When your process isn’t working, success depends on the ability to adapt

As a B2B marketer, you know that planning and execution are the keys to profitable growth. But what happens when market changes or growing competition make your original plan obsolete? That’s where situational marketing comes in.

In recent posts, we looked at how situational marketing can add agility to your marketing communications. We also shared a case study in which a client used situational marketing to improve their reach and bottom line. In this post, we’ll look at how a B2B client applied a situational marketing strategy to boost lead flow and revenue.

Sales and services teams were miles apart in their comms approach

A private-equity-owned rideshare company had experienced major customer attrition and a lag in new business development. Sales and service delivery teams lacked alignment, and the numbers showed it.

The PE firm was looking to turn sales around with a consistent-yet-flexible growth strategy. They engaged us in year two of their three-year commitment to help.

The company needed a clear plan with multiple paths to fulfill it

To maximize the chance of success, the leadership team focused on three main objectives:

• Reposition the company as a market leader in a highly commoditized industry
• Create a viable growth system to support the PE firm’s ambitious sales goals
• Unify the company around a shared vision to gain full participation

We worked with a cross-functional team to address all three objectives by creating a situational marketing playbook.

First, we worked with the team to tackle repositioning with a tightly focused value proposition, including points of differentiation, core messaging, proof points, and a simple, straightforward employee talk track.

Next, we set the stage for systematized growth by establishing key roles, responsibilities, and a step-by-step process for selling to existing accounts and prospects. We included multiple situations sales might encounter, from competitor pricing, to referrals, to win-backs, to special cases — and a full communications toolkit with in-depth, “how to” instructions.

Finally, mindful of the need for internal buy-in, we highlighted the conviction that virtually every employee has a role in sales, from the initial marketing touchpoint to service delivery and customer support.

A playbook provided both foundation and flexibility to achieve sales’ goals

The situational playbook prepared and equipped the client’s marketing and sales teams with on-brand, situation-specific communications tools for virtually any scenario. This saved time and helped to ensure consistent messaging and delivery at each customer touchpoint.

Ultimately, the client was able to increase lead flow by over 40% and revenue by over 33% — all within a year of implementing the situational playbook.

How could a playbook help your team reach its goals?

Talk to a Crossbow archer to find out.