visit our podcast website at The Bacon Podcast.